They were found Puglia, Sannio, Lucania and Calabria, the ancient region of Capitanata and the generic name for this breed was Cane Corso.
Although the adjective 'corso' means 'corsican' in Italian, the breed's name is unrelated to Corsica. However, its true etymology is still uncertain. Plausible explanations say that it derives from an ancient celtic
or provenzal word, related to the english word "coarse" or from the latin cohors (a military unit of the Roman army) suggesting its ancient function as a bodyguard or protection dog. A third theory states that it shares the same root as the italian noun corso (from the Greek kórtos, meaning "enclosure"), again referring to the dog's function of guard dog that was kept chained up or within an enclosure.
The Corso is a medium to large sized molosser breed, strongly built, but elegant and distinguished in appearance. His muscles are long and powerfull, expressing agility and endurance.
Accepted colors include: black, various shades of grey (lead-grey, slate-grey and light grey), light fawn and gray brindle. A small white patch on the chest, feet tips, and nose bridge is tolerated.
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