Kane-Korso: All about the breed

The Cane Corso is a powerful and noble breed that has a long history as a loyal protector. Known for their impressive size and muscular build, these dogs are both elegant and imposing. While they may appear intimidating, Cane Corsos are deeply loyal to their families and can be affectionate companions when properly trained and socialized.

Experienced dog owners who recognize the value of structure and leadership are ideal for this breed. To be content and healthy, they need to engage in a lot of physical activity and mental stimulation. A well-trained Cane Corso can develop into a devoted and trustworthy protector.

Characteristic	Description
Origin	Italy
Size	Large, muscular build
Temperament	Loyal, protective, and intelligent
Coat	Short and dense
Color	Black, fawn, gray, brindle
Life Expectancy	10-12 years
Exercise Needs	High, requires daily physical activity
Good with Families	Yes, especially with proper training
Trainability	Highly trainable but needs a firm hand
Health Issues	Hip dysplasia, bloat

Story

It is said that the Cane Corso’s earliest ancestors lived during the height of the Roman Empire. They were huge, frightening creatures that engaged in gladiatorial combat and occasionally functioned as bloodhounds to track down fugitive slaves. They were introduced to Europe during the Middle Ages and took up hunting, becoming well-liked by the aristocracy.

Nearer to the present, they coexisted with common people in the 19th century, took care of herds and children, and occasionally even took the place of horses when plowing.

They nearly went extinct in the first half of the 20th century because feeding such massive animals was impossible due to hunger and conflict.

When the breed was in danger of going extinct in the second half, an enthusiast was discovered and took up its revival. Giovanni Nizzoli was the man’s name. He sought out representatives and crossed them with one another; as a result, the first breed standard was accepted as early as 1966.

The name literally translates to "yard dog," and the Italian expression for bravery is still "brave as a corso," rather than "brave as a lion."

Standard

The 1966 standard is currently in force as of 2010 after undergoing multiple revisions. It states that the following qualities are necessary for a true champion (FCI-Standard N° 343):

• Height up to 64 cm, weight up to 50 kg. Female babies grow more slowly than male babies, but by adulthood they reach approximately the same height. The animal is muscular, lean, not prone to excess weight.
• The skull is wide, the head is large, the transition from the forehead to the nose is noticeably pronounced, the cheekbones are clear. The muzzle is square, symmetrical and flat.
• The nose is large, with wide nostrils, upturned. Must be black. Gray is allowed, but only if there is a gray mask on the muzzle.
• The lips are fleshy, do not fit tightly to the teeth, the upper one hangs over the lower one, in the corners they form pronounced drooping flews.
• The eyes are oval, medium in size, slightly convex. The ideal color is considered to be dark brown, but light brown, and amber, and even gray, if the dog itself is gray. But blue is unacceptable.
• The ears are set high and wide apart, hanging and covered with velvety fur. Previously, they were docked, but now the standard does not allow this: the shape must be natural.
• The tail is long, not pubescent, becomes thinner towards the end. The fur on it is short.
• The neck is powerful, thick and dry, without dewlap.
• The body is elongated, the back is wide, the loin is short, the chest is wide and developed.
• The legs are straight, the wrist is strong and flexible.

Possesses strength and endurance, and moves with ease and sweep. Excellent, leaps high, and primarily trots with great force.

Wool and color

The coat is shiny, short, and lacks an undercoat. The hairs of the Cane Corso breed are rough and painful to the touch, and they shed gradually throughout the year. There are multiple colors that are appropriate:

• Black. Without impurities, without tan. The nose must be in tone, the eyes are dark. Other breeds with black color.
• Gray. Light, delicate color, gray eyes and gray nose are allowed.
• Brindle. Brown with dark stripes, similar to tiger.
• Grey brindle. Grey Corso with stripes.
• Red with a mask. A black or gray mask of regular outlines, tightly fitting to the eyes and not extending beyond the muzzle, is allowed.

It is acceptable to have white patches on the nose bridge, paw tips, and chest. There are no Corsos that are completely white; the standard does not accept spotted colors.

Life expectancy

Because they are large dogs, most owners find the average lifespan of Cane Corsos to be quite short—10–11 years. The oldest representative, though, lived to be fourteen years old; this was an unusual instance. For large breeds, 10–11 years is thought to be a good amount of time; Newfoundlands and Dobermans, for instance, have an average lifespan of 8 years.

