Italian Spinone

Origin

Italy

Attractive to:

An active home with energetic handlers and some experience in training dog sports.

Not the best for:

The fiercely houseproud. The Italian Spinone is a doggy-type of dog. It sometimes wipes its beard on your leg, or shakes some drool and splatters whatever is in its path. It enjoys taking a dip and the coat can pick up all sorts of debris on walks. All part of being a dog. If it would drive you to distraction, pick a lower-maintenance breed – or a very clean goldfish.

Aliases:

Spinone, Italian Griffon, Italian Wirehaired Pointer, Italian Coarsehaired Pointer

Cross between:

None

Size:

Large
People will amusingly say "You should put a saddle on it!"

Exercise Needs:

High (Two hours or more)
Without sufficient mental and physical exercise will probably do the wall of death around the living room!

Coat:

Spikey
If not hand stripped will go fluffy. If you don't pluck their fur in the old fashioned way they transform from spikey to soft.

Shedding:

Moderate shedding
All canines drop some hair, think of it as dog glitter!

Life expectancy:

9 years

Good first dog?:

No