Spinone Italiano

The Spinone Italiano is an Italian hunting dog, traditionally used for tracking, pointing and retrieving game. It is a strong, solidly built dog with a rough coat, a thick mustache and a beard.

History

Nobody knows where the Spinone began. Rough-haired dogs of pointer type have lived in Italy since at least the Renaissance. One lies under the chair of Duke Ludovico III Gonzaga in a fresco that Andrea Mantegna painted in the Ducal Palace of Mantua in about 1470. In 1683 the French writer Jacques Espée de Sélincourt said that the best griffon dogs came from Italy and Piedmont.

The modern Spinone took shape in Piedmont, in north-western Italy, in the 19th century, and for a time it was the most important hunting breed of that region. During the Second World War partisans made much use of it, both to track enemies and to carry food.

After the war few dogs were left. A breed society, the Famiglia dello Spinone, was formed in 1949, and the breed was rebuilt from about 1950. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale gave it full acceptance in 1955. A second society, the Club Italiano Spinoni, followed in 1973. Between 2010 and 2018 some 400 to 650 dogs were registered in Italy each year, a little over half of them orange and white.

Appearance

Seen from the side the Spinone is roughly square, about as long in the body as it is tall at the withers. Males stand 60 to 70 cm (24 to 28 in) and weigh 32 to 37 kg (71 to 82 lb). Females stand 58 to 65 cm (23 to 26 in) and weigh 28 to 30 kg (62 to 66 lb). The dog is well muscled and built for hunting over any kind of ground.

The coat is rough, thick and flat, with little undercoat. It is about 4 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.5 in) long, and shorter on the head, the feet and the front of the legs. Longer, stiffer hair on the eyebrows and lips forms the mustache and beard. The dog may be solid white, white with orange speckles or markings, white with chestnut brown markings, or brown or orange roan.

Temperament

The Spinone swims well, and goes into cold or deep water without hesitating.

Care and health

A British study in 2024 found a median lifespan of 11.9 years, close to the 12.5 years for dogs in general. Neurological disorders identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy and idiopathic epilepsy.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.