In the Cane Corso, this particular colouration is an ancient reality testified by an iconography that contemplates ages and ages of history[9]. This is true, as Dr. Morsiani and Dr. Mainardi say, even for the completely white Cane Corso[10].

In his commentary to the standard[11], actually, Dr. Morsiani says that “… it must be remarked that the iconography had fixed to the history even white Cani Corso” after a previous affirmation in which he stated that “When, during the early ‘80’s, the recovering Cane Corso project started it was decided not to privilege in the selection process any specific colour, but to take in consideration all the different colours that the historiography and tradition has passed to us”.

That among “the colours that the historiography has passed to us” would be surely included even the one characterized by a spread white colouration (if we don’t want to take the disturb to resort on the iconographic an historical evidences, or if we don’t want to take in consideration Paoletti’s researches), can be understood by the role that Picciotto assumed in the selection project for CC recovery.

And so? Why does nowadays the white (or even its spread presence) must be so dishonored since once it was very diffused and since it doesn’t lead to any health consequence? (white, alone, doesn’t mean albinism)[12].

The hypothesis according which “white” (spread or total) means “half-caste”, into the standard’s comment is not even touched (rightly!)[13]. If so it is, it would have been said by Dr. Morsiani, as he said  – talking about the “mask” in the fawn subjects –  that if it surpasses the eye line that is evidence of extraneous blood.

For the coat’s colours, Mr. Morsiani concludes peremptorily considering that “in the future the selection must be oriented on the four traditional colours: black, dark brindled, ashy and grey fawn” obtaining it from his previous specification: “… the coats that once were present were essentially four: black, dark brindled, ashy and grey fawn”. With all the respect that we owe to Him, for us it would have been more correct to say “… The coats that they presented to me”, (and not “the existing ones”) wanting to underline (and what we are about to say is true not only for the coat) that His meritorious work has been negatively contradicted by the fact that the statistic sample that he analyzed was not, in our opinion, very (or we should say “not at all”) representative of the universe of subjects that actually were present in that time on the territory.

A more deepened census, actually, would have requested more consistent effort and times that would have not reconciled with the decision of coming, in brief times, to the breed’s recognition. This was a political choice dictated, at that time, by comprehensible motivations and by an optimistic  – and most of the time sincere – conviction that the road toward the improving and completing of the work made would have continued after the recognition.

It’s sad, nowadays, to see how this has not happened and how different is the dog obtained from the one that had to be recovered.

     

Back again to the coat’s colour, we read again the registries of the Civitella National Meeting trying to find new points of view. This is what Dr. S. Goldman expresses in His “Morpho-functional valuation of Cane Corso”: “According to my point f view, in the Cane Corso, even if together with the prohibition of ears cutting, it would be opportune to limit the coat’s colour to the streaked and the fawn tonalities ones and to the black ones with under-hair layer just to give to the long-ear Cane Corso a further peculiarity”. Even if respectable, this is a statement that we do not share, because it is based upon a personal aesthetic opinion and not upon the “reality” of our Dog.

On the contrary, we are sure that there isn’t any valid reason (for nobody gave the prove that the opposite is true) for not consider as Cane Corso’s peculiar colours, all the different kinds that history and tradition has passed to us. This was the way taken in the first part of the recover project and this had to be the only way to follow.

 

In His comment upon the Standard, Dr Morsiani underlines, in a very correct way, how some characteristics are essential “in a work breed as the one of Cane Corso”. Well, which is the end of the excellent subjects in the work, morphology and behavior but with a colour that does not appear in the standard? Must we erase them from the reproduction?[14]

Nor we can hide behind a finger: for a breed with such far origins, puppets with that colouration will born even coupling together black, fawn, streaked, etc. subjects. Anyone who breeds with knowledge knows it!

 Even without having finished the treatment (we will take it back) we want conclude, for now, calling back the English standard made by the genetics scholar Willis that, talking about the Alsatian Dog, says: “the colour itself is not important and has not effect on the character or ability to work so it must be considered as secondary”.

……… What amazing lesson of pragmatism!!!!

