National Treasure

CANE CORSO

Welcome to the world of the Cane Corso, or Italian Mastiff, or Sicilianos Branchiero; which ever you wish to call it. It is a wonderful breed and gaining in popularity at an incredible rate.

Italian authorities believe that the Cane Corso is one of two breeds which stem directly from the Roman Molossur. It is said that, in ancient times, the historic Molossus gave rise to two quite different breeds. One dog was very massive and became the progenitor of the Neapolitan Mastiff. The other was a taller, lighter and less cumbersome dog, known for his quickness and agility. From this very athletic Molossus sprang today's Cane Corso.

In medieval times, the Cane Corso was used as a big game hunter. His power, courage and agility made him especially valuable on wild boar. It is also reported that he was used on stag and bear. Italian fanciers of the breed say, proudly, the Corso is "the only true coursing mastiff."

With the decline in big game hunting, the Corso found a home with Italian farmers. He was often used as a drover, moving animals to market or to the slaughterhouse. On the farm, he protected protect livestock from both human thieves and animal predators. He also doubled admirably as a guard dog for the home. Indeed, to this day he can still be seen throughout rural Italy performing these old duties.

The breed first came into the United States around 1987 or so when it was first brought to the Sottile family in North Jersey. It was there, and at the dog shows, that I first came to admire the breed for it's elegant look, it's trainability, and it's loyalty to it's owners. It wasn't until last few years that I was able to acquire my first Cane Corso and instantly fell in love. I found the breed extremely loyal, intelligent, and very attentive. Also, Cane Corsos don't seem to suffer from the various ailments that affect other large breeds.

The standard for the Cane Corso is a dog with massive bone. His body length is a little longer than tall. The chest is broad and deep, while the hindquarters are moderately angulated and very muscular. The Cane Corso's tail is docked to one-third of its natural length. "Most important is that the dog appears balanced and athletic," the standard states.

The breed has a short dense coat which comes in a wide range of colors. The standard allows "black, black-red, chestnut, fawn, blue or any of these colors with brindling." White markings may appear on the chest, neck, chin and the tips of the toes. White on any other part of the body, including the face, is a disqualification. Eye color corresponds to coat color and may range from black to hazel.

What is the Cane Corso like to live with? "They're great dogs," Mike Sottile says. "Although they are superb protection dogs, they are quiet around the house. They're not at all noisy. They love their family and need lots of personal hands-on attention. There's a lot of eye contact with this breed. I'm very impressed with their intelligence. They always seem to be thinking. It's like you can just see the wheels turning. They are so eager to please that they are usually at your side just waiting for your next command."

Despite the breed's size, they make excellent housedogs. The Cane Corso definitely needs socialization, and it is strongly urge that owners obedience train their dogs. Properly raised and trained, the breed is suspicious of strangers, but wonderful with the family. When raised correctly, the dog should be submissive to all members of the family.

"This breed gets along very well with children. They are protective, yet gentle. The Cane Corso has a very stable temperament," Mike observes. Ettore Frassinetti says that the breed "devotedly loves his owners, his family and in particular children with whom he behaves delicately and gently."

It is not suggested to breed for the biggest Cane Corso's, nor the type of Cane Corso's with the pit bull or rottweiler type of head and body, but rather the True Italian type of Cane Corso that is as close to their standard as possible. The breed seems to be very healthy and sturdy, and it is hoped that they remain like that though proper breeding practices.

CI-Standard N° 343  / 06. 06. 2007/ GB

ITALIAN CORSO DOG
(Cane Corso Italiano)

 
TRANSLATION : Dr. Antonio Morsiani, Dr. J.-M. Paschoud and Prof. R. Triquet.

ORIGIN : Italy.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 21.05.2007.

UTILIZATION : Guard-, protection-, police-and tracking dog.

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer,    Molossian and Swiss    Mountain- and Cattledogs.
  Section 2.1 Molosside breeds, Mastiff
    type.
 Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Its direct ancestor is the old Roman Molossian.  Formerly scattered all over Italy, in the recent past, the breed was only prevalent in the Province Apulia and in the adjacent regions of Southern Italy.  His name derives from the Latin « cohors », which means « protector, guardian of the farmyard ».

