Spinone Italiano

The Spinone Italiano originated in the Piedmont region Italy as a gun dog approximately around 500 BC. They were known as "Spinoso" prior to the 19th century. They got their names from the Italian thorn bush “Pino” used by small game to hide from the dogs, as the thorns made the bushes impenetrable and Spinone Italianos were the only ones who could. They are friendly and loyal breed and are used for everything from hunting to being companion dog. They are also used as assistance dogs for the needy.

The Spinones are very patient, loyal and an easy going breed. They are very affectionate towards human and socialize well with other dogs as well. They get along well with children, although children should be taught to respect the dog’s boundaries. The Spinones can’t be good guard dogs as they do not express any aggressive behaviour what so ever. They are very easy to train but can get stubborn at times if they don’t like the final results of a particular task. It is very important to consider a gentle way of approach when training them as they are easily hurt and require a lot of motivation form its master’s side along the process. They don’t run fast like the rest of the hunting breeds. They themselves prefer a slower pace, just one of the easy going characteristics of the breed. They are the best companions while jogging around, because they always try and stay with their masters instead of running far ahead of them in advance. They don’t need much of physical activity on a daily basis, just a walk in the park keep them happy n active.

They have a square frame build and it is very prominent because their height is almost the same as their length. They are strongly built and have the legs and limbs to suit any sort of terrain. The eyes of a Spinone resemble that of a human. They are good swimmers because they webbed paws. Their coats come in colours of white, white with orange or brown markings, and brown roan with or without brown markings. Spinones have a close fitting tough coat close to 5 cm long and do not have an undercoat. Their eyebrows and cheeks have longer softer hair as compared to the rest of the body giving them an illusion to have a beard and a moustache. The skin pigments on the pads, nose and other visible areas are of red-ish-orange colour on the white coat dogs and of darker orange in brown dogs.

Like most hunting dogs, they also suffer from health problems such as Cerebellar ataxia and Hip dylasia. Cerebellar ataxia is a hereditary disease which puts the lives of the Spinone puppies at risk. The chances of it occurring can be reduced by controlled breeding. There is also medical test done to identify this condition. Hip dylasia is a case where the hip bones become weak and can be surgically fixed with an artificial joint allowing the dog to be normal again.