Educate Yourself Spinone History

December 14, 2020
Country of Origin: Italy
Parent Club: Club Italiano Spinone  Population: 500 to 600 pups whelped per year in Italy, several hundred more in UK and US  

Size: Males 80-90 pounds & Females 60-70 pounds
Coat: Wire-haired brown roan, white and brown, orange roan, white and orange, and all white  

Range: Close to Medium  Speed: Fast Trot to Medium Gallop  

Retrieve: Excellent 

 I love Italy. I love the food, the wine, the culture, and especially the language, which I speak with an English/French accent so thick you can cut it with a knife. When Lisa and I are in Italy, we live on a steady diet of pizza, pasta, chianti, and cappuccino. And once in a while, when it is really hot, we’ll order a nice cold beer.
Our Italian brew of choice is called Birra Moretti, a perfectly drinkable beer with an interesting picture on the label an image of a smiling man lifting a frothy mug to his lips. He’s wearing a green suit, green hat, and has a prominent red mustache.
One day, in a small town near Padua, as Lisa and I enjoyed a cool Birra  Moretti, I saw a dog and his owner walking across the central square. The dog was fairly large, white and orange, and as it got nearer I realized that it had the same bushy mustache as the Moretti guy! When he and his owner walked by our table, I said, “Excuse me, sir, but what kind of dog is that?”
È uno Spinone,” he replied. “It is a Spinone.” 

History Of The Spinone

Just about any history you are likely to find on the Spinone will make the claim that the breed was created in the furthest mists of time. But a few vague references to hunting dogs in obscure Greek poems are not enough to prove an ancient origin.
History Of The Spinone On the other hand, images found in Renaissance paintings do show that dogs resembling the Spinone were in Italy at least as far back as the 1400s. Perhaps the most intriguing image is one found on the west wall of the Ducal Palace in Mantua. Painted by Andrea Mantegna circa 1474, the fresco is divided into three panels. The left panel shows a horse and four men with hunting dogs that appear to be greyhounds and  mastiffs. The right panel, often referred to as “The Meeting,” is said to represent Ludovico Gonzaga, his son, Cardinal Francesco, and other members of his family. In the bottom left corner of the scene, behind Ludovico’s legs, is a small, rough-haired dog that some believe may be  an ancestor of the Spinone. Despite other ancient images featuring dogs that resemble Spinoni, it was not until 1834 that the first written reference to the breed was made by Bonaventura Crippa, who wrote: We should not forget to mention the hard-coated Bracco commonly called Spinoso.
We should not forget to mention the hard-coated Bracco commonly called Spinoso.
 

 Many breed histories point to those lines as the first time the Spinone is mentioned in the literature, albeit with a slightly different name. However, they all seem to skip over the very next line where Crippa makes the extraordinary claim that the Spinoso was English!
It is not clear how Crippa came to believe that the “hard-coated Bracco commonly called Spinoso” came from England, but he is surely  mistaken. Rough-coated dogs had existed in Italy and across all of Europe for centuries, wherever short-coated dogs mixed with long- or curly-coated breeds. In any case, no other work on the Spinone mentions an English connection. All of the major authorities agree that the ancestors of the Spinone were probably native to Italy. In Les Chiens  d’Arrêt, author Jean Castaing provides us with the most likely scenario for the development of the breed:
I believe that the Spinone developed in more or less the same way as other such breeds. Like all other pointing griffons [it] was born from  the cohabitation of braques and barbets. By the mid-1800s, Spinoni (plural of Spinone) could be found throughout much of Italy. And like their cousin, the Bracco Italiano, different  types were seen in the various regions. In Piedmont and Lombardy, for  example, Spinoni tended to have rough brown and white or orange and  white coats. In the Veneto area they were said to have had longer and softer brown roan coats. Not only were there different coat types and colors in various regions, but it seems that just about every noble family was breeding their own versions as well. In I Cani Da Ferma  Italiani, Giambattista Benasso wrote: 
Many aristocratic families or of higher classes had their own “breed” of Bracchi or Spinoni, [which were] simply numerically small  families from which they tried to get individuals with the appearance  and aptitudes that were required by the local hunting culture and environment. 

