Getting a new puppy - Cane Corso

[Violet21]

Hi everyone,

I am new here, I have a Goldren Retreiver and I am getting a Cane Corso puppy in a few days! Aka, Itallian Mastiff.

My boyfriend is experienced with Chows, which are also a dominant breed.
I am not tho! lol.

I am looking to get advice on this beautiful dog, anyone else have one of these babies? I am wondering what I should have ready for her when she gets home, aside from the basics. I hope she settles in okay with our 5 cats and my Golden, Zac.

YAY i am so excited! I can't quit looking up pics and stuff on the net hehe.

 

[Dizzy]

Never even met one

But have you seen this?

http://www.italianmastiff.net/cane/

 

[Violet21]

Thanks for that link! I can't get enough reading on these guys.

I really want to be prepared for my little girl.

 

[bubbatd]

What color are you getting ?? Would love to see a picture of your Golden !!

 

[Zoom]

I don't have one myself, but I'm around a handful quite often. You may need to develop a dominent streak in yourself, because these dogs do require some firm but loving handling.

They're also leaners and you will develop very strong leg muscles from trying to keep your balance.

I met an 11 week old brindle girl this morning out at the park...she was ADORABLE!

 

[corsomom]

Hi I have two corsos, females, one is 10 months and one is 18 months.

 

[Barb04]

I'm so excited for you. You'll have to post a pic of her and the rest of your family. Do you have a name picked out?

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Violet,

Do you have training class set up for your puppy? What and how much training do you plan for her?

What sort of socialization plan do you have worked out for her?

Do you plan to crate train?

How old will she be when you get her?

How do you plan to housetrain?

What are you intentions if she ends up not getting along with the Golden?

Do you own your home? If so, have you spoken to your home owner's about getting this dog? Certain breeds will not be insured with many companies.

What sort of fencing do you have?

Do you have locks on your gates?

Do you have baby gates?

How do you plan to deal with the territorial and protective nature of a CC in the future when she is mature?

Are your gas or electric meters inside your fence area? If so, you will need to remedy this, as an adult CC is not going to tolerate strangers coming into it's territory.

This is a big powerful very serious breed of dog. I am very concerned about some of your past posts about dealing with issues in dogs.

If you don't have the answers to ALL Of these questions, some accelerated study is in order.

 

[Gempress]

I'm very excited for you! I think cane corsos are gorgeous dogs. But I do agree with Red.

I'm not trying to put you on the spot or anything. But a cane corso is a very serious, intense dog, and you will run into the issues Red mentioned.

 

[bubbatd]

Sure will be a big difference from your Golden !

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomf...yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/canecorsos.html

http://www.canecorsoitaliano.com/

http://www.canecorso.org/

http://www.rarebreed.com/breeds/cane_corso/cane_history.html

 

[Serena]

I dont want to discourage you...well maybe to an extent I do but what is your experience with dogs?

A Cane Corso is not a "beginners" dog, and as Red mentioned some of your past posts give reason for concern when dealing with issues in dogs..and some of the things you have posted give me concern that this breed of dog brought into your household will be a danger to yourself and others.

How long have you looked into the breed before deciding upon getting one and what made you decide upon one?

I hope your reason for wanting one are a lot deeper than wanting a dog to guard and protect you, because any dog can and is quite capable of protecting...Your Golden will protect you if it was actually needed...Seriously if you lack experience in handling large dominant dogs than this probably is not the breed you want to start out with.

In the right hands with an experienced owner they are a very devoted and loyal breed, in the wrong hands they are a time bomb waiting to go off and they can be a major liability...

 

[dirtmcgirt]

I definitely have to agree with Red and Serena on some things..
I have a 9 month old Corso and she is a handful.. I know that there are not a lot of owners out there who would be willing to put in the work that it takes to own one of these... I hope that you are.

You know that Socialization is the key. I made sure that Demi was out and about daily meeting new people and other dogs. She was enrolled in puppy pre-school before we even brought her home for the first time.


They are a very dominent breed and I hope that you are aware of this.
Where are you getting this puppy from? Is it a reputable breeder? Have you met it's parents? The parents temperments can tell a lot about how the puppy could grow up.

But in the end.. if you do things the correct way.. establish early that you are the Alpha. Socialize, socialize, and socialize some more. Keep up formal training throughout the dogs entire life, and you know, just work hard at it. You will have one of the most wonderful pets that you could ever ask for..

Demi has a great personality and loves to learn..

 

[JennSLK]

If you do not have experiance with HIGHLY dominate dogs I would NOT get a CC. Your BF has experiance with Chows? Well CC's will bring dominance to a whole new level. They are great dogs if handled by a highly experianced owner. Personally I think they are harder that pits and staffies.

They can have alot of small animal agression (at least the ones I know). So watch out for your cats.

What are your answers to Red's questions?

 

[dirtmcgirt]

If you do not have experiance with HIGHLY dominate dogs I would NOT get a CC. Your BF has experiance with Chows? Well CC's will bring dominance to a whole new level. They are great dogs if handled by a highly experianced owner. Personally I think they are harder that pits and staffies.

They can have alot of small animal agression (at least the ones I know). So watch out for your cats.

What are your answers to Red's questions?

I wouldn't go as far as to way that they are 'harder' than pits and staffies. I have been around a lot of pits and other bully breeds and there were some that had very good temperments, and some that it didn't seem like anyone could control...

