It already appears in a painting by Vittore Carpaccio from 1502, according to the standard. Later, the Volpino rode beside Tuscan carters, loudly announcing every stranger along the road. The Italian Volpino (Volpino Italiano) has long been a watchful companion.
| FCI | Group 5 (Spitz and primitive types), Section 4 European Spitz, Standard No. 195, without working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Italy |
| Size (height at the withers) | Males 27 to 30 cm, females 25 to 28 cm; exceeding this by more than 2 cm is a fault |
| Weight | not specified in the FCI standard (only “proportionate to height at the withers”) |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | dense, very long, straight and stand-off, harsh texture with stiff guard hairs; abundant collar around the neck, but no mane |
| Colours in the standard | solid white (milk white), red (intense deer red) or black; other colours tolerated; some white on the feet in red and black dogs; red dogs may have a mask and slight dark overlay |
Related, rather than descended
The standard traces the Volpino back to the European spitz dogs that lived in Central Europe from the Bronze Age. It shares ancestors with the German Spitz but does not descend from it. It is said to have been Michelangelo’s dog and guarded aristocratic palaces as well as ordinary neighbourhoods. It was popular after the 1913 standard, then disappeared. A few white dogs resurfaced in 1968, registration resumed in 1972, and red dogs now exist again too. The FCI has definitively recognised it since 1956.
A watchdog with plenty of spirit
Very affectionate, lively, cheerful and playful, with a pronounced temperament: that is the standard’s description. It is intended as a watch and companion dog, and you hear it: it announces unfamiliar footsteps outside the door. Teach a cue for stopping early and reward quiet behaviour.
Small, with staying power
The standard compares its gallop with an endurance runner’s rather than a sprinter’s. A Volpino enjoys longer walks, learns tricks quickly and likes small obstacle courses. A sofa and garden alone are not enough.
A coat that stands, never lies flat
The standard says the long, harsh hair must never lie flat and surrounds the body like a muff. Brushing two or three times a week, reaching right through to the undercoat, keeps it loose. A coat lacking volume is a fault, so clipping has no place in its grooming.
Little research, a clue from Italy
The British analysis by McMillan et al. does not include the Volpino. An Italian study analysed 4.957 dogs that died between 2004 and 2020 at nine university veterinary clinics and two authorities: the Volpino was among the five breeds with the highest mean age at death; across all dogs it was 10,0 years (Roccaro et al. 2024). The abstract provides no breed-specific figure. No studies on breed-related diseases were found in the Europe PMC literature database. As today’s breeding population goes back to a few dogs from 1968, ask about inbreeding coefficients and the parents’ examination results.
A Volpino suits you if
you want a small, robust companion to join you everywhere and do not mind a watchful dog with a voice.
Less suitable if
you share walls with noise-sensitive neighbours or want a dog that stays alone for long periods.
The even smaller Pomeranian belongs to the family of its relative, the German Spitz. The breed quiz helps you decide whether a vocal little watchdog suits you; for more detail, see “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For your puppy’s arrival, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. That pale collar looks striking on a magazine cover on canvas , and you can find more ideas among our dog portraits.
Further reading
- Pomeranian: why you must not clip its coat
- Chihuahua: why the barking starts at home
- Housetraining your puppy: a plan for the first 4 weeks
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 195 Volpino Italiano (Italienischer Volpino) (fci.be, German version dated 13.02.2026, English original dated 21.09.2023); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024 (breed not included); Roccaro M et al., Factors related to longevity and mortality of dogs in Italy, Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2024.
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