The Cane Corso, or Italian Mastiff, is a strong and noble breed that almost disappeared in the mid-20th century.
After a group of enthusiasts came together to revive the breed in the 1970s, they have only gained popularity. They are loved both as family pets and as guard dogs. The breed name roughly translates to ‘the bodyguard’!
These dogs need training and intensive care. They need a job to focus on or they can become extremely destructive.
The Cane Corso, also known as Dogo di Puglia, is an Italian breed, whose origins date back to the times of the Roman Empire.
Still very widespread in Italy, particularly in the South, the Cane Corso is an imposing, strong, and resistant dog, which both in the imagination and in reality loves and defends the family and the home with all of itself.
The name “Corsican” has sometimes been misunderstood and interpreted as “Corsican”, but has already said it is a breed selected in Italy. Corso derives from the Latin feminine noun cŏhors, which can be translated both as “courtyard” and this makes us understand the attitude of this breed to contact with humans.
In this article, we will talk about the Cane Corso Italiano, a breed that can be safely recommended to people who buy a four-legged friend for the first time. Loyal, fearless, intelligent, possessing excellent guarding qualities – this dog will win your heart forever.
Breed Overview
History of the Cane Corso
The history of the Cane Corso is very ancient and fascinating that tells the life of the Romans up to the present day. The Cane Corso is considered the greatest testimony of an ancestral breed that has maintained its particular characteristics over the centuries.
The term “Corso” comes from the Greek Kortos (enclosure) and the Latin Cohors (guard, protector): in fact, its Roman Molossian ancestors were used for centuries as a guard of livestock and property, as personal defense, war aid, and for hunting.
The Cane Corso has thus preserved its aggressive, combative, and strong nature over time.
For many years the traditional uses of the Cane Corso have been reduced: now it is considered a companion animal and, thanks to this change and the social life in which it participates today, it has learned to react only when necessary, to a faithful life partner.
The character of Cane Corso
The Cane Corso is an intelligent, gentle, sweet, loyal, and protective dog towards its owner whom it is very attached to and he loves to spend time with his owner. your home and family will be protected beyond a shadow of a doubt by this big and cuddly dog.
There are some people who still think that the Cane Corso is dangerous, in reality, this breed is not dangerous in a general sense the Cane Corso is not dangerous, on the contrary.
The Cane Corso, in reality, is one of the best and sweetest breeds that exist! His temperament is sweet, affectionate, affable. Their size and strength can make for some problems if not trained properly.
He has a balanced character and will never show aggression towards a stranger unless he sees the friendly attitude of the guest towards the owner. If he feels a threat, he controls the situation and makes it clear to others that everything is under control. He Attacks only at the command of the owner or in response to aggressive actions.
If you have pets, Corso will love to be with them. Even if at first the “old-timers” take it “with hostility.” Perfectly finds a common connection with cats, and with parrots, and small dogs.
The Cane Corso dog is suitable for children, above all because it is docile and playful, even if at times it can be a bit lazy. Despite its size, it has a heart of gold, just like other large dogs such as Saint Bernard, Rottweiler the quintessential gentle giant.
Corso has a very developed “parental instinct”, which instructs them to protect and protect those who are smaller and weaker. Cane Corso will be happy to play with both children and adults.
The appearance of Cane Corso
Cane Corso is a large, muscular dog, the oldest representative of the Molossian group, and the national pride of Italian dog breeding. The Cane Corso is a medium-large size Molosser, strongly built but elegant, as per the official breed standard, the Cane Corso must have an average size at the withers of 64-68 cm for the male and 60-64 cm for the female. , with a tolerance of 2 cm more or less, the weight 45-50 kg for the male, 40-45 kg for the female adult dogs weigh, depending on gender, 45-50 kg and 40-45 kg, respectively.
The size of the dog should not be surprising, because the breed was bred for security, hunting, and combat needs. The Cane Corso has well-developed muscles. They are sturdy, strong, and elegant at the same time. The body is somewhat stretched, the withers are noticeable, the chest is powerful, developed, the back is straight, strong, and muscular, the loin is strong and short, the croup is long, slightly sloping, the limbs are strong and muscular.
The head is large. The jaws are large, powerful, dense undershot. The eyes are oval, slightly protruding, as a rule, dark in color, but can be lighter in color, with a dark rim, the gaze is attentive and curious. The nose is black with large nostrils.
