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The Italian Spinone 

The Spinone is a relatively new HPR (hunter, pointer, retriever) breed to the falconry scene in the UK and as such has still to gain full recognition.  As a falconry dog they have many attributes and few faults.  The following is meant to be a brief summary of our interpretation of this breed as a working dog for falconry.  All points covered come from our experience with our own Spinones, others may have had different experiences with this breed. 

1.    We have found them to be extremely good natured and loyal dogs.

2.    They have a very good sense of smell and use it well.

3.    Spinones have good thick coats, this allows them to work through the thickest cover including Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Nettle beds and Brambles.  

4.    They enjoy water and have webbing between the toes for strong swimming.  Spinones were used as HPR's for shooting in marshland areas of Italy where they are well suited to the terrain.

5.    When working they are very methodical, they are slower that other working breeds but they cover the ground well and rarely miss game if its there.  They will usually only go into thick cover if the scent tells of prey being in there.   

6.    Spinones come in two main color phases, white and orange or brown roan.  We like to work white and orange dogs as you can see them better in cover.

7.  We use our dogs under longwings and shortwings although this breed seems to be better suited to shortwing or lowland game hawking.  They lack the style of English pointers or setter breeds on grouse but this could be due to the slower working pace.

8.    Good thick coats means lots of hair when moulting!

9.    Spinones tend to be more odorous than some breeds and can often salivate more than many breeds.

10.    This is an intelligent breed who likes to please and work to the best of its ability.

All in all, the Italian Spinone is a dog who will work well in most terrain.  It is descended from one of the oldest working breeds (the griffon) in Europe and as such has a huge amount of working experience in its genetic make up.  We cannot recommend them highly enough  as a falconry dog and we would encourage anyone thinking of getting a dog to think about a Spinone.