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

https://www.fci.be/

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Italian Corso dog