page_title: Spinone Italiano
section_title: Characteristics
hierarchical_section_title: Spinone Italiano / Characteristics
caption_attribution_description: Bumped into this lovely dog whilst walking in Dorset. Took one picture and it then became very scared of the camera (or me).
context_page_description: The Spinone Italiano is an Italian breed of hunting dog, traditionally used for tracking, pointing, and retrieving game.
context_section_description: The Spinone has a square build (the length of the body is approximately equal to the height at the withers). It is a strong-boned, solidly built dog with a well-muscled body and limbs that are suited to almost any kind of terrain. A brown and white Spinone can sometimes be confused with a German Wirehaired Pointer by someone unfamiliar with the breeds. However, the long head and pronounced occipital are unique to the breed. He has an expression that shows intelligence and understanding and is often described as having human-like eyes. The tail of the working Spinone is customarily docked at half its length (approximately 14 to 20 cm or 5.5 to 8 inches from the base of the tail). Non-working UK based Italian Spinones are no longer docked, in accordance with current legislation. Even as adults, Spinoni retain disproportionate, puppy-like, webbed paws which make them powerful swimmers.
  
    
  The coat is tough, slightly wiry, and close fitting. The preferred length is 4 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.5 in) on the body; however, the ears, muzzle, head, and parts of  the legs and feet are covered with shorter hair. Eyebrows have longer and stiffer hair; longer but softer hair covers cheeks and muzzle, creating a profuse moustache and beard.
  It may be solid white, white with orange markings, orange roan with or without orange markings, white with brown markings, or brown roan with or without brown markings. Pigment of skin, nose, lips, and the pads on their feet should be a fleshy red-orange in white dogs, slightly darker in orange and brown roan dogs. The white and orange coloration is unique amongst the wire-haired gun dogs.
   
  A Spinone usually lives for about twelve or thirteen years. Neurological disorders that have been identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy and idiopathic epilepsy.
caption: The Spinone is easy going, docile, and affectionate towards both people and dogs.
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