cane corso dog

History of origin

The Cane Corso breed appeared a long time ago, but was officially recognized only in 1994. The roots of the breed go back to Roman times. Many experts have come to the conclusion that in this breed there is an admixture of fighting dogs, which were actively developed in Macedonia and Carthage.

Thanks to their “fighting” roots, these dogs are fearless guards and bodyguards. Even the very name “corso” means – protector, guardian.

Different sources say differently: some believe that the nobles went hunting bears with these dogs, others believe that these dogs were good guards of the livestock and property of the owner. Some historians believe that dogs were even used in gladiator fights. Cane Corso was used to entertain the public – dogs participated in battles even with lions. In ancient times, the breed was very popular and was often noted in folklore and proverbs.

In the last 10 – 20 years, they have been carrying out work on the selection of dogs, restoring the courage and instinct of the protector. Now they are far from the level of their gladiator ancestors, but they are still excellent guards and reliable comrades.

Breed description

Cane Corso are quite large dogs, they are good guards and defenders, because it is not scary to walk with them in the dark and you can be trusted to guard an expensive cottage.

The growth of males reaches 68 cm, females – 60. They are strong, strong, but at the same time elegant. They have lean, powerful muscles.

The head is large, wide, the frontal furrow is pronounced. The nose is large, black with wide open nostrils. The jaws are large and massive. The eyes of the dog are of medium size, oval, set straight. Eye color is usually dark brown. The ears are triangular, hanging, wide.

The body is strong and muscular. Chest broad, well developed. Paws are strong and powerful.

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Character

Cane Corso is a protective dog. You can be calm with her – she will go to the end, protecting those she loves. This dog chooses only one owner for its entire life, and it will be very difficult for it to survive if you refuse it. The dog will not survive betrayal and may die.

This Italian breed is renowned for its devotion to its family and distrust of outsiders. The dog always makes it clear to a stranger that he is vigilant and watching.

Cane Corsos are great with children. Dogs are aware of their strength and play very carefully with the child. They are afraid to knock him down, to scare him, because the worst punishment for this breed is a crying child.

The dog always wants to be close to his people, so you should not put him on a chain and in an aviary.

Care and maintenance

With Cane Corso you need to walk a lot – walk for about two hours a day. This is very beneficial for their health.

An important point – you need to keep the coat of the animal in order. It is not difficult – just every day you need to comb it with a stiff comb. Due to the lack of undercoat, parasites can settle on the skin. Also, the dog needs to be treated for ticks and fleas, as well as to carry out deworming in time.

The ears need to be carefully monitored because they quickly accumulate dirt. For external cleansing, it is enough to wipe them with gauze dipped in warm water. And in order to avoid the formation of a sulfur plug, neither cotton swabs nor wet wipes will help you. Moreover, they categorically cannot be stuffed into the ears of dogs. To clean the ear canal, you need to buy a special lotion at the pet store, it dissolves sulfur. Thanks to glycerin and oils in the composition, when shaking off, sulfur comes out of the external auditory canal.

It is better to feed such a large dog natural food – beef and its offal. You also need to give a tripe, which contains the minerals and vitamins necessary for dogs. Some owners give porridge to the dog, but you cannot grow a strong and strong dog on them. Such dogs do not need cereals, they do not receive the necessary components from them to generate energy in the body.

You can also give dairy products – cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, fruits, berries. It is strictly forbidden to give raw fish with bones, especially river fish, because it can contain many parasites. Periodically, you need to give a large bone to gnaw.

A dog can be kept on dry food, but only if it is super premium for large breeds. You need to decide right away what you will feed the dog – either food or natural. You can not combine, it is harmful to the digestive system.

Education and training

Cane Corsos are very well trained. They have a sharp mind, so they accept and carry out the commands only of their master, as they recognize his dominance. The situation must be kept under constant control during the lessons, otherwise the dog will become stubborn and undisciplined.

It is not necessary to treat the dog cruelly during training and even more so to beat it. The dog will react to cruelty with disobedience and even aggression. You need to stimulate the dog’s interest with food and praise.

You need to start training from a very early age, as soon as you bring the puppy home.

Health and disease

Cane Corso dogs are quite healthy. But often they have vision problems, skeletal growth anomalies, arthritis, canine hip dysplasia. Basically, all their diseases are hereditary.

With proper care, dogs live 9 to 11 years.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about the Cane Corso breed with veterinarian Denis Davydov.