Spinone Italiano vs Shorkie - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

Spinone Italiano vs Shorkie - Breed ComparisonShorkie is originated from United States but Spinone Italiano is originated from Italy. Shorkie may grow 46 cm / 18 inches shorter than Spinone Italiano. Shorkie may weigh 32 kg / 70 pounds lesser than Spinone Italiano. Shorkie may live 6 years more than Spinone Italiano. Shorkie may have less litter size than Spinone Italiano. Both Shorkie and Spinone Italiano requires Moderate Maintenance.

Basic Information

Group:
Miscellaneous dogs
Gun dog
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United States
Italy
Height Male:
18 - 24 cm
7 - 10 inches
60 - 70 cm
23 - 28 inches
Height Female:
16 - 22 cm
6 - 9 inches
50 - 60 cm
19 - 24 inches
Weight Male:
5 - 7 kg
11 - 16 pounds
34 - 39 kg
74 - 86 pounds
Weight Female:
4 - 7 kg
8 - 16 pounds
32 - 37 kg
70 - 82 pounds
Life Span:
12 - 15 Years
8 - 9 Years
Litter Size:
1 - 5
4 - 11
Size:
Small
Large
Other Names:
Shorki • Shorkie • Yorkie Tzu Shorkie Tzu
Spinone Italian Spinone Italian Griffon Italian Wire-haired Pointer Italian Coarsehaired Pointer
Colors Available:
Black and tan • Brown and white • Gold • Red • Gold, black, and white • Particolored
white with orange markings, white with brown markings, and brown roan with or without brown markings , orange roan with or without orange markings, solid white
Coat:
coat type soft and relatively long coats. They should be silky and never coarse
tough, slightly wiry, and close fitting. rough
Shedding:
Minimal
Moderate
Temperament:
Affectionate, Alert, Energetic, Friendly, Intelligent, Loving, Loyal, Playful, Responsive, Stubborn
Affectionate, Friendly, Gentle, Intelligent, Loving, Loyal, Social, Stubborn, Sweet
Grooming:
Moderate Maintenance
Moderate Maintenance
Trainability:
Moderate
Moderate
Hypoallergenic:
No
No
Kids Friendly:
Yes
Yes
New Owners Friendly:
Yes
Yes

History

shorkieThe Shorkie is a mix between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Shih Tzu. This little dog actually thinks he’s quite big. He is a great watchdog and a barker, and he is a loyal and loving member of his family. He will let you know if he thinks something is going on that shouldn’t be.

This hybrid combines two breeds known for their good looks, cuteness and personalities. Shorkies get their watchdog instincts and their loyalty to their people from the Shih Tzu and their personalities and good looks from the Yorkie. This designer breed has no known standard and every puppy is different, but traits from its founding breeds will remain. Both breeds have great personalities.

Regardless of the differences within the litter, because the personalities and adorableness of the two founding breeds are equal, all of the puppies will have those characteristics. They will all be energetic, playful and think they are big dogs. They will all love people and especially kids – playing and watching over them.

The Shorkie is intelligent, trainable, and snuggly. They will also have the stubborn trait that the two founding breeds can show at times. Developed in the United States, this crossbreed is extremely popular even though they have been in existence for only ten years or so. Breeders in the U.S. began to mix these two breeds in order to develop a cute, friendly and intelligent little dog that will cuddle on your lap – perfect lap dog.

Even if we already have breeds similar to the Shorkie, its development allows breeders to diversify and improve the genetics of the dogs. It is important that these be responsible breeders whose intentions are not financial but to legitimately improve the positive traits of each breed while sorting out the undesirable or weak traits. This is the positive side of the new designer breeds.

Even though it is still being developed, at least the Shorkie seems to be a success story for designer breeds as a loving, popular little dog. It will take a lot more time and a lot more development before the Shorkie becomes an actual recognized breed. At the moment it remains a hybrid, a crossbreed, a so called designer dog.

It will be at least 7-10 generations of careful and quality breeding before the Shorkies are potentially recognized as its own pedigree breed. It is important to breed Shorkies to Shorkies in order to develop a standard that could be accepted for a new breed by the AKC and UKC. Over time the puppies must become more and more standardized in their conformity to that new breed standard. Their physical appearance and their temperament will be standardized. At this stage the second generation of Shorkies is rare. Their popularity is rising in the United Kingdom. Both Britain and Ireland have a growing interest in this hybrid.

spinone italianoThis Italian breed has an ancient blood line tracing all the back to 500 BC. Originally bred to hunt, he is today a friendly, alert and loyal companion. He is intelligent enough to do any job you give him. The Spinone is thought to be one of the oldest gun dogs ever, but it is not entirely clear that he came from Italy. There are some who think he may have come from somewhere in these European countries – Italy, Greece, France, Celtic Ireland, Spain or Russia. However, most believe the breed came from Italy in the Piedmont area.

