Cane Corso

1 Breed Introduction

The Cane Corso (Cane Corso), native to Sicily, Italy, originated in the 17th century and is an improved version of an ancient Italian mastiff with over 2,000 years of history. This improved large mastiff never lived on mainland Italy but was bred on Sicily. They were once used to drive cattle to the slaughterhouse and eagerly joined dog fights.

2 Physical Characteristics

Cane Corso (detailed introduction)

The ideal male Cane Corso stands 64-68 cm at the shoulder, females 60-64 cm, with a tolerance of 2 cm. The ideal male weighs 45-50 kg, females 40-45 kg.

Physical characteristics

The Cane Corso is brachycephalic. The head outline is angular due to the arch of the zygomatic bones. The skin is tight, smooth and stretchy. From the front the skull is broad and slightly raised; from above it is square. The stop is very pronounced, with a protruding forehead and prominent brow ridges.

The nose is huge, flat-topped, with large, open, mobile, moist and cool nostrils; it is black. The muzzle is very broad and deep. Because the sides of the muzzle are nearly parallel and the palate is broad, from the front the muzzle looks flat and square. The bridge of the nose is straight. The upper lips droop to form the lower muzzle outline, with the area below the eye sockets slightly hollow. The lips are tight; from the front the upper lip forms an inverted ‘U’. The bottom edge of the upper lip protrudes; lip pigment is black. The mouth is broad, powerful and thick. The lower jaw is very powerful. The cheek muscles are full and defined but not bloated. The teeth are white, huge and fully set in the gums; the lower teeth protrude slightly, giving an undershot bite. The eyes are medium-sized relative to the dog, oval-shaped, slightly bulging, with black eye rims. The expression is intelligent and alert. The ears are covered with short hair, triangular, with thick cartilage, set high and hanging close to the cheek; they flare out slightly where they meet the cheek, and become semi-erect when the dog is alert.

The neck topline curves slightly. Its length equals the head length, oval, strong and muscular, with a clear separation from the back. The neck base has a dewlap. The back is straight. The withers rise clearly above the back line, higher than the croup. Broad and muscular, rising slightly from the back line toward the neck.

The loin is short, broad and well joined to the back and croup, muscular and firm. The croup is long, broad and rounded due to developed gluteal muscles, sloping slightly. The chest is broad, with a large slope and spread, well-muscled.

The tail is set very high, with the root thick and not tapering toward the tip.

The front legs are perpendicular to the body from the front, with the elbow height equal to half the shoulder height; strong and powerful.

The shoulder is long, sloping and strong, filled with long, powerful, well-developed muscle. The upper arm is slightly longer than the shoulder, strong, with developed bone and muscle. The elbow is long and prominent, close to the body but not against the ribs, covered by thin skin like a human elbow, parallel to the body plane. The forearm is vertical, oval and muscular. The carpus is sloping, broad, mobile and thick. The pastern is clearly smaller than the forearm but very strong, sloping and elastic. The hind legs are vertical from both front and side, proportional to the body, strong and powerful.

The thigh is long, broad and muscular, with a very pronounced hip edge.

The coat is short but not smooth, glassy, glossy, close-growing, stiff and dense with a slight undercoat that thickens in winter. No feathering. The muzzle hair is very short, smooth and close. Colors: black, lead gray, dark blue, light gray, tan, fawn, deep tan and brindle.

3 Temperament

Cane Corso (detailed introduction)

The Cane Corso’s character matches its looks: very brave and tenacious. It has excellent stamina, so once a fight starts it is usually to the bitter end, a life-or-death struggle, until complete victory or total defeat (serious injury or death).

The Cane Corso’s ancestors fought bears, even lions and tigers, in Roman arenas. Its most glorious history is serving in the ancient Roman army, accompanying and protecting its master on the battlefield. It is very loyal to its master, gentle with other family members and loves playing with children, tolerating their excesses. The Cane Corso is also smart and easy to train, but rather stubborn, so use guidance. Its dominance is strong, especially in males, so obedience must be cultivated throughout life. Cultivating obedience is not hard but must be done, or the consequences can be severe. The Cane Corso is wary of strangers, can show measured friendliness but is neither enthusiastic nor attacks unprovoked. But toward anyone who threatens or violates its master, it attacks mercilessly. It is an excellent guard dog.

The Cane Corso is very loyal, loves to please its master and is quiet indoors. It has high intelligence and trainability, with its own thinking, an unmatched watch and guard dog. The Italian Cane Corso gets along very well with children and other family members, obedient to its master. It is protective but very gentlemanly. Its character is very stable. It loves to follow its master and, when needed, becomes a fierce, brave protector of family, members and property. The Cane Corso is not a fighting dog. Centuries ago it was a working dog. It does not provoke, but neither does it yield to other dogs. It may attack strangers and other dogs. Socialization training must start in puppyhood. It is a responsible companion dog, suspicious of strangers but never of its family; with its master present it tolerates strangers.

4 Care Tips

For a first-time owner, welcoming a new member can feel overwhelming – unsure how to care for a Cane Corso puppy, afraid to hold it too tight or too loose. So how exactly should we care for a Cane Corso puppy?

5 Feeding Guidelines

Cane Corso (detailed introduction)

Raising a Cane Corso puppy is like caring for a baby that can’t walk. How should we feed the Cane Corso baby, and choose its staple food? They say dog food is healthiest – but which brand suits a puppy?

Feeding the Cane Corso baby

A 2-3 month Cane Corso baby is still small; a 2-month baby needs four meals a day, totaling 3% of its body weight, split into four portions. After 3 months switch to three meals. Puppies don’t know when they’re full, so they seem starving – remember puppies endure hunger better than overfeeding, so don’t overfeed. Always provide drinking water.

The Cane Corso baby’s food

For dog food, it depends on your budget; if you can afford Canine Creek, buy California Natural, rated best value by a US magazine. With shipping it’s a bit pricier than Pro Plan, but the value is high.

You can buy chicken jerky or dog biscuits as snacks for the baby; snacks are mainly for training. With tasty treats, the baby will learn easily – be patient, the Cane Corso is very smart.