“THE STANDARD CALLS FOR ‘MODERATE’ ANGULATION.”
ANGULATION Every breeder has his or her “gotta have” or “absolutely hate” areas when it comes to our dogs. For me one of those areas is angulation or more importantly the complete lack thereof. To my early point—these are working dogs bred to do a job. Th e Cane Corso needs to have some kind of angulation not only to avoid injuries such as ACLs and hock issues, but it is also needed to per- form even the simplest of tasks be it work- ing, hiking, moving in the ring, or out on the trial fi eld. For me personally, having a dog that is straight in the rear gives o ff the impression of half a dog and it almost always has a negative e ff ect on the topline. Examples of Cane Corsos that not only have no angulation, and are straight in the sti fl e can be seen in any show ring across the country on any given weekend. Th e standard calls for “moderate” angu- lation. My preference is slightly more mod- erate than anything less than moderate. I believe the overall structure of the Cane Corso has to include a solid, pow- erful rear. Speaking as an experienced breeder; who has an ethical conscience, we must strive to keep the balance correct by always being mindful of proper angulation and strong rears. I can see this as being an area that if not closely watched by judges
grey pigment should have a grey nose dogs with black pigment should have a black nose and so on. Th e nose should be seen as an extension of the muzzles topline and should not protrude beyond nor should it recede the front plane of the muzzle. MUZZLE: One of the most important aspects of the head should be its square muzzle. Th e muzzle should be wide and deep, the width should be almost equal to its length which should be NOT less then 1/3 the total length of the head. Correct muzzle depth should be more than 50% of the length of the muzzle. As viewed from the front the muzzle should also be as wide and it is deep and should appear as a trapezoid. Th e dowm- ward view of the muzzle should closely resemble a square. Muzzle should never be narrow or pointy. LIPS: Lips should be fi rm, thick and hang moderately without excessive dewlap. When viewed from the front they should form an upside down U as opposed to the upside down V. Again the pigment should be that of the rest of the dog. BITE: Slightly undershot (not more than ¼ inch) is preferred, however scis- sor bite is acceptable if the parameters of under jaw allow for proper expression and muzzle stop. Dentition should be complete with no more than 2 missing teeth.
in the ring we could even begin seeing less of it moving forward. Many breeders in Europe feel that in America, we like too much angulation and most of us here feel that the dogs in Europe lack in this area as well as the rear area overall. Again, I think it is critical not only in the development of the breed but also in judging these dogs for many years in the future. Something I am always looking to main- tain and continue to build upon is a solid rear with balanced and proper angulation. Above are examples of angulation both good and bad and a diagram of the proper way to measure correct, moderate angulation.
BIO Joe Hovorka has
been active in the breed since 2000. He is a breeder of the: 2X Westminster Breed Winner 2012, 2103,
1st Cane Corso Best in Show in AKC His- tory, #1 Cane Corso 2012 (All Breed), #1 Female Cane Corso 2011, 2012, 2013 (All Systems) and the 1st Cane Corso in Canadian History to achieve an IPO- 2A Title. For more information contact: www.libertycanecorsos.com.
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