Hi, went to a friends block party over the weekend. The hosts dog ran up to me and I replied; “is he a Mastiff?”. Said dog really looked like a Mastiff. They said; “No, he is a Cane Corso”. Isn’t that a popular guard dog breed more than a family pet? I am just wondering? I had seen a program on these dogs and thought they were not acceptable to strangers. Oh well, guess I may have learned something new.
KH
That would be an unusual choice for a family dog. Here I thought lab, collie, golden. I can imagine a mastiff might be an OK choice. They look intimidating but they’re big pussycats.
A properly trained and handled, well-bred Cane Corso can be a really great family pet. Take away any of those three traits and you could have problems; a “bad” Cane Corso is a loaded gun.
Cane Corso is from the mastiff family for sure.
I am not familiar with the breed but from what I have gathered they are about like pits and Neapolitanos: if raised wrong they can be devastating, but they are supposed to be loyal.
Definition of family dog varies
…from family to family.
And why does the host need a family pet? Why does a guest decide if someone’s dog is a good family pet? :lol:
I don’t really see the point of this thread except to generate breed bashing.
FWIW, there was a local Cane Corso show kennel in a ‘bedroom neighborhood of DC’ so some area families ended up with Corsos. The owner brought all of her stock to us for PennHips and elbows. Good with strangers: calm in the waiting area, tolerant of crating and restraint; not my cup of tea build-wise (hip high, jowly, lots of haw).
No!!! Cane Corso are born and bred to be guard animals, and are not family pets. If you get a well-bred one, know how to train and supervise, and exercise the dog enough it could be fine, but any of those factors aren’t there and you’re asking for trouble.
Do you have room for a dog that size? And the commitment it will take to properly exercise, train and socialize a dog that big?
[QUOTE=Bicoastal;6537442]
…from family to family.
And why does the host need a family pet? Why does a guest decide if someone’s dog is a good family pet? :lol:
I don’t really see the point of this thread except to generate breed bashing.
FWIW, there was a local Cane Corso show kennel in a ‘bedroom neighborhood of DC’ so some area families ended up with Corsos. The owner brought all of her stock to us for PennHips and elbows. Good with strangers: calm in the waiting area, tolerant of crating and restraint; not my cup of tea build-wise (hip high, jowly, lots of haw).[/QUOTE]
Right. Back in the day, pit bulls were considered a good family dog. Now we associate them with backwoods redneck dogfighters and gangstas. I submit it is not the breeds that change so much as the people they have the good or bad fortune to attract.
[QUOTE=Alagirl;6535894]
Cane Corso is from the mastiff family for sure.
I am not familiar with the breed but from what I have gathered they are about like pits and Neapolitanos: if raised wrong they can be devastating, but they are supposed to be loyal.[/QUOTE]
I stand corrected. I meant to say English mastiff.
[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;6537700]
Right. Back in the day, pit bulls were considered a good family dog. Now we associate them with backwoods redneck dogfighters and gangstas. I submit it is not the breeds that change so much as the people they have the good or bad fortune to attract.[/QUOTE]
You’re right. Back in the day. Before aggressiveness was selected for in breeding. Remember what happened with the overbreeding of cocker spaniels? A bunch of whacked out and potentially aggressive cocker spaniels. Now personally, I’ll take an aggressive cocker over an aggressive cane corso anyday. I know my cocker wasn’t trustworthy around children and so she wasn’t. Around children.
Cane corsos can be excellent “family” dogs if they are properly bred, socialized, raised, trained and exercised. I know someone who breeds them, and have met a number of them. If all of the “properly” aboves are met, they are calm, friendly, well-behaved animals.
They are an “athletic” type of mastiff, with no history of being bred or used for dog-fighting. Like all mastiffs they have “guarding” instincts that need to be channeled and controlled or there could be a problem.
I think the OP may be thinking of the fila brasileiro? these dogs don’t tolerate strangers at all.
Our personal experience with the Cane Corso.
Hello all. I was alerted to this thread from a friend of mine. We actually own 2 Cane Corso. First I want to say that The Cane Corso is pronounced with an Italian pronunciation. The first word “CANE” is pronounced as you would say the following, “KAH-NAY,” and the second word is pronounced as it is read “KOR-SO”.
We spent 3 years researching the breed and breeders before adding our first to our family and farm. Then a year later have added a second.
They are most certainly a mastiff, an Italian Mastiff which the person who owns the dog should have know. They are big dogs our year old female is 110 LBS and our 5 month old female is 65 LBS. They like any other breed are not for everyone. The breed is known to be aloof with strangers but very loyal to their family. Unfortunately there are many people out there breeding them that should not and in turn they are helping give the breed a bad name. We have spent countless hours socializing ours to strangers. Both of ours go as many places as they are allowed. Their favorite places are the feed store, tractor supply and burger king ( they love a chicken nugget every once and a while). Ours oldest female Brook has never met a stranger and spent the weekend with us at the Warrenton Horse show. She gets along with other dogs and met several new canine friends at the show as well. We have cats and horses her at the farm, all that she lovingly gets a long with. Our newest girl CiCi is still a very active puppy. She is much closer to the breed standard when it comes to strangers. She enjoys her outing as well and I think as her energy level decreases she will continue to be a great dog. She is also great with kids and all of our farm animals. So do I think they make great family pets, yes, but they do require more time as puppies to socialize them and again they are not for everyone. A good breeder will tell you that. Knowing your lifestyle and how much time you can/will put into your puppy will help determine if they would make a great family pet…for Your family. We love ours and look forward to owning more in the future 
If anyone has any questions I am happy to answer them or put you in touch with someone that can. Here are our girls.
