BRACCO ITALIANO
Information with regards to the breed Bracco Italiano.
Adorable puppiesIn the UK Puppies can not leave the breeders home until they reach 8 weeks of age. I think they are the most adorable puppies you can see.
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SHOW TRAININGMake sure you let your breeder know if you wish to show your dog. So the right dog can be chosen from the litter.
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SOCIALISEDPuppies should be well socialised and used to the noise associated with family life.
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I always say my bracco need bathing more regular than other breeds, as they love to lay and roll in grass. They are also diggers and rollers in all things smelly. Do not buy this breed if your allergic to dogs as they do moult. I give mine a good groom every few days as I remove the dust and hair from their coat. Best to buy a Zoom groom for the coat and do it outside. Its part of a fuss ritual we have developed and they see it as something enjoyable. We must talk about their elastic skin, the skin on any dog covers the body loosely. If grabbed will pull one way or the other. But the Bracco is something else. I think its a good job 101 Dalmatians didn't realise how much skin a Bracco has as a fur coat would be massive. Bracco play quite hard with each other as they pull the skin. They grab tails on other dogs to stop them from running away. Damage can easily be done. But its not nasty, it is hard play. They do not realise how hard they are sometimes with each other but if you shout at them they will stop instantly and reevaluate and stop. They do listen, they are intelligent and they don't like getting things wrong. They make good dogs to train. Young males can be a bit silly and if you've given them a inch they will take a mile. Or in many cases ten miles. The Bracco has a set of dew claws on the front and on the back. Some do have double dew claws on the back legs. Double dew claws are not as desirable in the UK but in Italy they are. The job of a dew claw is supporting the leg when scrambling down rocks, holding bones to eat. Some breeders do remove the dew claws but they should really leave them alone. 
They are a slow maturing breed of dog, and males do not gain their muscle until they are 3 plus. It is important not to neuter during the growing stages and only do once the dog has reached adulthood.
The breed is not well known in the UK and you may not of seen one before. If you have stumbled across one you may wrongly think its a bloodhound. If you stood a blood hound beside a Bracco you would see they are quite different. The Bracco is a gun dog from Italy. In the UK we have spaniels, labradors, retriever's but in Italy they have Bracco. They are part of the HUNT, POINT, RETRIEVE breeds. Because they can do the whole job at hand. They live to work. They are the best of both worlds as they can chill at home, and be content, but when you say okay walk time, they will spring to life. The Bracco was bred to cover the ground effortlessly, and they do. They have an extended trot which is a massive feature of their movement. They are pretty awesome to watch. But the one thing you must train is recall. Because it takes them seconds to cover a field. Their are two breed clubs in the UK, with like minded enthusiasts trying to preserve the breed and always happy to give advice. Not all breeders are members of the clubs. |
BRACCO ITALIANO
The Bracco is a wonderful breed of dog. They are a large dog which is heavy boned. They have very large feet. They can reach weights over 30 kilos, and males can easily reach 45 kilos and more. They are just awesome dogs to live with. I find them less demanding than other HPR breeds. They are very affectionate and have no awareness of your personal space. You will learn quickly the Bracco Boof! This is when you're sitting watching TV and they want to be touched. They smack you with their paw. They do not let up until they have got your attention. They are not guard dog and should not be brought for this purpose. Although their bark can frighten your postman to death. They are generally are not a noisy breed. But they will bark if bored, or playing sometimes. But they are not a breed which is too noisy. They are short coated, They do moult, and you'll find white hairs all over your house when they moult. Colours are chestnut and roan, chestnut and white, orange roan, orange and white. Their are solid colours but these are hardly seen. 
This is very much what we call a head breed. This means the head is an important part of the standard. With the divergent planes, Their eyes should be oval ,hazel coloured if the dog is orange and white, darker if the dog is chestnut. The nose is large, spongy which is used to draw in scent. They use their noses, and you can watch them scent the air and then run towards what ever they are scenting. Their noses are never usually wrong.
The Bracco has long ears which will drag in water bowls, or food. You must keep their ear tips clean other wise a build up of bacteria can cause dried ear tips. The Bracco has a dewlap which is folds of skin under the chin. These must be kept clean other wise bacteria can build up in the warm, damp environment and mites. If you own other dogs watch they do not play and hang on the dewlap s they can make the skin sore. Do they drool? When they drink water they will leave trails around the water bowl. If you eat in front of them they will drool. But apart from that they are fairly good. Stress also can make them drool, if you take them out of their comfort zone. Slobber is part of owning one of these dogs. 
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The Bracco is a super natured dog. They are great with Children and other animals. They are often in the middle of what children are doing just sitting there. Where as I wouldn't like to sell a Vizsla to young babies or children, the Bracco is well suited.
All HPR dogs need to be socialised to cats, rabbits etc as these avid hunters may be too tough with them if not socialised.
They like to be included in what your doing. The gardening or going out.
They suit busy households, and enjoy going out with the family.
They are quite a contented breed compared to other HPR breeds and they will entertain themselves. But if they do not get adequate exercise they can be diggers, pull your fences and chew if absolutely bored out their minds. A good exercise twice a day is required. Once if you have a large property. They also need off lead exercise as they will need to have that brain exercised. They are not a breed for lead walking around the block once a day. They need to run on grass, swim in rivers and enjoy the countryside.
