Cane Corso - description of the breed and character of the dog

Italians can boast of many achievements in any industry, national features that are admired by other nations. And even the breed of dogs - Cane Corso, - which has many centuries, is ideal in all respects, given the appearance, dedication to the owner and watchdog qualities.

A devoted friend and an indispensable assistant in the household

Cane Corso is an animal that is distinguished by true nobility and elegant appearance, despite the fact that for many centuries its tasks included the most necessary and difficult duties - to protect peasant property, graze pets, accompany the owners during the hunt, helping to drive wild boars and other large animals. Often these dogs went to dog fights, and the stakes on the fighters were very high. They also accompanied the army during long military campaigns.

What is interesting: Cane Corso was mainly distributed among peasant families, where purely working qualities were required of the dog. But noble people did not particularly favor this unrecognized breed, but kept elite fashionable pets.

When the era of urban construction began, the breed was rapidly losing its privileges as unnecessary. But there were Italian breeders who realized that very on time, when the breed was on the verge of extinction. Having traveled to those regions of the country in which the Cane Corso were most in demand, they selected the most characteristic individuals, and not only managed to revive the dying breed, but also managed to ensure that these dogs were officially recognized as a separately existing breed.

All descriptions of dogs, both written and remaining in paintings or in the form of statuettes, prove that for many centuries the exterior of these unique dogs has not changed. Most likely, the reason for this is the fact that the animal was required to serve a person in many areas, and beauty was not the presence of the necessary qualities.

How to recognize canecorso among other dogs

Based on historical archives, we can conclude that these dogs always had a fairly simple appearance, were strong, powerful, but quite neat and elegant. Such did them everyday hard work and constant active movements. The dogs had no time to rest, guarding the property of the owners or other domestic animals, accompanying hunters or warriors.

Despite the mobile lifestyle, the maximum weight of the dog can reach up to 100 kg, but this is due to the rather large physique. The muscles of the Cane Corso are pronounced, with embossed muscles. The case has a specific stretched format, which is characterized in that its length is higher than the withers.

Sexual differences of the breed:

• the average male at the withers reaches 68 cm, weighs up to 60 kg;
• a female has an average of up to 64 cm at the withers, and her weight is up to 50 kg.

Breed Standards:

1. The head is very massive in dogs, quite elongated, but a wide skull hides it. The forehead is rather convex in front, but it is flat at the occipital protuberance.
2. When measuring the representatives of the breed, the muzzle should be shorter than the skull, so that the proportions of 1 to 2 are observed, since this breed belongs to the broncocephalic type. It is unacceptable for the craniofacial axes to completely converge, as standard rules classify this as a defect. They can converge a little.
3. The nose is black and the nostrils are quite large.
4. The eyes should be convex, oval and dark in color.The standard allows the eyes to have a lighter color, but nevertheless those dogs are welcome whose eyes are dark, but the marked stroke around the eyes must always be. This breed is distinguished by a very penetrating attentive look.
5. The ears are set high, their shape is triangular, wide at the very base. After stopping, as standard shapes require, they take on the shape of a triangle. But by nature, ears are pretty dangling.
6. The lips harmoniously create a profile line of the muzzle, are saggy and hide the lower jaw. The jaws themselves are massive, with a slight bite.
7. The neck looks as massive as the head. It should correspond to the same length as the head.
8. The body is also strong, the withers are clearly defined, located above the sloping croup. In this breed, the chest is well developed.
9. The tail is set high, at the very base it is very thick. It is accepted to stop it, and this procedure is done at the level after the fourth vertebra. When the dog is in an excited state, the tail begins to rise, but should never assume a vertical position, cannot twist.
10. Limbs Canet Corso - to match the rest of the body. The same powerful and muscular. This dog can travel many kilometers without stopping, making movements wide and sweeping. The front legs are long with protruding muscles, have powerful shoulders, and the metacarpus is quite voluminous. The hind limbs must be proportional to the size of the dog itself, with a long thigh, dry shin and hock joint moderately pronounced.
11. The skin is thick. The coat is short and glossy. There is an undercoat, but it is very weakly expressed.
12. The color of this breed can be black, as well as gray, red, and its various shades are included here, and tiger. White marks are possible, but on the chest and extremities. There are also such conditions: if the color does not match black or gray, there will be a mask on the face, the color of which exactly matches these colors. Eyes should also be captured, but color should not go beyond their level.

In this breed, the color of the coat is with a slight effect of a blue hue.

Regarding the definition of standards, since the official rules for determining the breed were recently approved, its descriptions are gradually being formed. Therefore, there are several types of dogs belonging to this breed. And expert disputes over some features of the exterior, especially during exhibitions, continue. For example, debatable are:

• permissible snack rate;
• color combinations.

There are proposals to register dogs of the same color at dog shows in separate rings, based on such facts that the black representatives are closer to the dog on the exterior, the gray ones resemble mastino, and the tiger ones very much resemble breeds such as the Staffordshire Terrier and boxer.

Specific traits

Many people are attracted to this breed primarily by beauty, power, strength, energy and an invincible look. Proudly walking during a walk, the owner always knows that the eyes of passers-by will certainly be riveted to Cane Corso. With such a dog, it’s not scary to walk along a dark street and leave it to guard property.

