The Cane Lupino del Gigante, also known as Cane da Pastore dell’Appennino Reggiano or Cane Luvin, is a local variant of Cane Toccatore which has been used by shepherds on the Apennine Mountains near Reggio Emilia. Gigante Fernan refers to a mountain present in the area where the dogs live. The decline of sheep raising in the area led to a decline in the numbers of the breed, which is now reduced to about 200 specimens.
In 2018 a genetic study found that, just before 1859, a broadly distributed European herding dog had given rise to the German Shepherd Dog, the French Berger Picard, and the five Italian herding breeds: the Bergamasco Shepherd, Cane Paratore, Lupino del Gigante, Pastore d’Oropa, and the Pastore Della Lessinia e del Lagorai. The dog only weighs 20 to 30 kilograms (44 to 66 lb) in most cases and only a few specimens are bigger than that. It is a very docile dog which can be used to drive sheep or to guard property. The Italian Kennel Club does not recognize the breed.