The Bracco Italiano is one of the oldest pointing breeds in Europe — a true Italian hunting dog built for stamina, scenting power, and an unmistakably close bond with its handler. This page brings together the official breed standards and what four years of living, training, and hunting with our own Bracchi have taught us about the breed.

A Short History

The Bracco Italiano descends from ancient Italian pointing dogs depicted in art and texts dating back several centuries, with two regional lines — the heavier, white-and-chestnut Piedmontese type and the more compact, white-and-orange Lombard type — eventually merging into the single breed recognised today. The breed nearly disappeared after the Second World War, surviving thanks to a small number of dedicated Italian breeders, and has since spread internationally as both a serious hunting companion and a family dog.

A Glimpse Into the Past

The Bracco Italiano’s roots run deep — Italian pointing dogs of this type appear in art and sporting literature long before the breed had a written standard. A few historical glimpses, all public-domain:

Historical photographs courtesy of the Bracco Italiano Database (Facebook). Click any thumbnail below to view it full-size.

FCI Breed Standard (Conformation) — FCI-Standard N°202

The Bracco Italiano is recognised by the FCI in Group 7 (Pointing Dogs), Section 1.1 Continental Pointing Dogs, type “Braque”, with a working trial. The standard was last revised on 13.11.2015. What follows is our own detailed working-through of every section of the standard, in our own words — for the exact legal wording, always refer to the official documents linked at the end of this section.

Origin & brief history

An ancient Italian hunting breed, shaped over centuries for bird hunting on foot with net and gun. The FCI standard itself notes that frescoes from the 14th century already show a dog of this type and build, evidence of how little the breed’s silhouette and hunting style have changed. It was bred above all for a fast, wide-ranging trot and for being a natural, willing retriever.

General appearance & proportions

• Build: strong and harmonious, powerful without being heavy. The standard favours lean limbs, well-developed muscle, and clean lines, with a markedly sculpted head and pronounced chiselling beneath the eyes — the features that give the breed its distinctive, noble expression.
• Body length vs. height: the body is as long as, or very slightly longer than, the height at the withers (a roughly square outline).
• Head proportions: the head’s length is about 4/10 of the height at the withers; its width across the cheekbones is less than half its length; skull and muzzle are equal in length to one another.

Temperament

Tough and versatile enough for any style of hunting, reliable, quick to understand what’s being asked of it, docile, and easy to train — exactly the calm, biddable nature we see in our own dogs at home.

Head

• Overall shape: angular and narrow across the cheekbones; skull and muzzle equal in length. Crucially, the top lines of the skull and muzzle diverge — extending the line of the muzzle upward should bring it out in front of the back of the skull, ideally around its mid-point. This is the breed’s signature “down-faced” profile.
• Skull: a broad, open arch in profile; an elongated oval from above. A visible central groove runs down the forehead to about mid-skull, with a noticeable bump at the back of the head (occipital protuberance) and only a slight stop.
• Nose: large, with wide-open nostrils, sitting slightly forward of the lips; colour ranges from pink/flesh to brown depending on coat colour.
• Muzzle: straight or very slightly arched, about half the head’s total length and quite deep; sides taper gently towards the nose without losing width; a barely visible chin.
• Lips: full, thin, and a little floppy without being loose, covering the lower jaw and forming an inverted “V” under the nose when viewed from the front.
• Bite: scissor bite preferred; a pincer (level) bite is also acceptable.
• Eyes: set to the side, fairly large, oval lids fitting closely (no entropion or ectropion), with a soft, gentle expression. Iris colour follows coat colour — a more or less dark ochre or brown.
• Ears: long (reaching roughly to the tip of the nose without stretching), at least half as wide as they are long, hanging with only a slight lift, set fairly far back and close to the cheek, with softly rounded tips.

Neck, body & tail

• Neck: powerful and cone-shaped, at least two-thirds the length of the head, clearly set off from the nape, with a soft double dewlap at the throat.
• Topline: two distinct lines — an almost straight slope from the withers down to roughly the 11th vertebra, then a gentle upward curve into the rump.
• Withers, loin & croup: well-defined withers; a broad, muscled, short, slightly convex loin; a long, broad, well-muscled croup (about a third of the height at the withers) set at an ideal pelvic angle of around 30°.
• Chest & underline: broad, deep chest reaching the elbows, well-sprung ribs (especially low down) without forming a keel; the underline runs almost level along the ribcage before lifting slightly at the belly.
• Tail: thick at the root, straight, tapering slightly, short-haired; carried horizontally or close to it in action, especially while questing. Left natural it shouldn’t reach below the hock; where docking for hunting is still practised under local welfare rules, the standard specifies 15–25 cm from the root. An upturned tail is considered a serious fault.

