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50 free Cane Corso trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
The Cane Corso is an Italian mastiff that nearly disappeared. Once found across the peninsula, it survived only in Puglia after the 1960s collapse of the mezzadria sharecropping system, and the modern breed was rebuilt from a few dogs from about 1980. A breed society followed in 1983, Italian recognition in 1994, FCI acceptance in 2007 and AKC recognition in 2010, and it has since become one of America's most popular breeds. These 50 questions cover the revival story, the international standard's heights, weights, eye shape and colours (including "fromentino" and "stag red"), the working trial with its gunfire test, the breed's health predispositions from bloat to cherry eye, and the 2017 lifespan study. They also reach into the molossoid world around it: the Neapolitan Mastiff, the ancient Molossus, the FCI and ENCI, catch dogs, guard dogs and the meaning of "bandog". Easy questions cover origins and uses; the expert tier asks about registration counts, standard fractions and study sizes. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01The Cane Corso is a breed from which country?
Italy
Its name is Italian; the breed was once found across much of the peninsula.
Q 02The Cane Corso is a breed of what type?
Mastiff
It is a large molossoid dog, strong and muscular but not without elegance.
Q 03Since its 1980s revival, the Cane Corso has mostly been kept as what?
Companion or guard dog
It may also be used to protect livestock.
Q 04In the past, the breed was used for hunting large game and for what?
Herding cattle
Today it is mostly a companion or guard dog.
Q 05The breed standard calls for a dog that is strong and muscular but not without what?
Elegance
The head is large, slightly over a third of the height at the withers.
Q 06Besides companionship and guarding, the breed may be used to protect what?
Livestock
Its older jobs were hunting large game and herding cattle.
Q 07Guard dogs bark loudly mainly to do what?
Alert their owners
The noise also serves to scare intruders away.
Q 08The Cane Corso is closely related to which other Italian breed?
Neapolitan Mastiff
Both descend from the traditional guard dogs of southern Italy.
Q 09Gastric dilatation volvulus, to which the breed is susceptible, is commonly called what?
Bloat
The stomach overstretches and rotates; mortality is 10–60% even with treatment.
Q 10Which dogs are especially at risk of gastric dilatation volvulus?
Deep-chested large breeds
The Cane Corso's build puts it squarely in the risk group.
Q 11Ancient Romans warned of guard dogs with mosaics reading what?
Cave canem
The Latin phrase means "beware of the dog".
Q 12The breed standard says the iris of the eye should be what?
As dark as possible
The eyes themselves should be oval and set well apart.
Q 13By the 1970s, the breed survived only in which southern Italian region?
Puglia
It had once been distributed across much of the peninsula.
Q 14In which year did the American Kennel Club recognise the breed?
Q 21Nictitans gland prolapse, listed among the breed's ailments, is better known as what?
Cherry eye
The gland of the third eyelid pops out as a red, fleshy mass.
Q 22To qualify for registration, dogs must show what reaction to gunfire?
Indifference
They must also stay calm with inoffensive strangers and defend the owner against an attacker.
Q 23The extinct Molossus hound came from where?
Ancient Greece
It was kept by the Molossians of Epirus and praised by Virgil and Horace.
Q 24The FCI lumps mastiffs and flock-guarding dogs under which single type name?
2010
Italy's ENCI had recognised it in 1994 and the FCI fully in 2007.
Q 15The modern breed derives from selective breeding of a few survivors from about which year?
1980
The dogs had become rare after the 1960s collapse of the sharecropping system.
Q 16What is the name of the breed society formed in 1983?
Società Amatori Cane Corso
Italian recognition followed eleven years later.
Q 17In which year did Italy's ENCI recognise the breed?
1994
The FCI accepted it provisionally two years later.
Q 18What shape should the breed's eyes be?
Oval
They should be set well apart beneath a flat cranium.
Q 19Minor white markings are tolerated on which parts of the body?
Chest, feet and nose
Coats may be black, grey, fawn or dark wheaten, and may be brindled.
Q 20The breed is genetically predisposed to which joint problems?
Elbow and hip dysplasia
Patellar luxation and retinal dysplasia are also on the list.
Molossoid
Experts blame the grouping on mistranslated ancient texts and size alone.
Q 25The Salento peninsula in the breed's home region forms which part of Italy's boot?
The heel
The Gargano promontory in the north is the "spur".
Q 26What is another name for a dog's nictitating membrane?
Third eyelid
Its gland supplies oxygen and nutrients to the eye via tear production.
Q 27Mastiffs' broad, short muzzle is described by which term?
Brachycephalic
They also typically have a short coat, a long low-set tail and large feet.
Q 28In older English sources, what did the term "bandog" technically mean?
A dog tethered by a chain
The dog was released at night; the term was often used interchangeably with mastiff.
Q 29When working boar, a catch dog typically seizes which part of the animal?
The base of the ear
It holds the boar down by the head until the hunter arrives.
Q 30In which city is the head office of Italy's kennel club, the ENCI?
Milan
It is the only body approved to register dog breeds in Italy and has offices in every region.