TRANSLATIONAntonio Morsiani, Dr. J.-M. Paschoud and Prof. R. Triquet.ORIGINItaly.DATE 0F PUBLICATION 0F THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD10.12.1996.UTILIZATIONGuard dog.FCI CLASSIFICATIONGroup 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer Type-Molossian and Swiss Mountain and Cattle DogsSection 2.2 Molossian type, Mountain dogs Without working trial.BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARYHis direct ancestor is the old Roman Molossian. In the recent past preserved and prevalent in the provinces of Foggia and Bari. His name derives fron the Latin "cohors", which means "protector, guardian of the farm-yard".GENERAL APPEARANCEMedium to l arge-sized dog. Robust and strudy, nevertheless elegant. Lean, with powerful long muscles.IMPORTANT PROPORTIONSThe length of the head reaches 36% of the height at withers. The dog is somewhat longer than high.BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENTGuardian of property, family and livestock; extremely agile and responsive. In the past, it has been used for herding cattle and hunting big game.HEADLarge and typically molossoid. The upper longitudinal axes of the skull and the muzzle converge slightly.CRANIAL REGIONSkullWide; at the zygonatic arch its width is equal to or greater than its length. Convex in front, it becomes fairly flat behind the forehead as far as the occiput.The medio-frontal furrow is visible. StopMarked.FACIAL- REGIONNoseBlack and large with ample, open nostrils on the same line asthe nasal bridge.MuzzleNoticeably shorter than the skull (ratio : skull 62%-64%, Muzzle 36-38%), strong, extremely square, with a flat front face and parallel nearly as wide as long lateral surfaces. The profile of the nasal bridge is rectilinearLipsThe upper lips hang moderately and cover the mandible, so that the lower profile of the muzzle is determined by the lips. Jaw/TeethJaw very large, thick and curved: Lightly undershot. Level and scissors bite acceptable.EyesMedium-sized, ovoid, looking directly forward, slightly protruding. Eyelids close fitting. Colour of the iris as dark as possible, depending from the colour of the coat. Expression keen and attentive.EarsTriangular, drooping, with a large set on high above the zygomtic arch. Almost always cropped in the shape of an equilateral triangle.NECKStrong, fairly thin, muscular, as long as the head.BODYThe body is somewhat longer than the height at the withers. Sturdily built, but not squat.WithersPronounced, rising above the level of the croup.BackRectilinear, very muscular and firm.LoinsShort and solid.CroupLong, wide, slightly inclined.ChestWell developed in three dimensions, reaches to the elbow.TAILSet on of the tail fairly high; very thick at the root. The tail is docked at the fourth vertebra. In action carried high, but never curled nor erect.LIMBSFOREQUARTERSShoulderLong, oblique, very muscular.Upper armStrong.ForearmStraight, very strong.Carpal joint and pasternsElastic.ForefeetCat feet.HINDQUARTERSUpper thighLong, wide, posteriorly convex.Lower thighThin, strong.HocksModerately angulated.metatarsalsThick and narrow.Hind feetSlightly less compact than the forefeet.SKINFairly thick, rather close fitting.COATHAIRShort (not smooth), shiney, very thick with a light undercoat.COLOURBlack, lead grey, slate, light fawn (yellowish), stag red, brindle; black mask is present in fawn coloured dogs.HEIGHT AND WEICHT:Height at the withersMales from 62 to 68 cm,Females from 58 to 64 cm. Tolerance of 2 cm more or less.WeightMales from 42 to 50 kg,Femalesfrom 38 to 45 kg.FAULTSAny departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.SEVERE FAULTS-Accentuated parallelism or very marked converging of the axes of the muzzle and the skull; converging side lines of the muzzle.-Pronounced and disturbing undershot mouth.-Nosepartial depigmentation.-Tailring-tail, tail in vertical position.-Sizeover-or undersize.-Movementcontinuously ambling.ELIMINATING FAULTS-Axes of the muzzle and the skull diverging.-Overshot mouth.-Bridge of nose resolutely hollow, ram's nose.-Nosetotal depigmentation.-Eyespartial and bilateral palpebral depigmentation, waal eye, bilateral strabismus.-Tailtailless, short tail (artificial or congenital).-Hairsemi-long, smooth, fringed.-Colourall colours not indicated in the standard; white patches too large.N.B.Male animal s should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.[ bestdogs.com ]
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