The post is about Large Breed Guardian Dogs. Now before I begin, my site must be getting lots of traffic lately, every day I am deleting lots of spam, spammers, why bother you will be deleted so just what is the point of it all?
Some dogs are stay in the house dogs, some are kept outside dogs and a lot are a mixture of Stay Outside and Keep Inside as well dogs, Cane Corso fall into this mixture category.
Cane Corso, this is my new furry friend, my fur kid Zelda. This post will be turned into a page soon, and then I will add content to it as we journey together. This is appropriate as it is our combined journey now. Zelda is her name from the Rescue where I picked her up in Barrie Ontario.
looking at camera
In the past I have been trained on how to train Dogs, grew up with dogs, quickly took over the training for our household pets and I am not an expert at all. That being said, I suppose I have more experience with most of the population, but am not a Dog Whisperer or a Full Blown Dog Trainer either.
Some points for you and I to consider are would be well to remember and this is a big one, Dogs are not HUMANS, we try to make them into humans sometimes, treat them like our kids, expect them to behave like humans but they are Dogs. Dogs who are pack animals, they are social, they need social groups and have a definite hierarchy which they fit into in their social group and pack.
They are Dogs, we are humans we have similar social structures and organizations, but we are the ones in charge, need to maintain this for very real reasons. They are with us, not the other way around, we might have a small pen knife, but they have rows of very sharp pointy meat tearing teeth. In the wild, they hunt as a pack, left alone they will hunt for food or for sport, they will attack if frightened or surprised. So training is very important with them and the human as well.
Cane Corso is a breed of friendly and very social guardian dogs, from experience they are as strong as a Rotty/Rotti, Rottweiler dog and as fast as a Doberman, so they are in the Medium to Large breed of Dog. They are athletic, fast, playful and nimble, yet can also be the big lovable goofy Mastiff as well. So a well socialized dog of any size is important, those little ankle bitters are not cute when they are snapping and barking at you, and those types of people are the fist to complain about large dogs. Now can you picture my 90 lb Cane Corso Cross attacking like one of those little furry Kleenex box dogs, boy o boy my insurance would be through the roof.
Sunbath like Nobody is Watching
Here is Zelda’s personality based on her present Cane Corso Doggy personality test. No she did not type it in, I did based on observations of her behaviour. http://www.trainpetdog.com/dogstyles/resnt.php?breed=Cane%20Corso&a=dlstyles
Your Cane Corso’s Learning Style
Training Style: The Rebel with a Cause
They are strong, dominant and rarely give in to anything. They can learn but it takes a while and they really need structure in their day-to-day life as well as in training. House training can take some time since they can be stubborn about it.
Your dog has a dominant personality that can become an aggressive personality if it is not corrected at an early age. If the dog is aggressive, it is very important to use a trainer to correct the aggression problems while you are training. However, if the dog does not have an aggressive nature but is merely strong willed or dominant, then you will still have a challenge with training since the dog may mark or deficate in the house as a sign of dominance.
Generally, dogs that have a dominant personality learn better when there is firm training. Corrections should not be harsh but they should illustrate clearly that you are displeased with the dog. In addition to firm corrections, there should be set rules for these dogs that follow an alpha style training. Your dog should not be boss and he should know that you are the boss. Patience is necessary with this type of dog as is repetition and persistence.
Learn how to train your Cane Corso into a happy, obedient and loving companion
check again
the bigger the stick the better for this Cane Corso Zelda
Since she is a rescue dog, I need to make sure and take more care with her in some situations than I would normally if she was raised by myself. Since I have only had her a few months now, I am constantly watching for behaviour and reactions. So for the first year, She will kept on a short leash so to speak.
goofing around in a submissive manner
These dogs if trained and treated properly integrate into your household and their environment. These dogs are great guardians, although they will need to come into the house as well for socialization. If they do not come into the house you will have problems as they will become problematic, start chewing, destroying things quickly to get your attention and to get out their frustrations.
As guardian dogs, they are not the leave in the pasture or barn all the time dogs, although they will integrate with the animals quickly, they will also be the dominant ones in the barnyard or farm. Cane Corso’s have the intelligence and personality to become the manager when the humans are away, they will be the watchmen and guardians alike. If you have other dogs say straight guardian dogs, well this breed with be their alpha pack leaders. They will also be the alpha pack leaders to Donkeys, LLamas basically anything and everyone who is not higher up the ranks in their social order.
great big paws
So if you have kids, you need to make sure the Cane Corso knows the social and pack level of the kids as well, to avoid problems in the future. I will give
with her sleep buddy
her food before or after my meals, never during and try to avoid table scraps as they have delicate stomachs and boy do they smell sometimes when they are facing North and their South ends are giving you the gas. Can you say open up the window?
Zelda is a typical large breed pack animal, she is better in the Vehicle and the house when she has her sleep buddy with her. In the house it is an orange/pink teddy bear and in the Van it is an orange/pink heart plushy. Without these two things, she gets right anxious and upset, will not sleep through the night.
Since Zelda is a Shelter Dog here are some of her personality traits;
Zelda gets along with every other dog, unless she is on a leash.
getting to know her quirks and pressure points.
