Lagotto puppy without pedigree?
A Lagotto is a lifetime dream of many people since there are lots of captivating photos, videos and breed descriptions circulating on the internet, based on which, they have already imagined a doggy future, or may have just met a lagotto who enchanted them with its behaviour and appearance.
This is when people usually say that they need an Italian Waterdog. Then comes the art of looking for the perfect puppy, and it turns out that it isn't as easy as they thought it would be. Hearing how much a well-bred purebred puppy costs, many say: "OK, we don't need a pedigree then".
If I got 1 euro every single time I heard "oh, we just want the doggy as a pet, the pedigree is unnecessary", I would be a millionaire.
Are you sure about that though? You are buying a companion, a family member for the next 15 years, and if you would really like a Lagotto, who is a worthy representant of the breed both in its behaviour and look, then stick to the pedigree.
Of course, it is not that piece of paper that will guarantee all of this, but the knowledge which stands behind it. A pedigree is not just your puppy's birth certificate, but the proof of its origin and that its parents had fulfilled the regulations to be involved in the breeding program and there are many other things behing it which you would never even be thinking of.
Why would this be so crucial for you if you just wanted a family dog that was a lagotto?
Ask yourself why you want a Lagotto? Have its look and character caught you? Yes? Then why would you buy one from a place where you can only get similar?
It is the same like it's not irrelevant either whether you've got Adidas or Adidos shoes; No matter the difference is only a letter, their quality is incomparable. This is the same with dogs, however, in a scenario like this, you commit yourself for 15 years and it really does matter that in what extent will the dog comply with your expectations. If you bought it once, you cannot just replace it like your shoes when you figure out that the puppy you had brought home contains only signs of a Lagotto or is losing its fur, or perhaps has behavioural issues.
Real breeders don't just go to shows or working trials to accomodate theirselves and collect all those good-sounding champion titles. This is how the individuals' eligibility for further breeding is assessed.
Just because a dog has a pedigree, it does not mean that it is suitable for breeding. A breeder's job is selection,, to make sure that only the most gorgeous, healthiest and best behaving individuals get involved into the breeding program.
Breeding is not an exact science or a math equation, where one plus one always equals two. Genetics are often unpredictable, nevertheless, if we know the bloodlines and the breeding pairs are choosen consciously, then we can expect puppies to be born that both the breeder and the future owner will be proud of.