The ears are pendant, triangular in shape with a wide base, not cropped. The tail is set high, of natural length. Hair double-layered, the inner undercoat is fine, while the outer coat is made up of short, very dense, and shiny hair. It can have different colors.
Colors the specimens of this breed can show a variety of colors in their coat, as it can range from black, various shades of gray (lead-gray, slate gray, or light gray), fawn (both light and dark) or red fawn, even brindle (stripes on a gray or tawny background of various shades).
Training
The process of raising a Cane Corso puppy should begin from the very first day of his appearance in the house. First of all, teach your puppy to basic cleanliness and potty. The most necessary commands are: “Come to me!”, “Fu!”, “Sit!”, “Next!”, “Stand!”, “Lie down!”, “Place!”
If you don’t like something about the puppy’s behavior, try to correct it, preferably in the early stages. Disobedience should not involve physical punishment. Walking with him in the park or outside the city, fill your dog’s free time with any kind of sports training.
Dog training should take place on an empty stomach. This will stimulate the puppy to accurately follow all commands to receive encouragement – a delicious treat. Do not forget to also praise your pet, which will be an additional expression of your love for him.
How do you train a Cane Corso to stop being aggressive?
- Work on early socialization: The period leading up to 16 weeks is vital for your Cane Corso. If the puppy is kept locked up in the kennel, or is in his new home but not taken out during this time, he will get nervous around anyone or something he doesn’t know. Some instructors will tell you that it is enough to bring your dog in “puppies” and allow him to meet strange humans and other dogs. I think Cane Corso needs more. Puppies need to be taken out, even before the last round of vaccines and turned around to meet other people and other dogs. Yes, there is a danger of infectious diseases. When the sensitive socialization period is missing, however, the best opportunity to teach your dog is over.
- Start Early Obedience Training: As soon as you get your Cane Corso at home, you should start training. Don’t expect him to be a teenager and too strong to handle. Young puppies can learn the basics early, so get started today.
- Provide Leadership: A Cane Corso will observe your behavior more than most small dogs. You can give a command by having him sit down before being fed, have him wait at the door before letting him out, and tell him to lie down and wait in silence while you are busy eating or working. The best way to provide leadership and decrease your puppy’s chances of displaying dominant aggression is to start with obedience classes. Positive training without strength is best for Cane Corso.
- Keep socializing: Walking your dog will not make up for a lack of early socialization. If your puppy has never been taken out of the yard for the first four months, he will be shy and things will be tough for you. If he isn’t properly socialized as a puppy, or even if he is, you should socialize him as an adult to reduce shyness and reduce the chances of him developing aggression with other dogs. Shyness can be learned or inherited, and your Cane Corso can run, hide or stand and bite. When you take your dog out for a walk every day bring a bag of his favorite treats with you, something very special. Whenever a new person meets him, they allow him to give him a surprise.
- Stop aggression as soon as your dog starts: If your dog shows signs of aggression as he gets older, you need to let him know it’s not okay. Moderately aggressive signs such as staring at your visitors, growling, or even barking should be controlled by obedience commands. Tell your dog to sit and then lie down so that he is in a less dominant posture.
How to train a Cane Corso to walk on a leash
Usually, leash training begins at an early age. It seems that there are not so many options when an adult dog does not know how to walk on a leash and does not know what it is.
Introduce your puppy to the collar.
- First, let the new object sniff and look at it calmly. When the alertness has passed, put the collar on your cane Corso dog and allow him to walk around with the new accessory and get used to it.
Tactics:
- Wear the collar every time you take your puppy out for a walk. Gradually, he will form a clear association of walking with a collar.
Common mistakes:
- Never remove the collar from your dog if it tries to do it on its own. Switch her attention, calm him down, and only when he forgets about the object, calmly remove it.
It’s important to know:
- For some dog breeds (eg Chow Chow) a harness is preferred over a collar. This is due to the structural features of animals: they easily slip out of collars.
Before attaching the leash, teach your dog to walk next to you.
- This is one of the important points of training, which should be paid special attention to. The dog must execute the commands “near”, “to the leg” and “to me” without question and from the first time.
Tactics:
- Train your puppy to follow the commands before you start taking him outside. Use treats for this: the first times say the command and show the dog a treat. Gradually, you will get the dog to respond to the command without showing the treat.
