BREEDING WITH INTENTION
The Cane Corso was, and is, a multi-purpose breed focused nowadays on guarding, personal protection, law enforcement work, and as a companion. He must pass a working trial (IPO/Schutz- hund) in order to become a champion in his native country of Italy. The Corso is eligible to compete in IPO and other Schutzhund-like protection sports in the US. Within a relatively short time frame, from the time of its renaissance in the 1980s until now, the breed has changed little in morphology and type. The breed continues to be tested in protection sports in its country of origin in order to gain an Italian championship. The Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as the French Mastiff or Bordeaux Mastiff, is one of the oldest of the French breeds, with a similar predecessor known as early as the 14th century. The breed is thought to predate the Bullmastiff and the Bulldog. It originated in the northern Aquitaine region, more specifically in the Bordeaux area of France, and was historically used to guard the castles of the elite as well as guarding flocks, pulling carts and other heavy objects, hunting large game, and fighting. At one time, the breed had two sizes; the smaller Doguins and the much larger Dogues. The Doguins fell out of favor and no lon- ger exist. The French emphasized keeping the Dogue breeding pure, hence the self-colored pigmentation, with black masked individuals thought to be from crosses with the English Mastiff. Despite that quest for purity, the breed ended up with three distinct types, each dependent on the job it was bred to do and its region of origin: the Parisian, the Toulouse, and the Bordeaux. Since the time of these three types, the breed coalesced around the Bordeaux type and became what we know it as today. Despite being first exhibited in the 1860s, the breed faced extinction due to the World Wars. However, the breed was renewed in the 1960s through the dedicated efforts of French breeders. Art from the early 1900s indicates a dog much like today’s, heavily muscled and with the same topline, but with a bit more muzzle length. Like many other breeds, the Dogue de Bordeaux’s tradi- tional jobs have disappeared. The parent club maintains a recogni- tion program for Dogue’s that attain titling in a variety of canine performance sports. Known as the “Gamekeepers Night Dog,” the Bullmastiff was originally developed by English estate gamekeepers (professional game managers) in the 19th century to guard estates from poach- ers of game, be it fur or feather. The breed was created from the now-extinct Old English Bulldog, once known for its strength and tenacity, and the larger milder-mannered English Mastiff. He was bred to tackle and take down poachers who trespassed or poached on their land. Since the dog’s work was mainly at night, game- keepers preferred dogs of the dark brindle color so as to provide greater camouflage. By 1924, the breed was recognized by the English Kennel Club as a pure breed. With the demise of the large English estates and the need for professional gamekeepers, the breed began to lose its func- tion as an estate guard. Today, the breed still holds onto its natural guarding abilities as it watches over its home and family. The parent club does not list any specific performance recognition programs. However, the breed does participate in sports that demonstrate its strength, including weight pulling. Photos of the breed from the 1950s and before show a breed with significant diversity in substance, height and size, type, and head dimensions. The homogeneity attained through the concerted efforts of breeders over time has resulted in the dog we see today. Used by the ancient Celts as war dogs, a Mastiff-type dog has been part of British Isles history since at least the first written laws of England (1016-1035). Over time, the progenitor breed has been used as a courageous war dog, guardian, fighter of large animals,
Schutzhund. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demand- ing jobs. Some of those traits are a strong desire to work, courage, intelligence, trainability, a strong bond with the handler, persever- ance, protective instinct, and a good sense of smell. The various levels of Schutzhund working trials encompass tracking, obedience, and protection. There are various Schutzhund associations within the United States, some focusing on one or multiple eligible breeds. In this installment of the series, the remaining six Molossoid breeds of Mastiff type (Boerboel, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Dogue de Bordeaux, Mastiff, and Neapolitan Mastiff) will be explored. The Neapolitan Mastiff has a working certification requirement in its native country in order to gain the CACIB. Of these breeds, only the Boerboel is not yet recognized by the FCI, but is recognized by the Kennel Union of South Africa (its country of origin) and the AKC. Common to these six breeds is a progenitor Mastiff-type ances- tor. This ancestral Molossian type has been depicted in numerous works of stone and clay as far back as 2500 BC. A Mastiff-type dog has been known throughout the European continent since at least the late Middle Ages, having been portrayed in various surviving tapestries and other representational pieces of work from the period. The early influence of this Mastiff progenitor spread its morphology and guardian instincts into Eurasia as well as most of the other continents. As has been noted in some of the articles in this series, the Mastiff progenitor influenced the development of guard dogs, hunting dogs, war dogs, and those that were used for blood sports, throughout the world. It’s a good thing I read and understand Italian, as the history I’ve researched for this Italian breed was all in Italian! Known as the heir to the Roman Molosser, the Neapolitan Mastiff (Mastino Napole- tano) was rediscovered in 1946 by Piero Scanziani at an exhibition in Naples. He described the breed as descending from Molosser dogs known to the Sumerians, Mesopotamians, and Assyrians, and prized as guards, big game hunters, and fighters of wild beasts. It was Scanziani who struggled for the breed to develop and be rec- ognized by the Italian Kennel Club (ENZI) in 1949 as a fearless guardian of person and property. The Mastino is a breed of decep- tion: very large size and weight, a superabundance of loose skin, and an almost feline grace to its movements and demeanor. Add its coloration to this deception and it blends into the night. Despite these traits, the Mastino is extraordinarily quick on attack when given sufficient reason. Woe to the trespasser or burglar who enters a Mastino-guarded home or property. Although the Mastino that we see today has taken on more exaggerated features from those known and pictured in the 1940s and ‘50s, the breed has changed little. Despite its low global regis- tration numbers, the breed is still used as a guardian, unequivocally devoted to its people and property. There are no known breed-spe- cific working/guardian tests. Another Italian breed, also descended from the Roman Molosser (and reported to predate the Mastino), is the Cane Corso. The breed is thought to have been in use throughout Italy since antiquity. It survived in the southern regions, mainly Puglia in the southeastern part of Italy and extending into the heel of the country’s “boot.” The Latin derivative of its name “Corso” is cohors , meaning protector and guardian of farms, and “Cane” being the Italian word for dog. The Corso was almost lost as a breed in the 1960s following the end of the Italian share-cropping system. From the selective breed- ing of surviving Cane Corso in the 1980s, we have the breed we know today. It was recognized by the ENZI in 1994, with full FCI acceptance in 2007 and AKC recognition in 2010.
92 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2020
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