Like their Italian 'hoomans', these dogs are very sociable and can often be found drinking espressos, alfresco, with their friends. Okay, the last bit may be a lie, but they do love other dogs and have a true adoration for life! They also like to be involved with all aspects of family life, whether that be watching you wash-up or hiking a mountain. Because they were bred as retrievers, you will all too often turn around to find your dog has retrieved you a chewed-up shoe or a stick, so it may be best to keep your more expensive items out of sight! On the other side of things, they are also very docile in nature, which makes them good for families with younger children. Italian Spinone's are eager to learn, so teaching them new tricks and skills is a relatively easy task. This also means they do really well when in dog sports contests, such as obedience and agility!

Italian Spinone, as the name may suggest, was developed in Italy and is actually one of the oldest gun dogs in the world! However, the exact origin of these dogs is unknown, although some theories suggest they could have begun in Spain, Russia, Italy or Greece. Others think they may be descendants of the Spanish Pointers or even Russian Setters and that are responsible for what the Spinone's look like today. The name comes from 'spino' meaning a favourite hiding place for small game, whereas other dogs could not get into these small spaces, these dogs could! During WW2, the breed came extremely close to extinction, with many breeders resorting to crossing them with other wirehaired breeds. However, nowadays these dogs are one of the more common gun dogs in Italy and are known for their strong ability to retrieve from water. Even the Duchess of Northumberland has one called Fuzzy!