A Cane Corso should be intelligent, active and even-minded, he is an unequaled watch dog and protector. Docile and affectionate with the owner, loving with children and family. The Cane Corso is easily trained and typically a light shedder.
Are You Ready for a Cane Corso?
- Can you provide firm, consistent discipline? This breed needs a confident, assertive owner who is not afraid to be in charge.
- Can you provide your dog with attention and proper training? This breed must have obedience training.
- Do you have experience with a dominant breed dog?
- Are you able and willing to socialise your Cane Corso for the rest of its life? Socialisation is a must for the Cane Corso. Their guarding instinct can make them overly protective of their family. A puppy without adequate socialization may develop behavior issues such as fear of strangers or even fear aggression.
- Do you work long hours or leave your home for long periods of time? A Cane Corso needs to be with its owner and should not be kenneled. They are a social breed and need the companionship of their family.
The next step, finding a Good Breeder?
At a minimum, here are some questions to ask yourself and/or the breeder...
- Are the dogs raised and kept as part of the family not in outside kennels?
- When you visited the breeder, were you able to see where the puppies were raised? Were you able to meet the mother of the puppies? Where the health tests of the dam and sire made available and explained?
- Does the breeder require you to return the dog should you be unable to keep him/her during anytime in the its life?
- Does the breeder require you to spay/neuter all pet quality dogs?
- Does the breeder ask for a veterinary reference?
- Did your breeder inquire as to the reasons you want a Corso?
- Did the breeder ask who will be responsible for the puppy's care and training?
- Did the breeder encourage the entire family to visit?
- Did the breeder provide a written contract that includes a health guarantee?
- Is the breeder currently involved with clubs and competitions with Cane Corso (conformation, obedience,
agility, etc.)?
- Does the breeder feed high quality pet food to their dogs/puppies?
- Will the breeder provide references rather than written testimonials?
- Does the breeder offer guidance for your puppy after you purchase?
- Does the breeder have all vet records for the puppies?
- Does the breeder comply with applicable laws and ordinances (dog licenses, kennel license, etc.)?
- Does the breeder health test (hips, cardiac, eyes,etc.)? If so, what are the results?
PennHip does not post results online at this time - you need to ask the breeder for a copy.
Don't just go by what they say.
NEVER pay a depost on a puppy without being provided pedigree, health tests and photos of
the parents if you are unable to visit the breeder in person.
The Cane Corso Breed Standard (FCI)
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. :
Group2Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossian and Swiss Mountain- and Cattledogs.
Section2.1Molosside 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 width 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.
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.
If you have read this far, now I will tell you the insider secrets...
- Defnitions of words commonly used in advertising (sales tactics) Cane Corso puppies/dogs...
PennHip Certified - typically means the score is very low and/or includes DJD.
Ask the breeder for a copy of the PennHip results.
Champion bloodlines - means nothing. The dog may have one ancestor that became
a champion at some point in time.
ICCF member - There is no club called ICCF. The ICCF is a registry and the club is now called
CCAA. This is most likely posted because the "breeder" wants to look involved however, because
they are not a current member of CCAA they are not able to post the CCAA logo. Always contact
the club to verify membership.
Breed Specific Legislation - Please Fight BSL in your area!
Did you know that currently, the Cane Corso is banned in the following areas?
Fairfield, Iowa - any dog over 100 lbs. is considered a restricted breed.
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