Post by DogGoneGood on Mar 9, 2009 18:36:30 GMT -5
Group: I - Sporting
Origin: Italy
Date of Origin: Middle Ages
First Purpose: Pointing and Retrieving
Purpose Today: Companion, Field Trials, Gundog
Other Name(s): Italian Spinone, Spinone, Italian Pointer
The Spinone Italiano has recently found popularity far beyond its native land, and deservedly so. It may produce a little more tenacious saliva than some people are willing to cope with, and it may have a rather pungent canine aroma, but otherwise this is an avuncular, calm, easygoing, and obedient breed that thrives on work, be it hunting, field trials, or chasing bouncing dog toys. Although the Spinone looks dignified, reserved, and all-knowing, it is actively playful, even rowdy. It is said to outrank all other Italian gundogs in efficiency as a hunter.
General Appearance:
The breed’s expression is a direct line to its temperament. The
distinguished, well-salted great grandfather look indicates that this is a noble, wise and protective canine companion. He can either be reserved or rowdy and playful. Dog of solid construction, robust and vigorous; powerful bone; well developed muscles, hair rough.
Breed Standards
Important Proportions:
His build tends to fit into a square. The length of the body is equal to the height at the withers, with a tolerance of 3/8 to 3/4 inches (1 to 2 cm) longer. The length of the head is equal to 4/10ths of the height at the withers. Its width, measured at level of the zygomatic arches, is inferior to half its length.
Coat and Colour:
Coat: hair of a length of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (4 to 6 cm) on the body, shorter on the muzzle, the head, the ears, the front sides of the legs and the feet. On the back sides of the legs, the hair is like a rough brush, but never with fringes. Long and stiff hair garnishes the eyebrows and the lips forming thick eyebrows, moustache and tufted beard. The hair is stiff, harsh, dense and rather flat, with lack of undercoat.
Colour: pure white, white with orange markings, white speckled with orange, white with brown (chestnut) markings, roan or brown roan (chestnut). The preferred shade of brown is the colour of “Friar's frock”. Not permitted colours are: tricolour, tan markings, black in any combinations.
Head:
The direction of the upper longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle is divergent.
Skull: of oval shape; its lateral walls gently sloping like a roof, with occipital protuberance very well developed and parietal crest well marked. The bulge of the forehead is not very developed, not towards the front or in height. The superciliary arches are not too prominent.
Stop: barely marked, whereas the medial-frontal furrow is very pronounced.
Nose: in the prolongation of the nasal bridge, voluminous,
spongy in appearance with a very thick and distinctly rounded upper edge; of pink flesh colour in white subjects; a bit darker in the white and orange subjects, chestnut brown in the chestnut roan subjects. In profile, the nose protrudes over the forward vertical line of the lips. Nostrils are large and protruding.
Muzzle: its length is equal to the length of the skull; its depth, measured at mid length, reaches a third of its length.
The profile of the muzzle is straight or slightly convex (Roman nose). The lateral faces of the muzzle are parallel, so that, seen from the front, the muzzle appears square shaped. The lower profile of the muzzle is defined by that of the upper lip; its lowest point is the labial commissure.
Lips: the upper lips, rather fine, form an open angle below the nose; in their forward part, they are rounded, then, covering the lower lips, they reach the labial commissure where they form a visible fold.
Jaws/Teeth: powerful and normally developed, at mid length the branches of the lower jaw are very lightly curved. Dental arches well adapted; incisors articulate either in scissor or pincer bite. Cheeks: lean.
Eyes: large, well opened and set well apart. The eye is almost round; the lids closely fitting the eye which is neither protruding nor deep set; both eyes are on an almost frontal plane. The iris is of an ochre colour, more or less dark according to the colour of the coat.
Leathers: practically triangular in shape; in length they are not more than 5 cm longer than the lower line of the throat; in width they reach forward from the point of inset of the head to the neck to the middle of the zygomatic arch. The forward edge
is close to the cheek, not folded, but turned inwards; the tip of the ear is slightly rounded. Nearly always carried low, the ear should have little erection power. Cartilage is fine. The skin is covered with dense hair mixed with longer scattered hairs, which become thicker at the edges.
Neck:
Powerful and muscled, clearly set off from the nape, merging
harmoniously into the shoulders. Its length must not be inferior to 2/3 of the length of the head; its circumference reaches a third of the height at the withers. The lower edge shows a lightly developed double dewlap.
