Pet Information > Others > Pet Articles > Spinone Italiano Dog Breed Description, History, Grooming, Health Issues and Living Conditions

Spinone Italiano Dog Breed Description, History, Grooming, Health Issues and Living Conditions

26 9:41:29
Description: The Spinone Italiano is also known as the Italian Griffon, this is a rugged dog, which is large with a long head. When viewed from the side the muzzle is square and is the same length as the back of the skull. The nose has large wide nostrils, and is fleshy coloured on the white dog, going darker on the white and orange dog, it is brown on the brown and roan dogs. The teeth meet in a scissor bite. With triangular ears that hang. The eyes appear to look human. The height of this breed is 22?27?inches. The weight is 61-85 pounds. The chest is deep and broad and extends at least to the dog's elbow. The tail is docked, in countries that permit docking, to about half its natural length. The coat is wiry and is very thick this is close fitting and comes in solid colouring of; White and orange, solid white, orange roan, that can come with or without orange markings, white with brown markings and brown roan with or without brown markings. The coat is 1?2?inches in length on the body, whereas the legs, head and muzzle are slightly shorter. A recognized feature of this breed is the eyebrows, and these have longer stiffened hair, which highlight the feature, along with the moustache and beard. This dog's life expectancy is 12 or more years.

History: This dog is still fairly rare in America, the Spinone Italiano in its native country of Italy is known as the all-purpose hunting dog. There is not clear evidence of how this dog was created, but it is believed it is a cross between French Griffons and the White Mastiff along with the Italian Setters. With a lot of the Italian dogs this is an ancient breed. It was nearly lost in World War II but has come back with a lot of work from the Italian breeders. This breed has gone on to become the most popular hunting dog in Italy to date. The AKC recognizes this breed in 2000. Temperament: The Spinone has hunting dog stamina, and strength, that suits all terrains. While hunting this dog is a serious dog that will work hard, but when relaxing he is an intelligent, happy, playful dog. This dog is enthusiastic, whether he is working or playing. The Spinone Italiano is never a bossy dog. As with all dogs this breed needs to understand, the owner is the pack leader, offering good rules and guidance in a gentle manner as this dog wants to be with people and is quiet, generally. To avoid the dog being timid socialize them well, as a puppy. Motivational training will work best with this dog. This dog is a great swimmer. It is good with children that are slightly older, and can show leadership skills. This is a docile dog that shows affection to humans and dogs, and has an exceptionally patient nature. This is a great dog to have if you enjoy jogging, as it moves more slowly and methodically than other breeds but will enjoy the exercise.

Health issues: The Spinone Italiano can suffer hip dysplasia, bloat can occurr, Cerebellar Ataxia. Grooming: A Spinone Italiano will need a small amount of stripping, to neaten the coat. The coat will need brushing weekly.

Living conditions: The Spinone Italiano is a big dog and there for apartment living may be hard, due to the size of the dog. This dog needs a medium size garden and thought needs to go into the fencing, as some can dig under the fence.