The colour of the Lagotto Romagnolo
According to the breed's standard (FCI-Standard N° 298), the Lagotto may appear in many colour variants:
- off-white
- white with brown, or white with orange markings
- brown-roan
- brown
- brown with white markings
- orange
- tan markings (in various shades) are allowed
It is to note that the colour black is explicitly prohibited by the standard. A little black spot, or black nose comes with instant exclusion from the breeding program.
The colour of the lagotto continuously changes from birth, especially in the first 2 years.
The photos below illustrate well the variety of colours:
Brown-roan
In terms of change, brown-roan is probably the most interesting colour. For the uninitiated, at birth they might look identical to white-brown puppies; however, experienced breeders know what to look at to determine which colour variety they are actually facing with.
Brown
The majority of brown Romagna Water Dogs are born as dark brown, but as time goes by, they begin to fade out; at the end, most of them look cappucino-brown. In very rare occasions, it might stay dark.
Brown with white markings
Just like their brown fellows, they are born as dark brown, and their colour is lightening gradually. They have noticeable white markings.
Off-White
This is the only colour that does not change throughout the dog's life. They are mostly off-whites, but sometimes there are individuals of very light colour.
White with orange markings
Most of them are off-white, with light orange markings. The orange colour mostly fades out, but stays noticable.
Orange
The orange puppies are indeed orange at birth and during young age, but as they grow it may fade and become cream.
White-brown
Mostly white coat, with brown markings. The brown fades out with time, just like the solid brown ones. Sometimes it might stay dark though.
