Only Traditional methods can produce True Traditional dogs!
What exactly does this mean? Great question!
I would like to give a quick response to show why the selective breeding process and proper temperament testing is not only responsible for the creation and maintenance of this breed but is necessary for any type of advancement.
The Cane Corso was developed by the Roman Army during the first century to be a Dog of War and accompany their soldiers on the field of battle to protect them during hand to hand combat. The Romans were famous for their use of the selective breeding process. (Wikipedia, selective breeding, history). In fact the use of selective breeding with plants and animals goes back to pre historic times.
What exactly is selective breeding? Selective breeding is the use of Linebreeding, Inbreeding, Backbreeding and Outcrossing practices. The art of breeding involves knowing when and how to use each of these practices. This is the only (effective) method that can be used by a true breeder to manipulate the genes to produce a desired outcome. It’s simply the way every domestic purebred strain of animal has ever been developed.
The Selective breeding process was not only used to create the Original Traditional Cane Corso by the Romans. But it’s also the well documented process that was used to keep the breed alive for centuries after the decline of hand to hand combat by the rural people of Italy. In fact it was the sole process used during the reconstruction of the breed by Fernando Casolino and Stefano Gandolfi (among others) during the 1980’s. All of which is extensively documented in their book IL CANE CORSO (a must read for true Cane Corso enthusiasts!) This linebreeding/inbreeding process was not only used to set type within the breed but also used to help eliminate unwanted diseases!
So what does temperament testing do? It simply is a way of identifying the desirable genes we wish to reproduce. It’s also a very important part of the selective breeding process.
In my 20 years of breeding I have seen many Guardian/working breeds come to the United States only to bred for the show ring and in the process they have lost all of the great traits that originally made them famous. This is a well known fact that most professional dog people can agree on.
So at Outlaw Kennel we will continue to specialize in the use of the Traditional, Proven, Time Tested techniques that made this great breed famous to begin with! (These are not the practices used by most American Cane Corso breeders)
The Outlaw Bloodline, We only use the Historically correct traditional breeding methods of the Cane Corso.
Just some of what it takes to be a good Cane Corso breeder:
- Extensive knowledge of bloodlines and pedigrees (the genotype), When you analyze a pedigree you should look at things like the temperament, the ability to perform certain tasks, physical characteristics that allow a dog to excel in a certain area and, last but not least, the dogs proven ability to reproduce those desired traits. You need to try to gather this information for all the dogs in a bloodline going as far back as possible. This will give you the best odds for a strong foundation and starting point.
- After you have gathered your best prospects from a desired bloodline “or” lines, You need a way to objectively analyze the breeding stock you end up with (the phenotype). In the case of the Traditional Cane Corso we specifically test for genes or temperament traits like Courage, Loyalty, Intelligence etc. Although you may have the best bloodlines in the world, the dogs you end up with may not have all of the desired characteristics that your looking for. A GOOD BREEDER WILL NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Then you need to pair up dogs that will reproduce these desireable genes.
- You must have the knowledge to use the breeding techniques that allow you to reproduce litters of puppies with the strongest genetic traits and that have the highest percentage of litter turnouts for these desired traits (the number of puppies in a litter that possess all the genes that your breeding for). Simple out cross breedings will never produce high percentage litter turnouts ( this would be breeding a good looking dog from one bloodline to a good looking dog from another and hoping for the best) This method will only produce average dogs with some occasional toppers. There is a big difference between true breeders and people who just breed dogs. here A good breeder will know how and when to use techniques like Line breeding, Back breeding, and Out crossings. (despite what you may hear on the Internet by some very loud non breeding dog lovers). There are over 500 pure breeds of dogs on the planet, every last one of these breeds were created using selective breeding techniques. In fact every pure bred strain of domestic animal on the planet has gotten that way by using these techniques there is NO other way possible! These techniques do require some skill and should not be used by novice breeders as the results could be less than desirable. On the other hand the proper use of these breeding techniques will not only allow you to preserve desired traits within a bloodline but also improve upon them!
- You must have a great passion for breeding. You will only be the best at the things in life that you TRULY LOVE!
- IT’S IMPORTANT THAT NONE OF THESE STEPS BE OVERLOOKED
- The History of the Cane Corso clearly shows that it was meant to be a guardian / working dog. At no time in its history was it meant to be a show dog. During the reconstruction of the breed it was decided by the S.A.C.C that the Cane Corso above all else should remain a dog of GREAT COURAGE , FEARLESSNESS , STRONG FAMILY STABILITY AND HIGH INTELLIGENCE. It’s because we have advanced breeding knowledge and adhere to these guidelines first and foremost that we can say that the Outlaw Bloodline is a True Line of Traditional Guardian Cane Corso. If my goal was to win as many confirmation shows as possible as it is for most American breeders my actions in step #2 would be completely different.
Over our years of breeding we have learned to successfully use some of the more advanced line breeding techniques. While these techniques are not recommended for novice breeders they are the techniques used by some of the top breeders and geneticist in the world. Breeders like Lloyd C. Brackett and his world famous show dog bloodline of German Shepard’s. Mr. Brackett gained most of his breeding fame by being able to produce over 90 finished show ring Champions in just 12 years using a VERY SMALL amount of breeding stock. He always placed great emphasis on health, temperament and proper breed characteristics. These are the preferred breeding techniques of well respected A.K.C. Multi-Group show judge E. Kattie Gammill and countless other experienced breeders. These are also the same breeding techniques that can be used to rid a bloodline of unwanted sickness and disease. In fact they are the very same techniques that were used to treat a very serious wide spread hip dyplasia problem during the Cane Corsos Reconstructive era.
So what does all of this mean for you? Well it means that you will stand a much greater chance of getting a puppy with the characteristics and type that you are looking for when you find a breeder whom uses these methods.
(link) A.K.C. Multi-Group Show Judge E. Kattie Gammell Dog breeders vs. breeders of dogs. Why outcross breedings will never produce a high percentage of winners in a litter. (Some of the typical problems novice breeders face.)
(link) Articles on the linebreeding techniques. Written by Loyd C. Brackett.
- Most experienced breeders will agree on the fact that they can only work on 2-3 traits at one time when working a line. If a breeder claims to be able to breed a line of dogs (not just the occasional toppers) that truly excel in all area’s, ask for their percentage of litter turnout numbers and compare them to some of the great breeders above. To produce a line of dogs that truly excel in a certain area (show ring , dock jumping , therapy dogs etc. ) You have to focus your breeding efforts in that area.