Petzlover
Bracco Italiano is originated from Italy but Chipoo is originated from United States. Bracco Italiano may grow 29 cm / 12 inches higher than Chipoo. Bracco Italiano may weigh 31 kg / 69 pounds more than Chipoo. Both Bracco Italiano and Chipoo has almost same life span. Both Bracco Italiano and Chipoo has almost same litter size. Both Bracco Italiano and Chipoo requires Low Maintenance.
The attractive and popular breed in Italy, the Bracco Italiano was used for tracking and retrieving, evolving in Piedmont and Lombardy. It is believed the Bracco Italiano came about from crossing the Segugio with the ancient Asiatic Mastiff.
There are people however, who believe that the breed goes back to the St Hubert Hound, but it is certain that both hounds and gundogs are part of the breed’s ancestry. The dog only arrived in Britain in the last decade of the 20th century.
The Chipoo is not a purebred dog but rather a cross between the Toy Poodle and the Chihuahua. In the 1970’s the two breeds were crossed and the Chipoo was born. Chihuahuas have their origin in Mexico while the poodle is believed to come from Germany. This hybrid dog, because he comes form two purebred dogs is considered to be a designer dog. The Chipoo is not of course a purebred dog and is not recognized by the American kennel Club (AKC), but it is recognized by the designer groups and hybrid groups. These organizations include the International Designer Canine Registry, the American Canine Hybrid Club, the Designer Breed Registry, and the Designer Dogs Kennel Club.
The Bracco Italiano is a large athletic, muscular dog. He stands at 58–67cm, weighing anything between 25 – 40kg. He reminds one somewhat of a German Short-haired Pointer. He has long ears and a serious expression, and this reminds one of a Bloodhound. He has short, shiny hair with his coat being white and chestnut or orange. The tail of the Bracco Italiano has always been docked, giving him an attractive, distinctive look but with rules and regulations coming in regarding docking, the long tail is often left intact. His eyes are brown.
Braccos are wonderful pets – they are intelligent, loving, gentle and amicable, getting on well with children in the home as well as with other pets. Socialize and train them and they become gentle and obedient. They long to be involved with their human family and will adapt to life in the city or the country so long as they are made to feel like family. He is alert and makes a good watchdog. As with most other dogs, they can’t be bought, loved as a puppy and then ignored and left to themselves when they grow into adults.
The Chipoo varies greatly in looks depending upon which breed it got most of its characteristics from. It is a toy dog, but it can have a curly coat or a straight one. It can be fluffy or wiry. It can be just about any color. All of them have Chihuahua tails but again depending on the mix, they can look like poodles or they can look like chihuahuas. They can vary in size from a very small toy to a larger sized small dog. You can have two Chipoos from the same litter and they will not be recognizable as littermates. However, they will all be adorable.
The gentle, amicable Bracco Italiano is a versatile dog that can be a super sport companion for active people and it can also be an exceptional companion for families and older people. He has a sweet, gentle expression and his amicable nature makes him easy to love. He is alert though, and therefore can be both protector and friend at the same time.
Overall, this easy going dog with his low maintenance coat can make an excellent 4-legged addition to any family.
There don’t appear to be any major health issues with your Bracco Italiano and he can live to be 12, 13 or 14 years of age. Because he is a large breed however, you will need to watch out for hip dysplasia.
Hip dysplasia is a common skeletal disease with dogs and larger dogs have the genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia. Your dog can develop joint inflammation with pain and lameness.
Other health problems to look out for include kidney disease (Amaloidosis), cherry eye which results in dry eye. If you want to buy a Bracco Italiano, you should ask the breeder about the medical history of the parents.
Hybrid dogs often do better health wise than the original parents, but this is not true of 2nd and third generation crosses. However, this is not generally true of the Chipoo, as they are no longer bred poodle to chihuahua but rather Chipoo to Chipoo. They are basically healthy but face some issues such as:
This is what causes the tear stains on most small light-colored dogs. This is called Epiphora and is not an irritation in the eye, just overly active glands.
This is low blood sugar and can cause all kinds of problems for your Chipoo. This can be fatal if not cared for. It has many causes if the dog is not diabetic including Xylitol (sugar free gum and other) parasites, stress, diarrhea or bacteria.
This loose knee cap condition is found in many small breeds and can lead to arthritis and lameness.
These dogs are moderate shedders so he will simply need a good brushing twice a week to ensure the coat is kept shiny and free from loose hairs. Nails should be clipped from time to time and he will also need to have his long ears checked for cleanliness. Long-eared dog breeds are more susceptible to canine ear infections.
The Bracco is a large dog and therefore he will require a high quality, large-breed dog food formula. Your veterinarian can even recommend a quality commercially manufactured food for large, energetic dogs and which comes with all the vitamins and minerals required for such a breed.
Your vet will recommend you steer clear of foods with cheap fillers, lots of preservatives, sugar and colorants. He has a glossy, dense short coat and you want to ensure he gets raw meat, rice and vegetables from time to time to ensure that the beautiful coat never becomes dull and dry.
Cool, fresh water must always be available to him. Diet and nutrition is an important decision for your pet as it will ultimately affect his long term health.
Because they are prone to hypoglycemia, make sure you feed a high quality dry food and break it up into three or four small meals a day in order to maintain the blood sugar and avoid the drops and spikes that can cause them serious health issues.
This is common in the Chipoo and it makes it hard for the dog to absorb things through the skin such as topical ointments for ticks and flea prevention.
If the outside temperature is less than 50’, then your Chipoo needs to wear a sweater as they get cold very easily.
The Chipoo is an energetic little dog and he loves to go on walks, play in the yard and be with the family. Both the Chihuahua and the Poodle are very intelligent dogs and so this cross gets bored and destructive if not stimulated enough. He’ll be great at agility and obedience. Like the poodle you can teach him a lot of tricks.
