Its build tends to fit into a square. The Spinone is naturally sociable, docile and patient. The breed is an experienced hunter in all terrains, is very resistant to tiredness, goes easily into brambles, and readily enters cold water. By nature, the breed is an excellent retriever and competent swimmer. It is built for an extended, fast trot.
Height is measured at the withers.
Any departure from the ideal is to be faulted according to the degree of deviation. The width of the head, measured at the level of the zygomatic arch, is less than half the length of the head. The zygomatic arch is the bony ridge forming the lower border of the eye socket. The direction of the upper longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle is divergent. The skull is oval shaped.