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Medium to large-sized.  Robust and sturdy, nevertheless elegant.  Lean, powerful muscles.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : The  length of the head reaches 36 % of the height at withers.  The dog is somewhat longer than high.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Guardian of property, family and livestock; extremely agile and responsive.  In the past, it has been used for herding cattle and hunting big game.

HEAD : Large and typically molossoid.  The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and the muzzle converge slightly.
 
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Wide; at the zygomatic arches its witdh is equal to or greater than its length.  Convex in front, it becomes fairly flat behind the forehead as far as the occiput.  The medio-frontal furrow is visible.
Stop : Marked.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black and large with ample, open nostrils, on the same line as the nasal bridge .
Muzzle : Noticeably shorter than the skull (ratio muzzle : skull approximately 1 : 2).  Strong, square; the front part of the muzzle is flat; the lateral surfaces are parallel; the muzzle is as wide as long.  The profile of the nasal bridge is straight.
Lips : The upper lips hang moderately and cover the mandible, so that the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the lips.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws very large, thick and curved.  Slightly undershot.  Level bite acceptable, but not sought after.
Eyes : Medium-sized, ovoid, looking directly forward, slightly protruding.  Eyelids close fitting.  Colour of iris as dark as possible, depending from the colour of the coat.  Expression keen and attentive.
Ears : Triangular, drooping, with a wide set on high above the zygomatic arches.  Often cropped in the shape of an equilateral triangle.

NECK : Strong, muscular, as long as the head.

BODY : The body is somewhat longer than the height at the withers.  Sturdily built, but not squat.
Withers : Pronounced, rising above the level of the croup.
Back : Rectilinear, very muscular and firm.
Loins : Short and strong.
Croup : Long, wide, slightly inclined.
Chest : Well developed in three dimensions, reaches to the elbow.

TAIL : Set on fairly high; very thick at the root. The tail is docked at the fourth vertebra.  In action carried high, but never curled nor erect.
 

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :
Shoulders : Long, oblique, very muscular.
Upper arm : Strong.
Forearm : Straight, very strong.
Carpal joint and pasterns : Elastic.
Forefeet : Cat feet.

HINDQUARTERS :
Upper thigh : Long, wide, back line of thigh convex.
Lower thigh : Strong, not fleshy.
Hocks  : Moderately angulated.
Metatarsals : Thick and sinewy.
Hindfeet : Slightly less compact than the forefeet.

GAIT / MOVEMENT  : Long stride, extended trot.  The preferred gait is the trot.

SKIN : Fairly thick, rather close fitting.

COAT

HAIR : Short, shiny, very dense with a light undercoat.

COLOUR : Black, lead-grey, slate-grey, light grey, light fawn; stag red and dark fawn; brindle (stripes on different shades of fawn or grey); in fawn coloured and brindle dogs the black or grey mask on the muzzle should not go beyond the line of the eyes.  A small white patch on the chest, on the tips of the feet and on the bridge of the nose is acceptable.

SIZE AND WEIGHT  :
Height at withers : Males from 64 to 68 cm,
 females from 60 to 64 cm.
 Tolerance of 2 cm more or less.
 
Weight : Males from 45 to 50 kg,
 females from 40 to 45 kg.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

SEVERE FAULTS :
• Axes of muzzle and skull parallel or too converging; lateral surfaces of the muzzle converging.
• Partial depigmentation of the nose.
• Scissor bite; pronounced undershot mouth.
• Ring-tail, tail in vertical position.
• Permanent amble when trotting.
• Over-or undersize.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :
• Aggressive or overly shy.
• Axes of muzzle and skull diverging.
• Total depigmentation of the nose.
• Bridge of nose very hollow, rams’s nose.
• Overshot mouth.
• Partial or complete palpebral depigmentation.  Wall eye; strabism.
• Tailless, short tail (docked or not).
• Semi-long, smooth or fringed hair.
• All colours not indicated in the standard; large white patches.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.