Cornelius is available and proven at stud- in fact he holds the title of being only the second ever UK male Bracco to actually be used to sire a litter in continental Europe, the breed's homeland: a great honour for us.
He also made breed history by being the first UK-bred and solely UK-owned Bracco to take the CACIB and a Title at a continental european Winner title Championship Show- at Brussels in 2008 (the Belgian Winner title, BW'08). His European wins were judged by breed specialists.
At his last mating in 2007, he produced 2 bitches and 5 males, all very sturdy and switched on, with beautiful bone and of good size.
In just 9 Championship shows, 2 in the UK the rest in Europe, he has won:
3x CACIBs (Challenge Certificate-equivalents plus 3 Int. Ch tickets)
1x Best Of Breed
2x Reserve BOBs
3x Best Dog
2x ReserveBD
3x Belgian CACs (Belgian Champion tickets)
6 'Excellent' Grades
& the BW’08 title.
In just five generations his pedigree boasts 26 Champions from all over Europe, including 12 from the breed's homeland, Italy.
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October 2008 News: Cornelius takes Reserve Best Dog at Gundog Society of Wales Championship Show on the 15th.
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September 2008 News: Cornelius takes 3rd Best Bracco Male at the prestigious Luxembourg Int'l Championship Dog Show, beaten to Best Dog by a male he won BD over before at Brussels in June 2008. However the winner is actually a nice example of the breed so we were not too disappointed. Unusually, as Swiss breed specialist Judge Robert Osterwalder pointed out, he awarded Corney an 'Excellent' grading which usually only goes to the Best Dog in European showing terms and certainly not the 3rd. He therefore took home a Luxembourg 'Excellent' Show Medal for this judgment.
FCI (World Canine Organisation) definition of the grading 'Excellent': "EXCELLENT may only be awarded to a dog which comes very close to the ideal standard of the breed, which is presented in excellent condition, displays a harmonious, well-balanced temperament, is of high class and has excellent posture. Its superior characteristics in respect of its breed permit that minor imperfections can be ignored; it must however have the typical features of its sex."
Corney now has 6 of these Gradings out of only 8 Champ Shows, a true representative of the breed in Show terms (conformation in Europe also based on health and condition, not only 'beauty'- even every tooth was examined at Luxembourg!), and a natural keen hunter when enjoying himself at liberty in the fields and forests- but more importantly than either of these attributes, a very sweet and gentle boy whom we adore for his superb, kindly character.
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Latest news July 08: on 5 July Corney took 3rd Best Dog at South Wales Championship Show under Judge Mrs Gwen Mogford.
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Latest News June 08: CAC/CACIB, BD & Reserve Best Of Breed at Brussels! At the huge 112th Brussels Int'l Dog Show on 22 June, organised by the Belgian Kennel Club as their National as well as Int'l Show, Cornelius again took 1st Open Dog then Best Dog and RBOB under Judge Rui Oliveira of Portugal, gaining him his third International Champion certificate and third Belgian Champion ticket. He thereby qualified for Crufts 2009 along with our bitch Giada! He also gains the W'08 title.
UK newspaper 'Dogworld' (29/08/08) had this to say about the Brussels Show:
" All the best dogs of Europe will compete for a prestigious Euro Title...Brussels is the capital of Europe and the show must be a reflection of this...one of the highlights of the European Dog Show calendar. The impact of foreign judges is very important and is reflected in the numbers of foreign dogs in competition...Be aware the competition will be tough and international."
Our kennel is delighted our Bracchi were such a successful part of such an important show.
A week later on 28 June 08, at the Int'l Uden Outdoor Dog Show in Holland, he took 1st Open Dog and on to 3rd Best Dog in a stiff line up against several oustanding Dutch dogs, including Champions. The BD was a very nice example indeed.
Another milestone was reached by our bitch Giada's aunt, Elena di Cacciola, who swept to the Dutch Champion title. Another great day seeing some great bracchi and old friends, and many new friends in the breed were made.
