Spinone Italiano

The Spinone Italiano is a traditional Italian pointing dog bred for patient gun work on land and in water. It is a substantial, squarely built dog with large feet, thick skin, a wiry coat, and heavy eyebrows and beard that soften the expression. Common colors include white, orange and white, orange roan, brown and white, and brown roan. Compared with faster field trial specialists, the Spinone often works at a deliberate trot, stays in close contact, and retrieves through rough cover.

In family life, a Spinone is usually people-oriented and steady, but it still needs regular exercise and scent-based work to stay settled. The coat should be combed and stripped or carded rather than clipped into a soft fluffy texture, and the beard can carry water and food unless cleaned. Long ears need routine checks, especially in dogs that swim. The breed can mature slowly, so patient training works better than heavy pressure. Health discussions with breeders often include hips, elbows, bloat risk, and the DNA test for hereditary cerebellar ataxia.

Colors: Apricot, Bicolor, Black, Black and Tan, Black and White, Black Mask, Blue, Blue and Tan, Blue Merle, Blue Roan, Blue Tick, Brindle, Brown, Brown and Tan, Brown and White, Brown Roan, Chocolate, Cream, Dapple, Domino, Fawn, Fawn and White, Gold, Gray, Harlequin, Irish Marked, Liver, Liver Mask, Mantle, Mask, Merle, Mottled, Orange Roan, Parti-Color, Piebald, Red, Red and White, Red Merle, Red Roan, Red Tick, Reverse Brindle, Roan, Sable, Saddle, Silver, Speckled, Spotted, Tan, Ticked, Tricolor, Tuxedo, White, White and Brown, White and Orange, Yellow