Bracco Italiano

General Information - Bracco Italiano

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History

These dogs of ancient Italian origin used for bird hunting have modelled themselves and developed over the ages; from the hunting of yesteryear by means of nets, they have adapted themselves to the present hunting and shooting. Frescoes from the 14th century are proof of the indisputable timelessness of the Italian pointer over the centuries, whether either regarding their morphology or aptitude at hunting as pointing dogs.

Bracco Italiano

A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be careful to avoid obvious conditions and exaggerations, as well as being mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

Breed Standard - Bracco Italiano

Origin: Italy.

Utilization: Pointing dog.

Classification FCI: Group 7 Pointing Dogs.
                                 Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs, type   
                                 « Braque ».
                                 With working trial.

Brief Historical Summary: This dog of ancient Italian origin used for bird hunting has modelled itself and developed over the ages; from the hunting of yesteryear by means of nets, he has adapted himself to the present hunting and shooting. Frescoes from the 14th century are proof of the indisputable timelessness of the Italian pointer over the centuries, whether either regarding his morphology or his aptitudes at hunting as a pointing dog.

General Appearance: Of strong and harmonious construction, powerful appearance. The preferred subjects are those with lean limbs, well developed muscles, well defined lines with a markedly sculpted head and a very obvious lower orbital chiselling, elements which all contribute to give distinction to this breed.

Important Proportions: Length of the body is the same or a little more than the height at the withers. Length of head is equal to 4/10 of the height at the withers; its width, measured at the level of the zygomatic arches, is less than half its length. Skull and muzzle are of equal length.

Behaviour/Temperament: Tough and adapted to all types of hunting, reliable, endowed with an excellent ability to understand, docile and easy to train.

Head: Angular and narrow at the level of the zygomatic arches; its length corresponds to 4/10 of the height at the withers; the middle of its length is at the level of a line which unite the inner angles of both eyes. The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and muzzle are divergent, i.e. if extending the top line of the muzzle, this one must emerge in front of the occipital protuberance, ideally at mid:length of the skull.

Cranial Region

Skull: Seen in profile, the skull is in the shape of a very open arch. Seen from the top, it forms lengthwise an elongated ellipse. The width of the skull, measured at the level of the zygomatic arches, should not exceed half of the length of the head. The bulge of the forehead and the supraorbital ridges are perceptible. The frontal groove is visible and ends at mid-length of the skull. The interparietal crest is short and not very prominent. The occipital protuberance is pronounced.

Stop: Not pronounced.

Facial Region

Nose: Voluminous, with large well opened nostrils, protrudes slightly over the lips with which it forms an angle.

Muzzle: Foreface either slightly arched or straight. Its length is equal to half of the length of the head and its depth measures 4/5 of its length. Seen from the front, the lateral sides of the muzzle converge slightly, still presenting a foreface of good width. The chin not very apparent.

Lips: Upper lips well developed, thin and floppy without being flaccid, covering the jaw; seen in profile, they overlap the lower jaw slightly. Seen from the front, they form an inverted « V » below the nose; the corner of the lips must be marked without being droopy.

Cheeks: Lean.

Eyes: Semi:lateral position with a soft and submissive expression, neither deep set nor prominent. Eyes fairly large, eyelids oval-shaped and close fitting (no entropion or ectropion). The iris is of a more or less dark ochre or brown colour depending on the coat colour.

Neck: Powerful, in truncated cone shape, length not less than 2/3 of the length of the head, well detached from the nape. The throat shows a soft double dewlap.

Topline: The upper profile of the back is made up of two lines: one, almost straight, slopes from the withers to the 11th dorsal vertebra; the other is slightly arched, joining with the line of the rump.

Chest: Broad, deep and well let down to level of elbows, without forming a keel, with well sprung ribs, particularly in their lower part, and sloping.
Underline: Lower profile almost horizontal in its ribcage part, rising slightly in its abdominal part.

Tail: Thick at the base, straight, with a slight tendency to taper; hair short. When the dog is in action and especially when questing, is carried horizontally or nearly like that. Customarily docked at 15-25 cm (6-10 ins.) from the root.
Forequarters

Hindquarters
Upper thigh: Long, parallel, muscular, with a rear edge almost straight.

Hocks: Wide.

Gait / Movement: Extended and fast trot, with powerful impulsion from the hindquarters; head raised, nose held high in such a way that, when hunting, the nose is higher than the topline.

Hair: Short, dense and glossy, finer and shorter on the head, the ears, front part of the legs and feet.

Colour:

• White.
• White with patches of varied size of an orange or more or less dark amber colour.
• White with more or less large chestnut patches.
• White speckled with pale orange (melato).
• White speckled with chestnut (roano:marrone). In this last combination, a metallic sheen is appreciated, and a warm shade of chestnut is preferred, recalling the colour of a monk’s frock.

A symmetrical facial mask is preferred, but the absence of a mask is tolerated.
Preferred size for females: 55: 62 cm. (21 ½: 24 ½ ins.)
Weight between 25 and 40 kg depending on size. (55 and 88 lbs.)

Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Convergence of cranial:facial axes.
• Split nose.
• Accentuated undershot mouth, overshot mouth.
• Wall eye.
• Coat black, white and black, tricolour, fawn, hazel, unicolour, with tan markings.
• Absence of pigmentation (Albinism).
• Mucous membranes, skin and annexes with traces of black.
• Size of 2 cm (1 in.) above or below the limits indicated in the standard.
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

Note: Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
FCI No 202
Copyright Dogs New Zealand
23 Dec 2013

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.