Bracco Italiano Dog Overview
The Bracco (plural Bracchi) is predominantly a hunting dog in their country of Italy, but people are beginning to realize that this lovely dog with the noble appearance and pleasant attitude is also an excellent companion and show dog.
The Bracco, often known as the Italian Pointer, is competent in all forms of hunting and can point and retrieve. They are peaceful and nice at home.
Train this intelligent dog gently and consistently, and they will always want to please, but harsh reprimand will drive them to give up.
They’ll definitely bark when strangers approach the house, but they’re too mild to be a guard dog. The Bracco tolerates other people, dogs, children, and even cats if raised with them.
Bracco Italiano Highlights
- White, white with orange or dark amber markings, white with chestnut markings, white with scattered pale orange markings, or white with roan-chestnut patterns are all possible colors for the Bracco’s short, dense, lustrous coat.
- These dogs have a lot of energy. Ensure your pet gets at least one decent half-hour to hour-long walk every day, with a few energetic play sessions and shorter walks thrown in for good measure.
- Dogs of this breed are not designed to be watch dogs because they do not bark frequently. They are normally calm and will remain by your side the majority of the time.
- Because the Bracco Italiano is a huge dog, it can withstand overly exuberant children’s play. Even yet, these placid dogs love youngsters or people who know how to play gently with them.
- It’s great if they get acquainted with different pets as soon as possible. The Bracco Italiano, on the other hand, favors the companionship of their human families over that of other smaller pets.
Bracco Italiano Breed Features & Ratings:
Rated base on a 5 Star Scale
ENERGY LEVEL: 4 Star
EXERCISE REQUIREMENTS: 4 Star
PLAYFULNESS: 5 Star
AFFECTION LEVEL: 5 Star
FRIENDLINESS TO DOGS: 5 Star
FRIENDLINESS TO OTHER PETS: 5 Star
FRIENDLINESS TO STRANGERS: 5 Star
WATCHFULNESS: 5 Star
EASE OF TRAINING: 5 Star
GROOMING REQUIREMENTS: 5 Star
HEAT SENSITIVITY: 5 Star
VOCALITY 5 Star
Bracco Italiano Characteristics:
- Dog Breed Group: Sporting Dogs
- Height: 22 to 26 inches
- Weight: 55 to 90 pounds
- Life Span: 10 to 14 years
- Type: Purebred
- AREA OF ORIGIN: Italy
- DATE OF ORIGIN: 1400s
- OTHER NAMES: Italian Pointer, Italian Pointing Dog, Bracco
- Temperament: Affectionate, Companionable, Loyal, Playful, Stubborn, Trainable
- Activities:
- Color: Orange & White, White & Chestnut, White & Amber, White
- Litter Size: 4 to 6 puppies
- Puppy Prices: $2000 – $2500 USD on average
Bracco Italiano Health:
The Bracco is a generally healthy breed, and reputable breeders examine their stock for hip and elbow dysplasia, eye anomalies like entropion, ectropion, and cataracts, and kidney illnesses such renal amyloidosis.
Bracco puppies should be fed a healthy diet and should not be run on hard surfaces such as concrete or undertake repetitive high-impact workouts until they are at least one year old to avoid orthopedic pressures on their fast-growing bodies.
Examine the Bracco’s long, pendulous ears for ear infections, and use a veterinarian-recommended ear cleaner once or twice a week to keep the ear clean and dry to avoid infections.
Bracco Italiano Grooming:
Bracco Italiano coats are white or white with orange, amber, or chestnut markings. The markings can be larger and more noticeable, or they can be scattered and light.
Because their coats are short and dense, grooming is quite simple. Once a week, use a grooming mitt to keep them looking their best.
Bracco Italianos aren’t particularly suited to harsh weather because of their shorter coats. When taking your dog somewhere exceptionally cold or hot, plan properly.
Bracco Italiano Exercise:
The Bracco is a breed with a moderate to a high level of activity that demands regular exercise and mental stimulation.
This can be performed through free running in a safe, confined environment or through regular activities such as daily jogs.
A minimum of 30 minutes of exercise every day is required, but more is desirable.
