Spinone Italiano Care: Exercise, Health Screening and Family Life

By Dr Duncan Houston

The Spinone Italiano is a substantial, rough-coated gundog with an expressive face and a talent for working with its nose. Its often steady manner should not be mistaken for a need for little activity or companionship.

Quick Answer

Spinoni need daily exercise, scent-based enrichment, patient training and regular attention to their beard, coat and ears. Before buying a puppy, review parental hip, elbow and eye results and discuss cerebellar ataxia testing. A calm adult temperament does not remove the practical demands of raising a large, active young dog.

What sort of home suits a Spinone?

Developed in Italy for versatile hunting work, the Spinone combines endurance with an interest in scent and retrieving. Many enjoy close contact with their people and outdoor activities, but individuals differ in confidence, drive and tolerance of being alone.

Think about your weekly routine: who provides walks, how long the dog will be alone and whether you can manage muddy feet and a wet beard. A garden is helpful for access, but does not replace outings and training. An apartment is not automatically unsuitable if space, noise management and daily care are realistic.

Teach calm greetings early. A friendly adult can still knock over a child or an unsteady person. Supervise children, provide a quiet rest space and avoid expecting another pet to entertain an energetic puppy.

Which health results should a breeder show?

The Spinone Club of America's health guidance recommends hip and elbow assessments and eye examinations as core screening. It also advocates consideration of cerebellar ataxia, heart and thyroid screening.

Ask for identifiable results for both parents and discuss disease in close relatives, including epilepsy. A CHIC number indicates that required tests were completed and made public; read the individual results rather than treating the number as a guarantee of normal findings.

Breeding screening is different from routine care of a pet. Your dog does not need every parental certification repeated annually. Your vet will select examinations and tests based on age, history and findings.

What is cerebellar ataxia?

An inherited form of progressive incoordination occurs in Spinoni. The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory describes the breed-specific test. Ask breeders for documented results and how they selected the mating to avoid affected puppies.

A carrier result for a recessive condition is not the same as an affected dog. Breeding decisions should consider the specific test and genetic diversity with qualified advice. Do not assume a large commercial panel includes this specialised test.

New wobbliness, tremor or loss of balance needs examination. Ear disease, toxins, injury and other neurological conditions can cause similar signs; ancestry alone does not establish the diagnosis.

Other health changes to recognise

Common problems still occur in carefully bred dogs. Screening reduces uncertainty; it cannot promise a disease-free lifetime.

Know the signs of bloat

Repeated attempts to vomit without producing anything, restlessness, drooling, a painful enlarging abdomen or collapse are emergencies. Gastric dilatation-volvulus can progress quickly. Travel to an emergency clinic and call ahead.

Ask your vet whether preventive gastropexy is appropriate for your dog's risk. Feeding routines and slow feeders do not guarantee prevention. Do not wait for a visibly huge abdomen if the other signs are present.

Build exercise around fitness and recovery

Use a mixture of walks, exploration, controlled retrieving and scent games. A healthy adult may enjoy long outings, but puppies need age-appropriate activity and older dogs may need shorter, more frequent sessions.

Increase distance gradually. Watch how the dog moves later that day and the next morning, not just how enthusiastic it seems during the outing. Avoid forced repetitive running in a growing dog.

Practise recall on a long line and reward checking in. Use secure areas for off-lead play where local rules allow. Introduce swimming cautiously, supervise closely and provide an easy exit.

Coat, beard and ear care

Check the rough coat for debris and work through it regularly. A groomer familiar with the breed can explain removal of dead coat and an appropriate maintenance method. Comfort and skin health come before appearance.

Clean food from the beard and dry it when wet. After field walks, check paws, between toes, ears and the coat for grass seeds or ticks. Persistent licking of one foot or sudden head shaking may indicate a foreign body.

Inspect ears regularly but use cleaner only as advised. Do not push cotton buds down the canal or pluck hair routinely. Brush teeth daily when tolerated and maintain comfortable nails.

Feeding, training and prevention

Choose a complete diet appropriate for growth or adulthood. Large-breed puppies need controlled growth, not extra calcium or rapid weight gain. Measure portions and keep the adult lean to reduce avoidable joint strain.

Use short reward-based lessons for loose-lead walking, settling and handling. Introduce comfortable alone time gradually. Distress when left is a welfare concern, not stubbornness.

Plan vaccination and parasite protection around local risks, travel, swimming and field work. Discuss any supplement with your vet rather than adding unneeded “thyroid support”.

Common mistakes

• Choosing a puppy solely for its gentle-looking face.
• Accepting a generic DNA panel instead of checking specific parental results.
• Increasing exercise faster than the dog's fitness allows.
• Leaving the beard wet and ignoring grass-seed checks.

Frequently asked questions

Are Spinoni low-energy dogs?

They may be steady compared with some gundogs, but still need purposeful daily activity.

Are all puppies at risk of inherited ataxia?

Risk depends on the parents' genetics. Documented breed-specific testing helps inform the mating.

Do they suit first-time owners?

They can, when owners can provide training, companionship and the practical care of a large dog.

Does a fenced garden provide enough exercise?

Usually not by itself. Walks, sniffing and interaction add experiences a garden cannot provide.

A well-matched home gives a Spinone useful activity, predictable company and attentive health care throughout its life.

ASK A VET™ can help you plan questions about Spinone health screening, exercise and everyday care.