Are you thinking about owning a cane corso? Here is some information to help with your decision to embark on a future with a cane corso. The decision should not be taken lightly, as you will have your new family member for about 10 years or more, and as life changes from time to time you will need to accommodate and make arrangements not only to fit your life but also your cane corsos life. Remember that he will be your new family member for his entire life.
Commitment : The cane corso is not a toy, it is a serious and powerful dog that requires a committed owner. You will need to train him from an early age so that he is well behaved and can reach his potential. If your training skills are a bit rusty you will need to train yourself and go to classes so that you can train your cane corso correctly. There will be many vet appointments that will sting the wallet, and you will need to attend the appointments at the correct times e.g. vaccinations. Are you turned off yet? If so then the cane corso may not be for you. The committed owner will be rewarded personally, with a loyal, well behaved and impressive friend that the owner knows he helped develop.
Cost : Cheap? NOT! The cane corso is not a cheap dog. First there is the initial purchase of an elite and rare breed, then comes the flight home, first vet visit, bedding, bowls, toys, preparing fencing for your yard, puppy preschool, more vet and vaccinations, high quality dog food, strong dog leads, dog wash and parasite control, grooming utensils, and all of these expenses you can expect by the time your new puppy reaches six months of age. You may also want to consider the cost for a boarding kennel if you go on holidays. Now if you decide to go further, like show or breed, then really be prepared to open your wallet. Before embarking on a commitment with a cane corso, please ask yourself, am I financially secure and could I afford the extra costs.
Contract : Most reputable breeders will require a contract to be signed before they will release a puppy or dog. The breeders put a lot of work into providing the best dogs within their means and usually have their contracts set out for the best intentions of the breed and protection of their pedigrees that they have worked hard to produce, and for you to enjoy. Remember, that when you sign a contract it will be for the entire life of the dog.
Protective instinct : A cane corso has a strong protective instinct. He will bond strongly with his family as a puppy and protect it with his life when he grows into an adult. He is an outstanding deterrent for intruders. We do not provoke this trait at Renombre, it comes naturally with the cane corso and we do not see the need to intensify it unnecessarily.
Family : A cane corso loves his family. He would be happy being next to his family all day long. He loves a pat and the odd treat. He fits in well with the family as he seems to have intuition and can understand hand gestures well.
Grooming : A regular wash and quick bush over is all that is required for the coat. The cane corso has short hair that is easy to maintain. The toe nails will need a clip when they get long. Handle their toes a lot when they are puppies through to adults, this will get them used to your hands touching their toes which will make nail clipping easier. A daily check for parasites like paralysis ticks will help keep your cane corso healthy.
Drooling : Yes, there will be drool. But we find that drool is more apparent on warmer days or when doing activity. The drool is not excessive. The rest of the time we do not see the drool.
Exercise : The cane corso is very athletic with bursts of power. Some daily activity is a must. We recommend keeping the activity level at low key until they have reached adult, this will let their fast growing bones and muscles develop correctly without injury.
Trainability : Highly trainable. The cane corso is intelligent and responds well to good training. A good place to start would be at your local dog obedience club. He is quite versatile with his trainability, today the cane corso is utilised for things like police work, obedience trails, conformation showing, trek and trail work, therapy dog, weight pull competitions, protection.
Not for everyone : You may adore your cane corso and think that you have the Ferrari of the dog world, but be mindful of others. People have different tastes and likes. Some people may not want to go near your powerful cane corso. Owning a dog like this requires responsibility and understanding that your dog may not be for everyone.
Tail and ears cropping : The cane corso standard mentions that the tail and ears are often cropped. In Australia cropping of dogs tails and ears is illegal. You can only get a cropped tail or ears cane corso in Australia if you import it from overseas.
Children : The cane corso loves all of his family. We have children, and as with all large breeds we recommend interactions with children be supervised at all times. The cane corso will love to play with children, but remember that they are large and athletic dogs that could accidently knock a child over. Not only should your cane corso be trained to act appropriate around children, but your children will need to be taught on how to interact with dogs. We teach our children things like, no throwing sticks at dogs, no pulling ears on dogs, no pulling dogs tails, no jumping on dogs, no yelling at dogs, no going near the dogs food. We also recommend locking your cane corso away when children’s friends are over for play, remember that the cane corso has a protective instinct and what might seem like a bit of push and shove or tom foolery between children might not be seen the same way by your cane corso.
Size : The cane corso standard mentions the Height at withers : Males from 64 to 68 cm, females from 60 to 64 cm. Tolerance of 2 cm more or less, and Weight : Males from 45 to 50 kg, females from 40 to 45 kg. Ideally breeders aim to meet this standard, but there are some cane corsos that are larger, and sometimes the females are just as big as the males.
Other pets : Other pets can live in coexistence with a cane corso. We must envisage from an early age, training training training.
Socialisation : This is a must. You want your strong cane corso to be confident, stable and well behaved around other dogs and unfamiliar situations. Socialisation starts at day one. Ensure all vaccinations are up to date and enough time has past for vaccinations to take effect before introductions to other dogs outside your premises. You can start introductions to items and noises slowly, as soon as your cane corso arrives at home.
Diet : What to choose? There are many different types of food, kibble, barf, grains, meats, vegetable, and on and on and on. We like to keep a common sense approach. What works for your life situation and keeps the dog in tip top condition at the same time. We like to use good quality foods and maintain variety for our dogs to ensure they have the opportunity to gain a variety of vitamins and minerals from a range of sources. You will be able to tell if you are doing the right thing, the coat will be shiny, the dog will maintain condition, the teeth will be healthy, the eyes will be clear, the mood of the dog will be happy, and best of all you will find yourself not at the vet. We try to keep clear of the cheap foods, as we are believers in that you get what you pay for. But what I find best is, research research research, and then use what works best for you and your cane corso.
Intuition : A cane corso should be intuitive. He should be able to distinguish friend from foe just by the mannerism of his owner. He should be able to determine if something or an item has changed. He should be able to adjust his attitude accordingly to a family situation. An example with one of our cane corsos, we had the tie rod ends on our car replaced and when it arrived home and was parked in the garage our cane corso paused, as he could tell that something was different with the car, instead of just smelling around the car he actually crawled up under it and smelt directly on one tie rod end and then went straight over and smelt the other tie rod end on the other side of the car, he didn’t worry about checking the rest of the car, he was happy and content knowing the difference to car, and then he went on with his usual day.
Maturity : Your cane corso will be fully mature around two and a half to three years old. This is when you can begin to truly admire what your cane corso has become.