 

The Cane Corso’s colour: some traditional colourations

Click here

 

    Notes

[1] To anyone who would like to study the complex genetic processes that regulate the coat’s colouration we recommend the specific scientific literature; we just want to say that the coat’s colour is due to a pigment (melanin) situated in its cortex (the “cortex” is the part situated between the “cuticula” and the “marrow”). In relation to the number of colours that compose it, the coat could be “simple” (monochromatic) or “composed” (two or three colours).

 

[2] Years ago, the selection of Cane Corso for its tasks on support of human works, was based upon natural  – and not aesthetic –  criteria. In the absence of an adequate prophylaxis and therapy, the defense from viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases was left only to the natural organism’s reactions: only the strongest survived (that is what actually happened even with “human puppies”) or they were saved. For this reason, the coat’s colour was not influential and, even if among the puppies there were all the possible colourations (bridle, grey fawn,……, brindle with a white spot on the chest  – extended sometimes on the abdomen –  on the feet and on the muzzle), the selection favored only the healthiest and strongest ones. And only those were breeded. The dogs were valuated while growing up: aptitudes were found and addressed to the best utilization and tested in the different tasks, the character was studied and (when it was easy to manage) moulded.

The optimal respond to the different functions (watch, defense, hunt, work, etc…) promoted the adult Cane Corso to “work mate” and made it worthy to the “human family” attentions.

In this way it became… “The Dog”. And if, when it was given a task to it, it kept on demonstrate its abilities contributing to the health (or in some cases to the survivor) of its owner, it was worthy to perpetuate its character, its physic, its coat and…, often, even its name.

Every family had its Cane Corso and maintained the blood line constituted by the subjects with the same character, structure, morphology and coat’s colour. Moreover, this contributed, maybe unconsciously, to avoid or manage the consanguinity. Looking at the Cane Corso, it was simple to understand from which family it came simply because anyone kept the same bloodline.

Today we would say that any family “had its affix”

According to the meaning that wants any blood line marked by the others for peculiarity and by particular and not shared characteristics, we think that many of those “sponsored” today are artful (and so fake) blood lines because characterized by strong relations either transversal (that is between a line and another) or wide.

 

[3] In the old times very much attention was given to hypothetical correlations between some character qualities and some morphological details, especially the colour. It was believed that, for example, a spot or a star or a list more or less large and lengthened on the front of the muzzle, could be a sign of power and health. This regarded all the animals and, in particular, the dog and the horse into which, the man, sought the best functionality. For these purposes some breeds as grey hounds and molossians were reserved to the aristocratic people that, moreover, had the means to keep entire dog packs.

 

[4] Is not possible to say the same for the Mastino Abruzzese which white coat has the purposes essentially functional that may be deduced by what follows.

Some shepherds (the real practical users) say that the sheep dog, that is the Mastino Abruzzese  – the best existing dog for the sheeps’ guard – , must born in the “net”, that is that kind of fence that keeps safe and united the sheeps 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 sheeps too. This determinates a strong relation between both that is “extended” by the same coat’s colouration. 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 sheeps 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 sheeps and the white of the Abbruzzesi.

 

[5] Must be noticed that once the black coat presented white spots on the feet, on the chest, on the muzzle and on the front (list). The completely black subject was very rare.

 

      [6]  -  “brindled”: reminds the characteristic dispositions of the strakes on the tigers’ coat along the hips (ex. light fawn brindled, or black brindled on mixed basis, ore more  – in the brindled with three components –  grey basis and black or brown brindles);

       -   “winding (serpature)”: referred to the snake shape of the strikes (ex. Grey fawn serpato);

       -   “straked”: with particularly irregular and random strakes (ex. Gray with black strakes).

In the common lexicon the three terms are used indifferently.

   [7]  Subject owned by Armando Gentile from San Paolo Civitate

   [8] “Researches upon Cane Corso and its image” by Paolo Paoletti  - 1° National Civitella Alfedena Meting files, 16^th and 17^th of June 1990: “The Cane Corso, characteristics and contributes for the definition of the standard” (Ediz. L’Orsa)