You will find a fair number of articles about the Cane Corso breed on this site. You’ll also find I’ve written a book for those interested in one day getting a Cane Corso puppy, or for those that have one that is still under 12 weeks of age. It’s called The Five Most Common Cane Corso Mistakes, How To Avoid Them And End Up With Your Dream Dog (e-book). I don’t point this out to impress anyone, more so to impress upon readers that I’m not a novice when it comes to the breed and to potentially give what follows some weight.
I keep receiving article comments from a Cane Corso ‘breeder’ that are laden with links to their breeding site. Most recently they left this revealing (to me) comment regarding this article, AGGRESSIVE SINCE 12 WEEKS CANE CORSO. I originally replied to their comment in the comment section, but I’ve since come to believe it needs a more front and center position because I commonly run into new Cane Corso owners that end up victimized by this level of Cane Corso breeder. (Many of the articles on this site are examples). I also think this sort of breeder ultimately often undermines the beauty of the breed by putting them in the wrong hands. Additionally, they make life a lot harder for the experienced legitimate Cane Corso breeders that do exist.
Here’s the comment (which really had nothing to do with the article they commented on):
“Originally developed to guard properties and hunt large game, this powerful and protective dog is intimidating at first glance. However, once you get to know him, the Cane Corso is a loyal and loving breed that is devoted to his human pack. These traits make the Cane Corso a great family dog.”
Here’s my original reply:
This particular comment strongly suggests that the Cane Corso breeder/commenter is using the breed more as an income stream as opposed to being a legitimate breeder.
It may be of interest to those visiting any of the Cane Corso articles on my site or those interested in my book The Five Most Common Cane Corso Mistakes, How To Avoid Them And End Up With Your Dream Dog (e-book) that the above “comment” is one of several regular attempts made by the same Cane Corso “breeder” to sell the Cane Corso dogs they “breed” using my reputation and the Cane Corso traffic my website generates. Good breeders don’t need to do that. They have waiting lists based on reputation, not marketing ability.
They always include the name of their “kennel” and a link to their website. I always remove their self-promotion because there has never been anything in their input that came across as anything other than self-promotion as opposed to educational or indicative that they had more to qualify themselves as a breeder that knew much more than the difference between a male and female Cane Corso.
Good Lord! They open by saying the breed’s genetics were developed to guard properties and hunt large game and include that as ‘evidence’ that “the Cane Corso is a great family dog. Seriously? How many families have a wild boar problem or a meth lab to protect as opposed to regularly visiting family and friends? Do they think that the Cane Corso currently bred have magically forgotten what their grandparents did for a living? Do they have any idea of how much is left over of a family at the end of the day to develop and maintain the magic of a decent Cane Corso? Most people want deterrents, not potential liabilities.
“A loyal and loving breed”? Again, sales and marketing rather than indicative of bare minimum knowledge regarding canine behavior, let alone the Cane Corso breed. Dogs in general are by nature bred to love humans. What they’re not bred to do is respect and some like the Cane Corso set the bar very high and if they are decently representative of their breed’s nature should be considered almost more of a serious hobby by their owners as opposed to a pet or a mere family dog.
“A great family dog”? There are many variables that contribute to whether a Golden Retriever or a Cane Corso ends up being a great family dog. To say the Cane Corso or any other breed is a great family dog without considering the quality of the breeding, the efforts made during the critical imprint period, the approach to training, the maintenance of training, the environment the dog will exist, the handling ability of the owners, the lifestyle of the owners, etc. is just plain ignorant not to mention irresponsible for any breeder to state. To suggest any breed, whether Golden Retriever or Cane Corso, is “A great family dog” as a sales technique without considering the above is unethical.
Let me say, I love the Cane Corso breed, BUT the breed is a very serious breed, not the Disney dog this “breeder” is implying they are. This is not a mini-van breed; it is a Ferrari crossed with a dump truck breed. When the breeder is legitimate (trust me when I say they’re very, VERY, VERY rare) and then placed in the hands of the right owner (in my experience, there are far more ‘Cool Factor’ owners and owner wannabes, then qualified owners and potential owners), they can be fantastic canine companions. However, when bred by marketers interested in jumping on the breed’s popularity bandwagon and then promoted and sold to unsuspecting families misleading using “a great family dog,” they can be guns with brains.
Before picking a breeder (of any breed, but especially the Cane Corso), I highly recommend reading this free article Questions To Ask The Breeder Or A Rescue Before Deciding This Is Where You Want To Get A Dog and, or buying this book The Five Most Common Cane Corso Mistakes, How To Avoid Them And End Up With Your Dream Dog (e-book) I highly expect that after reading these and comparing the recommendations to what this breeder is offering, you’d go elsewhere.
– John Wade (www.askthedogguy.com)
