Spinone Italiano

The Spinone Italiano is one of the oldest pointing breeds, an Italian gundog bred to work close to the handler on nose and stamina rather than raw speed. In the home that heritage shows up as a big, wiry-coated dog with a soft presence: affectionate, people-oriented, and happy to move each day then settle near you. The wiry coat, bushy eyebrows, moustache and beard give it a distinctly gentle, shaggy look. It is also a real commitment, because the coat needs regular hands-on care and the working brain needs a job. This is a clear, practical look at what a Spinone is like to live with, what it needs day to day, and what to ask a breeder before you commit.

Spinone Italiano at a glance

• Size: Large, solidly built gundog
• Height: Males 60 to 70 cm, females 58 to 65 cm at the withers¹
• Weight: Males 34 to 39 kg, females 29 to 34 kg (typical breed-standard range)¹
• Coat: Coarse, dense and fairly flat, with distinctive eyebrows, moustache and beard, and little to no undercoat¹
• Colours: White, white and orange, orange roan, white and brown (chestnut), brown roan¹
• Temperament: Generally steady and people-oriented, with an independent streak common to working gundogs²
• Exercise needs: Moderate to fairly high, best suited to daily activity plus a job such as training, scent games or retrieving²

History and Origin

The Spinone is an Italian hunting dog bred to work close to the handler, using nose and stamina rather than explosive speed. Traditionally it has been used for tracking, pointing and retrieving game, including in wet and rough ground where a protective coat and calm persistence are useful traits.³ That background explains a lot about the dog you get at home. In a house it often reads as a dog that likes to be near you, watches what is happening, and prefers steady routines. It is not usually a run-in-circles-all-day breed, but it does tend to cope poorly with long stretches of boredom, especially when young.²

Temperament and Personality

Most Spinoni are affectionate and social with their people. They usually do best treated as part of daily life, out on walks, around the yard, and included in training, rather than parked outside with nothing to do.² The independence can look like stubbornness, but it is not really defiance. It is a dog bred to make small decisions in the field. Clear rules, gentle repetition, and food or toy rewards work far better than heavy corrections.

With children

Many Spinoni are gentle around children, especially when they have been well socialised and the kids know how to behave around a large dog. Always supervise. This is a heavy, strong dog that can accidentally knock over small children when excited or in tight spaces.

With other pets

They are often sociable with other dogs. With cats and small pets the outcome depends on early introductions, management, and the individual dog's prey drive. Assume you will need training and supervision outdoors, particularly around birds and wildlife.

Is a Spinone Italiano Right for You?

A Spinone suits people who want a big dog with a soft presence and a working nose, an animal that wants to move each day then settle close by. It is a good fit if you can offer daily outdoor time, patient training, and routine grooming you will actually keep up with. It is a poorer fit if the dog will spend long hours alone and bored, or if a coarse coat and a damp beard around the house are not for you. Offer steady handling and enough outdoor time to let that scenting brain do its quiet work, and you will usually see the Spinone at its best.

Training and Exercise

An earlier version of this guide claimed at least two hours of exercise a day, which is often more than many adult Spinoni need and not a useful single number. A more realistic baseline is roughly 60 to 90 minutes a day for adults, adjusted for age, fitness, weather, and how much mental work the dog is getting.² A Spinone that gets a long walk but no brain work can still feel restless, so mix physical activity with simple, quiet tasks that use the nose and the body.

Good daily options

• Long, sniff-heavy walks on a long line where allowed
• Retrieving games with clear start and stop rules
• Scent games such as scatter feeding in grass, or hiding treats and toys around the yard
• Short obedience refreshers of 5 to 10 minutes

Off-lead care

Because they are hunting dogs with strong scent interest, many Spinoni will follow a smell further than you expect. Build recall slowly and assume you will need a lead or long line in unfenced areas, especially near roads or wildlife.

