- 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
About the Italian Cane Corso
Origin: ItalyItalian Cane Corso
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pinscher and Schnauzer - Molossoid and Swiss Mountain and Cattledogs
- Origin
- Italy
- Also called
- Cane Corso
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Utility dog, polyvalent
- Behaviour and 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”
Quoted from FCI standard n°343. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Characteristics
- Size
- —
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Utility dog, polyvalent” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 5 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Italian Cane Corso
What you get with the Italian Cane Corso
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Utility dog, polyvalent”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Guardian of property, family and livestock”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Short, shiny, very dense with a slight undercoat of vitreous texture”
What you are taking on
- Expect a lot of shedding — “Short, shiny, very dense with a slight undercoat of vitreous texture”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Italian Cane Corso
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Short, shiny, very dense with a slight undercoat of vitreous texture
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°343 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers: Males: 64 cm – 68 cm. Females: 60 cm – 64 cm. With a tolerance of 2 cm, more or less taller. Weight: Males: 45 – 50 kg. 40 – 45 kg. Weight according to the size of dog. Females”
- FCI states a tolerance around the figure.
Quoted from FCI standard n°343. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Italian Cane Corso down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Axes of muzzle and skull parallel or very marked converging; lateral surfaces of the muzzle converging.
- Partial depigmentation of the nose.
- Scissor bite; undershot bite more than 5 mm.
- Ringed tail, tail in vertical position.
- Permanent amble when trotting.
- Over-or under size.
- Presence of dewclaws
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Axes of muzzle and skull diverging.
- Total depigmentation of the nose.
- Bridge of nose concave or convex (Roman nose).
- Overshot mouth.
- Partial or complete palpebral depigmentation. Wall eye (blue flecked); strabism (squinted).
- Tailless, too short tail.
- Semi-long, smooth or fringed hair.
- All colours not indicated in the standard; large white patches
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Italian Cane Corso in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Italian Cane Corso
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Italian Cane Corso on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Italian Cane Corso owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Italian Cane Corso breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.