The Spinone can be a difficult breed to judge. There are several reasons for this: the Spinone is quite different from the other Sporting breeds, there has been a wide disparity in dogs seen in the breed ring, especially in the early years after recognition, and the Breed Standard alone is not always sufficient to build a picture of the dog.
Judging the Spinone
In profile, the Spinone is a solidly built dog of substance, nearly square in BODY with powerful bone.
The head is long (4/10 of the height at the withers), with diverging planes — never parallel — and a pronounced occiput. The muzzle is equal in length to the backskull, and can be straight or roman. The stop is barely perceptible. The neck is thick and strong, slightly shorter than the head and blends smoothly into the shoulders.
The topline is broken at the 11th thoracic vertebrae, but the break is not extreme. From the break the topline rises into the loin; the rump, however, is never raised above the level of the withers.
The croup falls at an angle of between 30-35 degrees from the horizontal plane. The tailset is a continuation of the croup line, with minimal break in the flow of the backline and with the tail carried horizontally or lower.
The chest is deep and broad and ribs are well sprung. When this is combined with proper angulation of the shoulder, you will see an appropriately pronounced prosternum. The distance from ground to the elbow is equal to 1/2 the height at the withers. The length of the hock is approximately 1/3 the distance from the ground to the point of the hip.
Front and rear angulation are moderate and balanced. The underline is solid, with minimal tuck-up.
the dog will appear more refined than in profile, due to the oval bone of the legs, yet should still appear strong and powerful. (Note that one leg of this brown dog has been shaved, yet still shows solid bone.) Some Spinoni will greet you enthusiastically, some will be reserved, but none should be shy or fearful.
When you approach from the FRONT,
The HEAD of the Spinone is very important.
Italian breeders say that if a Spinone does not have a correct head and expression, it is not a Spinone!
The Spinone has a soft, human expression. This almost-human expression, is an essential trait of the Spinone, created by widely placed, almost round, large and expressive eyes set on the frontal plane of the head, as well as the unusual warm ochre color (in white/orange dogs) or warm, soft brown (in brown roan dogs).
The important words to remember about the head are long, lean and divergent.
Spinone head length is approximately four-tenths of the dog's height. Length of the muzzle equals the length of the skull. The skull is refined, no wider than half the total length of the head. The sides of the head slope in a smooth curve from the sagittal suture to the zygomatic arch. The stop is minimally defined, with a pronounced medial frontal furrow.
There is a marked occiput and well defined nape of neck. The ears are triangular in shape, with slightly rounded tips, framing the face in an unobtrusive manner. Set on low, in line with the corner of the eye, they lie close to the cheeks, with a small backward fold in the forward edge, and have minimal erectile power. They are long, but should not reach more than two inches below the throat line.
The bite must be scissors or level. The muzzle should be square when viewed from the front
The Spinone’s symmetrical angles fore and aft provide balance for his work in difficult terrain.
The upper arm is of equal length to the shoulder blade; the angle between the two is approximately 105 degrees. Feel for the widely placed scapulae and the break in the topline.
The tail is thick at the base and is customarily docked to a length of 6 to 10 inches. The structure and carriage of an undocked tail are consistent with those of a docked tail. Rear angulation of the Spinone matches the front.
Spinone movement is relaxed and energy-conserving, as is normal with the trotting breeds that are built for stamina.
The Spinone should be moved on a loose lead and not too fast, in order to properly show the topline in movement and the head carriage. There is flex in the wrist joint and with the widely-placed scapulae; the large, round front feet will rise and fall without exaggeration. Any exaggeration or imbalance between the front and hind assembly will clearly affect the profile when gaiting. The backline will remain gently broken while moving, with the neck forward and just above the backline, in Spinoni that are correctly constructed.
A Spinone that is lacking in length of upper arm, depth and breadth of chest, or has excessive length to the tibia (generally coupled with an overly short metatarsus) will produce an atypical, and therefore undesirable, gait that may be highly regarded or acceptable in the more elegant Sporting breeds, but which is not correct in the Spinone.
- The anatomy of this breed is designed to function at its optimum at the trot -
The desired gait for a Spinone in the field is an extended trot, with intermittent galloping strides.
The correctly-constructed Spinone will carry its head just above the backline, with the nose pointing slightly downward. High head carriage is undesirable and may be an indication of poor shoulder placement and an upright front assembly.