Forequarters:
Seen from the front, they are perfectly parallel and perpendicular to the ground. Seen in profile, the forearm is vertical and the metacarpus is slightly oblique.
Shoulder: shoulder blade powerful and long, measures
a quarter of the height at the withers, and has an obliqueness below the horizontal of about 50°; in relation to the median plane of the body, the points of the shoulder blades are not very close. Perfectly free in its movements, the shoulder has well developed muscles; the opening of the scapular-humeral angle is of about 105°.
Upper Arm: oblique below the horizontal with a slant of about 60°, directed almost parallel to the median axis of the body. It is well muscled.
Elbows: in parallel plane to the median plane of the body. The point of the elbow must be a little forward of the vertical line which drops from the posterior point of the shoulder blade to the ground. The distance from the elbow to the ground is equal to 50% of the height at the withers.
Forearm: slightly longer than one third of the height at the withers, vertical seen from the front as well as in profile. Strong bones. The hind tendon is strongly accentuated in such a way that the groove between tendon and bone is clearly visible.
Pastern Joint: follows the vertical line of the forearm. Pastern: flat, and, seen from the front, follows the vertical line of the forearm; seen in profile, it is slightly oblique. Its length is of about 1/6 of the height of the leg to the elbow.
Forefeet: compact, round; toes well-knit and arched, covered with short thick hair, including the spaces between the toes. The pads lean and hard are more or less pigmented according to the colour of the coat. Nails strong, curved towards the ground and well pigmented but never black.
Hindquarters:
Seen in profile, back edge of the buttock is slightly convex; good
angulation of the bone segments; the hocks must be perpendicular to the ground; seen from behind, the hindquarters are parallel and perpendicular to the ground.
Upper Thigh: Its length must not be inferior to a third of the height at the withers. Its width is 3/4 of its length. Strongly muscled. Its direction is slightly oblique from top to bottom and from back to front. Its back edge slightly convex.
Lower Thigh: its length exceeds just slightly that of the upper thigh; its obliqueness is of 55° - 60° below the horizontal; lean muscles in its upper part; the furrow between the Achilles tendon and the bone is marked and clearly visible.
Hock Joint: its lateral sides are very broad. The distance between the point of the hock and the ground is about one third
of the height at the withers. The opening of the angle of the tibial-tarsal articulation is about 150°. Hock: strong and lean, its length is equal to the distance from the hock to the ground. Observed from whichever side, the metatarsal is vertical. On its inner side there may be a simple articulated dewclaw.
Hind feet: showing all the same characteristics of the front feet, but slightly more oval.
Body:
Fits almost into a square.
Upper Profile: the upper profile of the back is made up of two segments: the first, nearly straight, slopes from the withers to the 11th dorsal vertebra, and the other, slightly convex, joins
with the solid and well arched lumbar region. Withers: not too raised.
Loin: slightly convex, has well developed muscles in width. It measures in length a little less than a fifth of the height at the withers and its width is almost equal to its length.
Rump: wide, long, well muscled and oblique, forms below the horizontal an angle of 30° to 35° which is measured of the obliqueness of the hip bone.
Chest: descends to at least the level of the elbows, is broad, deep and well rounded at mid height, where its transversal diameter reaches its maximum and decreases
perceptibly in direction of the sternum, but without the chest forming a keel at the junction with the sternum. The ribs are well sprung and slanting with wide spaces between ribs. The back ribs (false ribs) are long, oblique and well opened.
Lower Profile: almost horizontal in the sternal region, then ascends slightly towards the belly.
Tail:
Thick, particularly at its base; carried either horizontally, or down; there are no fringes. It should be docked leaving a stump of 6-10 inches (15 to 25 cm).
Gait:
Easy loose step; when hunting, extended fast trot with intermittent paces of gallop.
Note:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully
descended into the scrotum.
Faults:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Disqualification:
• Upper cranial-facial axes convergent.
• Total depigmentation of the nose
• Concave nasal bridge.
• Overshot or accentuated undershot mouth.
• Wall eye.
• Black pigmentation of the skin or the mucous membranes.
• Coat tricoloured, tan markings, black in all combinations.
Size:
Height at the withers:
• males from 23-27 inches (60 to 70 cm)
• females from 22-25 inches (58 to 65 cm)
Weight:
• males from 70.5-81.6 lbs. (32 to 37 kg)
• females from 61.7-66.1 lbs.(28 to 30 kg)
Temperament:
The Spinone is easy going, docile, and affectionate towards both people and dogs. It is well known for being loving and gentle with children. Its extremely patient nature also helps with this, but children should be taught not to take advantage of this trait. It is loyal to those it knows and still friendly to those it doesn't. The breed is not known for any aggression and is therefore not a wise choice for somebody looking for an aggressive guard dog.
