Spinone Italiano Spinone Italiano The Spinone Italiano () is an Italian dog breed. It was originally bred as a versatile gun dog. To this day, the breed is still a capable dog for that purpose. The Spinone is a loyal, friendly and alert dog with a close lying, wiry coat. It is an ancient breed that can be traced back to approximately 500 BC. It is traditionally used for hunting, pointing, and retrieving game (HPR), but, in addition to that purpose, the intelligent and strong Spinone may be practically anything ranging from a companion to an assistance dog. The Spinone has a
Spinone Italiano of these claims could be true; perhaps several of them are correct. During the Second World War, the Spinone became close to extinct. Both the war and the fact that Italian hunters had begun using other breeds (such as setters, pointers, and spaniels) in the hunt, whereas before it was primarily the Spinone. Many breeders had to resort to crossing the Spinone with other wire-haired breeds, such as the Boulet, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and German Wirehaired Pointer. The breed was not officially known as "Spinone" until the early 19th century. Before then, some areas knew the breed as the "Spinoso".