KENAI
Spinone Italiano

The breeds · gun dog · versatile

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 165

Spinone Italiano.

Versatile pointing dog: 'This versatile pointer is a proficient swimmer and an excellent retriever by nature. The Spinone is patient, methodical and cooperative in the field.' FCI: 'Pointing dog', Group 7 Section 1.3 Continental Pointing Dogs, Griffon type, with working trial.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

11.9YRMedian lifespan11.6 to 12.4, measured on real dogs.
26 / 24INHeightdogs 25.5, bitches 24. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
62–82LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 76 lb (70.5 to 81.6); breed bitches 64 lb (61.7 to 66.1).
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 25.5 in (23.5 to 27.5) · bitches 24 in (22.5 to 25.5)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2018

Midpoint. FCI: females 58-65 cm.

Weight

dogs 76 lb (70.5 to 81.6) · bitches 64 lb (61.7 to 66.1)

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2015

Converted from kilograms; midpoint.

Coat

Harsh, dense, rather flat single coat with no undercoat, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches on the body; shorter on head, ears, muzzle and fronts of the legs; a rough brush on the backs of the legs, never fringes; long stiff eyebrows, mustache and beard; shown in a natural state. Colors: solid white, white and orange, orange roan, white with brown, brown roan

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2018

AKC breed page coat type 'Wiry', length 'Medium'.

Shedding

Sheds; AKC breed page shedding level 3 of 5 ('Moderate'), RKC 'Sheds: yes'; the SCOA: hand-stripping 'can reduce the amount of shedding, however Spinone do shed'

Breed clubAKC

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Harsh single coat, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches on the body, no undercoat: 'A Spinone must have a correct, harsh, single coat to be of correct type. There is no undercoat.'

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2018

Derived by the coat rule: a medium-length coat scores 3; the absence of an undercoat argues for the warmer side of that band. Not a measurement.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

11.9 years (11.6 to 12.4)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 method. The SCOA puts the breed at 'living on average 10-12 years'; the AKC breed page prints 10-12 years; RKC band: over 10 years. Not in Teng 2022, so life_expectancy_yr is omitted.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC exercise band. The AKC breed page scores energy level 3 of 5, a lower band than most versatile pointing breeds carry; the standard describes a dog 'constructed for endurance'.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page energy level 3 of 5 and mental stimulation needs 3 of 5; 'Sociable, docile, affectionate and patient' (standard); 'Known for their endurance, calmness, and cooperative style' (SCOA)

Breed clubAKC

RKC: more than 2 hours of exercise a day.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

AKC breed page grooming frequency 2 of 5. The SCOA: a correct harsh coat 'needs minimal bathing, combing, and hand-stripping'; an unstripped or shaved coat 'loses its texture, requires more grooming, and often mats'.

Grooming

More than once a week; hand-stripping of the harsh coat rather than clipping (SCOA)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Versatile pointing dog: 'This versatile pointer is a proficient swimmer and an excellent retriever by nature. The Spinone is patient, methodical and cooperative in the field.' FCI: 'Pointing dog', Group 7 Section 1.3 Continental Pointing Dogs, Griffon type, with working trial

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2018

A NAVHDA recognized breed (SP): bred and trained 'to dependably hunt and point game, to retrieve on both land and water, and to track wounded game on both land and water' (NAVHDA rules).

Primary game

Game birds found and pointed on land, with retrieving and tracking on land and water: 'bred and trained to search for and point game, to track and retrieve on both land and water'; NAVHDA tests the breed on upland birds in the field and ducks in the water

Breed clubSpinone Club of America

No source names a single species; the Italian name 'bracco spinoso' (prickly pointer) refers to the thorny cover the game hid in (SCOA).

Range

Close to medium: a trotting, methodical, 'patient, methodical and cooperative' dog for the walking gun; no source gives a yardage

EditorialSpinone Club of America

Inferred from the standard's trot-based gait and the SCOA's description of a cooperative, stealthy hunting style. Fewer than three sources behind this value and none states a range in words.

