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Italian Corso dog

Italian Corso dog

FCI standard Nº 343
Origin
 Italy
Translation
 Revised by Mrs R. Sporre-Willes
Official language : (EN)
Latest amendments : Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana
Group
 Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossian and Swiss Mountain- and Cattledogs
Section
 Section 2.1 Molosside breeds, Mastiff type
Working
 Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI
 Monday 21 May 2007
Acceptance on a provisional basis by the FCI
 Tuesday 12 November 1996
Publication of the official valid standard
 Monday 25 September 2023
Last update
 Friday 13 October 2023
En français, cette race se dit
 Cane Corso
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar
 Italianischer Corso Hund
En español, esta raza se dice
 Perro Corso Italiano
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd
 Cane Corso Italiano

Usage
Guard-, protection-, police-and tracking dog.

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

Cranial region
Head
 Large and typically molossoid. The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and the muzzle converge slightly.
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 and 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
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.
Loin
 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.
Pastern
 Elastic.
Forefeet
 Cat feet.

Hindquarters
Upper thigh
 Long, wide, back line of thigh convex.
Lower thigh
 Strong, not fleshy.
Metatarsus
 Thick and sinewy.
Hock
 Moderately angulated.
Hind feet
 Slightly less compact than the forefeet.

Gait and 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 (blue), slate-grey (blue), light grey (blue), light fawn; dark fawn and stag red; dark wheat colour; black brindle, grey (blue) brindle, in brindle dogs fawn stripes can be of different shades; in fawn and brindle dogs the black or grey (blue) mask on the muzzle should not go beyond the line of the eyes. A small white patch on the chest, on the tip of the toes 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 and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious 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.

Disqualifying 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.

NB :
• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography
http://www.fci.be/
Details
Also available: Français (France) Deutsch (Deutschland) Español (España) Nederlands (nl-NL)
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