But I have also been around many German Shepherds that were dominant and out of control.

There are many breeds out there that have been labeled as bad breeds. There is no such thing. There are just breeds, and breeds that take a lot more control and work on the owners part. I myself don't believe that a Corso is any worse of an animal than a Rotty per say.. Different dogs just have different needs..

My Corso has shown no aggression towards small animals, including cats, squirels, or chiuahuas Not that some don't, but again, it just depends on the dog and the owner..

I would agree though that if you do not have any experience with Large, dominating breeds, then this is probably not a good breed for you at this point. I just wouldn't go as far as to slap the muzzle on the puppy before it is even given a chance. It just takes the right kind of owner..

 

[PerkyPawsCafe]

I would make an appointment with a good, positive, dog trainer now. I LOVE when I get clients (I'm a dog trainer too), BEFORE they have any problems. So much better to get on the right track from the get go instead of trying to undo behaviors. Very different dogs from your typical Golden! I too have a Golden, but he's not typical! LOL
~Tonya

 

[oriondw]

This is an accident waiting to happen

 

[oriondw]

I wouldn't go as far as to way that they are 'harder' than pits and staffies. I have been around a lot of pits and other bully breeds and there were some that had very good temperments, and some that it didn't seem like anyone could control...

But I have also been around many German Shepherds that were dominant and out of control.

There are many breeds out there that have been labeled as bad breeds. There is no such thing. There are just breeds, and breeds that take a lot more control and work on the owners part. I myself don't believe that a Corso is any worse of an animal than a Rotty per say.. Different dogs just have different needs..

My Corso has shown no aggression towards small animals, including cats, squirels, or chiuahuas Not that some don't, but again, it just depends on the dog and the owner..

I would agree though that if you do not have any experience with Large, dominating breeds, then this is probably not a good breed for you at this point. I just wouldn't go as far as to slap the muzzle on the puppy before it is even given a chance. It just takes the right kind of owner..

A male CC at around 2 years of age will be a nightmare compared to a same age pit or staffie if you look at just dominance side of the breeds.

You have to consider your CC is a puppy and is a female.

Makes a big difference. My dog didnt show any aggression toward people/dogs when he was 8 months old either

 

[dirtmcgirt]

A male CC at around 2 years of age will be a nightmare compared to a same age pit or staffie if you look at just dominance side of the breeds.

You have to consider your CC is a puppy and is a female.

Makes a big difference. My dog didnt show any aggression toward people/dogs when he was 8 months old either

From a Dominance standpoint, then yes you are probably right.. I have known 3 Corsos for an extended amount of time, and I would have to say that a male CC tends to be very dominant.. But as far as aggression, in my experience, I wouldn't say that they are more so than pits or staffies...

And yes, this is one major reason that I did go with a female.. I know the amount of work that it is taking for her, let alone a male.

 

[Violet21]

Violet,

Do you have training class set up for your puppy? What and how much training do you plan for her?

What sort of socialization plan do you have worked out for her?

Do you plan to crate train?

How old will she be when you get her?

How do you plan to housetrain?

What are you intentions if she ends up not getting along with the Golden?

Do you own your home? If so, have you spoken to your home owner's about getting this dog? Certain breeds will not be insured with many companies.

What sort of fencing do you have?

Do you have locks on your gates?

Do you have baby gates?

How do you plan to deal with the territorial and protective nature of a CC in the future when she is mature?

Are your gas or electric meters inside your fence area? If so, you will need to remedy this, as an adult CC is not going to tolerate strangers coming into it's territory.

This is a big powerful very serious breed of dog. I am very concerned about some of your past posts about dealing with issues in dogs.

If you don't have the answers to ALL Of these questions, some accelerated study is in order.

You shouldn't assume I am an idiot just because you are a breeder....

Of course we are going to have her in training. We are going to do puppy kindergarden, and all the levels of obedience training.

My boyfriend is experienced with dominant dogs, and this dog is going to be "his" dog. I will of course do everything I need to have the dog respect me, as my boyfriend and trainers show me. He has a chow that lives with his ex now, and he is a great dog.. they are very hard to train!

We are going to crate train but not for being locked away. Just so he has his special place, the same as my golden does. I never shut the door unless the mailman is coming to the door and i dont want him to run up and be friendly.

If she/he doesn't get along with my Golden we will get someone in to help us train her. I see no reason why she wouldn't.. we are getting a puppy.. and will socialize her super well! She will come to doggy daycare to socialize with other dogs as well as obedience classes.

Housetraining we will see how she is. We will probably try to take her outside much as possible and lay down puppy pads at night, in case she needs to go. most likely i will hear her and take her outside. (or him)

We own our home, didn't know about the insurance thing, have 6 foot cedar fence and the gates will be locked. She isn't going to be left alone in the backyard either..

We have the babygates and we are going to have all the neighboors aware of our dog. We are friends with the neighbors and want them to be safe. We want the dog to be friendly with them over the fence, and we are not gonna have her an outside dog ever, so not really worried.

She/he is going to go outside every day with us, be with us in public all the time just like my golden. Shes gonna go to doggy daycare where there is also a doberman, and a pitbull amound many other kinds of dogs that have been playing with my Golden for over a year there. It is awesome!
She is going to be a very nice doggy, and have lots of friends..