Furthermore, they require daily time spent with their family doing organized training or playing in order to be happy.
Bracco Italiano Training:
A Bracco requires a patient, calm trainer who is gentle but firm.
This breed may be a bit independent, but they are eager to please and are ecstatic when they see they have made you happy.
They are best suited to a home that will make use of their hunting abilities and provide them with a job.
In lieu of hunting, however, training for dog sports such as agility, obedience, and rally can be a terrific way to provide your dog with the physical and mental stimulation he needs.
Bracco Italiano Food and Nutrition:
The huge and active Bracco Italiano requires a lot of fuel and consumes a lot of food.
Bracchi that hunt a lot and receive a lot of activity may struggle to keep weight on their enormous frames.
In these instances, a high-quality, calorie-dense diet can be beneficial. A Bracco who does not move as much, on the other hand, should be fed precisely measured meals to avoid becoming overweight.
Excess weight can contribute to joint problems such as hip dysplasia and health problems such as diabetes.
Bracco Italiano Temperament and Personality:
The Bracco Italiano has a soft spot for its human counterparts.
They are considered to be excellent hunting and working companions if you live in the country, but they are also wonderful and affectionate at home, where they like snuggling and relaxing.
They have a lot of energy and enjoy playing games, especially in the yard. They’re quite simple to teach, but they require a strong and confident trainer.
The Bracco Italiano is also excellent for meeting new people. Because they were developed to hunt and chase animals, they have a strong prey drive.
They are not designed to be watch dogs because they do not bark frequently. These dogs are normally peaceful and will stick close to you most of the time.
These huge and lovely puppies are similarly devoted to their human families.
If these dogs are left alone for many hours, they may experience separation anxiety.
It’s advisable to take them on long walks to burn off their excess energy. These dogs are ideal for families of all sizes.
Bracco Italiano Care/Upkeep:
Brush the short, shiny coat a few times a week with a hound glove or boar’s hair brush to eliminate stray hair.
Check the long, pendulous ears on a regular basis and clean with a pet-safe ear cleaner as needed.
Bracchi Italiani have a tendency to drool a lot, thus they may not be the greatest choice for the fastidious.
Aside from occasional intransigence, the Bracco Italiano is a devoted and willing to please dog.
Bracchi do not respond well to rigorous training methods; instead, positive reward, repetition, and a delicate delivery yield greater results.
If you wish to hunt with your Bracco Italiano, begin training as soon as possible with plenty of bird exposure. The Bracco Italiano excels at field trials, tracking, and nosework in addition to hunting.
These enormous, athletic dogs have the strength and endurance to work all day in the field, but with regular exercise (ideally hunting, but long walks, running, and even swimming are also beneficial), the Bracco Italiano is quiet and obedient at home.
Without adequate exercise and “work” (such as hunting or another activity that uses their instincts and
Bracco Italiano Relationship with Children and Other Pets
Because the Bracco Italiano is a huge dog, it can withstand overly exuberant children’s play. Even yet, these placid dogs love youngsters or people who know how to play gently with them.
However, for children who learn early on how to approach and play with a large dog, the Bracco Italiano can be a wonderful, lively friend.
When it comes to other pets or canines, the Bracco Italiano gets to spend good time with them if they are introduced carefully and calmly, and early socialization will aid in this.
It’s great if they get acquainted with different pets as soon as possible.
The Bracco Italiano, on the other hand, favors the companionship of their human families over that of other smaller pets.
Bracco Italiano Names
| Rank | Boy Names | Girl Names |
| 01 | Buddy | Molly |
| 02 | Max | Bella |
| 03 | Toby | Coco |
| 04 | Jack | Luna |
| 05 | Hank | Kona |
| 06 | Brody | Ellie |
| 07 | Rocco | Callie |
| 08 | Oscar | Stella |
| 09 | Finn | Minnie |
| 10 | Boomer | Penny |
All About Bracco Italiano
The Bracco – or Italian Pointer – should look athletic and muscular, resembling a hybrid between a German Shorthaired Pointer and a Bloodhound, yet it is nothing like them in personality.
It bears a solemn appearance due to its pendulous upper lips and lengthy ears. It should be “virtually square,” which means that its height at the withers should be nearly equal to its body length.
