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Is this dog a Neo?

mrtuk2014

Member
This is a photo of my bitch's father. My bitch is supposedly a pure bred Cane Corso but I wondered if her father was a Neo - he is around 180 lbs, which is on the large size for a Corso. Btw my bitch (again she is on the large side - 110 lbs at 8 months) is a great looking dog and I won't be concerned if she is not a pure bred but I would like to give some feedback to the breeder.

616518_3558734826758_1256482365_o.jpg
 

PrinceLorde13

Well-Known Member
Corsos and neos are very closely related and can be very similar in appearance. Neos are bigger and tend to have much droopier faces, but not always. Now the sizes you're talking are not a bit on the big side they are giant for corsos. Because of the size I would lean tword neo in the mix, but it could just be a line of corsos that have been bred up for size, unfortunately it's a disgusting trend I'm noticing as the breed gains popularity in the U.S., everything just has to be bigger here. If the dad is registered it shouldn't be too hard to trace the ancestors and see. Even if you got DNA tests done you still may not get a definitive answer. That being said in that picture he looks more corso then neo too me, but he's right on that in between line, his face is a little over droopy for a corso but def not out of the realm of a corso face, and again it's a little tight for a neo but again not so much so that I would say def not a neo.
 

mrtuk2014

Member
Hi Prince, thanks for your thoughts. Yes, I chose Corsos specifically for their athleticism rather than pure size because I spend a lot of the time on foot in the mountains which requires staying power. Thankfully, Rene is very athletic at the moment and good in the mountains - I would prefer she doesn't go north of 150 so this remains the case. Rene actually lives in the former Soviet Union and it does seem popular here now to breed for size.
 
The photo shown looks like a American bred Cane Corso. 180 in that breed is way out of standard, but when the breeds were just brought over to the states the Neo' was crossed into the Corso and some do tend to throw large dogs as well as breeders selection can also come into play.