Spinone Italiano
{{short description|Italian breed of hunting dog}}
{{Infobox dog breed
| name = Spinone Italiano
| image = 05042363 Spinone braun.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Brown roan
| image2 =
| image_alt2 =
| image_caption2 =
| altname = {{ubl|Spinone|Bracco Spinoso{{r|dk|page=250}}|Italian Spinone|Italian Griffon|Italian Wire-haired Pointer|Italian Coarse-haired Pointer}}
| stock =
| country = Italy
| weight =
| maleweight = 32–37 kg{{r|enci2}}
| femaleweight = 28–30 kg{{r|enci2}}
| height =
| maleheight = 60–70 cm{{r|enci2}}
| femaleheight = 58–65 cm{{r|enci2}}
| coat = rough, thick and flat
| colour = solid white, white with brown or orange markings, or brown or orange roan
| litter_size =
| life_span =
| kc_name = Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana
| kc_std = https://www.enci.it/media/2434/165.pdf
| fcistd = http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/165g07-en.pdf
| note =
}}
The Spinone Italiano{{efn|name= a}} is an Italian breed of hunting dog, traditionally used for tracking, for pointing and for retrieving game.{{r|dk|enci|tam|trecc}}
History
File:Andrea mantegna, camera degli sposi, 1465-74, parete nord, detta della corte 08 ludovico gonzaga e servitore, particolare del cane.jpg by Andrea Mantegna in the Camera degli Sposi of the Palazzo Ducale of Mantua, circa 1470]]
The origins of the Spinone are unknown.{{r|dk|page=250}} Rough-haired dogs of pointer type have been present in the Italian peninsula at least since the Renaissance. In a fresco painted by Andrea Mantegna in about 1470 in the Camera degli Sposi of the Ducal Palace of Mantua, in Lombardy, in northern Italy, a dog of this kind is shown lying under the chair of the duke, Ludovico III Gonzaga.{{r|dk|page=250}} Jacques Espée de Sélincourt, in his {{lang|fr|Le Parfait Chasseur}} of 1683, says of griffon dogs that "the best come from Italy and from Piedmont".{{r|fci2|jac|page2=xxviii}}
The modern Spinone originated in Piedmont, in north-western Italy, in the nineteenth century and was for some time the most important hunting breed of that region.{{r|dk|page=250}} During the Second World War it was much used by the partisans, both to track enemies and to carry food.{{r|dk|page=250}} After the War, breed numbers were much reduced; a breed society, the Famiglia dello Spinone, was formed in 1949,{{r|ass}} and the breed was reconstituted from about 1950 onwards.{{r|enci3}} The Spinone was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1955.{{r|fci}} A second breed society, the Club Italiano Spinoni, was established in 1973.{{r|ass}}
In the period from 2010 to 2018, new registrations in Italy varied from about 400 to about 650 per year; in every year, the orange-and-white colouring represented slightly over half of the total.{{r|enci}}
Characteristics
The Spinone is roughly square in outline when seen from the side – the length of the body is approximately equal to the height at the withers. It is a strong, well-muscled and solidly-built dog suitable for hunting over any kind of ground. It swims well and enters cold or deep water without hesitation.{{r|enci3}}
The coat is rough, thick and flat, with little undercoat; it is about {{convert|4|to|6|cm|in|abbr=on|round=0.5}} long, rather shorter on the head, feet and front of the legs. Hair on the eyebrows and lips is longer and stiffer, thus forming a thick moustache and beard.{{r|fci2}} It may be: solid white; white with orange speckling or markings; white with chestnut brown markings; or brown or orange roan.{{r|fci2}}
A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 11.9 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.{{r|uk}} Neurological disorders that have been identified in the breed include cerebellar abiotrophy{{r|ron|page=308}} and idiopathic epilepsy.{{r|jvim}}
File:05042333 Spinone weiss.jpg|Solid white
File:05042336 Spinone orange.jpg|Orange roan with orange markings
Notes
{{Notelist | refs=
{{efn|name = a | {{IPA|it|spiˈnoːne itaˈljaːno}}; plural Spinoni Italiani, {{IPA|it|spiˈnoːni itaˈljaːni|pron}}}}
}}
References
{{commonscat}}
{{reflist|45em|refs=
Tamsin Pickeral (2014). Dogs Unleashed. San Diego: Thunder Bay Press. {{isbn|9781626860681}}.
}}
Further reading
{{refbegin}}
- Carolyn Fry (1999). The Italian Spinone. Havant, Hampshire: Kingdom Books. {{isbn|9781852790844}}.
- Derek Hall (2005). The Ultimate Guide to Dog Breeds. Broxbourne, Hertfordshire: Regency House. {{isbn|9781853615160}}.
- Peter Larkin, Mike J. R. Stockman (2008). [https://books.google.it/books?hl=en&id=N47GFSoNdA0C The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Dogs, Dog Breeds & Dog Care]. London: Hermes House. {{isbn|9780681152885}}.
{{refend}}
{{Gundogs}}
{{Italian dogs}}
Category:Dog breeds originating in Italy
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