An ancient Italian water retriever now prized as the premier truffle-hunting dog, with a dense, woolly, curly coat and a keen, working nose. Affectionate, clever, and eager to work with its people.
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From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
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Minimum
Home with daily structured exercise
Apartment/house + 60 min daily exercise
Medium dogs need at least an hour of varied daily exercise — leashed walks plus off-lead play or training. Apartment living is workable only if exercise commitments are met every day; crate-train and allow supervised free-roam at home.
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Recommended
Home with fenced yard + training time
House + fenced yard + 60–90 min varied exercise
A home with a securely fenced yard, daily walks plus off-lead play, and ongoing training keeps a medium dog mentally satisfied. Add a sport or hobby (fetch, scent games, agility intro) for breeds with extra drive. High-drive working breed — the recommended tier still demands daily structured mental work (training, scent games, herding ball, fetch with rules), not just walks.
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Ideal
Active home with a job or sport
Suburban/rural home + secure yard + canine sport
Truffle hound — scent work and nosework is the breed's purpose. — ideal is acreage or rural property paired with a daily job or canine sport: herding stock, scent detection, agility, protection sport, sledding, gundog field work, or a structured working role. Without that outlet, expect destructive behaviour, reactivity, and welfare-relevant frustration.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Newborn
Newborn mammals are nursed on their mother's milk. Many are born helpless — blind, deaf, and sparsely furred (altricial, as in dogs, cats, and rodents) — while others stand and follow within hours (precocial, as in hoofed livestock).
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Juvenile
After weaning, juveniles grow quickly and become increasingly active, playful, and independent. Adult coat, proportions, and (in many species) the permanent teeth come in as they approach full size.
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Adult
Adults reach full body size and sexual maturity, with the species' mature coat and build. Sexual dimorphism — differences in size, mane, horns, or markings — is pronounced in some mammals and subtle in others.
Senior
Senior animals show aging signs such as graying fur, reduced activity, and a greater need for veterinary monitoring of joints, teeth, and organ function. Lifespan and the onset of old age vary widely by species and size.
Color & pattern variants
Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.
Adaptable to apartments or houses provided it gets daily exercise and mental work. Needs 30-60 minutes of activity plus scent/foraging games that engage its strong nose. Loves water. A securely fenced area is helpful, though the breed is less wide-ranging than many gundogs. Thrives on involvement with the family.
Diet
Feed a balanced diet appropriate to life stage and activity. The breed can be prone to weight gain if under-exercised, so monitor body condition; the curly coat can mask a thickening waistline. No specific dietary disease, but keep treats modest, especially given how food-motivated and trainable these dogs are.
Behavior & temperament
Intelligent, affectionate, and highly trainable, with an outstanding sense of smell and natural search drive. Energetic but generally calmer indoors than many sporting breeds. Devoted to family, good with children and usually other pets, and can be somewhat reserved with strangers (making a decent alert dog). Their working drive needs an outlet — scent games, nose work, or truffle-style searching.
Health
Recognized hereditary conditions include benign familial juvenile epilepsy (a puppy-onset, often self-limiting seizure disorder, DNA test available), lysosomal storage disease (DNA test available), neuroaxonal dystrophy (DNA test), hip dysplasia, and eye conditions. Recommended screening: hip evaluation, ophthalmologist eye exam, and DNA testing for storage disease, juvenile epilepsy, and neuroaxonal dystrophy in breeding stock.
Tips, DIY & hacks
The wooly, curly coat does not shed much (often tolerated by some allergy sufferers) but mats easily; comb/brush regularly and clip the coat a few times a year. Do not brush out the curl excessively. Keep ears clean and dry to prevent infection, and dry the coat well after swimming. Channel the powerful nose into scent work or truffle-hunting games for a happy, well-behaved dog. Rewards-based training suits this sensitive, smart breed.
