The Spinone Italiano is one of the oldest and gentlest pointing breeds, a soft-eyed, shaggy Italian gundog bred to work slowly and closely with the hunter rather than range far and fast. That gentleness is the whole key to training it, and the place most owners slip. Almost every Spinone problem comes from handling a sensitive, slow-maturing dog as if it were a tougher, faster gundog. Here are the five mistakes that cause the most trouble, and what to do instead.
1. Harsh handling
The Spinone is one of the softest gundogs alive, and harsh corrections genuinely distress it rather than motivate it. A raised voice, a leash pop, or visible frustration makes this dog wilt, lose confidence, and disengage, often setting training back by weeks. Use reward-based methods exclusively: mark and pay the behavior you want, keep your tone warm, and the Spinone gives you its whole heart.
2. Impatience with a slow-maturing dog
Spinoni are deliberate by nature and mature late, often not fully settling until two or three years old. Owners expecting quick, crisp obedience read the breed's thoughtful pace as stubbornness and pile on pressure, which backfires badly in such a sensitive dog. Slow down, break skills into small wins, and trust that the calm, reliable adult is coming. Patience is not optional with this breed; it is the method.
3. Underestimating the exercise need
The shaggy, easygoing look hides a genuine working pointer that needs real daily exercise and a job for its nose. A Spinone left under-exercised and under-stimulated turns that frustration into destruction, restlessness, and weight gain. Give it long walks, free running in safe areas, and scent work, and the same dog is calm and content indoors.
4. Going off-leash too early
Bred to find and point birds, the Spinone has a real hunting drive that can override a half-built recall the instant it catches a scent. Owners who trust off-leash freedom too soon end up with a dog that wanders off on a track and ignores them. Build recall patiently on a long line with high-value rewards, and treat reliable off-leash work as something earned over months, not a default.
5. Skipping independence training
The Spinone bonds deeply to its people and genuinely wants to be with them, which makes it prone to separation anxiety if it is left to assume constant company is normal. Owners who never teach alone-time create a dog that panics at departures. From early on, build short, calm absences and a positive association with being alone, so the breed's devotion never tips into distress.
What works with Spinoni
Handle this dog gently, stay patient with its deliberate pace, meet its real exercise and scenting needs, manage the bird drive on a long line, and front-load independence work. The throughline is respecting a soft, slow-maturing gundog for what it is: push it and it folds, but work with kindness and patience and the Spinone becomes a gentle, devoted, quietly capable companion.
TailorPup's Spinone plan uses gentle methods throughout, paces training patiently, schedules adequate exercise, and channels the bird drive.
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Related: How to Train a Spinone Italiano · Recall Training · Leash Pulling