Italian Spinone
The Italian Spinone is an ancient hunt, point and retrieve breed from the Piedmont, built to push through thorn and marsh at a steady trot all day, and its name is usually traced…
About the Italian Spinone
The Italian Spinone is an ancient hunt, point and retrieve breed from the Piedmont, built to push through thorn and marsh at a steady trot all day, and its name is usually traced to the thorn bush its coat was tough enough to enter. It is among the most relaxed of gundogs in the house and among the most persistent in the field.
The coat is harsh and dense, four to six centimetres long, with a soft expression under heavy eyebrows and a beard, in white, white and orange, orange roan, white with brown, or brown roan. Dogs stand 60 to 70 cm. The eye should sit clean and the lower lid should not sag, so a stud with tight lids and a dry face is worth travelling for.
Ask for the DNA result for cerebellar ataxia, which is well established in this breed and identifies a devastating condition in young puppies. Hip and elbow scores and an annual eye examination follow, with entropion and ectropion in mind. Bloat is a genuine risk in a dog of this shape, so ask about it in the family, and ask what the Italian and British breed clubs recommend beyond the schemes.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Italian Spinone
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — CA (Cerebellar Ataxia, Italian Spinone) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 8 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 233 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Italian Spinone stud dogs
No Italian Spinone studs are listed right now
When an Italian Spinone on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Italian Spinone litters
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Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
