Training Your Cane Corso

The Cane Corso breed can be dangerous, as can any large dog cane be. But they are best known for being noble dogs, gentle giants if you will. Training is crucial to gain their respect and give you dog the mental stimulation they require.

While some breeds require minimal training, the Cane Corso isn't one. You have to start young and be consistent throughout their life. They are a very intelligent and trainable breed, it's just up to the owner to set boundaries and gain the dogs respect.

Disclaimer

This breed of dog is not meant for beginner dog owners, they require consistency, a firm hand, and lots of attention. While this may be the case, you must start somewhere and this blog will give you the recourses to do so.

Starting Young

Starting young is fundamental in training because the pup will understand that these commands that correspond with certain actions are normal. Meaning their response to the commands will only progress as they get older.

Starting training while the pup is young provides an advantage in learnability, however this same advantage has a catch. You can only start off with basic commands, these commands include, sit, lay down, off, and stay. The reasoning for this is because their young minds do not comprehend more advanced commands such as heel, guard, or speak.

Praising Good Behavior

A lot people are confused on how to correct bad behavior, it's simple. Praise the good behavior and acknowledge the bad behavior. What I mean by this is when they listen to a command, react well in a certain situation, or behave well over a period of time you should reward them with a treat, affection, or verbally praising them.

Now when it comes to bad behavior like going to the bathroom inside, chewing something, or biting you must show them what they did wrong. Until you make them understand what they did wrong they will be very confused and sad for you being mad. So take your Cani and bring them to the spot where they did something wrong, make them look at it because they will recognize the object then tell them firmly "No".

When you use a firm tone, it registers to the dog that you are serious and gives them an idea of what you are saying. Please remember to never just pop off on your dog because dogs do not speak English no matter how intelligent they are, they learn to understand us through practice. Furthermore dogs do not learn from fear or pain, they react negatively to it, meaning you will not earn their respect by yelling at them. Examples are key to behavioral training.

Leash Training

Leash training is almost exactly what it sounds like, getting your dog used to responding to the leash and walking with you. Of course you will need the proper equipment, however this may change periodically. As a puppy you will need a nylon collar and strong leash, but as they grow you will need to upgrade to different collars or maybe even a harness and muzzle.

As A Puppy

• Collar (Can be from local pet store)

• Leash (Recommend getting a leash that will uphold even as an adult)

As An Adult

• Collar (Chain, Choke, Pinch, Leather, Artisan)

• Leash (Leather, Nylon)

Optional depending on how well trained your Cani is;

• Harness (Leather, Nylon, Spiked, Studded)

• Muzzle (Leather, Wire, Wrap)

You can find the items for adults at Cane Corso Online Store

Now that you know what you need let's start with training. Walks, everyones schedule is different someone will walk everyday while others every few days and some not at all. Regardless of any of that, Cane Corsos need to get out on walks at least 2 times a week for a few reasons.

One, for the workout. They need to get out and workout in someway because it is a physical requirement to keep up the health of the large dog. Two, the socialization. Cane Corsos need to be able to socialize so they can learn to asses situations and determine what is normal in order to properly protect you. Three, the practice. You cannot own a large dog and let in drag you around everywhere, that spells safety hazard in way too many languages. Cane Corsos must understand their place beside you and to follow you not the other way around.

Some other ways to practice are walking the around in the backyard or around your house so they know that the leash rules apply no matter where you are. You can also leave the leash on them for a little bit so they understand its a normal item and not something to react negatively to.

Socialization

I can't stress enough how important socialization is for this breed. In order for a Cane Corso to properly protect you, and you from a lawsuit. They have to understand what is normal human and dog behavior. This means they cannot be dog reactive or human reactive.

Either you have to take your dog to meet ups, the mall, park, or to friends houses but they have to understand human behavior so they can react to odd behavior properly. Same rules apply with dogs, if one decides to get aggressive with you then your dog should defend you because they know that behavior is unacceptable.

If you properly socialize your dog then they should be alert and ready to protect you when they spot a drunk person or someone arguing. They should be able to calmly walk past a yapping dog, and they should be ready to attack anything on command that tries to harm you. That is what you need to strive for as your goal with your Cani.