Centuries of working with man as a hunting companion has created a loyal, intelligent dog that is easily trained, although some can be stubborn about performing a learned task if they see no point in it. Because they are sensitive, motivational training works best for this breed, as this gentle creature's feelings can easily be hurt when handled incorrectly.
The Spinone can be a very active breed, but it is not a racy dog like most other hunting breeds. The Spinone typically moves at the relaxed trot that is characteristic of the breed. It has often been called the perfect dog to run or jog with, because it will not run off in front and leave its human companion struggling to keep up as it prefers the slower pace itself. It can be more than happy in a small yard and does not necessarily need acres of land. The small garden combined with regular walks would suit a Spinone well.
In part due to its long beard, the Spinone can have a tendency to slobber.
Life Expectancy:
12 - 13 Years
Known Medical Issues:
Cerebellar ataxia: Cerebellar ataxia (CA) is a deadly hereditary condition that is known to affect Spinone puppies. It is a recessive gene; therefore, both sire and dam must have been carriers for any pup in a litter to have this condition. No puppy with CA has lived past the age of 12 months to date. Most puppies that have been diagnosed with the condition are euthanised at 10–11 months. However, the AHT (UK) has developed a test for this condition. Carriers can now be identified to a 95% certainty.
Hip dysplasia: Like most large breeds, the Spinone can suffer hip dysplasia. This is when the hip bones become abnormal and make it difficult and painful to do any exercise. Dogs diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia can have their ball and socket joint replaced surgically with an artificial joint.
History:
The Spinone Italiano is considered one of the oldest Griffon type pointers. The breed is noted for its highly acute scenting ability, soft mouth and ability to endure the elements and terrain. In his book “Le parfait chasseur” (The perfect Hunter), Sélincourt, in 1683, speaks of a “griffon” coming from Italy and the Piedmont. In the middle Ages this dog has often been represented by famous painters; the best known painting is a fresco by Andrea Mantegna in the ducal palace of Mantua, from the 15th century.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Spinone Italiano
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 243
Wikipedia - Spinone Italiano
Origin: Italy
Date of Origin: Middle Ages
First Purpose: Pointing and Retrieving
Purpose Today: Companion, Field Trials, Gundog
Other Name(s): Italian Spinone, Spinone, Italian Pointer
The Spinone Italiano has recently found popularity far beyond its native land, and deservedly so. It may produce a little more tenacious saliva than some people are willing to cope with, and it may have a rather pungent canine aroma, but otherwise this is an avuncular, calm, easygoing, and obedient breed that thrives on work, be it hunting, field trials, or chasing bouncing dog toys. Although the Spinone looks dignified, reserved, and all-knowing, it is actively playful, even rowdy. It is said to outrank all other Italian gundogs in efficiency as a hunter.
General Appearance:
The breed’s expression is a direct line to its temperament. The
distinguished, well-salted great grandfather look indicates that this is a noble, wise and protective canine companion. He can either be reserved or rowdy and playful. Dog of solid construction, robust and vigorous; powerful bone; well developed muscles, hair rough.
Breed Standards
Important Proportions:
His build tends to fit into a square. The length of the body is equal to the height at the withers, with a tolerance of 3/8 to 3/4 inches (1 to 2 cm) longer. The length of the head is equal to 4/10ths of the height at the withers. Its width, measured at level of the zygomatic arches, is inferior to half its length.
Coat and Colour:
Coat: hair of a length of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (4 to 6 cm) on the body, shorter on the muzzle, the head, the ears, the front sides of the legs and the feet. On the back sides of the legs, the hair is like a rough brush, but never with fringes. Long and stiff hair garnishes the eyebrows and the lips forming thick eyebrows, moustache and tufted beard. The hair is stiff, harsh, dense and rather flat, with lack of undercoat.
Colour: pure white, white with orange markings, white speckled with orange, white with brown (chestnut) markings, roan or brown roan (chestnut). The preferred shade of brown is the colour of “Friar's frock”. Not permitted colours are: tricolour, tan markings, black in any combinations.
Head:
The direction of the upper longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle is divergent.
Skull: of oval shape; its lateral walls gently sloping like a roof, with occipital protuberance very well developed and parietal crest well marked. The bulge of the forehead is not very developed, not towards the front or in height. The superciliary arches are not too prominent.
