mezzocorso

Question:

Is the Mezzocorso the result of the mating of a male Corso and a female of Abruzzese Mastiff (Mastino Abruzzese) or is it true the opposite?

The Mezzocorso “functional” to the defense of the herd from the attacks of the wolves during the grazing or the transhumance, resulted from the mating of a Male Corso and a female of Abruzzese Mastiff. Occasionally, the opposite happened and, even in this case, the result of this mating was called (and it is still called) “Mezzocorso”. Its behavioural characteristics, even if not coinciding (apart from some exception) with the farmer’s needs, made of it a useful animal for different tasks from those of “protection of the herd” (as, for example, watchdog).

The interest of the farmer was addressed to a dog able to:

a) Guarantee to the herds a more efficient protection than the one assured by the Abruzzese Mastiffs;

b) Live together with the sheep at least as the Abruzzese Mastiffs.

The temperament of the Corso would have been perfect to guarantee a bigger security to the herds but it would have created problems living together with sheep and Mastiffs.

The mating of a male Corso and a female Abruzzese Mastiff satisfied both these requirements because:

- The female Mastiff could have given birth into the “net” ^[1], guaranteeing to the puppies that imprinting necessary to live together with the sheep; the safety of the sheep excluded the possibility to let a female Corso to give birth among them!

- To the efficacy of the herd’s defense, the male Corso behaviour was better the one of the female.

So, for the mating the farmer chose the female of Abruzzese with the best temperament and a Corso equally excellent that, most of the times, was owned by the farm owner or by the herds owner.

All of this happened in the Italian areas Abruzzo, Molise, Daunia and Murgia ….. when… the dog “was grew up to do the dog’s job” and not the one of the “canine expositions star”!

The Mezzocorso was a dog by a very strong temperament and by a big structure and it was well distinguishable from the Corso, starting from behaviour and morphology.

The coat was most of the time white or spotted and the hair was longer and steeper than in the Cane Corso. Even if very seldom, from the same birth could have been born a puppy with the same semblance of a Corso (like in the case of a dog that was very appreciated during the times of the first drafting of the Cane Corso standard and during the times of Civitella Alfedena …… but this is a different story that we will tell you….very soon!).

Note 1 :

Some shepherds (the real practical users) say that the “sheep’s dog”, that is the Mastino Abruzzese – the best existing dog for the sheep’s guard – , must born in the “net”, that is that kind of “traveling fence” that keeps safe and united the sheep during the night or during the moving. The Mastino’s puppies, opening for the first time the eyes in the flock, beyond the mother they are able to see the sheep too. This determinates a strong relation between both. Several times before Him, the shepherd noted empirically the practical effects of what the great K. Lorenz scientifically codified with the “Imprinting”.

The adult dog will never attack the sheep to which it is attached in a nearly morbid way and which will defend from the wolves’ attacks that, mostly, attacks during the night. To the shepherd who runs to help the dog in the defense of the flock is easy recognize the wolf, which colour is different from the white of the sheep and the white of the Abbruzzesi.

The “ net “

the “sheep’s dog” , that is, the Mastino Abruzzese must born in the “net”

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Anita

Garibaldi

Female puppy of Mezzocorso

Ancient Murgia’s Mezzocorso