Cane Corso Dog Breed: What You Need to Know
Big, bold and beautiful is the only way to describe the Cane Corso. This big Italian breed has a long history of being a very popular dog, and it has a great ability to scare off many and most people thanks to its excellent size and its intimidating stature. Because it is such a big dog, many people have long since developed their own opinions of the cane corso and what it means to have one. They are terrified having never known one and they allow the size of this impressive breed to prevent them from getting to know it; and that’s just fine with Cane Corso owners who love this dog as a protector. However, there is much that you might not know about the Cane Corso and its background, which is why it’s important to educate yourself about this beautiful breed before making a decision to or not to add it to your own family.
Personality and Temperament
The Cane Corso is a very strong breed, and it requires a very strong owner. It’s been recommended by the American Kennel Club that no one who has never owned a dog before should look into this particular breed. The Cane Corso was not created for brand new dog owners with no experience with dogs in the past. This is a breed that has a lovely personality, but it needs someone strong and dominant to keep it in check and to keep it from wanting to be the one in charge and in control at home.
Despite the Cane Corso’s large and intimidating size, however, this is a wonderful family dog. This dog’s first and natural instinct is to protect the people that it loves and cares for, which makes it a natural protector. Fiercely loyal and not about to back down when it feels that its family is in danger, this dog lives to protect, and it feels most protective toward the children in its family. The Cane Corso seems to almost have a natural ability to want to protect children more than anyone else, much the same way that any parent or adult might feel in the same situation.
Eager to please and easy to train, the Cane Corso does make a great pet. It’s intelligent, so it learns quickly. It’s also not a very active dog, and is more docile than anything, which is often nice for those who want the dog around their kids so that they can ensure he’s not getting out of hand in an attempt to play with them.
Lifestyle and Expectation
The Cane Corso is a beautiful family dog, but this is not a dog that is meant to live in a small home. This is not a dog for an apartment. The Cane Corso needs a large home with a large yard and plenty of space. While he is not known for his overly active personality, he needs space. He’s a large dog with a big body, a big head and a big need for space.
The Cane Corso is a large dog, and it needs space. The average size for the particular breed is around 28 inches tall and upwards of 110 pounds. It’s a big dog. It’s not the biggest dog in the world, but it’s also not a lap dog no matter how much this breed tries to get in your lap and cuddle with you when it’s feeling the urge. Females are often a bit smaller than males, but there is no guarantee that this will always happen or that you will not end up with a Cane Corso that is just a little bit off when it comes to weight or height based on gender.
The Cane Corso is not the kind of dog that you will have in your family throughout the kids’ entire childhood. The average lifespan for a Cane Corso is only 10 to 12 years, which does not put in the long-lived category.
Exercise and Grooming
When it comes to exercise, you’re going to want to make sure your Cane Corso gets to take at least one long walk per day. Without a huge amount of energy, this dog is not going to be begging you for time in the yard, but he needs it to expend what energy he does have to that he’s content and not overly bored in the house. A bored dog is very often a destructive dog, and no one wants a destructive dog in the house making a mess and getting into trouble. Playtime with the kids in the yard is nice, a walk is nice, and a few trips to the park every week will make this dog a very happy one.
When it comes to grooming a Cane Corso, you are in luck. These are not dogs that shed too much, nor do they have a very long coat. They do shed, but the best way to minimize that issue around the house is by keeping this dog’s coat brushed quickly once or twice a week. It helps remove dead and dying fur from the body into a brush rather than on your flooring.
Breed History
The Cane Corso has a very diverse history. For centuries, this beautiful Italian dog has been used for two things; as a dog that protects his or her family and as a catch dog. What this means is that the dog was used to catch animals while hunting and bring them back to the hunter. In more recent years, however the dog has been used more as a guard dog for flocks of sheep and cattle in places where it’s not uncommon for others come in and help themselves to someone else’s livestock.
Around the 20th century, however, the Cane Corso began to diminish greatly in its numbers, becoming almost extinct. It took nearly the entire century to bring the numbers up. Now people tend to want to have this breed as a pet more than anything else; and that works for the Cane Corso.
Photos by Getty Images
We have a big male, named Quintus Arrius, after a character in the movie “Ben Hur”, a Roman general and consul. Quintus is 155 pounds and just super gentle and considerate. He acted as a superb parent to our two German Shepherds when they were puppies. He has a definite sense of humor and is very affectionate. His mighty woof is literally house rattling and he can look most intimidating when he strikes his battle stance. But, he is really super friendly. He loves chasing big Jolly Balls, playing tug-o-war and digging in the yard. He is a powerful digger. As a young dog, Quintus chewed a lot. He basically ate the kitchen stoop, which had to be rebuilt. Today, he is very calm and easy going. Everyone should have a cane corso at some point in their life.