Height and weight chart by month

Puppies mature quickly, reaching full adult strength in two years. The table provides a clearer view of it:

Age, month	Height, cm	Weight, kg
For male	For female	For male	For female
2	44	32	9	8.8
3	49	42	13.5	12.5
4	56	47	16.5	18
5	62	55	24.5	22.5
6	64	57	31.5	28
7	65	58	37.5	33.5
8	65.5	59	40	36
9	66	59.5	42	38
10	66	60	44	40
11	67	61	45.5	41.5
12	67	63	47.5	43
24	68	64	50	45

Naturally, these are only approximations. Five centimeters in any direction and five kilograms in any direction of deviation stay within the standard.

Character

An animal’s nature is typically determined by the purpose for which it was bred. It is challenging in this way with Cane Corsos because, over their lengthy history, they have functioned as bodyguards, guard dogs, fighting dogs, shepherds, and just plain friends. Their characteristics are therefore not obviously linked to a single goal.

1. loyalty. Cane Corso is one of those breeds that choose one owner and remain loyal for life. Of course, they will love the owner"s children, and partner, and elderly parents, and even a favorite canary, but all of them will forever remain in second place. This does not affect the behavior, the dog is equally obedient to all family members. But it does affect the experiences: if the owner leaves, the Corso will be sad and even increased attention from other familiar people will not be a consolation. That is why dogs have a hard time dealing with a change of owners. Sometimes it happens that the new owner cannot take the place of the old one in the dog"s heart.
2. balance. If a large animal starts at every rustle, is nervous and easily excitable, it will become dangerous . That is why Corso are quite phlegmatic and cope well with stress. Their peace of mind is not shaken by loud quarrels, from moving, from children trying to play with their tail or from sudden loud sounds. Only disapproval or absence of the owner can seriously affect the dog"s condition.
3. security qualities. Even an untrained Corso exhibits the habits of a guard. They are suspicious of strangers, do not allow strangers to approach the children and property of the owner, if the owner himself is not nearby, do not like familiarity. There is no prohibition of aggression in relation to a person in his genes, because if the danger will threaten the ward, the dog will protect them at all costs. It is not scary to let the children go for a walk with him.
4. Carefulness. These are the echoes of those times when Corso lived in peasant families, went after herds and looked after children. Since then, they get along well with other dogs and small animals. They even experience trembling love for children and look after the kids with pleasure, play with them and amusement.

These are intelligent, calm dogs that follow their loved ones out of conscience rather than out of fear. They are also remarkably adaptable for their size. All the owner needs to do is lay out the rules for Corso, demonstrate what makes sense to be afraid of in the outside world, and highlight harmless things that don’t ruin a dog’s mental health.

Pros and cons

The following are the advantages:

• They are excellent guards and defenders. With them, you don"t have to worry about your home, and when you go for a walk at night, you don"t have to worry about meeting bad people.
• They are very smart and flexible. Even with adolescents there is usually no problem.
• They are happy to benefit. Bag? Take a look after young children? Driven someone else"s person? Corso will be happy with this.
• They have no hunting instincts. They will not chase cats, try to grab every protein in the park and be distracted by unfamiliar smells. Easy to get along with other animals.

Few of them need to be scared or confused because their psyches are stable and able to handle stress, particularly when others are willing to lend a hand a little.

However, nothing is ever flawless, so there are drawbacks as well:

• PSU will need adequate education. He must distinguish where the owner is attacked, and where they just want to hug, should not be afraid of the city and should neutralize the stranger, and not try to bite. To do this, you will have to go to courses where the defender will be brought up from him. And even earlier, you will need to be able to explain to the baby what is allowed and what is not, when a person is happy and when not. And this will require not only time, but also strength and patience.
• It will require care. Corsos shed constantly, so you will have to devote time to grooming their fur. And they also eat a lot, simply because of their size, and the food must be of high quality.
• It will require attention and love. This is not a dog that can live in the yard or spend most of its time doing its own thing. It needs to be close, interact, play, or at least lie at your feet, enjoying the presence of its person.
• It needs long, pleasant walks. You need to run, play and exercise with the animal so that it has time to get tired and when it comes home, it simply falls asleep. Therefore, it is not suitable for sick people, old people and not very active people.

The Corso drools all the time because of the way the muzzle is structured; this is common with flat-faced mastiffs in general. Additionally, there is a slight dog scent to the fur, and individual hairs are always falling everywhere. They are therefore inappropriate for those who prefer a sterile, clean home environment.

How to care for and maintain

You must give the dog the care it needs in order to make it feel good.