Being rejected by 4 family’s must be tough,
she also had 2 foster families and the shelter and that family so
rejected over all 7 times,
actually 8, the original person who abandoned her.
Below are some links, WordPress is having issues with posting links so I will just post them in and you can copy and paste into a new browser window.
Zelda is a Cane Corso cross breed, so she does not look like the full breed completely, I think she is crossed with a Lurcher or a Great Dane. Taller and with the tight little waste that those breeds have. Cane Corso full breed not cross bred has a belly that goes straight across.
Her markings are what is called brindle markings, others come in mostly Solid Black and Blue as well as Tan coloured.
Here are some links to follow, take care with the training, they are Mastiffs so Dominant personalities, need a firm but loving hand.
The first link is an overview, the next few links are more detailed about the breed, training and how they interact and think.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_Corso
http://www.canecorsosoftroy.com/Canecorsoadvice.html
http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/how-to-train-a-cane-corso/
http://www.trainpetdog.com/Cane-Corso/about-cane-corso.html
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/canecorsos.html
The following are some ideas on how to Work your Dog, they are working dogs, once they catch on to what you want it will make their lives better. Like men they need to work in order to feel good about themselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_carting
So if you want a pasture or barn dog for a large breed guardian dog, this is not the dog you want. If you want a dog who is comfortable in the house, in the barn, in the pasture watching, guarding and taking control this is the dog for you.
Kind, loving, protective, smart and sure, all are used to describe Cane Corsos take care and happy dog playing, Yes, Zelda time to go play with sticks in the yard. Good girl wait for me to open the door, wait for me to go out first, be polite, stay and be good. Good girl time to play now
Adults – Large breed dogs take about 3 yrs to become Adult Dogs,
you will find that the personality shifts a bit along the lines of every 6 months their personality mellows or grows; so at 6 months old, then 12 months, then at 1 1/2 yr olds, then 2 and a bit, then 2 1/2 finally around the 3 yrs mark, when they become Adults !
At the 2 1/2 yr mark they normally stop growing in height and put on their bulk. This is their muscle mass and it is normal, although you should just be able to see their ribs up close, you should never be able to see their ribs from 20 ft away. Alternately do not over feed them so they are fat like humans get, that is bad for them as well as us.
Food, mine loves cooked Veggies, never raw veggies now my sisters dogs like Raw veggies so it has to do with the personality most likely, or how they are brought up. I need to talk to other Cane Corso Pack Leaders for more info on this issue of food.
- feed them the best quality food you can,
- they digest better, use the food as fuel and their poops are smaller
- feed them garbage food, then you get huge piles! same as humans
- the food I am feeding her now, says to give 4 1/2 – 5 cups, normally I supplement with a cup of brown rice or veggies etc so she hardly ever gets the full 5 cups
- mine always leaves some food in her dish, so at the end of the night, I pick it up… because I want to sleeeeeepppp !
- she is a late night snacker and will crunch and munch at O about 2-3 am.. !!
These dogs are forever Alpha personality type dogs so you must be in command and make the decisions for the pack. Remember they are DOGS, not humans… you are not their MOM or DAD, you are the pack LEADER ALL THE TIME. To forget this is to have behavioral issues. This is not a cruel thing, this is a natural selection process in all Dogs, Wolves and Coyotes also included are the lesser species that are rapidly dwindling.
Easy Behaviour modifications;
- put the dog on a leash with a choker, do not choke the dog it is only for the sound and slight pressure.
- next make them sit, only when they are sitting and looking at you, when they are attentive to you, do you continue.
- make them heel, then sit, heel then sit, heel then sit, sit then heel, right turn, left turn sit.
- this reinforces that you are in charge, once you do this they will be respectful of the PACK leaders wishes and decisions normally for a day or so, it all depends on the dog
- when taking them in or out of the house, stand in front of them, do not allow them to push past ever!
- Stand in front, When they have calmed and only when they have calmed allow them to exit the building or vehicle
- if they have issues when meeting other dogs, put your body in between them and the other dog, hopefully the person holding onto the other dog will have enough brains to do the same! HOPEFULLY
- other dogs, once they are used to you being in front of them holding them back when other dogs or people approach, then you may
- allow them to keep walking with you, you in between them and the other dog, this is the next level up in training.
- Defending; train them to defend you and your family, BY loving them and being kind to them! That is the secret!! They are fully reprogrammed to protect the ones that are in their pack and they are bonded with, love, affection, loyalty, feed them treats and they will treat you right as well.
This is one of her Car babies, she likes the off pinky/orange colour the best. Without her little sleep buddies, I get no sleep, without them in the Vehicle, there is mayhem sometimes. So she has her little babies in our home, in the vehicle and at my parents place. My Mom and Dad Spoil her! She will also greet people she likes with her Car Baby so let them have it Boy or Girl it seems to calm them and well you do like the inside of your Vehicle don’t you???
Zeldy feels better, grabbing little sticks!
Zelda likes to Fetch, she can play longer than 2 or 3 Adult Males can throw the stick if you let her! She also prefers very large long heavy sticks or small trees or 2×4’s that are hardwood heavy and big. Make them happy get them some large 2×4’s let them chew them, play with them toss them, it is much better than having a bored Cane Corso, much better and safer as well!!!!!
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wild_E 
