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The Cane Corso is a very large yet lean molosser-type dog, well muscled and looking more athletic than most other mastiffs. The official FCI standard calls for dogs to stand from 60-68 centimeters at the withers (23.6-26.7 inches), with bitches in the lower region and dogs in the higher. Weight should be in keeping with the size and stature of these dogs, ranging from 40-50 kg (88-110lbs). The overall impression should be of power balanced with athleticism.

Its ears are naturally dropped forward, but where legal, many breeders crop them short and close to the head so that the remaining stubs stand upright. Most Corsos have docked tails as well. The standard calls for docking at the 4th vertebra, although many are docked shorter.

Corsos appear in two basic coat colours: black and fawn. This is further modified by genetic pigment dilution to create blue (from black) and formentino (from fawn) colours. Formentino only express the blue colouring on the muzzle. Brindling of varying intensity is common on both basic coat colours as well, creating tigrato (full brindle), black brindle, and blue brindle. Fawn also has a number of different expressions, ranging from the pale of a formentino to ‘red’ to the more common beige colour, with the back coat hairs tipped with black. In blue dogs, the nose can appear grey, but should be darker than the coat. In all other dogs, the nose should be black. White markings on the chest, toes and on the nose are seen as well, with smaller white patches being preferable. (info from Wikipedia)

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