Consistency

When I say consistency is important with this breed, I mean it. Your Cane Corso is prone to behavioral issues and bad habits if they do not have a task to commit to. These tasks are simply training exercises and here’s why.

Just like Cane Corsos need physical activity for health reasons, they also need mental stimulation for behavioral reasons. This is because Canis need something to redirect all their energy on, so when they are given commands it gives them something to focus on and distract them from other tendencies. These tendencies being digging, chewing, barking, chasing things outside the wall, etc.

When your Cani is bored or lonely they will revert to these forms of bad habits to relieve themselves of energy and to get attention from you. So as often as you can, you should give your Cani a task to due without burning them out. Which brings us to our next topic, scheduling.

Scheduling

Your Cane Corso is a living being, and while it is a fact that their energy levels on average are higher than a humans, they are still living beings. Meaning they have their limits and deserve their resting time, just like we take breaks between work shifts or classes, or maybe days at your job, etc. Your Cani needs a few days give or take of resting between training days.

Canis need intese training because they are noticeably large dogs, but they also need a long rest period to recuperate and relax their muscles. Dogs get sore too, dogs have joint problems too, they aren’t invincible. It is up to you to observe your dogs behavior and figure out what days you can work them out and what days they need off before rinsing and repeating.

Take note that training comes in different forms so try to incorporate as much as you can during workout days.

Workouts

If you are someone who walk every so often or every other day, it would be a good idea to invest in a weighted vest for your dog. While long walks are good in general, a few walks with a weight vest can help built up muscle in your Cani. Please keep in mind the minimum walking requirement and do not have your dog under the weight for every walk.

You can also play tug of war with your dog using a variant of toys. You can use a jolly ball, a jolly ball tied to a rope, a long thick rope, a small rubber tire connected to a rope, etc. Something long enough for you two to have some space, but something thick enough so that they have grip. If the material is too skinny you dog could accidentally rip out a tooth when tugging.

There is something called a flirting pole or teasing pole which is a rod or flexible pole with a dog toy or ball connected to the end. You can make one at home or buy one somewhere. An alternative I use is a long rope that I twisted with a jolly ball tied to one side and a plastic softball on the other. What you do with the flirting pole or your alternative is you swing it around, you Cani will chase after it and try to catch it, you can even lift it up and get them to jump. This engages the quad, back, and shoulder muscles as they run in a compact area as well as when they jump.

If you go to a park and there is a little hill you can command your Cani to “stay” at the foot of the hill while walk or jog up then call your Cani to you. You can have one person at the foot of the hill hold them back then release them to you at the top of the hill. You can also simply run up with them if you need a workout to. There are many ways to god about sprints, it doesn’t necessarily have to be up a hill. Please keep in mind that Cane Corsos are not built for long distance running at high speeds. You can take them for a jog or have them get some sprints in, but don’t push them because they can’t support their weight for that long.

Similar to the workout above, you can set up a hurdle in your back yard and encourage you dog to jump over it. Because they are a large dog, excessive jumping can take a toll on their joints so do this drill with caution as you would sprints. Also be sure to give your dog extra resting time between this workout.

This next one I strongly suggest you only do if you are an experienced dog trainer or if you hire someone to do this. You can get bite sleeves or a bite suite and have someone wear it. How this works is you will have your Cani on a leash and the person wearing the sleeve or suit will try to be threatening. This exercise is specifically for guarding and attacking, the goal is for them to recognize the threat and attack on command or when they are released and to stop only when you say it’s enough. This is a high level drill that require a lot of time, effort, and most importantly consistency. If you start this drill and do not pull through until you dog fully understands the commands, you will be stuck with terrible behavioral issues. You dog could attack anyone or bite anything they can and might not let go. So please only do this with a professional.

Supplies Needed

• Collar

• Leash

• Harness

• Muzzle

• Hurdle

• Jolly Ball

- Jolly Pets

• Flirting Pole or Alternative

- Flirt Pole on Amazon

• Thick Rope or something to play tug of war with

- Chewy Tug Toys

• Weighted Vest

- Canine Weight

- XDOG Weight

All other equipment can be found on the Cane Corso Online Store .