What is a Cane Corso?

The Cane Corso is a breed originating from Italy since the Roman Empire. The breed of dogs that made up half of their bloodline were hunting and guard dogs from tribes in Greece as far back as 1137 AD. 

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When the Roman Empire invaded the Greek Islands, some of those dogs were taken back to Italy where they were bred with the Roman Canis Pugnaces. From there two mastiff breeds were created, the Cane Corso and Neapolitan Mastiff.

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Both breeds of dogs were fierce, robust, and especially loyal. The two cousin mastiffs were very similar, the Cani being the leaner of the two. Best suited for hunting while the Neapolitan built to guard and fight. Both dogs do very well in all these degrees but their functions are slightly different. The Cane Corso proved itself to be a fearless and strong war dog nevertheless, known for running the boarder lines with flammable buckets or oil or tracking wire. Their loyalty made them ideal to have at the side of a soldier during attack, being large and intelligent dogs.

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As times changed and wars ceased the Cani's needed to redirect their focus to civilian life and jobs. Farmers made good use of the sturdy dog to guard the livestock and crops from wild boars and other threats. They were also helpful in hunting large game, making them a faithful companion. 

Their innate skillset made them very popular and well used throughout the Italian countryside, but that glory was somewhat short lived. 

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Lots of Italian men were drafted for the Civil. War, leaves the Cani's uncared for. They started to die out and most refused to leave their homes. Farmland decreased and more advanced technology took over the jobs that the Cane Corso's once had. They became so rare to find and faced the brink of extinction by the mid 20th century.

Thankfully a small organization of Cani advocates set a search to locate the remaining Corso's and bred the breed back to life.

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