Author Topic: Spinonie Smells!  (Read 16038 times)

Offline Philip

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Spinonie Smells!
« on: September 03, 2007, 04:31:37 pm »
Hi All,
In the last couple of years our English Setter and Dalmation have passed away through old age. We now feel the time is right to get a new dog and were thinking of a Spinonie. I have been reading up on them and talking to  people to try and get as much information as possible. Last week I was talking to someone that judges hunting dogs, they said Spinonies smell (real bad). Is that true, if so can it be managed by regular brushing, coat stripping and bathing, or is it caused by the oils in the coat? 

Offline Spinonie Dude

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Re: Spinonie Smells!
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2007, 04:06:52 pm »
This might be a bit late for you, but this might help.

We have a five year old Spinonie dog, and I have to say he does become a wee bit wiffy if you don't keep him clean.

First and foremost, they are a working dog and not for the house proud by any means.  We hose (we know have hot and cold outside taps) him off everytime we have been out walking or in the fields and then sit him in a zip up toweling bag to dry him off or give him a good rub down with a towell, otherwise he does smell.  We bath him every three to four week with a tea tree dog shampoo which leaves him all silky until he goes out again, but it does make him shed lots of lose hair which floats around the house like tubble weed, even though we strip him regularly. They have webbed furry paws that collect everything they walk through, and the fur collects everything they walk through, and Spins do walk through every thing, never around it, always through it, and that is from horse muck to goose grass.

The biggest thing I would say with a spin is the slobber, much more so than any smell.  They produce copious amounts of thick gooy slime that they quite happily throw around the house with it landing up the wall, ceilings, cupboards and nearly always all over any visitors. We keep a face towel handy in the kitchen just to wipe his face at meal times as the strings of drool can drop from his mouth to the floor several times during a meal.  He also slobbers over the edge of tables and work surfaces, which he can easily reach because of his hight.  All the handles in our kitchen are constantly covered in a crust of slobber, even though we clean them regularly.  I would also say that Spinonies are not suitable for houses with carpets as the drool and water they drop from the beard after drinking would ruin any carpet within days.     

I wouldn't recomend one purely as a pet. Without stimulation or compamy they can become very distructive and are great food theives, although we haven't had a problem with this as he is will me 24-7.

They are great company and almost human in their expression, and the biggest dog clowns going, but for this they demand a lot of time and attention.  I always bear in mind that they were bred for game hunting with Falcons and horse's and its best if you can try to emulate that life style for them.

Someone once discribed them as a lifestyle dog, and that is what they are, only you have to fit into their lifestyle.

But I wouldn't change him for the world! 

Offline VdogLover

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Re: Spinonie Smells!
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2007, 04:53:57 pm »
 To me yes they smell much like my coonhound did.