User:Niezgoda.kevin/sandbox

Background:

The Italian Shepherd, or Pastore Italiano, is a breed of dog. The existence of this breed can be traced back to 1975, when Piero Accettella, of the Little Ranch Kennels, in Cepagatti, in the province of Pescara, in Italy, noticed that, in the surrounding Italian regions of Abruzzo, Umbria, Tuscany, Marche and Northern Lazio, there existed mid-sized dogs with wolf-like features used as livestock herders and known locally as Cane Toccatore. Accettella acquired some of these dogs and crossbred them with Abruzzese Mastiffs, a breed of molosser, to increase their size. The result of this cross was a dog of great intelligence, wary of strangers and a tenacious guardian of property and livestock. The dogs have been found to be ideally suited to the role of guard dog and are easily trained for this task.

Height/Weight: Male Italian Shepherds are 62–70 cm (24.5–27.5 in) tall, females 56–65 cm (22–25.5 in). An adult male Italian Shepherd usually weights between 35–45 kg (77–99 lb), a female 25–35 kg (55–77 lb). 

Cane Toccatore:

The Cane_Toccatore is one of the dog breeds that the Italian Shepherd is bred from. While there is not much information about this dog - there is some. It tends to be similar to the Italian shepherd, although slightly smaller. The Cane Toccator has a weight that ranges typically from 45 to 55 pounds, with the males normally weighing on the larger end at 55 pounds. This is interesting compared to the Italian Shepherds weight of betweeen 55 to 99 pounds. Similar to the Italian Shepherd, the Cane Toccatore is extremely powerful and agile. Intelligent like the Italian Shepherd, it is also known for its ability to be great at herding. The Cane Toccatore does tend to have protective qualities to it, but also is typically a pretty tame dog. When compared to the Italian Shepherd, it tends to be slightly less aggressive.http://www.dicasamarziali.com/en/cane-toccatore-history.html

Abruzzi Mastiff:

The Abruzzi Mastiff is a very large dog, which differs from the Italian Shepherd. This explains the size of the Italian shepherd. The small size of the Cane Toccatore, combined with the large size of the Abruzzi Mastiff leads to the Italian Shepherd makes it understandable how the Italian Shepherd is a medium sized dog.. The Abruzzi Mastiff also shares a lot of traits with the Italian Shepherd. Being broad and powerful, it is very similar to the Italian Shepherd. There are multiple different types of the Abruzzi Mastiff, but they are all similar. With the traits and size of the Abruzzi Mastiff, it has a lot of relation to the Italian Shepherd.

Physical Appearance:

The Italian Shepherd is a very broad, and powerful dog. Starting with its face, it is broad and appears to have green/black eyes. The paws are large, along with it's chest - representing it's strength. The males and females tend to stay similar in appearances. Although the Males do tend to be slightly bigger than the Females, the differences between the two's appearances are very small. Commonly, the Italian Shepherd may be confused with a Labrador Retriever based on looks, but looking closely there are many differences. Although the looks of the Italian shepherd arent necessarily unique, the traits certainly are.

Coat: The Italian Shepherd can be seen in multiple colors, including fawn, black, and white. Although usually seen being one color, it can have a multi-colored coat. The undercoat of the italian shepherd tends to be large, relating to their use as an outside/herding dog. Interestingly, the length of the Italian Shepherd's coat can vary greatly, with no consistent size. Overall, the Italian Shepherd is a unique dog that can look different depending on each individual dog.

Personality:

The Italian Shepherd is known to be a very loyal dog. Although not typically aggressive, it is very powerful. Without reason, the Italian Shepherd is unlikely to attack. When it comes to protecting it's home and family, the Italian shepherd will almost certainly attack. However; when outside of it's home territory, it will likely never attack. The adaptability of the dog's herding skills and guarding skills are what make it so smart. These traits make the Italian Shepherd an excellent dog for owners who need a sheepdog, while also needing a guard dog. The intelligence of the Italian Shepherd combined with it's traits make it a very talented breed.