“Monk’s Habit” is a pretty descriptive term used to describe the chestnut brown color found in the Spinone Italiano (After all, when was the last time you saw a monk wearing chartreuse? And what color is chartreuse, anyway?***) . This brown is a very desired color of brown in the breed, although varying colors of brown are acceptable. The term is found in the breed standard and comes from the same color as the “Capuchin frier’s frock” from the Capuchin order of Franciscan monks.

***By the way, chartreuse is a color between yellow and green. It was named after the green French liqueur, “Green Chartreuse.”

 “Gina, an Spinone Italiano” by Monika Brauer. This print is available for purchase here.