Cane Corso

The Cane Corso is a very rare and ancient Italian molosser that has been derived from the now extinct “Canis Pugnax”. It is believed that, in ancient times, this historic Roman Molosser gave rise to two very different breeds of dog. One dog was massive and became known as the Neapolitan Mastiff, the other was a taller, lighter more agile mastiff which has become known as the Cane Corso. As the Romans bred dogs based on their usability, the Cane Corso was used primarily for hunting big game such as wild boar, wolf and bear. The hunters would release their Cane Corsos once hounds had flushed out the prey and it was the job of the Corso to hold the prey allowing the hunters to draw near and dispose of the wild animal.

Over the years, as big game hunting declined, the Cane Corso was used by farmers to herd cattle, protect the livestock and as a guard for the family home. Cattle were raised in rural areas and were driven many miles to market towns where they were to be sold. The long quiet roads to the market towns meant that cattle were in danger of being attacked by wild animals or being stolen by cattle thieves. It was the important job of the Cane Corso to ensure that the cattle and the farmer could go about there journey without coming to any harm.

Owners, breeders and enthusiasts have described the Cane Corso as being extremely bold, intelligent, easily trained, keen to please and having a strong sense of territory. They are a powerful breed that have the ability to identify dangerous situations and also differentiate friend from foe.

Today Cane Corso’s are owned primarily as pets. The Cane Corso makes a wonderful family pet and they adore the company of children, being protective yet surprisingly gentle.

The breed does require a lot of attention and training and they do not like to be left alone for long periods of time often becoming bored and potentially destructive. The Cane Corso is also a very dominant breed and therefore not a dog for the first time dog owner who has no experience with large breeds.