Breed History
An all purpose hunting dog, the Spinone Italiano is one of Italys oldest dog breeds....
Records of bristly haired hunting dogs trace back as far as 500 BC, but we can only be certain that the Spinone Italiano has been around since the 13th century. Renaissance paintings indicate that wire haired pointers had a strong presence in Italy in the 15th and 16th century. The Spinone Italiano is an Italian setter cross, bred perhaps to White Mastiffs or French Griffons. The Spinoni's traits are said not to have changed much from those of their ancestors; their fast trot and excellent sense of smell have remained intact for centuries.The Spinone Italiano was a fairly well used hunting dog for hundreds of years, but by the beginning of the 20th century its popularity had waned. World War II was also unkind to the Spinone, and by 1950 the breed was nearly extinct. During the 1950s a dedicated group of hunters set out to restore the breed to its former glory. These efforts were successful, and today the Spinone Italiano is a popular pet in much of Europe. The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 2000, though it has yet to gain much of a foothold in America.The Spinone Italiano is named for an Italian thorn bush called the pino because with its thick, tough skin the Spinone Italiano was particularly adept at hunting in these bushes.