 In an effort to reverse the trend, breeders tried to “modernize” their  lines. It is said that crosses to Boulet and Korthals Griffons, Bracco, German Wirehaired and Shorthaired Pointers, and English Pointers were done at the time, with mixed results. Speed and range increased in some lines, but the look and character of the breed was adversely affected.
If the effects of unregulated crosses hurt the Spinone and the increasing competition from other breeds reduced its numbers, then the Second World War nearly wiped it out. Of course, all the other Continental breeds faced difficult challenges in the post-war years but, for some, recovery was fairly rapid. Not only were breeders able to rebuild the population bases, but they managed to improve the overall hunting ability across the breeds in very short order. Unfortunately for the Spinone, recovery took considerably longer. In fact, it was not until the 1980s that any real progress was made in terms of field ability. It seems that Spinone breeders were slow to adapt to the rapidly changing hunting scene in Italy. With severe reductions in wild game populations and fewer places to hunt, their breed earned the reputation as an outdated type of dog kept only by older hunters unwilling to change their ways.
To make matters even worse, many breeders had been basing their selection almost completely on the breed’s conformation standard and not on its natural hunting abilities. The few breeders who eventually tried to turn things around had an uphill battle. According to Marino  Panizza, quoted by Giambattista Benasso, in I Cani Da Ferma Italiani:
“[they had to] use the handsome to develop the good in terms of hunting, which of course is a very difficult undertaking. It required years and  years of work, but following the path laid out by the late Emilio  Pedrazzini, who can be considered the father of modern Spinone, the breed finally rose to a high level. Today the Spinone continues to improve and gain ground among hunters in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. 

 The number of field trial champions has  risen dramatically over the last 20 years and some Spinoni have even won all-breed trials on the continent. In North America, the Spinone has found a home among a fair number of dedicated NAVHDA breeders who have made excellent progress in recent years. The Story Behind the Name of the Spinone:
“Spinone” is derived from the Italian word for thorn: spina. It can refer to the breed’s harsh coat and/or the thorny terrain in which it  excels as a hunter. Unlike many of the other Continental breeds, the name is more or less the same in just about any language. The English,  French, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, and Germans all call the breed Spinone and use the Italian plural: Spinoni.
During much of the 1800s the most common name for the breed was Bracco Spinoso. Various regional dialects used other terms. In Piedmont, it was the Restone; in Tuscany, the Spinoso; and in the Naples area, Bracco Restoso. In 1887 Ferdinado Delor suggested that the name Spinone be adopted for the breed. The Kennel Club of Italy agreed, and the name was accepted shortly thereafter.
Some English speakers call the breed Italian Spinone or Spinone  Italiano. But the term is somewhat redundant. There is only one “Spinone”, so there is really no need to qualify it with the word  “Italian.”
Physical Characteristics of the Spinone: 

Spinoni are fairly large, well-built dogs with a harsh, rough-haired coat and thick beard and mustache. At first sight, they look like a Bracco Italiano with a rough coat, but there are some important differences under the wiry hair. 

The Spinone can be larger than the Bracco, it has a different head shape, and the ears are somewhat  smaller.

Like the Bracco, dewclaws on the hind legs are common. 

The  Spinone is unique among the wire-haired Continental breeds in that it should not have an undercoat.
   

Spinoni can be excellent water workers. Most are strong swimmers that develop a love for water work early on. The dense and harsh wire-haired coat offers good protection from the cold and from the rough cover of wetland areas. A Spinone may be a good choice for dedicated water fowlers, but they can be fairly large dogs so may not be the best choice for working out of a tippy canoe. 

The Spinone’s Hunting Style:
Of the two Italian pointing breeds, the Spinone is considered the better choice for hunting in tough conditions. It is renowned for its ability to work all day, in a wide variety of terrains, especially in rough, dense cover or deep water. 
In the past, Spinoni were thought of as close range, slow, almost lethargic hunters. However, as Italian breeder Daniele Serafino explains, the old stereotype no longer applies.
We are witnessing a real evolution of the breed nowadays. The conformation standard has remained more or less the same and the sweet character that has been handed down over the centuries is still there. But the working abilities have improved greatly. There are now certain highly developed bloodlines that, in addition to the typical character of the breed, demonstrate a remarkable confidence that translates into a bigger range, faster trot, and very solid and often very sudden points.
The typical field search of the Spinone is similar to that of its cousin, the Bracco Italiano. In fact, much of their working standards is identical. In the field, however, there are differences. The trot of a Spinone is not quite as fast as that of the Bracco. The head is held  high, but not as high as a Bracco’s. The rhythm of the trot is more staccato and the rear legs do not extend as far backward with each stride.

