Position in the scientific classification : dog belonging to the Molossian group.
Position in the utilitarian classification: watch-; protection-; police and race dog.
Origin: Italian; more exactly southern
General specifying features of the breed: the general conformation is the one of mesomorphic animal whose trunk is longer than the height to the withers.
Constitutional type: muscular medium-big size; strongly built but elegant with powerful and long muscles; very distinguished; he expresses strength, agility and endurance.
Intelligent, active and even minded, he is an unequalled watch and protection dog. Docile and affectionate with the owner; loving with children and with family, if necessary he becomes a terrible and brave protector of people, house and property. He is easily trainable.
Nowhere, in any way, the “Corso” must remind of a Neapolitan Mastiff.
Height to the withers
For males from 62 cm to 68 cm
For females from 58 cm to 64 cm
With allowance of +- 2 cm.
Weight
Males from 42 to 50 kg ratio weight/size kg/cm 0.710
Females from 38 to 45 kg ratio weight/size kg/cm 0.680
Head
The Corso head is one of its primary features.
Brachycephalic. Its total length reaches 3.6/10 of the height to the withers. The length of muzzle is equal to 3,4/10 of total length of the head. The bizygomatic width, which is equal to the length of the skull, is more than half total length of the head, reaching its 6,6/10. The cephalic index varies from 64 to 66.
The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and of the muzzle are convergent and the backward extension of the upper line of nasal pipe always out-stretches under the external occipital protuberance.
The perimeter of the head, measured at the cheek bones, is more than twice the total length of the head even in the females.
The head is moderately sculptured with zygomatic arches stretched outwards. The skin is firm and sticking to the tissues underneath , it is smooth and quite stretched.
Nose on the same line as the nose pipe. The pigmentation is black opened and wide nostrils.
Jaws very wide, strong and thick. Light prognathism (undershot no more than 0.5 cm). The incisors are firmly placed on a straight line. In males the canine teeth should be at no less than 5.5-5.7 cm far from each other at the apex of the crown.
Eyes of medium size compared to the size of the dog, in a sub-frontal position. Iris as dark as possible according to the color of the coat. Look intelligent and alert.
Coat short hair but not too much, Its average length is approx 2-2.5 cm with vitreous texture, shiny, adherent, stiff, very dense.
Colors of the coat Black, plumb- grey, slate, light grey, light fawn, dark fawn and brindle. In the fawny subjects there is black mask only on the muzzle and shouldn’t go beyond the eyes line. A small whit patch on the chest, on the feet tips and in the fawny subjects, on the nose duct is accepted.
Tail It’s inserted quite high on the rump line, it’s thick at the root and not too tapering at the tip, and if stretched is not too much over the hock. When not in action is low, otherwise is horizontal or slightly higher than the back, it must never be bent to form a ring or in vertical position.
FCI standard for the Cane Corso
The FCI has recognized the Cane Corso as a breed in 1996.