1. provide a suitable place to rest. It will go there when it gets tired of company, it will hide its favorite toys there and it will go there on command "place". Usually they try to choose a secluded quiet corner, which is usually rarely passed by – in each house such a place is individual. So that the puppy immediately understands where it should sleep, and does not worry, it is recommended to put a bed on the chosen place, and on it – a thing from the breeder"s house, which smells of mother, sisters and brothers.
2. comb. Italian mastiffs have short hair, but they shed constantly, and their fur is sharp and easily injures soft human skin. Therefore, once a week the dog is thoroughly combed with a soft massage brush, and then the hairs that have fallen from it are swept into the trash can.
3. care for claws and teeth. Claws are cut once every two weeks, or less often if they do not have time to grow. Teeth are brushed with a soft brush and a special paste with the taste of bacon or chicken. Since few animals like it when people grab their paws or try to climb into their mouth, you need to accustom the puppy to procedures from a very young age.
4. look after the eyes and ears. The eyes are a weak point, they often water and easily become inflamed, so every morning they are wiped with a cotton pad, removing discharge, and every evening they are checked for redness. The ears also need to be examined every day and excess sulfur removed from them.
5. look after the jowls. Due to the structure of the muzzle, the Corso constantly salivates, and once a day the jowls are wiped with a cloth, wiping off sticky marks from them.

The dog needs to be cleaned as soon as it gets dirty; typically, this means wiping the paws after every walk and washing the entire body only after giving the dog a thorough bath in a puddle.

Walks for an hour and a half, twice a day, in the morning and the evening, with lots of activity, to give them time to run around and exhaust themselves. Going out of town on weekends is a good idea if you want to take a large animal off its leash somewhere you won’t have to worry about it frightening someone.

The general rule is that your pet will be less likely to cause a mess inside the house the more energy it expends on walks.

What to feed and how much

Dry food or natural food are the two feeding options.

They are typically advised to feed dry food because of the breed tendency toward allergies; this way, there is less chance of making a mistake and giving something that will trigger a reaction. First Choice, Purina, Royal Canin, and Acana are suggested. The packaging lists the dosage and the intended use: a puppy should be fed puppy food, an adult dog should be fed large breed dog food, and a pregnant lady should be fed food high in vitamins and nutrients.

It’s crucial to avoid combining food with natural foods, overfeeding, and switching to a different diet if something is making you sick. This is inevitable: no matter how good a product is, it won’t fit every customer perfectly.

Natural food is not as advised, but if the owner enjoys cooking or has strong moral convictions, you can attempt to customize a diet for that particular animal. Lean meat, porridge, boiled veggies that don’t cause gas, dried bread, bits of fruit, and dried offal as a treat are all part of a regular diet, as are fermented milk products as a calcium source. The porridge occasionally has fish added in place of meat, and the dog gets a boiled egg once a week. A small amount of vegetable oil is also added to the porridge.

It’s crucial to keep an eye on the body’s responses when the diet is first being introduced because a deficiency in nutrients may cause changes in behavior or stool consistency.

A daily food dosage of 3% of the dog’s total weight is advised. In other words, a 50 kg adult mastiff should consume 1.5 kg of food. Additionally, as each person’s body is unique, the number may vary slightly, so you should keep an eye on your dog’s weight and general health.

Breed diseases

It is evident from the description that this breed has a complicated and lengthy past. Its health is also impacted by a burden of genetic errors and defects, just like any other with a lengthy and complicated history. Even though breeders carefully select dogs with good heredity and conduct tests, some diseases are still predisposed to in dogs:

• Hip dysplasia. Often occurs, and not only in large dogs. It occurs suddenly – lameness, severe pain, the dog complains and does not step on the paw. It is long and difficult to treat, so reputable breeders either provide test results indicating that the puppy is not prone to dysplasia, or do such tests at the request of future owners.
• Allergy. It most often manifests itself as allergic reactions to food – redness, rash, itching, sometimes breathing problems. A tendency to it is observed in all representatives, therefore, owners are advised to consult a veterinarian in advance and choose the right food.
• Epilepsy. Epileptic seizures have a negative impact on the dog"s nervous system, and any chaotic flickering of lights can provoke them. Epilepsy is not treated, it is only suppressed with medication, so animals with it are not sold.
• Thyroid diseases. They make the pet irritable, nervous and disobedient, force it to gain weight sharply or, on the contrary, lose it. They are treated with constant hormone intake, which is expensive, and such animals are not allowed for sale.
• Eye diseases. Most often – inversion or eversion of the eyelid. Treated surgically, but still inherited, so representatives with it are sold as a pet class, unavailable for reproduction.

Many people on the list have far more illnesses than those on this one, so it’s by no means the most impressive.

A person’s primary responsibility is to select a puppy that will be healthy in every way.

Strong and devoted, the Cane Corso is renowned for its strong family ties and protective tendencies. This breed, which was first developed in Italy as working dogs, is excellent at guarding and, with the right training and socialization, can also make a wonderful companion. In order to guarantee a happy and harmonious relationship with this robust and intelligent dog, prospective owners must be aware of the Cane Corso’s temperament, care requirements, and training requirements.