Stop: barely marked, whereas the medial-frontal furrow is very pronounced.
Nose: in the prolongation of the nasal bridge, voluminous,
spongy in appearance with a very thick and distinctly rounded upper edge; of pink flesh colour in white subjects; a bit darker in the white and orange subjects, chestnut brown in the chestnut roan subjects. In profile, the nose protrudes over the forward vertical line of the lips. Nostrils are large and protruding.
Muzzle: its length is equal to the length of the skull; its depth, measured at mid length, reaches a third of its length.
The profile of the muzzle is straight or slightly convex (Roman nose). The lateral faces of the muzzle are parallel, so that, seen from the front, the muzzle appears square shaped. The lower profile of the muzzle is defined by that of the upper lip; its lowest point is the labial commissure.
Lips: the upper lips, rather fine, form an open angle below the nose; in their forward part, they are rounded, then, covering the lower lips, they reach the labial commissure where they form a visible fold.
Jaws/Teeth: powerful and normally developed, at mid length the branches of the lower jaw are very lightly curved. Dental arches well adapted; incisors articulate either in scissor or pincer bite. Cheeks: lean.
Eyes: large, well opened and set well apart. The eye is almost round; the lids closely fitting the eye which is neither protruding nor deep set; both eyes are on an almost frontal plane. The iris is of an ochre colour, more or less dark according to the colour of the coat.
Leathers: practically triangular in shape; in length they are not more than 5 cm longer than the lower line of the throat; in width they reach forward from the point of inset of the head to the neck to the middle of the zygomatic arch. The forward edge
is close to the cheek, not folded, but turned inwards; the tip of the ear is slightly rounded. Nearly always carried low, the ear should have little erection power. Cartilage is fine. The skin is covered with dense hair mixed with longer scattered hairs, which become thicker at the edges.
Neck:
Powerful and muscled, clearly set off from the nape, merging
harmoniously into the shoulders. Its length must not be inferior to 2/3 of the length of the head; its circumference reaches a third of the height at the withers. The lower edge shows a lightly developed double dewlap.
Forequarters:
Seen from the front, they are perfectly parallel and perpendicular to the ground. Seen in profile, the forearm is vertical and the metacarpus is slightly oblique.
Shoulder: shoulder blade powerful and long, measures
a quarter of the height at the withers, and has an obliqueness below the horizontal of about 50°; in relation to the median plane of the body, the points of the shoulder blades are not very close. Perfectly free in its movements, the shoulder has well developed muscles; the opening of the scapular-humeral angle is of about 105°.
Upper Arm: oblique below the horizontal with a slant of about 60°, directed almost parallel to the median axis of the body. It is well muscled.
Elbows: in parallel plane to the median plane of the body. The point of the elbow must be a little forward of the vertical line which drops from the posterior point of the shoulder blade to the ground. The distance from the elbow to the ground is equal to 50% of the height at the withers.
Forearm: slightly longer than one third of the height at the withers, vertical seen from the front as well as in profile. Strong bones. The hind tendon is strongly accentuated in such a way that the groove between tendon and bone is clearly visible.
Pastern Joint: follows the vertical line of the forearm. Pastern: flat, and, seen from the front, follows the vertical line of the forearm; seen in profile, it is slightly oblique. Its length is of about 1/6 of the height of the leg to the elbow.
Forefeet: compact, round; toes well-knit and arched, covered with short thick hair, including the spaces between the toes. The pads lean and hard are more or less pigmented according to the colour of the coat. Nails strong, curved towards the ground and well pigmented but never black.
Hindquarters:
Seen in profile, back edge of the buttock is slightly convex; good
angulation of the bone segments; the hocks must be perpendicular to the ground; seen from behind, the hindquarters are parallel and perpendicular to the ground.
Upper Thigh: Its length must not be inferior to a third of the height at the withers. Its width is 3/4 of its length. Strongly muscled. Its direction is slightly oblique from top to bottom and from back to front. Its back edge slightly convex.
Lower Thigh: its length exceeds just slightly that of the upper thigh; its obliqueness is of 55° - 60° below the horizontal; lean muscles in its upper part; the furrow between the Achilles tendon and the bone is marked and clearly visible.
Hock Joint: its lateral sides are very broad. The distance between the point of the hock and the ground is about one third
of the height at the withers. The opening of the angle of the tibial-tarsal articulation is about 150°. Hock: strong and lean, its length is equal to the distance from the hock to the ground. Observed from whichever side, the metatarsal is vertical. On its inner side there may be a simple articulated dewclaw.