This type of trot may require less energy and is a fundamental feature of the breed, said to enable it to hunt all day, every day, without tiring. In terms of range, the Spinone should cover a good amount of ground, out to about 100 meters. Spinoni also tend to show more of a mix of trotting and galloping than the Bracco. Italian field trialers and hunters say that the Bracco is more of a stylist, while the Spinone is more of a versatile “meat dog,” in the best sense of the word. Spinoni can be excellent water workers. Most are strong swimmers that develop a love for water work early on. The dense and harsh wire-haired  coat

offers good protection from the cold and from the rough cover of wetland areas. A Spinone may be a good choice for dedicated  water fowlers, but they can be fairly large dogs so may not be the best choice for working out of a tippy canoe.
Character and Training Considerations.
The words most often used when describing a typical Spinone are lovable, sweet, mellow, easygoing, and affectionate. Spinone are big, rough-and-tumble dogs that may give the impression of being tough as  nails. But in terms of temperament many are big softies. Anyone training a Spinone needs to keep this in mind. Ottavio Mencio, a breeder of Spinoni in Italy, told me "The best way to train a Spinone is to make it fun and interesting for them. There is no need to use force, so go easy on them; they are cooperative students and want to please you. They are intelligent, reasonable dogs, but some of them can have a jealous streak. Females are usually more sensitive than the males and can be trickier to train."
After seeing my first Spinone in a public square in Italy, I did not see another until many years later when I attended a North American Versatel Hunting Dog Association NAVHDA test just north of Toronto. I was there strictly as a spectator, but I wanted to snap a few photos of dogs running in the Natural Ability test. Just before the lunch break as I made my way from one event to the next, I came across an older gentleman walking along a path leading to the clubhouse. Beside him was a gigantic orange and white dog on a leash. 

Now, I should mention that I had just spent most of the morning watching a bunch of young dogs, including a Braque du Bourbonnais, that probably weighed no more than 15 kilograms. So, when I first saw the orange and white dog, it looked as big as a horse!. Maybe it was my surprised expression or the way I slowed down to feast my eyes on his dog, but the gentleman stopped and said hello. I introduced myself and asked him, “Is that a Spinone?”
The man I was speaking to was Guido Malandruccolo, one of the most respected Spinone breeders in North America. His Di Morghengo kennel has produced a number of outstanding dogs, including a NAVHDA Versatile Champion and a Westminster Best of Breed winner. Guido was very gracious that day and patiently answered the dozens of questions I had about the breed. Since then, I have seen a few more Spinoni in the US and Canada, and about a dozen in Italy. In terms of performance, they ranged from fair to absolutely outstanding. I was particularly impressed by the water work of two Spinoni I photographed in southern Ontario. Seeing a dog that weighs nearly 40 kilograms charge down the bank at full speed and then leap into the water is very impressive!  In Italy, some of the best Spinoni I’ve seen were in a field trial Lisa and I attended near the tiny hamlet of Pian di Spino in the hills an hour south of Bologna. There we saw some very hard-hunting,  well-trained dogs pitting their skills against wild pheasants in a beautiful setting. All the dogs alternated between a gallop and a trot. Some searched fairly wide and would disappear from view over a ridge for  a while, but would always come back into view. Points were solid and  the dogs were (mostly) steady. All in all, I got the impression that  Spinoni breeders in Italy are producing some excellent dogs and I can understand why the breed is catching on with more and more hunters in North America.     

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Craig Koshyk
From their home base in Winnipeg, Craig Koshyk and Lisa Trottier travel all over hunting everything from snipe, woodcock to grouse, geese and  pheasants. In the 1990s they began a quest to research, photograph, and hunt over all of the pointing breeds from continental Europe and published Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals. The follow-up to the first volume, Pointing Dogs, Volume Two, the British and Irish Breeds, released in 2020.