Country of Origin: Italy
  • Activity Level: high
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  • Shedding Level: moderate
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  • Grooming Level: low
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  • Trainability: moderate
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  • Good for Novice Owners: low
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  • Adaptability: moderate
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  • Kid/Pet Friendly: often
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  • Prey Drive: high
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  • Watchdog: very alert
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  • Average Size: Large
  • Average Lifespan: 9-12 years
  • Registered?: aca, akc
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Cane Corso Dog Breed Information

Overview

The Cane Corso, also referred to as the Italian Mastiff, is a large dog breed that originated in Italy. Like other mastiff breeds, Cani Corsi can trace their ancestry back to the molossus-type Greek guard dogs and the dogs the Romans used in warfare.

When Roman legions brought mollosers back to Italy from the Greek islands, they bred them with native Italian dog breeds. The Italian Mastiff and the Neapolitan Mastiff are descendants of these dogs. Once they were no longer Roman war dogs at the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire during the fifth century, Cani Corsi were commonly used as guard dogs, livestock guardian dogs and drivers, and to hunt big game, usually wild boar.

They became popular farm dogs. But, invasion, war, and the Industrial Revolution made them less popular. The breed almost went extinct in the 20th century. Thanks to the efforts of some Italian breeders in the 1970s, the breed held on, was revived, and started showing in European dog shows during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The first Cane Corso import came to the United States in 1988. Before this point, they were a rare breed and were relatively unknown outside of Southern Italy. The AKC recognized the Cane Corso in 2010 as part of the Working Group. Although they may not be one of the first breeds that come to mind when you think of the most popular dog breeds, they are becoming more popular and even broke into the AKC’s top 10 in 2023!