Training and education

It is evident from the Cane Corso breed’s traits that these dogs are highly trainable, particularly when under the guidance of their owners. The fundamental guidelines are straightforward:

• The best reward for them is praise. Hunting dogs are happy to work for food. Corsos, devoted to their owners, are equally enthusiastic about any activity in which people participate and for which they are praised. Positive reinforcement with stroking, patting, and affectionate words is better for them than any other.
• They should not be scolded too much if something does not work out. The animal usually does something wrong not out of malice, but simply because it does not understand what the person wants. Therefore, any negative reinforcement should have a goal: to convey a message, to show what exactly is wrong. This means that physical impact, shouting or a strict tone are ineffective.
• They can imitate other dogs and learn from them. Therefore, learning commands with good on the playground, with other dog owners. A trained dog does – the Corso repeats, and everyone is happy. A person can only correct mistakes and prompt.

Other than that, the training principles are the same as those for any other breed: consistency, practicality, and constancy.

Any rule should be applied consistently from the moment the puppy crosses the threshold. It doesn’t matter if he is two months old, tiny, and adorable. He will carry out exactly what he learns now and will remember it all when he is older. As a result, you cannot let him jump into people’s arms, climb into beds, or bite while playing. If you do, it will be extremely difficult to wean an adult pet.

Consistency means that the system of rules should be harmonious and uniform. You cannot climb on the bed, good. But you cannot climb on the sofa, and on a chair, and on an armchair. And in the morning, and during the day, and after a walk, and at night. And with the owner himself, and with children, and when no one is home – also prohibited. Only such rules will be clear to the dog: it should know what it is being praised for, what it is being scolded for, and not get confused, which will inevitably happen if it is scolded and praised for the same thing at different times.

Any human action should convey the appropriate educational message in order to be considered practical. It already conveys a message; many people just choose not to consider it at the time.

For instance, during a game, a tiny puppy bites its owner. When it’s three months old, it just tries everything with its teeth and acts toward a person in the same manner that it did toward its siblings. The puppy will believe that everything is normal and that playing like this is possible if the owner keeps playing the game, writing it off as an accident or as typical kid pranks. and if you begin to wean it, you will be shocked.

Alternatively, the baby’s owner places a treat on the floor in front of him as a reward. After a few instances, the puppy learns that the treat is placed on the ground, and everything on the floor is regarded as its proper food, including pieces of meat that have dropped from the table and a dead pigeon that has been left on the pavement in the street. And once more, if someone tries to take something from the floor, they will be shocked and offended.

When raising a dog, one must exercise caution, be responsible, consider the consequences of their actions, and comprehend the messages they are giving the puppy. Additionally, he ought to enroll the responsible teenager in service courses after six months so that he can learn how to defend others.

You should take your pet to a dog trainer if something went wrong during their upbringing and the animal continues to exhibit undesirable behavior. A dog trainer can assist in identifying the issue and provide guidance on how to fix it. You will have to see a zoopsychologist in extreme situations.

The training process is an exciting and enjoyable activity overall.

Top nicknames

Usually, they try to give their pets nicknames that evoke the breed’s Roman heritage. Additionally, they make an effort to select a name that is short, expansive, and straightforward rather than merely an Italian or Latin term, making it simpler for both humans and animals to remember.

Boys: Luke, Cesare, El, Yary, Uli, Chris, Tamal, Ares, Zeus; Adri, Albert, Amato, Vitale, Dino, Gino, Italo, Luca, Marco, Mario.

Adele, Adona, Alba, Alda, Berta, Bianca, Sinta, Dora, Elda, Hera, Erica, and Febo are among the female names.

The list contains Italian names that signify joy, happiness, and beauty in addition to the names of gods and goddesses.

Strong and devoted, the Cane Corso is renowned for its strong family bonds and protective tendencies. This dog does best in a loving home where it can serve as both a protector and a true friend. It is a loyal family companion in addition to being a capable working dog due to its powerful, muscular frame and sharp intelligence.

But having a Cane Corso demands dedication. Because of their size and strength, they require early socialization, training, and regular exercise. A conscientious owner should make sure their dog receives plenty of opportunities to exercise its active mind and body in addition to clear guidance.

The Cane Corso can make a wonderful addition to the family for those who are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. Because of its unparalleled loyalty and protective instincts, it is a cherished friend to many. This breed will provide years of friendship and protection to its owner if given the proper care and attention.

Video on the topic

Cons of Kane Corso parsing after 2 years.

Kane-Korso all about the breed. Interesting facts

Puppy training | The most top advice | Frequent errors

Kane Corso. All about the breed from A to Z

These dogs are prohibited in many countries of the world