Is a Spinone the Breed for You?
Spinoni can be a challenging breed to live with. They are highly intelligent and require a lot of input from you throughout their lives, so there are some questions you need to ask before considering sharing you life with one :
Are you house proud?
- Spinoni shed a LOT of coat all year round. The hair accumulates around the skirting boards and all over your clothes.
- Spinoni beards are often wet & dirty. After a drink they either wipe their beards in your lap or shake their drool which can end up on the walls, ceiling or TV!
- They like to dig holes in the garden. Their big feet carry lots of dirt, dust & mud inside.
- They like to rub themselves either along a wall, which leaves a dirt line, or rub their faces on door frames.
Do You Have a Sense of Humour?
- Spinoni are clowns. They will mostly meet you at the front door with whatever they can find in their mouths as a gift for you.
- Spinoni will steal food. They will bench & table surf. If you leave anything out, they will take it!
Do you have the time?
- to socialise your pup from the moment you get him/her home. Spinoni must be socialised or they will become timid & then you will have an unsocial dog that will require much more input from you.
- Pups need to go to a puppy school, to have many people come & visit you at your home and also to go out regularly to experience places, people, noises. They also will need to go to obedience classes.
- Do you have the time to groom your Spinone? Spinoni have a harsh, wirey, single, self cleaning coat which requires hand stripping and combing regularly to remove the dead coat, to keep the coat & skin healthy. Clipping the coat does not remove the dead coat. A clipped coat will most likely grow back softer in texture. A softer coat will matt and the self cleaning function of the coat will not work. Softer coats are harder to maintain, require more combing.
- to interact with your Spinone?Spinoni are highly intelligent and if you put the time in, you will be rewarded with a switched on, loving, caring, thoughtful companion.
Other Things to Consider :
- Spinoni are a heavy boned breed. They require careful feeding and exercise regimes until they are an adult. They are considered to be a medium sized breed. Dogs @ 45kg & bitches @ 35kg.
- Spinoni are highly food driven. They have been known to open cupboards, pantries, fridges & latches & to raid bins to steal food.
- Spinon are lateral thinkers. They will find a way to work their problem out . They are into payback if they feel they have been hard done by.
- Spinoni are a deep chested breed, making them a breed vulnerable to bloat/gastric torsion.
Do You Have Secure Fencing?
- Spinoni are a gundog, a hunt, point, retriever, but they also have a very good nose & make an excellent scent/tracking dog.
- Some Spinone are able to jump/scale fences that are not too high. They can also open doors, gates, latches with their adept 'fingers'.
Contact Details
Heather MilesEast Ivanhoe, VIC, Australia
Phone : 03 94972169/0417328732
Email : [email protected]