Cane Corso Dog Breed

Below are details and specs for the Cane Corso dog breed.

Cane Corso are large dogs that are not for small home or apartment dwellers, ideally. If you insist on keeping them in a small dwelling, they need plenty of outdoor exercise. Their huge heads and strong, muscular bodies total a whopping 88 to 110 plus pounds! Females are on the smaller side of this scale and stand 23-26 inches at the shoulder while males are at the larger end, reaching 24-28 inches.

Proponents of the Cane have excellent points on why this dog is the best; they are intelligent, easily trained, protective, docile, affectionate, good with kids and other pets, easily groomed and appear noble and elegant. Things to consider also are the absolute necessity to train them from an early age to see you as the authority and to give them plenty of room and exercise. This should prevent them from running your household, being aggressive over food and toys, and becoming destructive. Members of this breed, intensely loyal and confident, make excellent guard dogs and appear quite intimidating; if trained properly they can easily distinguish between an acquaintance and a threat.

The Cane Corso can be considered a medium maintenance breed. Grooming will be easy; just brush once per week and regularly check the teeth, nails, and ears for signs of needed maintenance. It is important to note these dogs are light shedders. Members of this breed are easily trained and enjoy pleasing the owner, making them good choices for first time owners. Special attention must be paid to performing this consistently at a young age, making 100% sure that you are the dominant one. Lastly, this is a large dog with fairly large exercise needs; outdoor playtime is a must and a walk, daily, no exceptions. They enjoy doing sports, hikes, runs, etc. with their families.

The Cane has its origin in Italy and was very much unknown anywhere else until 1988; they are particularly unchanged in Southern Italy (Puglia, Sannio, Lucania) where they are now mostly companion dogs. This would be especially important since they faced extinction in the 1970s but were able to rebound due to these well-preserved farm specimens. The name comes from the Latin "Cohors" or "protector/guardian". In Italian Cane means "dog" and Corsus means "strong and robust". They go far back, to as early as 1137 A.D., and are a clearly of the Molossus type. In fact, this breed is directly descended from the Canis Pugnax which was the Roman Molossian; they are also closely related to their later occuring cousin the "Neapolitan Mastiff", which also is directly descended from the Canis Pugnax. The Cane is lighter and more versatile than the latter.

Members of this breed hunted large game such as wild boar and participated in battles and wars. They also guarded livestock, property, and, of course, people. According to the breeds U.S. club the Cane Corso Association of America, the breed is so prized in Italy that many phrases exist that exemplify their traits and compare them to human counterparts; one such example being: Can corso can be used to describe a man that is proud in his attitude and respect.

Around the start of WWI the economy and farming areas of Italy were both in decline, causing Cane Corsi to lose their jobs; even the farms that made through rough times began replacing them with machines. WWI and WWII also ravaged the population of this breed due to all the disaster and destruction along with most owners being called to arms. By the 1970's they were nearly extinct until a group of Italian men revived the breed with existing specimens from southern Italy.

By 1983 the first breed club, the Society Amatori Cane Corso was established in Italy. Canes were not imported into America until after 1988 (by Michael Sottile SR), however, the AKC acknowledges them as the 36th most popular breed! The ENCI added this breed in 1994 while the FCI followed suit in 1996. The Stock Foundation Service also added this breed in 1996, yet they were not fully recognized by the AKC until 2010.

The Cane Corso appears strong, muscular and slightly intimidating at first glance. Upon closer inspection they possess a smart and noble, and they move with easy grace that some refer to as "majestic". In true Molossus style, they have a head so large and wide it measures almost one-third the height at the shoulders. While the skull has a downward slope, the nose arches slightly upward. The neck has a bit of dewlap and transitions nicely in a broad, deep chest (reaching half the height) and muscular shoulders that sit just above the back line. They possess muscular, straight and well-proportioned forelegs leading into round feet with toes arched in a catlike manner. Canes have hind legs that begin in broad and muscular thighs, are also straight and end in oval feet with arched toes. The short, shiny coat lies close to the skin and appears slightly thicker when the undercoat grows out in cold weather; note that the coat is not smooth, but coarse and waterproof.

Canes are amazing family dogs due to their affectionate and protective nature, especially with children. They are eager to please the family and will happily join in outdoor activities and adventures. If trained and socialized as a puppy, they will fare well in a multi pet household and should not see smaller pets as prey. Although they have hunting roots, they specialized in large game. They should also naturally be docile and protective around livestock, as they have been farm guardians during the majority of their history.

Members of this breed share an affectionate bond with their owners; this coupled with their traits of intelligence and confidence make them easy to train. They can be molded into excellent guard dogs since they are eager to please their owners yet naturally docile enough to be able to assess the difference between a friend and unwanted stranger. Nearly all owners agree that training is so attainable that Cane Corsi will do fine with a first time owner. However, not confident and smart breeds need to be trained early or they will not see you as the leader; time must be spent teaching this gentle giant the family hierarchy.

They do not fare very well if left alone for extended periods of time. They form close and affectionate bonds with their owner and prefer to be near them. They also ideally should not be crated or confined to small spaces for long portions of the day; they are large dogs that desire exercise.

Some things owners can do to ensure their Cane Corso has the proper temperament (so they don't dominate you) are as follows: Training them where to sleep, not overbonding with them, socialization with pets and kids, potty training and bathing, and finally and MOST IMPORTANTLY who is the boss (human). If these things are not done consistently and early, you may find yourself with a 110-pound problem. Canes are not aggressive, especially towards known people, however, if you find them being snappy over his possessions or when you move him, as well as pulling the leash or not listening when you want him off the couch-- he has not properly trained to see you as the dominant being. Naturally being a gentle, docile and affectionate breed, they will thrive on your praise and treats.

Hip dysplasia is a possibility later in life and can lead to arthritis and degenerative joint disease. Bloat is also not uncommon in large dogs and should be monitored by feeding them appropriately (2 times per day) and watchfully, making sure that bolting and gulping are discouraged. Cane Corsi are also susceptible to Demodex Mange that can be triggered by a variety of reasons, even stress. Evidence suggests their genes makes them more likely to have defects in their immune system which allow these triggers to easily become uncontrolled and allow the mites that normally live in the hair follicles to thrive to dangerous numbers. Strangely, eyelid abnormalities are also common to this breed such as: entropion (inward curling), ectropion (outward curling) and cherry eye (glandular malfunction). Regular checkups at your veterinarian will help to monitor and even prevent many health issues allowing your Cane to achieve the 10-11 year lifespan.