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The Spinone Italiano -
Toplines, Croups and Tailsets. Is there more?
As the Spinone Club of America's
Judges Education committee is trying its best to step up with an education
program and a new “era”, with the committee members making themselves more
available to judges and breeders, we often ask Spinone judges some basic
questions. The answers we get regularly revolve around toplines, croups and
tailsets of the Spinone and these are the areas that the judge is basing
his/her decisions upon. In addition, most judges are checking for divergent
head planes.
It is good to hear that the judges
have these basics within their grasp, but we would like to draw the
following very important points to your attention, to help broaden your
understanding.
The almost-human expression, which
is considered to be an essential trait of the Spinone, is created from
widely-placed, almost round, large and expressive eyes set on the frontal
plane of the head, which is unusual and special to this breed. The
definition of the stop, together with both the sub and supra orbital
structure (brow and cheek chiseling) are minimally
defined. The above, together with the unusual warm ochre color (in
white/orange dogs) contribute to the human expression. Equally, in brown
roan dogs the shade of brown for the eyes is warm and soft. A sharp or
intense expression created by incorrect eye color, shape or set (deemed
typical in the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and German Wirehaired Pointer)
must be severely penalized in the Spinone Italiano.
The head is long, lean and
divergent. The Spinone head length is proportionally long compared with any
other Sporting breed, approximately four-tenths of the dog's height.
The skull is roof shaped, with a
marked occiput, well-defined interparietal crest (backskull/nape of neck)
and gently sloping lateral walls. Particularly, in profile, this area helps
to define breed type for the Spinone. From the front, the refinement of
skull adds to the long, lean and divergent shape. Never Griffon-like (e.g.
blocky, square, wide, well-defined stop and intense expression).
The divergent planes can also be
clearly viewed from the front, where the wide-open nostrils of this breed
will obscure a clear viewing of the dog's eyes in those dogs that have the
incorrect parallel or convergent (Pointer-like) planes. TIP: Please
take the time to lift the head of each exhibit and check for a soft, human
expression and the divergence of planes. A clear view up the nostrils =
incorrect planes! Convergence of planes of the skull and muzzle or a
dish-faced muzzle is to be faulted so severely as to eliminate from further
competition.
Ears are long, framing the face in
an unobtrusive manner, with minimal erectile power, and are set on low, i.e.
level with the eye line. TIP: A tight lead will obscure your view
of correct ear placement, the roof-shaped skull, the divided dewlap and the
marked backskull, all desirable traits that contribute to the correct
silhouette for the Spinone.
The Spinone is a robustly-boned
hunt/point/retriever (i.e. versatile breed) and its body shape fits almost
into a square. Its bone is described in the Standard as ”oval”, which
indicates a more refined impression when viewed from the frontal position,
in keeping with the long, lean head type. Nonetheless, the word “robust”
indicates more substance than most of the other Sporting breeds. In profile
its outline is also unique among the Sporting breeds, with a gently broken
topline and nearly level underline. An underline with more than a minimal
rise into the loin, i.e., tuckup like that of a GSP or setter, is a fault.
Spinone movement is unusual in that
it is relaxed and energy-conserving, as is normal with the trotting breeds
that are built for stamina. There is flex in the wrist joint and with the
widely-placed scapulae; the large, round front feet will rise and fall
without exaggeration. The unique profile outline should be held in shape
when gaiting. The backline will remain gently broken in Spinoni that are
correctly constructed, i.e. have symmetrical angles. An imbalance of angles
will create level, sloping, or, the highly undesirable downhill movement.
Any exaggeration or imbalance between the front and hind assembly will
clearly affect the profile when gaiting. A Spinone that is lacking in
length of upper arm, depth and breadth of chest and/or 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.
