Ch. Epithelium Elia, an Italian field champion imported by Ed and Suzanne Applegate, pointing quail in Virginia.

Once upon a time long ago in Il Bel Paese, as Italians lovingly call their home country, there lived a grumpy-looking, light-colored, shaggy-haired dog. These dogs were greatly prized by Italian hunters because they pointed game, were excellent retrievers even in cold deep water, hunted close and possessed the unusual trait of sneaking virtually silently after moving birds.

Although it is believed to be one of the oldest breeds of gun dog in existence today, the dogs did not acquire a formal, official name until the early nineteenth century. Before then, hunters in some areas called the dogs “Spinoso.” Finally, someone decided to call these dogs Spinone after a thornbush called the pino, a favorite hiding place for small game, because these bushes were virtually impenetrable by larger animals.

Only a thick-skinned, coarse-coated animal could fight through the branches and emerge unscathed by the thorns. The Spinone was the dog breed most capable of getting through the pinos and as a result, earned the name.

Because the breed is so old, its origins are not known. There are almost as many theories as to the breed’s origin as there are Spinoni. Depending upon whom you ask, the breed originated in Italy, France, Spain, Russia, Greece or Celtic Ireland. As to what breeds contributed to the development of the Spinone…again, depending upon whom you ask, the breed descended from the now-extinct Spanish pointer, the ancient Russian setter, or another coarse-coated setter brought to Italy by Greek traders during the heyday of the Roman Empire.

If you ask the French, the Spinone descended from crosses of several French pointing breeds, while the Italians contend that the Spinone was the ancestor of the wirehaired pointing griffon, the German wirehaired pointer and the pudelpointer. Almost any one of these theories could be correct and perhaps several of them are. What is known is that during World War II, the breed nearly became extinct. It wasn’t until the 1950s that a serious effort began to restore the breed.

One trait that especially has endeared this breed to many hunters is its willingness to work with the person carrying the shotgun. “These dogs are very willing to work with hunters,” said Ed Applegate, who owns several Spinoni (that’s the plural form), including a number that have hunt test titles and are also conformation champions. “They maintain contact with you and are not prone to become self hunters. They are a good foot hunter’s breed. While they can range out as far as any of the versatile breeds, their natural tendency is to work at medium range or within gun range.”

The first question any hunter asks when considering a new breed is, how difficult are these dogs to train? “My initial response would be that they are ‘different,’” said Liz Bodell. “They can be very soft but they’re also extremely smart. They never forget anything so if you do something wrong, you have their lifetime to regret it.

“I have also found different lines to be very, very different in terms of ability and trainability. To me, the females, overall, have been much harder to train than the males. All of them, male or female, have minds of their own and you have to convince them there is a good reason for doing the task the way you want it done.”

Applegate noted that while the breed has frequently been classified as “soft,” he believes that is more a reflection of the Spinone’s refusal to respond to harsh training methods than any real softness in the breed. “Part of the perception that the breed is soft is due, I think, to their natural willingness to work with the hunter. Under that ‘soft’ exterior, however, is a tough dog that will continue to work through many repetitions until they get it right. ‘Getting it right’ requires consistent training, though, as they can have a stubborn streak when they decide they would rather do it their own way instead of how you want them to do something.