06/06/2026
For Lagotti, temperament should be a top priority in any discussion. It is a complex topic, especially as the breed has expanded worldwide in both numbers and roles.
The breed has shifted relatively quickly from working as a truffle-hunting dog across wide landscapes to living in urban settings, where it must cope with crowded communities, busy social environments, and greater daily pressures.
Any discussion of the breed’s temperament or sociability should start with a clear definition of what makes a dog social. Unfortunately, the breed’s curly, teddy bear-like appearance often leads people to expect it to be as outgoing as a Labrador and to welcome unsolicited petting and affection from strangers.
Although dogs of any breed may enjoy this kind of interaction, it is important to respect each Lagotto as an individual and recognize that every dog may respond differently in social situations. Many people maintain a personal comfort zone around themselves, yet expect their dogs to tolerate strangers entering their space, which can place unnecessary pressure on the dog to accept unwanted attention.
Before discussing how to improve temperament in the Lagotto breed, we need a clear understanding of what that actually means. That starts with learning about canine behavior, recognizing body language, respecting what the dog is communicating, and defining what it truly means to have a social dog.
The post shared with this is well written and good read to consider how it applies to your own Lagotto.
The “immediately friendly equals well-socialised” myth
There’s a widespread assumption - particularly in Western dog culture - that an immediately friendly dog is a well-socialised one. But sociability and social health aren’t the same thing.
A dog that rushes up to every stranger isn’t necessarily confident. It can equally reflect overarousal (due to varying emotions), a lack of impulse control, or a lack of clear social boundaries.
Natural reservation and fear are not the same thing. This distinction matters enormously, and the two are frequently collapsed, which is a significant equivocation with real consequences for dogs.
Fear-based reservation tends to involve active avoidance, visible stress signals, and an inability to recover. Natural reservation looks quite different - the dog may be calm, observant, and fully functional - simply withholding engagement until they’ve made their own assessment. Conflating the two pathologises a healthy characteristic.
Some breeds were never bred for indiscriminate friendliness: Chow Chows, Akitas, and many Nordic and Eastern breeds among them. Applying a universal social template to every dog and finding them wanting does a real disservice to both the individual and the breed. The Eurasier standard, for example, describes the breed as reserved with strangers, but without signs of aggression - and in my experience, that’s accurate. There’s a spectrum, as with any breed, but natural reservation was genuinely one of the things that drew me to them.
The pressure for dogs to be immediately friendly with strangers largely serves the stranger, not the dog. A dog that takes their time is exercising due diligence. Appropriate social boundaries. Something we’d readily respect in a human.
There’s also a persistent assumption that reservation in adult dogs signals inadequate early socialisation. Sometimes that’s true - but a well-socialised dog of a naturally reserved breed, or any breed, may still be reserved. Socialisation does shape confidence and resilience, but it doesn’t necessarily alter how much social contact a dog seeks, or from whom.
Every dog deserves to be read as an individual - not measured against a template, or unrealistic expectations that we wouldn’t apply to other humans.