The shoulder should mirror the
equally-proportioned rear assembly in this breed, with clear definition of a
prosternum and a deep and broad chest. The correctly-constructed Spinone
will carry its head just above the backline, with the nose pointing slightly
downwards, and is therefore unable to move in the extreme style of a German
Wirehaired Pointer. The GWPs are considered to be “gallopers” and will
carry the stamp of a breed built for hunting at a faster pace in wide, open
countryside. The desired gait for a Spinone in the field is an extended
trot, with intermittent galloping strides. Therefore, the anatomy of this
breed is designed to function at its optimum at the trot. TIP:
Loose-lead gaiting at a natural place 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 (i.e. long head,
almost-square body-shape, equal leg/chest depth and symmetry of fore/hind
angles). High head-carriage is undesirable and may be an indication of poor
shoulder placement and an upright front assembly.
Last, but not least, is the
essential wiry, close-fitting coat of the Spinone.
Judges are recommended to examine
the texture and lay of the coat, in addition to the length, at the mid-line
in the center of the ribcage, rather than at the
wither, or along the backline. The correct, close-fitting jacket may
appear from a distance to be too short, which is our reason for asking
judges to take the time to evaluate the coat/skin very carefully. Coat that
is soft, with an undercoat, may well stand away from the body . This type
of coat is incorrect for the Spinone! Please take the time to grasp the
skin as you examine the coat. It must be thick and leathery. Thin skin
will often be attached to an incorrect coat in the Spinone. The recommended
length of coat on the body is between 1 1/2” and 2 1/2”. Texture, lay and
length are ALL important when evaluating coat type. The skin is of equal
importance.
Judges should note that shorter hair
on the head is desirable – i.e. it may be hand-stripped in order to present
some of the most important qualities of the Spinone. Stripping dead hair or
tidying of the body coat to present the unique outline of the breed should
not be considered as sculpting or molding, but the
use of scissors is contrary to the breed standard. Dogs with the correct
wiry texture and lay of coat will require only a small amount of
hand-stripping. Poor quality coats may not strip at all and excessive, soft
leg hair, or the evidence of scissor marks in the case where shaping may
have taken place, will all be helpful hints at the pre-groomed texture and
quality. Please take the time to carefully evaluate this very important
characteristic of the breed.
And back to the three areas that are
unique but nonetheless only a portion of the whole Spinone:
The topline is broken but not extreme (or saddle) and
rises into the loin, but remains on a horizontal plane with the wither (i.e.
the rump is not raised). The underline of the Spinone
carries equal importance, with minimal tuck-up.
The croup falls only at an angle of
between 30-35 degrees from the horizontal plane, i.e. a gentle roundness
over the rump, taking the line of the tail just below the horizontal plane.
A short croup may raise the tail above the back (this is incorrect), while
an excessive length of croup will incline beyond the desirable 35 degrees.
The latter will seriously restrict the hind movement and must be considered
to be a serious fault.
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. A poor tailset
will essentially affect the unique Spinone silhouette, whereas a tail that
is set on correctly, but still carried a little high (which is incorrect in
a mature dog or bitch) may be just a temporary stage of development.
Consideration must be given to separate tailset from tail carriage.
SUMMARY OF
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE SPINONE
HEAD: Long, lean, divergent
planes, minimal stop, roof-shaped skull, marked backskull, almost-human
expression
SUBSTANCE AND OUTLINE:
Nearly square, robust, balanced, gently broken topline, minimal tuckup, tail
carried horizontal or down
COAT AND SKIN:
Close-fitting, wiry, 1 ½ to 2 ½ inches in length on body, no undercoat,
thick, leathery skin
GAIT::
Relaxed trot, without exaggeration, profile holds while moving, head carried
just above backline
We are hoping the above information
will assist judges to get closer to the whole picture and expand and refine
their understanding of this unique Sporting dog. We appreciate the time you
have taken to read this information. Please feel free to contact us with any
queries or comments at SCOAJudgesEd@gmail.com.
The Spinone Italiano -
Toplines, Croups and Tailsets. Is there more?
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