Page 252 - (DK) The Dog Encyclopedia

CATALOG OF BREEDS | GUNDOGS

Spinone Italiano

HEIGHT WEIGHT LIFE SPAN White
23–28in 65–85lb 12–13 years Orange-roan
(58–70cm) (29–39kg) White and brown or brown-roan

This easy-going and relaxed companion can be quickly
distracted and is not ideal for house-proud owners

The origins of the Spinone Italiano are Spinone Italiano is still worked, although the
unclear, but wire-haired pointer-type dogs faster Bracco Italiano (see p.252) is now
have been known in Italy since the time of more popular for hunting in Italy.
the Renaissance; one such dog is featured In recent years the Spinone Italiano has
in the mural “The Court of Gonzaga,” become a popular pet in various countries,
painted in the 1470s by Andrea Mantegna prized for its gentle temperament and
in the ducal palace at Mantua. loyalty. It needs plenty of daily exercise, Thick tail
carried low
The modern breed originated in the but its tendency to move at a slower pace
Piedmont region of northwest Italy, and than many gundogs makes it a comfortable
acquired the name “Spinone” in the 19th walking companion. The coat requires little
century. This versatile “hunt, point, retrieve” care, aside from occasional brushing and
breed (see p.245) was the region’s most hand-stripping, although it does
popular hunting dog until the 20th century. retain smells.
The Spinone Italiano played a vital role for
Italian partisans during World War II,
tracking enemy soldiers as well as bringing
in food. By the end of the war the number
of dogs was very low, so from the 1950s
Italian breeders formed a club to save it
from extinction.
The Spinone Italiano can follow both
airborne and ground scents and will
work even in heavy, thorny cover. It tracks
quietly and thoroughly, hunting close to
its handler and covering the ground in a
zigzag fashion, at a long-striding trot.
The dog’s rough coat protects it even in
dense thorn bushes and icy water. The PUPPY

A THORNY NAME

The breed now known as the Spinone
Italiano once had a variety of names,
according to the region in which it was bred. Large,
round feet
One name was Bracco Spinoso, “prickly
pointer,” thought to refer to the dog’s rough,
bristly coat. The name “Spinone” links to the
word pino, the name for a kind of dense
Italian thorn bush, because the Spinone, with
its tough skin and coarse coat, was one of
the few dogs that could push through the
thorns to reach its quarry (shown here in a
French print from 1907).

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