Getting training right

Start early with calm house rules and basic skills: toilet training, loose-lead walking, recall foundations, and cooperative handling of ears, paws and mouth. The coat and ears need routine care, so the dog should learn to tolerate brushing and checks as a normal part of life. Keep sessions short and clear. The Spinone responds well to patient repetition and rewards, and poorly to harsh handling, which can shut a sensitive dog down or turn training into a standoff.

Grooming and Care

The Spinone's coat is built to be protective and practical: coarse, dense and fairly flat, with the characteristic facial furnishings and minimal undercoat.¹ It is not a wash-and-wear coat, but it also should not be clipped into softness.

Routine coat care

• Brush and comb once or twice a week to prevent matting, especially in the beard, armpits, and behind the ears.
• Hand-stripping, or a groomer familiar with wire coats, may be used to maintain coat texture. Heavy clipping can soften the coat over time.
• Trim carefully around the eyes if hair irritates them, and avoid sharp DIY scissoring if you are not confident.

Ears, beard, and the wet-dog factor

Low-set, drop ears and a damp beard can create a friendly environment for irritation and infection if moisture and debris are left sitting. Regular ear checks, and keeping the beard reasonably clean after meals and swims, will save a lot of trouble later.

Health and Lifespan

No breed is generally healthy in a blanket way. It depends on breeding choices and individual lines. The Spinone, like many large breeds, can be affected by joint disease and certain eye conditions, and deep-chested dogs have a known risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus, often called bloat.⁴

Commonly discussed concerns

• Hip and elbow dysplasia: developmental joint conditions that can lead to pain and reduced mobility.
• Eye disease: some inherited eye conditions occur in many breeds, and your breeder should be able to show current eye testing relevant to their lines.
• GDV (bloat): a fast-moving emergency where the stomach dilates and may twist, with higher risk in large, deep-chested dogs.⁴

GDV: a plain-language safety check

GDV is an emergency. If your dog is repeatedly retching without bringing anything up, has a swollen abdomen, looks distressed, or collapses, treat it as urgent and get to an emergency vet immediately.⁴ Risk cannot be reduced to a single trick, but common recommendations include feeding two or more smaller meals, slowing down fast eaters, and avoiding hard exercise around meals. In some at-risk dogs, vets may discuss a preventative gastropexy, often done at desexing.⁴

Diet and Nutrition

Choose a complete and balanced diet suited to a large-breed adult, or a large-breed puppy formula for growing dogs, and adjust portions based on body condition rather than the label alone. Your vet can help you set a target weight and feeding plan. For owners comparing foods, the WSAVA nutrition guidance encourages looking beyond the ingredient list and focusing on whether the diet is nutritionally complete, the company's quality control, and whether sound expertise sits behind the formulation.⁵

Practical feeding habits

• Split daily food into 2 meals, though 3 sometimes works better for large dogs.
• Use slow feeders or scatter feeding if your dog bolts food.
• Keep an eye on weight through the year, because this breed can carry extra kilos quietly under that coat.

Finding a Breeder or Rescue in Australia

Start with Dogs Australia, formerly the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC), to locate breeders and breed clubs, then do your own due diligence from there.⁶

Questions worth asking before you put down a deposit

• What health screening have the parents had (hips, elbows, eyes), and can you show documentation?
• How are the puppies raised and socialised in the first 8 weeks?
• What are the temperaments like in your lines (calm or active, vocal or quiet, confident or shy)?
• What support do you provide after the puppy goes home?
• Will you take the dog back if circumstances change?

The Bottom Line

A Spinone Italiano is a big, gentle gundog that wants daily movement, a task for its nose, and a place close to its people. Get the exercise and grooming wrong and you can end up with a bored, stubborn dog and a coat that mats into felt. Get them right, keep up with the early health checks, and you have a steady, affectionate companion for years.

References

1. The Kennel Club (UK), Italian Spinone breed standard
2. Purina, Spinone Italiano breed information (overview and activity needs)
3. Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), Spinone Italiano breed standard (PDF)
4. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV/bloat)
5. World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), Global Nutrition Guidelines
6. Dogs Australia, Find a breeder