Limbs & movement

• Forequarters: very free-moving, with strong, well-muscled, long, sloping shoulders; a sloping upper arm fitting close to the ribcage; straight, strong forearms with well-defined tendons; lean, well-proportioned, slightly sloping pasterns; and strong, slightly oval, well-arched feet with tight toes and strong, well-curved nails.
• Hindquarters: long, parallel, muscular thighs with an almost straight rear edge; well-angulated stifles; strong lower thighs; broad hocks; relatively short, lean rear pasterns. Dewclaws are normal on the hind feet and their absence is not penalised; a double dewclaw is tolerated.
• Gait: the hallmark extended, powerful trot, driven from behind, head held high and nose lifted well above the topline while working — built for covering wide ground efficiently and finding birds at a distance.

Skin & coat

• Skin: tough but elastic, finer on the head, throat, armpits and underside; visible skin pigmentation should match the coat colour and never show black patches (a small amount of brown/pale-chestnut spotting is normal on roan or white-and-chestnut dogs).
• Hair: short, dense and glossy all over, finer still on the head, ears, and the front of the legs and feet.
• Permitted colours: solid white; white with orange-to-amber patches; white with brown (chestnut) patches; orange roan (white flecked with pale orange); and liver/brown roan (white flecked with brown, ideally with a warm, almost metallic sheen recalling a monk’s frock). A symmetrical facial mask is preferred but its absence is tolerated.
• Disqualifying colours: black, white-and-black, tricolour, fawn, hazel, any solid self-colour, and tan markings are all outside the standard.

Size & weight

• Height at the withers: 55–67 cm overall — ideally 58–67 cm for males and 55–62 cm for females.
• Weight: 25–40 kg, in proportion to height.
• Being more than 2 cm over or under the standard height range is treated as a severe fault.

Faults & disqualifications

As with every FCI standard, any deviation is judged in proportion to its severity and its real effect on the dog’s health, welfare, and working ability. Faults the standard specifically calls out as severe include a noticeably undershot mouth, excessive throat skin causing an exaggerated or undivided dewlap with heavy head wrinkling, being more than 2 cm outside the height range, and a tail carried upturned.

Disqualifying faults include aggression or excessive shyness, any clear physical or behavioural abnormality, a split nose, converging (rather than divergent) skull/muzzle planes, an overshot mouth, a wall eye, any disqualifying coat colour (see above), albinism, and skin pigmentation showing traces of black. The standard also requires that males have two normal testicles fully descended, and that only dogs that are clinically and functionally healthy, with breed-typical conformation, be used for breeding.

This summary reflects our own reading of the FCI standard and is provided for context, not as a substitute for it. For the exact, authoritative legal text, please consult the official documents below:
FCI-Standard N°202 (PDF, English) · ENCI Italy (PDF, Italian) · AKC version (PDF, English)

Illustrated Breed Standard — Structure & Movement

The diagrams below set out the key structural proportions and movement points of the breed standard in visual form — proportion, head, croup, tail, gait and correct vs. incorrect movement.

Source: Bracco Italiano Club (BIC), UK — “Illustrated Breed Standard” leaflet, braccoitalianoclub.co.uk. Individual photo credits appear on each diagram.

Working Standard (Field Ability)

Alongside the conformation standard, the Bracco Italiano is judged in the field against a working standard describing correct hunting behaviour and movement. The Kennel Club conformation standard’s Gait/Movement clause states: “True moving with powerful drive from hindquarters. Capable of untiring, extended fast trot. Head carried raised above topline.”

The Pastrone (Working) Standard, 1937 — full text

The gait is a trot, long and brisk. Brief periods of galloping are tolerated when re-crossing previously covered ground, at the beginning of the hunt or in cases where the dog encounters a new situation. Above all, the rule when working scent is the trot, this is a lively movement that covers the ground well.