Hind feet: showing all the same characteristics of the front feet, but slightly more oval.
Body:
Fits almost into a square.
Upper Profile: the upper profile of the back is made up of two segments: the first, nearly straight, slopes from the withers to the 11th dorsal vertebra, and the other, slightly convex, joins
with the solid and well arched lumbar region. Withers: not too raised.
Loin: slightly convex, has well developed muscles in width. It measures in length a little less than a fifth of the height at the withers and its width is almost equal to its length.
Rump: wide, long, well muscled and oblique, forms below the horizontal an angle of 30° to 35° which is measured of the obliqueness of the hip bone.
Chest: descends to at least the level of the elbows, is broad, deep and well rounded at mid height, where its transversal diameter reaches its maximum and decreases
perceptibly in direction of the sternum, but without the chest forming a keel at the junction with the sternum. The ribs are well sprung and slanting with wide spaces between ribs. The back ribs (false ribs) are long, oblique and well opened.
Lower Profile: almost horizontal in the sternal region, then ascends slightly towards the belly.
Tail:
Thick, particularly at its base; carried either horizontally, or down; there are no fringes. It should be docked leaving a stump of 6-10 inches (15 to 25 cm).
Gait:
Easy loose step; when hunting, extended fast trot with intermittent paces of gallop.
Note:
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully
descended into the scrotum.
Faults:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Disqualification:
• Upper cranial-facial axes convergent.
• Total depigmentation of the nose
• Concave nasal bridge.
• Overshot or accentuated undershot mouth.
• Wall eye.
• Black pigmentation of the skin or the mucous membranes.
• Coat tricoloured, tan markings, black in all combinations.
Size:
Height at the withers:
• males from 23-27 inches (60 to 70 cm)
• females from 22-25 inches (58 to 65 cm)
Weight:
• males from 70.5-81.6 lbs. (32 to 37 kg)
• females from 61.7-66.1 lbs.(28 to 30 kg)
Temperament:
The Spinone is easy going, docile, and affectionate towards both people and dogs. It is well known for being loving and gentle with children. Its extremely patient nature also helps with this, but children should be taught not to take advantage of this trait. It is loyal to those it knows and still friendly to those it doesn't. The breed is not known for any aggression and is therefore not a wise choice for somebody looking for an aggressive guard dog.
Centuries of working with man as a hunting companion has created a loyal, intelligent dog that is easily trained, although some can be stubborn about performing a learned task if they see no point in it. Because they are sensitive, motivational training works best for this breed, as this gentle creature's feelings can easily be hurt when handled incorrectly.
The Spinone can be a very active breed, but it is not a racy dog like most other hunting breeds. The Spinone typically moves at the relaxed trot that is characteristic of the breed. It has often been called the perfect dog to run or jog with, because it will not run off in front and leave its human companion struggling to keep up as it prefers the slower pace itself. It can be more than happy in a small yard and does not necessarily need acres of land. The small garden combined with regular walks would suit a Spinone well.
In part due to its long beard, the Spinone can have a tendency to slobber.
Life Expectancy:
12 - 13 Years
Known Medical Issues:
Cerebellar ataxia: Cerebellar ataxia (CA) is a deadly hereditary condition that is known to affect Spinone puppies. It is a recessive gene; therefore, both sire and dam must have been carriers for any pup in a litter to have this condition. No puppy with CA has lived past the age of 12 months to date. Most puppies that have been diagnosed with the condition are euthanised at 10–11 months. However, the AHT (UK) has developed a test for this condition. Carriers can now be identified to a 95% certainty.
Hip dysplasia: Like most large breeds, the Spinone can suffer hip dysplasia. This is when the hip bones become abnormal and make it difficult and painful to do any exercise. Dogs diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia can have their ball and socket joint replaced surgically with an artificial joint.
History:
The Spinone Italiano is considered one of the oldest Griffon type pointers. The breed is noted for its highly acute scenting ability, soft mouth and ability to endure the elements and terrain. In his book “Le parfait chasseur” (The perfect Hunter), Sélincourt, in 1683, speaks of a “griffon” coming from Italy and the Piedmont. In the middle Ages this dog has often been represented by famous painters; the best known painting is a fresco by Andrea Mantegna in the ducal palace of Mantua, from the 15th century.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Spinone Italiano
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 243
Wikipedia - Spinone Italiano
