Spinone Italiano breed guide

An experienced breeder tells AKC that Spinone Italianos are very soft, very stubborn and very smart and that training is mostly barter: where many breeds asked how high as they jump, a Spinone Italiano asks why.

Spinone Italianos are low octane compared with other sporting breeds.

Spinone Italianos live 10 to 12 years. Responsible breeders screen for hip and elbow dysplasia and eye anomalies.

Though the standard says the breed should be kept in a natural state, Spinone Italianos do need some grooming: they should be hand-stripped and not scissored to get out dead hair and keep a coat length of one and a half to two and a half inches. The ears need cleaning at least once a week.

A hike or walk is always a good idea but need not happen every day. A large, securely fenced yard, plenty of playtime and being part of the family matter as much to a Spinone Italiano's well-being as exercise.

Spinone Italianos are a very old breed among the Continental European field dogs famed for versatility, with strengths including intelligence, a great nose, retrieving on land or lake and stamina to work all day and ask for more.

The name refers to pino, the thorny undergrowth of Italy's Piedmont region, where all-weather, all-purpose Spinone Italianos were first bred to work beside human huntsmen on the hilly terrain of Alpine Italy.