Warriors ofValhallaCane Corso KennelsBreber’s writing helps explain the Corso I want to preserve: purposeful structure, working ability, responsiveness, and a close relationship with its people.
In Functional Selection of the Cane Corso, Breber asks breeders to turn their attention to working ability. He treats the holding function and obedience as connected parts of selection.
I strive for a complete, functional Cane Corso: sound structure, athletic movement, strength, stamina, courage, and a clear mind. I want useful proportions, a capable muzzle and bite, and the responsiveness to work closely with an owner. Those pieces must come together in a versatile dog—capable on the farm, successful in the show ring, dependable as a guardian, and affectionate with family.
Farm work includes helping move or gather livestock, responding to direction, and working around animals with control. Herding and catch-and-hold are different jobs; I look at the individual dog’s aptitude, training, and response to the stock.
In the 1990 conference proceedings, cattleman Umberto Leone describes dogs accompanying cattle and returning straying animals on command. That is a concrete historical account of herding work. Read Leone’s testimony.
The traditional catch dog’s role was to take hold of large livestock or game and maintain control until people could intervene. That work called for strength, quickness, commitment, and a body capable of doing the job.
It is one of the historical functions I want to preserve in our program.
I regard real wild hog work as the ultimate test of the Corso’s traditional catch-and-hold function. It brings together the dog’s nerve, athleticism, commitment, and ability to work with its owner.
Chaos and Wrath have been among my best hog dogs. This is demanding work for selected, prepared dogs and experienced people, rather than an expectation for every family companion.
I want the same dog to be capable at work, composed in the show ring, attentive as a guardian, and affectionate with family. Championship potential and working ability can exist together.
Our job is to recognize each dog’s strengths and give those qualities direction.
Breber describes quick, forceful action, with periods of rest and shelter afterward. His account helps explain why I look at agility and recovery alongside size. I want a dog that can use its strength with purpose.
In this essay, Breber connects tooth alignment and muzzle proportions to the catch dog’s work. I share his preference for a scissors bite and useful muzzle length. I also value tight flews and a clean, athletic outline.
Those are selection goals. I examine the individual dog’s bite, movement, temperament, strengths, and weaknesses together. One attractive feature cannot tell the whole story.
Breber’s own historical observations were varied: his 1990 table records four level bites and one prognathous bite among five measured dogs. His preferred bite should be distinguished from the range he actually documented. Read the original measurements.
In his functional-selection essay, Breber emphasizes obedience and a release on command. I value the relationship that allows a powerful dog to take direction and settle when the work is finished.
His discussion of wild-boar work also explains why I take actual field experience seriously. My description of hog work as the ultimate test is my own statement of priorities; each dog’s experience belongs in that dog’s record.
Read Breber on functional selectionItalian article links open an automated English translation through Google Translate. Find the original sources and reading notes.
Whether your goal is farm work, a show prospect, a guardian, or a family companion, let’s start with the life your dog will share with you.
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