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Training With this breed of dog training is very important. Yes you can train it to do any tricks at home you like, but you'll need training in a group of people with dogs so they are well socialised to other animals. Plus if trained in a distracted environment their is a better chance of it remembering when you in the park and calling it. 1 on 1 sessions are good for tuning up the skills. But group sessions teach loads more. You should be in a training school before 16 weeks! This social window for any HPR is so important. Miss it at your peril. Dogs which have been in some kind of training or just socialisation before 16 weeks will be far better coping with the second fear period which hits bracco around 9 months onwards. It is when hormones are changing within the dog. All dogs go through a fear period, but the Bracco is especially sensitive. They can panic over something and run away and nothing you can do with convince it that its not the bogey man standing there. |
Brief History
The Bracco Italiano is one of the oldest known gun dogs, originates from Italy. They date back to 4th and 5th century. The exact origins are unknown. You may ask why? History on animals wasn't always recorded as it did not seem important at the time. Articles easily lost. Knowledge was passed down from hunter to hunter. Historians accept that although its origins are unknown that a cross between a Segugio Italiano white and the Asiatic Masfiff (Which is now extinct), is how the breed came about.
Bracco Italiano translates to Italian pointer. Their are two types of Bracco originally. The orange and white which came from the Piedmont region of Italy and the chestnut and white which came from the Lombardy region of Italy. Italy does have other gun dogs as they have the Italiano Spinone, the Lagotta Romagnolo. The Cane Corso was also a dog used to hunt wild bore.
During the medieval period, the breed became well established. They were owned by Italian Aristocracy who exported the dogs across the world. They became popular during the Renaissance era, and they had many dogs in number until the turn of the 20th Century, It got to the end of 1800's and they faced extinction. Breeders started to cross them with hounds and they ended up with heavily build dogs with health problems. Things had to change although they wanted to preserve the original bracci, they had to introduce dogs of lighter frame into the breed. The Piedmontese pointer was used. this created a lighter boned dog which was mainly white. But with or without orange. Then the Lombard Pointer was rich brown roan, heavier build type. This dog was used to hunt in the marshes and lowlands and was a trotting breed. In 1949 the breed club called the societa amatory Bracco Italiano was founded in Italy. A standard was produced which incorporated aspects of both breed types. Some breeders in the UK will not mix the two colours together.
In the 1980's the Bracco was Brought to the United Kingdom.
FCI Breed Standard: CLICK HERE. and the UK Kennel club breed standard CLICK HERE
The Bracco Italiano is one of the oldest known gun dogs, originates from Italy. They date back to 4th and 5th century. The exact origins are unknown. You may ask why? History on animals wasn't always recorded as it did not seem important at the time. Articles easily lost. Knowledge was passed down from hunter to hunter. Historians accept that although its origins are unknown that a cross between a Segugio Italiano white and the Asiatic Masfiff (Which is now extinct), is how the breed came about.
Bracco Italiano translates to Italian pointer. Their are two types of Bracco originally. The orange and white which came from the Piedmont region of Italy and the chestnut and white which came from the Lombardy region of Italy. Italy does have other gun dogs as they have the Italiano Spinone, the Lagotta Romagnolo. The Cane Corso was also a dog used to hunt wild bore.
During the medieval period, the breed became well established. They were owned by Italian Aristocracy who exported the dogs across the world. They became popular during the Renaissance era, and they had many dogs in number until the turn of the 20th Century, It got to the end of 1800's and they faced extinction. Breeders started to cross them with hounds and they ended up with heavily build dogs with health problems. Things had to change although they wanted to preserve the original bracci, they had to introduce dogs of lighter frame into the breed. The Piedmontese pointer was used. this created a lighter boned dog which was mainly white. But with or without orange. Then the Lombard Pointer was rich brown roan, heavier build type. This dog was used to hunt in the marshes and lowlands and was a trotting breed. In 1949 the breed club called the societa amatory Bracco Italiano was founded in Italy. A standard was produced which incorporated aspects of both breed types. Some breeders in the UK will not mix the two colours together.
In the 1980's the Bracco was Brought to the United Kingdom.
FCI Breed Standard: CLICK HERE. and the UK Kennel club breed standard CLICK HERE
- Only buy your puppy from a licensed breeder and ideally assured kennel club breeder.
- By law the breeder must display their license number in their home, or office or where ever they sell puppies from. The license number must be displayed in advert.
- Look at Preservation breeders who show their dogs or work their dogs as the standard will be better quality.
- Buy from parents which have had health tests done. Hips, Elbows, Eyes and colour tested.
- Only buy Kennel club registered puppies.
- Buy from breeders who socialise their puppies.
- Buy from breeders who will offer you support after sales.
- Home reared puppies will already have good grounding in social skills for you to continue with.
- Only buy a puppy if a vet has checked it before sale and comes with a health letter.
- Experienced breeders are far more value to you than pet breeders who do not care what stud dog they use.
- Puppies must be micro chipped with the breeder. Puppies do not have to be vaccinated.
- Some breeders in the UK dock their puppies tails. This is legal if they go on shoots themselves and can say that a few will go to working homes in the litter. It is personal choice this one. Bracco tails are very long, and can easily get into mischief. You learn to close doors and make sure the tail is in the room before closing.