Loose-lead gaiting at a natural pace will illustrate so much more than foot placement in this breed. Check for a deep underline in addition to the lightly broken topline and the correct proportions (long head, almost-square body-shape, equal leg/chest depth and symmetry of fore/hind angles). Close hock action should not be considered to be a serious fault in this breed, as long as the hocks remain parallel to each other, without turning in or out when gaiting. The positive, flexible, pounding trot can only be achieved when the conformation and balance of the Spinone is correct.
- Ideally, the tail will flick from side to side while the dog is moving. -
Last, but not least, is the essential wiry, close-fitting coat of the Spinone.
The coat should be harsh, single, with a length on the body of between 1 1/2” and 2 1/2”. The coat may lie flat or be slightly crimped. Hair on the legs and head should be shorter than on the body.
The skin must be thick and leathery, as it is the main protector from brush in the field and cold water. The skin is of equal importance to the coat itself.
Hand stripping dead hair is important to maintain the coat’s texture and for the dog’s health. Dogs with the correct wiry texture and lay of coat will require only a small amount of hand-stripping.
The Spinone is a purpose-bred, versatile hunting dog
Work Difficult Countryside
Both Smell and See Game Efficiently
Thick and Impervious Skin
Always keep in mind what the Spinone was bred to do. His trotting gait is best achieved with a body shape that is compact, deep and is almost square. The flex in his front pasterns and his strong, deep and well-developed chest all assist him with retaining stamina. His large, round front feet, his widely-placed shoulders (at the withers) and broken top-line and oval back feet aid him as he works the difficult countryside, allowing more flexibility to drop his body under obstacles and also to gain purchase, particularly on the hillside. His symmetrical angles fore and aft provide a static balance that is not possible where rear drive and upward motion are the norm.
Divergent, or down-faced, head-planes are a huge benefit to a pointer in bramble or dense cover, where his lowered head can take in scent efficiently without interfering with his line of vision. His long, pendulous, low-set and folded ears can help to cone the scent towards his wide-open nostrils set into his large, spongy nose when tracking.
The thick and impervious skin of this breed is more important for protection than his wiry topcoat. His single, close-fitting coat, although protection from cover to some degree, is not so dense as to retain heat through the long, hot summers in Italy.
The correct Spinone may be overlooked because he looks “different” from the other dogs in the ring.
Uniformity among the rest of the class does not necessarily mean that those dogs are the correct ones. In a rare breed, it can be hard to identify an exceptional dog, so remember to look for: a long head with divergent head planes, substance, a correct topline that must be accompanied by an almost-horizontal underline, a harsh, single coat, and correct movement. If Spinoni in your ring lack breed type, please don’t hesitate to withhold awards.
It does the breed no favor to award championships to dogs that are not “Spinone”!
We welcome judges to participate in the judge education seminars we present throughout the year and at our National Specialties. We also offer ringside mentoring at regional specialties and supported entries on request. Finally, we offer individual mentoring by phone or email, please don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions!
Questions or comments should be directed to SCOA’s Judges Education Committee.
In addition to the scheduled seminars for AKC judges throughout the year, breed seminars for breeders and owners are available every year at our National Specialty, for registered attendees. We would be delighted if you would join us at a presentation if possible, because the slides without the presenter cannot give the whole story!
Resources
The Spinone Club of America is working on a comprehensive judges education program and illustrated standard that we hope will help you feel well-prepared to judge our wonderful breed.
-
Judges Education Committee Presentation on Spinone Italiano
Type and the Trained Eye in Photos
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mary Bloom for her passion and hard work researching and labeling these fantastic old photos.
-
-
Contact the Judges Education Committee to arrange for an SCOA approved mentor:
Debby Forry, CO
Patty Johnson, IN
John Brading, NC
Michelle Brustein, NY
Karen Luckey, NY
Dan Graff / Dana Graff, PA
Liz Bodell, RI
Bonnie Blink, TX
Suzanne Hudson, WA
-
As an SCOA Mentor and/or Presenter you are regarded as a breed expert, and as such are expected to conduct yourself with dignity and respect for those interested in learning more about our breed and for those whose dogs you are studying. As in all other aspects of the dog sport, you are expected to behave with good sportsmanship and in a professional manner. They follow a strict Code of Conduct & Code of Ethics for Judge Mentors.