Bracchi Italiani
History
The history of the Bracco Italiano is lost over the centuries.
The first evidence we have of a description of a dog with the features of an Italian Bracco date back to 1300, where Pier de 'Crescenzi describes the net dog, where the first description of a dog that stops birds in pasture and allows the hunter to drop the net on them and capture them.
We also find the bracco in two famous courts of Renaissance Italy, namely that of the Medici and the Gonzagas.
Famous is the letter in which Caterina de 'Medici asks her father Lorenzo de' Medici that all white Bracchi be sent to her, to approach the pack of white greyhounds of the King of France Henry II of Valois.
With a time jump of three centuries, where the bracco sees a prosperous period for the breed and its evolution and diffusion in the rest of the world, in 1800 the problems began.
The great noble families, those who raised and hunted with hounds, leave the country villas to move to the cities, where there were more opportunities and thus leave their kennels in the hands of the peasants, who do not take as much care of the selection of the bracco, they will lead the breed to weight down and to have lymphatic dogs with thick bones.
The neurile subjects of previous centuries were also lost and became calm and narrow-seeking.
This impoverishment of the breed led the hunters of the peninsula to choose other breeds and to bring the Italian Bracco into the homes of small and true enthusiasts who will try, in 1900, to restore the Bracco to its former glory.
At the end of 1800, precisely in 1882, the Italian Kennel Club (now known as ENCI) was born and the first dog registered in the genealgic register was the Bracco Italiano Falco.
Standard:
As in all other breeds, the Italian Bracco also has a standard, that is a "model" to follow, such as proportions, dimensions, height and defects, which it is right to know and which reflects the breed in its functionality and beauty.
General aspect: Strong and harmonious construction with vigorous aspect. Well-proportioned and medium-sized subjects with lean limbs, salient muscles, well-defined lines as well as a sculpted head with evident sub-orbital chisel are preferred, elements which confer distinction to the breed.
Morphology:
The head must be angular and narrow to the zygomatic arches; the length of the skull is equal to that of the muzzle.
The bridge of the nose is slightly curved or straight. Its length is equal to half the length of the head, and its depth measures 4/5 of its length
The neck is strong, truncated cone, of not less than 2/3 of the length of the head.
The upper profile of the trunk is made up of two lines: one inclined, almost straight, which goes from the withers to the eleventh dorsal vertebra, the other slightly convex, which joins the rump.
The tail must be sturdy at the root, straight, with a slight tendency to taper to short hair. The natural tail must not go beyond the hock in length.
The skin is firm but elastic, finer on the head, throat, armpits, and lower parts of the trunk. The external mucous membranes must be flesh-colored or brown in relation to the color of the coat, never with black spots.
The colors of the Bracco Italiano are: White Orange, White and Honeydew, White Brown and Roan Brown.
Height differs between the two sexes:
Males from 58 to 67 cm
Females from 55 to 62 cm
For more information about the standard, see https://www.enci.it/media/5932/202.pdf
Character:
The Bracco Italiano is a dog that knows how to fascinate with its character.
Playful and joyful, he is a dog suitable for the whole family.
He loves running and the outdoors, especially in activities such as Canicross, Agility and Obedience.
Very intelligent dog, he quickly learns the routine of the family and the stimuli that are given to him.
He has no problems with dogs of other breeds or sexes, usually he always arises in a sociable way.