[QUOTE=wendy;6537859]
Cane corsos can be excellent “family” dogs if they are properly bred, socialized, raised, trained and exercised. I know someone who breeds them, and have met a number of them.
Most people, however, have no business owning one. You have to know what you are doing.[/QUOTE]
I agree 110%!!
[QUOTE=LauraKY;6537748]
You’re right. Back in the day. Before aggressiveness was selected for in breeding. Remember what happened with the overbreeding of cocker spaniels? A bunch of whacked out and potentially aggressive cocker spaniels. Now personally, I’ll take an aggressive cocker over an aggressive cane corso anyday. I know my cocker wasn’t trustworthy around children and so she wasn’t. Around children.[/QUOTE]
Lord, yes. My cocker spaniel attacked my little brother when my little brother was a toddler. He walked up behind the dog and threw his arms around the dog’s neck. Dog responded by whirling around, flinging my little brother to the ground, and grabbing him by the face with his teeth. Luckily my dad was standing right there at the time! We gave him to a childless couple. Er, the dog, I mean. We kept my brother.
Who has no fear of dogs at all, miraculously.
I don’t know that it’s so much aggression being selected for as a breed’s popularity encouraging irresponsible breeding. With pit bulls, I believe aggressiveness towards animals was always selected for but their popularity as family dogs (and even as fighting dogs) make me think that aggressiveness towards humans was not a desirable trait. Certainly I don’t think anyone meant to breed a vicious cocker.
Not that it matters really - the point being that we now have people aggressive cockers. And some pit bulls. Like the one I met at the dump last week!
Some guy in an old beater car with no AC had the dog in his car with all the windows rolled down. I didn’t see the dog as I passed the car, but I heard the familiar (I used to show chows:lol:) sound of an aggressive dog revving up to attack. Out of reflex, turned towards it, stamped my foot, and shouted “NO!” I don’t know who was more surprised - me, when I found myself two feet from a snarling pit bull:eek:, or the pit bull. Luckily the dog froze just long enough for his dimwitted owner to grab his collar. But if my first instinct had been to shriek, or run? Yikes. Don’t even want to think about it.
Anyway, that was the first aggressive pit bull I’ve ever encountered and now I think I understand a little better why people react to them the way they do. Absolutely got my attention!
I liked your post better when it said, “most people have no business owning them” 
Because that is the truth.
They are a STRONG dog. Strong in the physical and mental sense of the word. Sure, some Cane Corsos make good family dogs, and some don’t. Justl ike some Labs make good family dogs, and some don’t.
Take the above by wendy and then x10 it!
after reflection I figured a lot of people might take that wording as a challenge- Well maybe YOU can’t handle a cane corso, but I’m sure I can! and run out and buy one from a puppy mill to prove the point.
Both my pits are family dogs. They tolerate children hanging on them, pulling on them, and playing with them with no hint of aggressiveness and backlash. They also are well socialized and friendly with other dogs due to me working with them to be this way.
Ideal family dogs are trained, raised, and socialized. I was attacked brutally by a lab when I was a kid. I had to shoot the lab we tried to foster when it went after me aggressively (23 stitches later) when I laid down its food in the same way that I had done for the past three months. It also could not be around other dogs, was vicious towards new people, and was dangerous to be around in the house.
I have had pits, mastiffs, mutts, and other breeds in my house and honestly the only two dogs I ever would call “dangerous” or a “aggressive” were older dogs that had been abandoned because they had become unlivable with (the lab above and a doberman mix. Its how they are trained like others have said above.
[QUOTE=FLeventer;6538113]
I have had pits, mastiffs, mutts, and other breeds in my house and honestly the only two dogs I ever would call “dangerous” or a “aggressive” were older dogs that had been abandoned because they had become unlivable with (the lab above and a doberman mix. Its how they are trained like others have said above.[/QUOTE]
I don’t know that I’d agree with you there. I owned, showed, and trained chows for myself and other people for a couple of decades. I worked with a lot of chows. I came into contact with even more chows. Almost all had been very carefully raised and trained, since they were valuable animals.
Out of all the chows I’ve met - easily hundreds - know how many I’d say were not vicious?
Two.:lol:
I second this on the cocker spaniels – I had GSD dogs in my early life, I felt comfortable around any kind of dog. Then I went to my husband to be’s house for a family dinner. They had a cute little cocker spaniel, who had something under the table he shouldn’t have. I reached down to take it away and almost lost my hand. I was shocked! He was an aggressive, nasty dog (no one in the family could take food from him, either). Plus never ending ear infections. I had never met a cocker spaniel in person before, didn’t want to meet one again.
Hopefully the OP’s friends know what they are doing with a big dog that doesn’t like strangers. Sounds like they are ok though if they were loose at a block party?
A territorial, big dog is really a liability and the owner needs to be very aware of what that dog might do.
Pretty interesting details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
Wow, that reads like a horror novel.
Killed by three of his step-grandfather’s dogs.[194] The dogs had decapitated the family’s pet Akita and killed the family’s pet Chihuahua and parrot within the past year.
Serial killer dogs! I realize dogs will be dogs, but that house sounds like a Stephen King novel.
Edit – sounds like there are some vicious Rotties out there, if the statistics can be believed.
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