But still, do not forget that for many centuries these animals did not live in comfortable home conditions, but carried out their difficult service, guarding, defending, attacking and, if required, killing the enemy. Therefore, beginner breeders or those who are used to decorative dogs need to take a short course, having studied the features of this breed, so as not to get confused if an unforeseen situation occurs. For example, once there was a real case. The family went out of town, taking a one-year-old pet, who first got into such an open space, and vigorously rushed about the field. Suddenly, from behind the turn, several goats appeared, which were driven to this place every day.

Of course, the dog rushed towards them.The situation seemed very sad, because the ancestors of Cane Corso were excellent hunters for wild boars, and it was not difficult for the young dog to fill up the goat. In addition, there were people who wanted to protect their animals. But this time, the shepherd's instinct spoke up in the dog. Cleverly knocking goats together, which, by the way, weren’t scared at all, the formidable but contented pet guarded the animals for a while, running around and carefully inspecting the surroundings.

But such stories do not always end well, since the dog does not always show friendliness to strangers and animals, especially to smaller ones. Especially if the beloved owner tries to show attention to another animal, it can suffer enough. Jealousy is inherent in dogs. This breed has such a distinctive feature - to clearly divide the whole world into two categories, that is, on their own, belonging to the "pack", which need to be devoted, protect them, and strangers.

And although this dog is smart, has a balanced character, without an increased level of aggressiveness, however, if someone purposefully invades its territory, it can become uncontrollable. In such situations, the owner’s teams become useless, because the dog, in a rage, simply does not perceive them, and behaves exactly as the primitive instinct tells her to stop the enemy. When an outsider is in the house, a representative of this breed will show by his behavior that he, as a loyal guard, is ready at any moment to give a worthy rebuff, protecting his territory and everyone who belongs to the family.

Family for Canecorso is all that she has. If the dog is deprived of the opportunity to communicate with the owners, it can die from longing, so this breed is faithful and loyal. But when he is near, the pet can lie at its feet for a long time, accompany, with all its appearance, showing willingness to fulfill any command. But the owner of Cane Corso needs to remember that training is important not for the dog to execute commands, but to fulfill the roles assigned to it by nature, such as being a protector, a watchman.

It is impossible to bribe this dog with an exquisite delicacy, and if she knows that protection of the home is required, it is also impossible to distract her. If necessary, protecting the house and everyone he loves, the pet will give his life.

For this breed, a leader is required, a leader who can lead, dominate, but the owner must avoid an aggressive and rude attitude, otherwise the dog will perceive it painfully.

The young children of Cane Corso are treated very carefully. They will allow the kids a lot - to climb onto themselves, push, and will never knock down, they will not offend the child, but they will faithfully guard it.

These dogs have a well-developed intuition, therefore they can react very quickly to a hostile attitude of a stranger or animal, perfectly sharing where the game is or the real danger.

Cane Corso, especially at a young age, is very mobile and energetic, so you need to play with him more often, preferably run. If he becomes bored at home, he can go traveling around the apartment, tasting everything in a row.

Good Care Rules

Such a pet does not require any special care measures, but the owners must observe a number of rules, and they must become a habit.

A puppy will need a place. These dogs at the genetic level determined that the enclosed space is their own territory. And therefore, if the zone is not fenced in time, the entire room will be considered dog property.

Living in the yard will be comfortable for your pet. However, when the cold comes, it is necessary either to insulate the booth very well, or to take the dog to the house, otherwise it will not endure frosts. Especially lowering the temperature is detrimental to puppies.

You need to take care of the wool with a stiff brush.The problem with this breed is that parasites attack the dog’s skin too often because it has a small undercoat.

It is imperative to clean your ears, especially if they are cropped, as dirt accumulates much faster.

A small puppy should be fed at least 6 times a day. This continues up to 5 months. After this period, the meat can be given in a more rigid form, the amount of feeding is reduced to three, but the portions should be increased. The menu should include foods rich in vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins. If there are not enough useful substances, the dog is not so mobile and energetic, and its coat noticeably dims.

In addition to the meat menu, the dog should eat cereals from grains, fruits and vegetables. You can not give fish, especially river, raw meat because of the danger of infecting the pet with parasites that are dangerous to health. Smoked foods, sweets and those that contain a lot of carbohydrates are harmful to him. It is very harmful to dramatically change the diet so as not to harm the digestive system. Periodically, a pet needs timely prevention of parasites.

Rules for choosing a puppy

When choosing a Cane Corso, you should first of all pay attention to the behavior of the puppy. Each has its own character, which determines, first of all, the genetic factor. If the temperament at an early age manifests itself too negatively and does not correspond to the true nature of the breed, such an individual is not used for further offspring.

Puppies respond well to training, because the behavior of the dog in the future will depend on the owner’s ability to properly raise the pet.

When buying a Cane Corso, you should familiarize yourself with the description of the breed in advance, and buy in a reliable, proven kennel, especially if the dog will then participate in numerous exhibitions. Checking the documents confirming the puppy’s pedigree is also necessary, since the cost of a real representative of the breed can be very high.

Video: Cane Corso dog breed