What stage are we at with this research?
In early 2015, scientists at the AHT conducted a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), or DNA scan, in the Italian Spinone to search for regions of the DNA that might be involved in idiopathic epilepsy. Our cases were 30 Italian Spinoni confirmed as having idiopathic epilepsy by Dr Luisa De Risio, Head of Neurology at the AHT, through survey or examination at the AHT. The controls used were 29 Italian Spinoni over the age of seven which had never had a seizure. We were unable to identify any regions of the DNA that are associated with epilepsy in the Italian Spinone. To take this research further we would ideally like to repeat the GWAS with an additional 30 cases and 30 controls.
Author: gifts_l2p6pp
KC Field Trial, Working Tests, Working Certificates and working awards for 2016-2017
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Consideration needs to be given at all times to the fact that we do not know how this condition is inherited. Our gene pool is very small and we should not be excluding dogs or lines from being bred without good reason.
Think very carefully before deciding to breed from your bitch or use your dog at stud. It’s not all plain sailing and there are so many things you need to consider. We are planning to write a series of articles that will explain the process and pitfalls. Until then the best advice we can give is to consult with your dog’s breeder or, if not available, another experienced breeder. Most dogs are sold with a Kennel Club endorsement that only the breeder is able to lift once they are satisfied that you have completed the necessary health tests, that your dog/bitch is a good enough specimen to breed from and that your choice of mate is suitable and compatible with your dog.
What’s it like to live with an Italian Spinone? The Italian Spinone is first and foremost a gundog and belongs to the subgroup: Hunt, Point and Retrieve (HPR) and has been around for hundreds of years.
What does HPR mean? The Spinone, like a lot of continental gundogs, are bred to more or less ‘do the lot’. They need to hunt for the game, point it, which tells the hunter where the game is, then bring it back once it has been shot by the hunter. They have very good noses and will follow scent tirelessly. The Spinoni can work on any terrain: mountains, swamp, thick cover – undergrowth, thorn bushes.
You may not want to work your Spinone but you must remember that ‘instinct will out’. Just because you have bought one as a pet will not stop the dog doing what comes naturally, this goes for any breed of dog. So always look into what makes your dog tick.
This was a customarily docked breed until April 2007 when the Government changed the Animal Welfare Act. The Spinone, along with a lot of working dogs, were docked for a very good reason. As stated earlier they are bred to work on any terrain, this means that they will go into very thick, coarse cover and with an undocked tail, could cause them to have tail damage and a possible amputation, which in an adult is a full blown procedure.
Ok, we have given you the background of what makes up the Italian Spinone. So what would it be like to live with?
Well where do I start with this? There already exists on the ISCGB website an article titled ISCGB WORKING TEST Special Beginners – 25/06/2006 Article by Keith Wain & Julie Kelly which gives you an insight into how we came to be owned by Spinoni.
After taking our first Spinone Dino to the Working Test in 2006 we tried to do what was necessary to turn him into a fully-fledged gundog. At that time and for many years following that there was very little opportunity in the North West for HPR training. Those that did exist did not seem to understand the Spinone and on some training days we went to people where in fact rude about the breed. As first time HPR owners we found it all very difficult, added to the fact that Dino was a very headstrong young boy. Sadly we gave up with the working dream, but it always bothered me that there was so little help out there in our area and specifically virtually nothing for Spinone.
Following our trip to Elstead in 2006 we made many annual trips to help Alix and the team, and started helping with the Gundog pavilions at Game Fairs. We knew this was the sort of thing we wanted to be involved with and I dreamt of there being a North West Group specifically for Spinone one day.
On 6th April 2014 we lost our beloved Dino suddenly to splenic hemangiosarcoma, he would have been 12 years old on the 26th May 2014. To say we were devastated was an understatement. We still had Mia though (she came to us is 2009 as a puppy through the rehome and rescue) and she grieved like we did, sadly Mia turned out to be a very timid creature and was not destined to be a working dog. We spent the summer wondering whether we should have another dog or not. Eventually we started to make enquiries and on 29th November 2014 we brought home Franca Ferola (Dita to her friends). Keith had been doing more shooting over the intervening years and really wanted to succeed where we had failed with Dino and so the whole training thing raised its head again.
There is definitely more HPR training out there now than there was back in 2006 but still nothing specifically for the Spinone. We have been to some great trainers since we brought Dita home and continue to do so, but my dream of having some Spinone specific training in the North West was reignited. We then realised that actually we had access to land that could be used for training in Cheshire, through Keith’s work and family connections, so I spoke with Alix Johnson about my thoughts and she took it to the ISCGB committee to see if they would help me with it – they agreed to cover any training I organised through the clubs insurance and we agreed any profits from training after expenses would go back into the club funds.
So we were off, with the help of Cathy Gill our local representative on the club committee and Kim Kaye a fellow Spinone owner we had met in April 2015 at a training day we set about organising our first training day. First a Facebook page was set up and all Spinone people that we knew in the local area and further afield interested in working their dogs were added to the group and we explained what we were trying to achieve. On 29th February we advertised our first training day was to be held on 2nd April for a maximum of 6 dogs – we got 7! How excited and pleased was I, I cannot find the words. Chris Guest came and did the training for us and despite the terrible weather everyone had a great time.
On the 2nd July we will be running our 4th training day and aim to run one every month going forward, generally on the 1st Saturday of the month to enable people to plan and also to allow us to get organised and arrange trainers. These dates may change, especially during the shooting season, but we will always advertise on the Facebook page and also put booking forms on various other Facebook pages – Italian Spinone Dog Lovers; The Working Italian Spinone Group; Working Italian Spinone; ISCGB Working Section and the ISCGB Website. As I find more areas to publicise on social media sites I will do so.
Now that we have run a few days we are starting to learn from what we are seeing and from the trainers and participants feedback what is required and wanted, and so I am looking to get a number of trainers involved for a couple of reasons, not least so that we are not reliant on one and also to bring different things to the training days. Areas we have identified to date are that there is some requirement for specific basic training improvements and so I have arranged for an Obedience trainer to come to one of the future sessions, also we have identified a need for retriever improvements and again I have arranged for someone who will come and focus on that area.
The days at present have consisted of two sessions of two hours duration with six dogs in each session. These have typically been split between beginners and novice based on the participant’s assessment of their abilities as indicated on the booking forms that are issued. This format seems to work well at present and we have to date covered our costs.
As all of you who have Spinone will know they are very intelligent dogs and need a purpose in life to stimulate them, you don’t have to want to go and shoot with your dog, or do working tests or field trials, you may just want to have that bond with them through training, whatever your relationship with your dog if you feel that training days like these are something you would be interested in then please get in touch, maybe come and have a watch before committing if you wish. We would love to see you!
Julie Kelly
jk.ero@sky.com
Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla Club of Great Britain 25/09/2016
German Short Haired Pointer Club 11/09/2016