The most common thinking is that he is a descendent of the Spanish Pointer and/or the Russian Setter. One other theory is that setters from Greece were brought to the Roman Empire and crossed with a variety of Italian dog to make the coarse haired Spinone we see today. Then the French put in their claim that the breed is a cross of many French pointers.

The theory that counts might just belong to the Italians who believe the ancestor to the Spinone includes the German Wirehaired Pointer, the Pudelpointer and the Wirehaired Pointer. It was not until the 19th century that the name Spinone was officially given to the breed.

Before that it might have been known as a Spinoso and named after a thorn bus in Italy called the Spino. This bush was so thick and sharp that small prey animals learned to hide under it because the predators could not get through it. The Spinone however was able to fight through the briars with its thick, coarse hair and tough skin.

The breed almost became extinct during the second world war as before and after the hunters in Italy had started to use other breeds for hunting. Breeders also began to cross the Spinone with wire hairs like German Wirehaired Pointer, the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and the Boulet.

The most popular hunting dog in Italy today is the Bracco Italiano while the Spinone is still used for hunting.

Description

shorkie puppy - descriptionThe Shorkie, being a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the Shih Tzu, and as such has physical and temperament characteristics from both breeds. They could be 50-50 but most likely each puppy will be more like one of the founding parents than the other. Because there is a lot of similarity between the founding breeds there is a lot of similarity between the Shorkies.

Their hair is either wavy or straight, but it is soft. It can be a wide variety of colors and usually they have a darker mask on the face. Usually they have the eyes of the Shih Tzu – large -but not protruding. Their muzzle is short, and the skull is round with triangle ears. Their bodies are compact, small with plenty of muscle for their size. They also have fine bones and short legs, with a thin curled tail.

spinone italiano puppy - descriptionThe breed is made up of strong, solid and muscled dogs that have an almost square build. His legs are made to travel any terrain and his head is long with an occipital that is pronounced and unique to the Spinone. They are said to have “human appearing eyes”, with a docked tail in countries allowing it and webbed paws.

Shorter hair covers their feet, head, legs, muzzle and ears. They have longer hair on their eyebrows and it is stiff, with soft hair on the muzzle and cheeks with a beard and mustache. It is a single coated dog though the coat is rough. They should have skin, lips, nose, and pads in colors that coordinate with their coats. For white dog it is a red-orange color, brown in dogs that are roan colored and dark red-orange in the orange and white colored dog.

Characteristics

1.Children friendliness – yes, they are very child friendly.

2.Special talents – Loyal and loving.

3.Adaptability – The Shorkie could happen.

4.Learning ability – Highly intelligent, but they can be stubborn.

1.Children friendliness – yes they live kids.

2.Special talents – Digging and running.

spinone italiano dog - characteristics3.Adaptability – Young dogs need a lot of attention but they don’t need a lot of space. The young dogs are energetic while the adult dogs are laid-back. They need exercise every day and at least a small back yard.

4.Learning ability – good/stubborn/intelligent.

Health Problems

shorkie puppies - health problemsMany hybrids are in better health at least genetically than their parent breeds. Responsible breeders will breed any genetic issues out of their puppies. Still there are many health issues that the Shorkies are prone to. These include:

  • Tooth loss, tooth decay and gum disease caused by dental overcrowding.
  • Joint issues – can cause lameness.
  • Diabetes – high blood sugar.
  • Kidney stones.
  • Liver disease and potential shunt.
  • Progressive Retinal Apathy - visual imparity.
  • Patellar Luxation – can cause arthritis.
  • Hypoglycemia. – low blood sugar.
  • Collapsed Trachea.

• Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome – “smashed face” causes problems with breathing, heat, flying and more.

• Glaucoma – Yorkshires have this, and it can be secondary to the lens Luxation.

spinone italiano puppies - health problemsThis is an ancient breed with not a lot of documented genetic issues, but it does have one deadly condition.

• Cerebellar ataxia (CA) is inherited and hits the puppies. Because it is a recessive gene both the mother and father must carry it for the puppy to inherit it. This makes it less likely than it would be otherwise. Puppies with the condition do not live more than a year. Since it is a genetic problem there is now a test for it that identifies carriers at a 95% accuracy rate.

