Breeding Standards

What Brucellosis Is

Canine brucellosis is a highly contagious reproductive disease caused by Brucella canis. It spreads through breeding fluids, blood, and urine. Once it is introduced into a breeding program, it can move quickly through the kennel and compromise every dog in the environment.

What It Does To A Breeding Program

• Infertility in males
• Miscarriages in females
• Stillborn puppies
• Weak or fading litters
• Testicular infections
• Permanent reproductive damage

There is no reliable cure for breeding dogs. That is why prevention is the only responsible answer. A single untested mating can compromise every dog on the property.

The Iron Legacy Requirement

• Negative Brucellosis test on file for both dogs
• Test completed within 7 to 30 days prior to breeding
• Both the male and the female tested — no unilateral testing
• Documentation exchanged between kennels before the female arrives

Accepted Test Methods

• RSAT — Rapid Slide Agglutination Test. Screening.
• TAT — Tube Agglutination Test. Confirmatory.
• PCR — DNA-based confirmation for equivocal cases.

A positive or equivocal screen requires confirmatory testing before any mating decision is made. Iron Legacy will not proceed on a “probably fine” result.

Why This Policy Matters

Any responsible breeder allowing natural mating between dogs from different kennels should require this test. No exceptions, no shortcuts, no favors for a friend’s stud. Protecting the health of our dogs, the integrity of this program, and the future of the Cane Corso comes before convenience — every time.

The 16-Week Standard

At eight weeks, a Cane Corso puppy is a puppy. Structure is still developing. Bite is still setting. Temperament is still being written. Any breeder who is willing to sell a “guaranteed breeding prospect” at eight weeks is guessing with the buyer’s money.

Iron Legacy does not guess. Breeding prospects are held here to 16 weeks so they can be evaluated on the dog that is actually developing — not the dog we hoped we’d get.

What Happens During Those Extra Weeks

• PennHIP evaluation. Early-age hip laxity screening from an experienced PennHIP-certified veterinarian. Read the details on the Health Testing page.
• Full genetic health panel. Breed-relevant genetic testing complete before the dog leaves the property.
• DNA testing. Embark breeder panel — 200+ markers, parentage verified, disease markers cleared.
• Structural evaluation. Hands-on structural assessment against the AKC Cane Corso standard — bite, angulation, topline, movement.
• Temperament work. Additional weeks of socialization, environmental exposure, and calm-handling foundations.

What The Buyer Gets

• A dog that is tested, vetted, and ready to breed — not one the buyer has to gamble on and re-evaluate at 12 months.
• No conditional agreements. No “wait and see if this hip comes in.” No “this bite may correct itself.”
• Full documentation — PennHIP report, genetic panel, DNA report — delivered with the dog.

What The Buyer Is Responsible For

Continued health investment after placement — final OFA at 24 months, annual cardiac echoes on active breeding dogs, ACVO eye clearances on breeding schedule, and any breed-relevant testing that comes online after the dog leaves — is the buyer’s responsibility. Iron Legacy delivers a foundation of testing and structure that is honest and complete. Maintaining that standard through the dog’s breeding career is on the breeder who owns the dog next.

Why 16 Weeks

Because quality is not a gamble. Because a breeding prospect who is going to shape the next generation of a breed deserves to be evaluated with real information. And because this is how legacies are built — not on eight-week photos, but on 16 weeks of work.