Gait/Movement I like to refer to this description as basi- cally “balance’ and “soundness”. We must always remember the Cane Corso is a working dog bred for a purpose— fi rst and foremost they should exhibit the clear abil- ity to move soundly and e ff ortlessly as any working dog should. For me a sound dog is of critical impor- tance when judging the Cane Corso. Th e movement should be powerful with an almost e ff ortless appearance. Th e reach and drive should be strong and impressive while the feet converge towards a center line of gravity in a seemingly single track and must never cross over in the front or the back. Side gait in the “Around” moment should show a level topline with minimal bounce and roll with the head held slightly above level and the tail fl owing at a natural angle and not tucked up against its rear. In my opinion, more important than the side gait is the “Down and Back”. It is critical to sound movement. In the “Down” movement the feet should not splay outward and both the feet and hock should closely resemble the up and down motion of piston
this breed evolve to this point worked diligently to present the best examples of the breed in conformation but even more importantly in temperament. Th is was in a concerted e ff ort to put our judges at ease and allow them to begin to judge our dogs without feeling apprehensive based on knowledge (or possibly the lack thereof), or fearful based on the esthetic qualities of the breed – there’s no other way to explain it—the Cane Corso has presence. To that end and for all things con- sidered, I believe the judges have done a pretty good job when given the challeng- ing assignment of Judging the Cane Corso over their fi rst three years in the AKC. With that being said, I think it is fair to say the future of our breed and its ultimate destiny in the years to come will rely heav- ily on what we see in and around the AKC show rings throughout the country. Obviously, it would be impossible in this short article to address every aspect of the Cane Corso standard so what I will attempt to do here is touch upon some of the areas that I think are of critical impor- tance when judging the Cane Corso.
rods in a motor as the dog moves away. Th e hocks should move solidly and deliberately with the feet with no giggle, wobble, or movement from side to side. In the “Back” movement the front feet should also not splay outward or be thrown from the shoul- der, elbow or wrist. Th e front legs and feet should appear to work in unison with the rear with minimal distraction of any kind. Head Type With regard to head type, I would like to make it clear that I am against referring to or classifying the Cane Corso as a quote “Head Breed”. I think this leads to too much attention being given to the head; however, I believe proper head type is another critical area when judging the Cane Corso. When I look at correct head type I also take several things into consideration that are obviously part of the head. In this area I will touch upon a few of the most important, namely: HEAD: Th e head should also be large with the total length being approximately ⅓ the height of the dog at the withers. Th e planes of the skull and muzzle should be
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