Search pattern

'The Spinone covers ground efficiently, combining a purposeful, easy trot with an intermittent gallop'; hunts 'by air-scenting and ground tracking to stealthily point the way for the hunter' (SCOA): a careful, methodical search rather than a fast one

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2018

The standard's gait section: 'a free, relaxed trot, geared for endurance ... allows the Spinone to cover maximum ground with the least amount of effort'.

Field trial standard

AKC pointing-breed hunting tests (Junior must point; Senior and Master steady to wing and shot, retrieve, honor), with a rule unique to the Spinone and the German Wirehaired Pointer: no Senior Hunter or Master Hunter title is recorded unless the dog has also passed an AKC Water Test certified by two judges. AKC pointing-breed field trials (Spinone Italiano is a Chapter 14 breed). NAVHDA Natural Ability, Utility Preparatory and Utility tests: field search, pointing, steadiness, retrieve of shot bird, search for a duck, retrieve of duck

Breed clubAKC

Field trial eligibility from akc_ft_rules; NAVHDA test content from navhda_rules. The SCOA national specialty runs NAVHDA and AKC hunt tests together.

Water work

Water is in the standard ('a proficient swimmer and an excellent retriever by nature', built to 'endure cold water') and in the rules: the AKC requires a passed Water Test before a Spinone's SH or MH title is recorded, and NAVHDA judges the search for a duck and the retrieve of a duck

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2018

AKC requirement from akc_ht_rules; NAVHDA water group from navhda_rules.

Cold water

4 of 5 · 'A harsh, single coat and thick skin enable the Spinone to negotiate underbrush and endure cold water that would punish any dog not so naturally armored. This versatile pointer is a proficient swimmer and an excellent retriever by nature.'

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2018

Derived from the standard's own cold-water claim plus the breed's water work (NAVHDA duck work; the AKC Water Test required for SH/MH). The single coat without undercoat keeps it below the retriever specialists. Not a measurement.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

15.1% · 1,967 OFA hip evaluations on file (all evaluations on file, read Oct 2026; the service prints no start year): 83.5% normal (19.3% excellent, 55.0% good, 9.2% fair), 15.1% dysplastic (9.9% mild, 5.0% moderate, 0.3% severe); rank 87 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry skewed toward breeding stock; the public records under-report affected dogs. The SCOA health page quotes an older OFA figure of 15.6% abnormal hips. A secondary UK figure appears in editorial sources as a breed mean BVA hip score of about 10.9; not confirmed on a primary page, so not recorded.

Elbow dysplasia

5.9% · 1,230 OFA elbow evaluations on file: 94.0% normal, 5.9% abnormal (4.9% grade 1, 1.0% grade 2, 0.1% grade 3); rank 73 of the breeds listed

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Same voluntary-registry caveat. The SCOA quotes an older 6.4% abnormal elbow rate from OFA.

Most common disorders

Idiopathic epilepsy: prevalence 5.3% (95% CI 4.0-6.6) in UK Kennel Club-registered Spinoni born 2000-2011 (owners of 1,192 of 3,331 dogs responded; 63 epileptic), against 0.6% in UK dogs generally, with a severe phenotype and remission in only 3 dogs. Cancer (ISCGB survey, 137 UK cancer cases): lymphoma 27%, haemangiosarcoma 12%, osteosarcoma 12%, each above the general-dog rate. Orthopaedics (OFA, all data): 15.1% of hips and 5.9% of elbows abnormal; the SCOA names hip and elbow dysplasia, cerebellar ataxia (DNA test; 'very rare' now), ectropion and cataracts, hypothyroidism (OFA 9.7% abnormal thyroid), and gastric conditions

StudiedDe Risio L

No VetCompass breed paper and no Kennel Club breed survey table for the Spinone was found (the breed is not among the 41 breeds in the Wiles 2017 prevalence file; Lewis 2018 counted 37 Spinone deaths without a breed row). The cancer figures are a club case series, not a prevalence. The RKC lists the cerebellar ataxia DNA test under Good Practice and, from January 2025, requires imported Spinoni to be proven clear or carrier.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 2; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 4; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 3; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Spinone Italiano yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Italian Spinone, Spinone, Spinoni Italiani (plural)

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