• Like many other large breed dogs, they are susceptible to hip dysplasia. This can cause arthritis and/or lameness. There are now hip replacement surgeries available for this condition.

• Bloat is again common in large dogs and you need to watch for it with the Spinone. It can be deadly if not treated immediately. Let your dog rest quietly after eating. Do not let her exercise or play energetically after eating.

Caring The Pet

shorkie dogs - caring1.Feeding the puppy - The Shorkies need a high-quality, well-balanced dry kibble. Make sure it is a formula for small, active dogs. It should have lean meat and essential minerals and vitamins. Make sure it is puppy food not adult. The puppy needs 300 -550 calories a day in 3 meals.

2.Feeding the adult – Obesity is a problem for the Shorkie as it is for many small dogs. Don’t overfeed your adult but give her the same kind of high quality small breed dog food, only for adults. They need about 200-300 calories a day in 2 meals.

3.Points for Good Health – Few genetic diseases.

4. Games and Exercises – These are very active little dogs and need exercise every day. They needs walks, games, and time with you. They also love to cuddle with you at the end of the day. They love squeaky toys and playing fetch outside or inside.

spinone italiano dogs - caring1Feeding the puppy – feed a high quality dog food for puppies of large breeds. Feed 3-4x day but don’t overfeed or let him exercise after eating even as a puppy.

2.Feeding the adult - feed a high quality dog food for large breeds. Feed 1-2X day but don’t overfeed or let him exercise after eating.

3.Points for Good Health – Active and strong

4. Games and Exercises – The Spinone is an active breed, but not a fast dog. In fact, they like to travel at a trot so it becomes a great dog for jogging or running with. They love to jump, track, hunt, hike. They do well with agility, retrieving, flyball, carting, being a therapy dog, a rescue dog and a watchdog.

Comparison with other breeds

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  5. Shorkie vs West Highland White Terrier - Breed Comparison
  6. Shorkie vs French Bulldog - Breed Comparison
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  8. Shorkie vs Yorkshire Terrier - Breed Comparison
  9. Shorkie vs Poodle - Breed Comparison
  10. Shorkie vs Rottweiler - Breed Comparison
  11. Shorkie vs Boxer - Breed Comparison
  12. Shorkie vs English Pointer - Breed Comparison
  13. Shorkie vs Siberian Husky - Breed Comparison
  14. Shorkie vs Doberman Pinscher - Breed Comparison
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  18. Shorkie vs Afghan Hound - Breed Comparison
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  23. Shorkie vs Africanis - Breed Comparison
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  25. Shorkie vs Atlas Terrier - Breed Comparison
  26. Spinone Italiano vs English Bulldog - Breed Comparison
  27. Spinone Italiano vs German Shepherd - Breed Comparison
  28. Spinone Italiano vs Golden Retriever - Breed Comparison
  29. Spinone Italiano vs Labrador Retriever - Breed Comparison
  30. Spinone Italiano vs West Highland White Terrier - Breed Comparison
  31. Spinone Italiano vs French Bulldog - Breed Comparison
  32. Spinone Italiano vs Beagle - Breed Comparison
  33. Spinone Italiano vs Yorkshire Terrier - Breed Comparison
  34. Spinone Italiano vs Poodle - Breed Comparison
  35. Spinone Italiano vs Rottweiler - Breed Comparison
  36. Spinone Italiano vs Boxer - Breed Comparison
  37. Spinone Italiano vs English Pointer - Breed Comparison
  38. Spinone Italiano vs Siberian Husky - Breed Comparison
  39. Spinone Italiano vs Doberman Pinscher - Breed Comparison
  40. Spinone Italiano vs American Bully - Breed Comparison
  41. Spinone Italiano vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  42. Spinone Italiano vs Affenpinscher - Breed Comparison
  43. Spinone Italiano vs Afghan Hound - Breed Comparison
  44. Spinone Italiano vs Aidi - Breed Comparison
  45. Spinone Italiano vs Airedale Terrier - Breed Comparison
  46. Spinone Italiano vs Akbash Dog - Breed Comparison
  47. Spinone Italiano vs Akita - Breed Comparison
  48. Spinone Italiano vs Africanis - Breed Comparison
  49. Spinone Italiano vs Askal - Breed Comparison
  50. Spinone Italiano vs Atlas Terrier - Breed Comparison