First Challenge With a Lagotto: Finding the Ear at All
A Lagotto Romagnolo wears a dense, woolly, single coat that curls right over and around the ears, so the first step of safe cleaning for this breed is simply seeing what you are doing. Part the curls with your fingers and lift the drop flap in the strongest light you have, ideally during a regular coat session when the dog is already settled for handling. Under the hair, judge the ear the same way you would any drop-eared breed: pale pink skin and light wax can be wiped at home, while redness, a yeasty odor, or debris packed at the canal entrance means the ear should be examined professionally before you clean around a problem you can only partly see. Many owners find the ears easiest to judge right after a coat trim, when the curls around them sit at their shortest.
Wiping Without Dragging the Coat Through the Mess
A Lagotto's curls will fall straight back into your work area unless you actively hold them aside, so pin the surrounding coat back with one hand and keep it there for the whole wipe. With the other hand, use a cotton pad dampened with vet-approved ear cleaning solution to clean the inner flap in outward strokes, starting at the canal entrance. Work slowly around the folds, swapping pads as they soil, and resist the urge to dig at the tuft of hair many Lagottos grow right at the canal opening — whether that hair should be removed is a decision for your veterinarian or groomer who knows your dog's history, not a default step of home cleaning. Nothing enters the canal itself, especially where hair limits your view.
Drying an Ear That Lives Under Insulation
A Lagotto Romagnolo's coat insulates everything it covers, including a freshly cleaned ear, so drying deserves the same patience as the wipe. Let the dog shake first, then pat the inner flap dry with a clean pad, holding the flap up and the curls back while air reaches the skin for a minute or two. On a Lagotto, a damp ear under a dry-looking coat is a common trap: the outer curls feel finished long before the sheltered skin underneath is. Scheduling ear care right before a walk helps, since moving air during the outing finishes the drying you started indoors.
Lagotto Ear Signs That Hide Until They Are Established
A Lagotto Romagnolo's coat can conceal early ear trouble, so behavior becomes your alarm: new head shaking during truffle-style sniffing games, scratching that parts the curls at one ear, or a sour smell when you part the coat over the ear all warrant a veterinary visit. So does matting suddenly forming around one ear, which often means the dog has been rubbing it. Because you cannot casually glance at these ears the way you can on a short-coated breed, build the deliberate look into the grooming rhythm rather than waiting for symptoms. With KinsLe Care Teams, a Lagotto's ear check can be assigned as a companion duty to the coat session and closed with a timestamp, so the ears get inspected on schedule instead of whenever someone happens to remember them.