Common mistakes:
- Don’t yell at the dog. Your task is to achieve the execution of your command the first time. Screaming, repetition or punishment will only slow down the learning process and cause unnecessary stress for the dog.
Attach the leash to the collar and release the free end.
- Let the dog get comfortable with the new subject.
It’s important to know:
- Puppies love to play. The leash should not become a toy. Don’t let your dog chew on it.
Pick up the leash and try to walk the dog.
Tactics:
- The leash should dangle freely, but if necessary, you can always give it a little tension, thus showing the dog that you are in control, not him.
Common mistakes:
- Do not jerk or pull on the leash. The dog should not feel compelled.
Training a Cane Corso puppy not to bite
Adjust the intensity of the bite
You may think that preventing your puppy from biting right away is a good idea. But doing so would skip a vital stage of your dog’s cognitive development. It is very important for the puppy who bites to learn to recognize the extent beyond which his bite causes pain and thus learn to regulate the pressure he exerts. It helps him develop an internal inhibition that prevents him from resorting to excessive responses in situations of stress or fear.
To teach your puppy not to bite too hard, consider the puppy’s natural way of playing. Gently nibbling is a natural behavior of every puppy, so let him do it; but as soon as the puppy bites your hand with greater intensity, let out a yelp and don’t move your hand.
This tells the dog that he has exaggerated and will soon learn to modulate his strength. All people who play with your puppy must adopt this strategy. Consistency is very important in training a puppy, and repetition helps reinforce each lesson.
No teeth on the skin
Once your puppy has learned to regulate bite intensity with people, you can move on to the next lesson: teaching him not to use his teeth on the skin. To do this, continue with the previous technique but now, in addition to emitting a yelp at the slightest bite that is too intense, it also limps the hand. You will tell the puppy that using your teeth on the skin is not okay because it causes pain.
You can also reinforce this exercise with rewards: close your hand in a fist and squeeze a treat. The puppy will smell the food and try to access it. Only open your hand when it’s not nibbling or scratching your fist.
This will make your puppy understand that you shouldn’t use your mouth with your skin. It takes some time and a lot of patience in this part of training but puppies are a bit like babies – they are programmed to learn and adapt.
Use toys to redirect their attention
Since biting, gnawing, and in general using the mouth are natural behaviors in dogs, we should not eliminate them. From the start, however, the puppy must be clear that biting a toy is okay while biting people’s skin is not. In training the puppy with the previous two lessons, make sure that the dog has toys to bite to make him understand that in the case of toys he can indulge himself, while some limits must be respected with the skin.
Sometimes it’s best to let it go
Puppies and babies have many things in common. One of them is that they sometimes find it hard to focus on a lesson, especially if they are agitated. Often the best thing to do is to let it go: stop training and give the puppy some time to calm down, perhaps with a toy.
Don’t think that depriving him of the lesson with you is a punishment, it’s just a way to allow him to regain his composure. When he has calmed down, go back to training the puppy.
Appease his instinct to “gather the flock”
Puppies of some dog breeds are born with a strong instinct to herd the flock, which prompts them to bite the owner’s heels and ankles in an attempt to keep the “flock” in motion or lead it where they wish. This explains why the dog bites the feet with a particular interest in certain cases!
If your four-legged friend exhibits this behavior, stop each time he bites you and remain motionless, so that he understands that his bite is producing the opposite effect to the desired one. Over time it will stop doing this. Also, avoid using flip-flops, sandals, or similar footwear – they draw too much attention to your feet.
Stay calm and focused
Training a puppy requires a lot of patience and persistence. Your dog may not immediately understand what you are trying to teach him, so stay calm and cool! Maintain focus and continue exercising.
Shouts and scoldings only serve to scare the puppy or generate unnecessary stress, all negative things that the puppy may remember even as an adult and that could cause the very behavior you want to avoid.
If you find that your puppy has particular difficulty learning not to bite, you can always consult a professional trainer. Dogs that bite are a danger to you and others and it is your responsibility to ensure the safety of anyone dealing with your pet.
What do you feed a Cane Corso dog?
Sonal is a Visual Artist and Social Media enthusiast. She is also a community manager of Picovico and enjoys writing and painting in her free time.