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Latest News, Nov 07: BEST OF BREED
Continuing our desire to compete with a wider gene pool in mainland Europe and be judged where the breed gains Challenge Certificate equivalents, is fully recognised (no Import Register or Variety issues) , is judged by longstanding breed-experts and is much more traditionally established, Gunstrux Ferdinand for Braccari takes 1st Open Dog, Best Dog, and goes on to win Best Of Breed at the Euro Dog Show, Belgium, 19 November 2007. Judge Mr Ove Germundsson (SE) awarded him his 2nd Belgian Champion Certificate, CAC, and 2nd International Champion Certficate, CACIB. He had specifically high praise for his character and conformation, also adding that he is in excellent condition. A really great day for Cornelius, with new friends in the breed made, and a Eurocup Best of Breed Trophy to add to last year's CACIB Trophy win.
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Hopefully we will soon finally see more Bracchi from the UK also put forward for competition against the much much larger breed numbers (with a healthier width of gene pools) in Europe, where although stiff, such competition is somewhat more meaningful than in the UK on several fronts, not least in respect of experienced breed judges making decisions between Champions and newcomers alike, with a real passion for this historically-mainland European breed.
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*********************STOP PRESS Nov 06*********************
At the Euro Dog Show in Belgium, November 2006, Gunstrux Ferdinand for Braccari beat other European-wide male Bracchi entered in the Open class to claim:
****Best Dog
Then on to:
****RESERVE BEST OF BREED
****1x CAC (Champion Certificate)
****1xCACIB (International Champion Certificate)
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BRACCO ITALIANO CHARACTERISTICS:
Take a good look at the official Kennel Club photo of this breed and look at the Standard carefully.
1) If somebody tries to tell you that Bracco features such as:
*** "POWERFUL DRIVE FROM BACK LEGS"
*** "DEEP CHEST"
*** "HEAD DIVERGENCE"
*** "WELL MUSCLED"
*** "FOREFACE OF GOOD WIDTH"
are matters of interpretation only, or
2) 'mine is of the smaller variety the Italians prefer', or
3) 'yellow eyes are ok'
IGNORE them, then run in the opposite direction!
The four features listed in 1) are specified word for word in the current UK breed standard, and signify in part what the Bracco is all about. Of course no two dogs of the same breed are identical, but Bracchi are in fact required to exhibit these features, they make them what they are as a breed, being marked down according to the extent of just how much their make-up differs from the stated elements of the Standard.
2) Fact: 'italians' do not collectively 'prefer' any given 'variety', [unless such a poll of the entire country was carried out!], a ridiculous and misleading claim made by unscrupulous breeders in order to sell their puppies or perhaps even justify the poor quality of their dogs size-wise, so be aware.
3) Fact: a bracco's eyes must NEVER be light yellow, or yellow alone. The Standard states: 'Dark ochre or brown, depending on coat colour'. 'Dark ochre' would in Cambridge dictionary terms mean a DARK 'yellowish-orange.' Not an orangey-yellow!
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Current Bracco Italiano Health Issues
A lot is being written about elbow dysplasia and scores in particular in this breed, some claiming before that a bracco with an elbow score above 0:0 should not be bred from, now some say it is apparently okay for them to mate a bracco with a score of 1 to a bracco with a score of 0. There have been, though, cases of puppies suffering from elbow-dysplasia in the UK, who are the direct result of such a mating, such cases having been documented publically via the Bracco Italiano Society website - not cases from our own kennel it should be said. This all gives a very confusing picture to those looking for a consistent guide on the issue. We are fortunate to have a vet who is a specialist in this field, and the advice we give here reflects her professional approach- it is unwise just to follow any one breeders advice without reference to specialist vet - not just KC/BVA - advice.
These wonderful dogs are NOT a dainty, elegant little variety that trip around the ring or their local forest, with no muscle in evidence and a weak trot, despite the fact we are starting to see some of these at shows and other large canine events. THE BRACCO IS CLASSIFIED BY THE KC AS A LARGE, NOT MEDIUM, BREED! They should look and behave like they really are, as the Standard says, ''Strong and Untiring". They should accordingly be full of life if they are well-bred and kept appropriately.
We welcome contact for further information about these issues, our dogs or indeed the breed in general.
Kennel - BRACCARI
Breed - Bracco Italiano
Date of Birth - 27th December 2003
Hip Score - 6:5