The dog during the hunt should quarter at distances of 100 metres or more from the handler and the spacing of its cast should reflect the terrain, wind and scenting conditions. These actions confirm that the dog is hunting correctly.

It is evident that in the Bracco Italiano (as with the other trotters) the preoccupation with the scent is of prime importance. Unlike the lightning reaction of the great gallopers, the Italian Bracchi treat the process as a complex mental action — this is easily read in his expression, which is one of thought. The hunt is extremely diligent and enjoyed by the dog with its tail carried horizontally or slightly higher, constantly moving rhythmically from side to side as the dog moves (not rapidly as with the spaniel). The neck should be a little extended in order to hold the head high with the nose angled acutely from the horizontal.

Upon detecting scent the dog gradually slows and returns extremely prudently towards its presumed origin, head held high as described above, its ears cocked and tail motionless and slightly lowered. If the dog realises that it is on residual (old) scent then he should resume the hunt as before. If however he decides that the scent is leading him closer to game he should slow and his final steps should be very slow, often gently feeling the ground with his paw before putting his weight on it as if afraid to make a noise.

When pointing, his tail may be horizontal, slightly raised, or slightly lowered but always motionless.

The overall deportment of the dog is noble, imposing, alert but calm, erect and slightly forward balanced. The neckline should be a little raised and the head carried up with the nose decisively towards the ground (approx. 30 degrees from the horizontal).

If while hunting he encounters scent which indicates that game is very close, he will immediately slow and take up a posture similar to when standing still, only with his neckline a little more pronounced and the tail a little lower. He will then gradually take up the behaviour described above, following the scent which brings him into contact with the game. Sometimes this movement is preceded by an undesirable short stop.

A dog that senses he is suddenly upon the game (and only in this case) will stop immediately. He will stay, more often than not, upright, or with the limbs a little flexed with the head turned down towards the game. Exceptionally the dog may halt in a contorted or twisted pose.

If the game attempts to escape along the ground while being hunted, the dog should guide it to the wind by its own physical movement, exercising caution not to disturb, where possible, dry branches or noisy leaves while maintaining contact with it.

While the game is moving the dog should track it without slowing or stopping unnecessarily, demonstrating that all its described characteristics do not prevent it from being a tenacious tracker. It may be that in these circumstances a dog comes to an abrupt halt should it suddenly encounter game which has, in an attempt to escape, turned back after encountering an obstacle.

A characteristic of the Bracco (and the other continental breeds) is that it should have complete contact with its handler, which the dog should always maintain. The dog’s calm and reflective nature is ideal for training for work in all conditions, whether in open country or more dense areas where a tighter working pattern is desirable.

Source: Bracco Italiano Club (BIC), UK — “Illustrated Breed Standard” leaflet, braccoitalianoclub.co.uk, reproducing the Pastrone (working) Standard of 1937.

Living with a Bracco Italiano — From Our Own Experience

Standards describe the dog on paper; daily life with one is something else. Here is what years of breeding, training, hunting, and simply sharing a home with our Bracchi have taught us:

• They are not “independent” dogs. A Bracco wants to be part of everything you do — cooking, walking, working, resting. Dogs that are left to entertain themselves for long stretches tend to find their own — usually less convenient — ways to do it.
• Exercise alone is not enough. Long walks matter, but a Bracco is bred to think and cooperate with a handler. Short, regular moments of engagement — recall games, scent work, retrieving, simple obedience — make a far bigger difference than distance covered.
• Excellent with other dogs, when socialised properly. Our oldest dog, Aldo, has effectively trained every nervous puppy and overconfident adolescent that has come through our door — calm correction, not conflict.
• Water-confident and food-driven. Most Bracchi take naturally to swimming and retrieving, and have, let’s say, a famously enthusiastic relationship with food.
• Gentle but not a “soft” breed. Calm and affectionate at home, but still a working hunting dog underneath — it needs an owner who can offer structure as well as affection.
• Every dog is an individual. Drive, swimming style, food obsession, or working intensity vary widely even within the same litter — which is half the fun of living with more than one.

Wondering whether this breed actually fits your lifestyle? Read our article “Is the Bracco Italiano the Right Breed for You?” — and follow daily life with our dogs on Instagram.