It should not, however, be square because this would weaken its legendary rear driving push off and front/rear extension, resulting in a loss of much of its strong grace.
The tail can be docked, primarily due to the high risk of damage when hunting in rough/dense terrain, but there has been a sea-change in Italy, with some now working the breed with full tail.
Braccos are people-loving dogs who thrive on human companionship and have a great urge to be close to their owners. They make an excellent family dog, and many of them adore children.
They get to bond well with other dogs and pets if they are educated to do so; after all, they are a hunting breed and must be taught what to chase and what not to chase.
They are eager to oblige as long as they believe your proposal is superior to theirs.
Obedience training is essential for a Bracco, and the more they are expected to accomplish, the better they perform.
Harsh reprimands do not work with this canine unless they are fair – and harshness must be used with some dogs on occasion to remind them who is in control.
Although not a violent breed, many Braccos will alert if necessary, and some may bark or growl if necessary.
The breed adores and excels at hunting; in fact, a non-hunting Bracco is not a happy Bracco and will behave out in a variety of ways.
Hunting without a rifle (like in NAVHDA, which does not even allow a handler to carry a gun during trials) is an area where the Bracco can flourish, and this can be a terrific opportunity to train the dog to connect with the owner.
They are an active breed that need more mental stimulation than physical activity to keep them happy.
A Bracco owner can teach games such as hide-and-seek (an object or person), which matches the breed’s original and present function and keeps them cognitively busy.
Bracco Italiano History:
The Bracco Italiano is a big dog breed that originated in Italy and is thought to be the oldest European Pointer.
Paintings of dogs resembling today’s Bracco Italiano date back to the fourth and fifth centuries BC, and murals of dogs resembling this breed occurred in Italy during the Renaissance in the 14th century.
According to some historians, the Bracco Italiano originated as a mix between a Segugio Italiano and an Asiatic Mastiff.
Because they were bred by the Medici and Gonzaga families, these hunting dogs were popular among the Italian noble families.
Their initial function was to drive wildlife into nets or to flush birds and other prey from falconers.
Later, when hunters began to employ rifles, the Bracco was utilized to retrieve prey. The Bracco Italiano population declined in the early twentieth century.
Ferdinando Delor de Ferrabouc, an Italian breeder, restored the breed and formed the Societa Amitori Bracco Italiano.
At the moment, the breed is popular in Europe and the United States, where they can be found as hunting and working companions.
The Bracco Italiano was recognized as a purebred dog by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 2006.
The Bracco Italiano Club of America was founded a year later to push the American Kennel Club (AKC) to fully recognize the breed as well.
The AKC has included this breed in their Foundation Stock Service since 2001 and has permitted them to compete in some events since 2010, but they have not yet granted full recognition to the breed.
Where to Adopt Bracco Italiano:
If you’re looking for a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, and very adept hunting breed, consider the Bracco Italiano.
Those who choose to welcome a Bracco into their lives will be rewarded with unrivaled loyalty, love, and affection. Finding a breeder of these unusual canines in the United States can be difficult, but it is doable.
Begin with the Bracco Italiano Club of America, which has a list of breeders in the United States on its website, as well as a rescue page.
More Dog Breeds and Further Research:
If you like the Bracco Italiano, you might like the following breeds:
Bracco Italiano Fun Facts:
- The Bracco Italiano has a soft spot for their human counterparts.
- They are considered to be excellent hunting and working companions if you live in the country, but they are also wonderful and affectionate at home, where they like snuggling and relaxing.
- They have a lot of energy and enjoy playing games, especially in the yard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
12 to 13 years old
The anesthetic Domitor appears to be to blame for one dog’s death; however, this could possibly be attributable to human error. Braccos drool when they are aroused by food, birds, or other stimuli. It’s not as terrible as a St. Bernard, yet it’s not as clean as a Labrador – it’s somewhere in the center.
Because the Bracco Italiano is a somewhat uncommon breed, it may be difficult to locate a breed-specific rescue. You can, however, always check with your local shelter, and you might want to try a rescue that accepts all breeds of dogs.