About Bracco Italiano dogs

In the UK Puppies can not leave the breeders home until they reach 8 weeks of age.
The Bracco puppy is well developed and more than ready for its new home at 8 weeks.
But you have an important job to do which is continuance of social skills that your breeder started your puppy on.
Give your puppy a day or two to settle in then start to go out. The bracco can be sensitive in nature and if you do not meet the positive experiences early on you can miss the development window.

Make sure you tell your breeder before you reserve a puppy if you wish to show your dog. Showing takes a great deal of time and commitment. Not all dogs in a litter have show potential.
Just as you should also tell your breeder if you wish to work your dog. Nearly all Bracco have inbuilt in them a strong working instinct. But you want one showing a natural aptitude for it at 8 weeks.

Make sure your breeder is meeting their needs because not only do they need to be home raised but also have had experiences on grass outside. Dogs learn a lot through play and stimulations. Toys can develop their abilities.
Dogs also need enrichment toys to entertain them as this gives not only something for them to do, but also stops boredom setting in.
The Bracco puppy can get frustrated if its needs are not met.
Even a Bracco puppy must of had free running about outside and not confined to a pen.

BREED TRAITS

BAD POINTS

HEALTH

BRACCO ITALIANO
The Bracco is a wonderful dog breed, and has an air of nobility. They are a large dog which is heavy boned, large feet. They can reach well over 30 kilos and in some cases over 45 kilos and more. Although they are large they are not too clumsy as adults, but puppies can fall over their own ears. It can be quite comical watching puppies which are so uncoordinated and falling everywhere. As they grow taller they suddenly develop some grace.

The breed seems to be wonderful to have in and around young children, and they are very patient.
They are less demanding than some breeds, but they have their down sides which I will talk about further down. They are very affectionate and the males are very needy. Females are more independent and do not need to be laying on you all the time. But a male is never far from you. They have no awareness of personal space though and you will find they can smack you with their paw if they are not being given the attention they think they need. I have owned 3 males in my time and all. have been needy. Where as my girls are much more easy going and happy to sit on the sofa or on their bed.

You should not purchase one of these dogs to be a guard dog. They are very much a coward. But their bark is loud, hound of the Baskervilles kind of bark. Your amazon driver will certainly know theirs a dog in the house. But do not expect the breed to defend you as they would probably run in the opposite direction and worry about it.

Colours - In the breed we see Orange and white, Orange roan, Chestnut and white, Chestnut roan. There are solid colours which are rare. But you commonly see in Chestnut a blanket chestnut alll over. For showing the face should have symmetrical markings. But you do not always get that luxury. I understand from breed specialists there is a Burnt orange colour which is a deep orange.
The Chestnut colour seems to have quite a variance in the Uk in how is should be. But it should be a dark chestnut like a monks habit but with a metallic sheen in the sunshine. But we see colours which are not quite correct and there is a lot of chit chat on what should be allowed. For a pet however I can not see too much of an issue on exactly the right colours. Fawn is undesirable. We also see Amber in the UK and it is acceptable colour under the FCI and Italian standard. For showing you must choose your colour wisely so you stand a chance of being placed.
There are tri colour markings in the Bracco which crop up from time to time. More seen on Chestnuts, but in Orange it can be a reverse Tri colour. These are. highly undesirable and most breeders will sell this colour only to pet homes. They are quite nice looking it has to be said, but it's just not what the show ring is looking for.

Although a short coated breed of dog they do moult and a lot. They moult much more than our Hungarian Vizsla. This is a breed if you have any humans with dog allergies do not buy a Bracco. They hold so much dander, and dried skin this can be a real problem for people who are allergic to dogs. I say time and time again dont buy a dog if you're allergic or buy a wool coated dog. Their are shampoos which remove allergens in the coat which help humans live with their dogs, but the bracco has a large surface area of skin compared to other breeds so I would not advise buying one if your allergic.

They can have weeks of loosing coat, and your furniture will be covered.
The Bracco has more skin than other breeds of dog, that wonderful elastic covering of skin. But it has health issues. They are a breed which seems to hold dirt to the coat. They as a breed are known for skin allergies. They can have a musky smell to their skin which is yeast. Their skin can collect pollen and dust.
To help remove dead fur buy a zoom groom. Some people recommend a furminator but these are too harsh for the skin.

They will roll in anything smelly, so fox poop is a favourite. Make sure you have some shampoo in your cupboard which gets rid of mr fox smell.

Bracco ears also can be extremely hard to keep clean, they develop thick black wax. They are a breed you need to check ears daily. The best products for Bracco ears are:
Thornit powder, Zymox products. Petcare ear cleaning solution.

But we have found that the reason for bad skin and ears is all down to the first vaccine the dog has. They are a breed which are better if you do not vaccinate. So build up their own natural immunity and you can give holistic nosodes. You are better not vaccinating them at all. I even did home trials and I can tell you that vaccines cause too many health issues.

The breed benefits from eating raw foods instead of dried kibble. You can easily find what suits when feeding raw. They are a breed which do well on fish diets, and Turkey, Lamb. They do not fair so well on chicken or beef. It makes sense as being an Italian breed they would have a seafood diet, and game going back in time. Not commercial chickens.

Teeth - This must have a mention because when they are born they have flatter faces, and over time that nose grows longer and longer. Whilst this happens the teeth move also in the jaw as everything is changing shape. At 8 weeks canines can dig into the roof of the mouth, or be misshapen. Do not panic because it comes right. Most dogs mouths correct at 6 months, and others 12 months. Do not let your vet operate on the mouth as it's a wasted few thousand pounds. Have some patience as it should come right. Odd cases of severe over shot jaws may be harder to correct, but they still wont warrant any veterinary attention.

The breed is well known for its huge paws, they should have cat like feet not hare feet. Puppies feet can go flat, and pasterns can be weak during teething stages. Wait it out, walk the puppy on stones or hard surfaces and the legs will strengthen. Do not over exercise and make sure you are giving a balanced diet.

Exercise - The guideline of the 5 minute rule is beneficial to large breeds of dogs. Five minutes of exercise per month of age, up to twice a day until the puppy is grown.