Are Cane Corsos Good With Kids?

The Cane Corso is a powerful dog whose roots span all the way back to Ancient Greece. When Romans inhabited the Grecian islands, they took some of these big-boned, Mastiff-like dogs back to Rome to begin breeding them to guard farms and hunt wild boar. Over the centuries, the Cane Corso has continued to provide immense protection for their families as well as a fierce loyalty.

Overall, Cane Corsos are very good with kids; it all depends on how much training you give them and the dog’s age when you bring it home.

Cane Corso’s Personality and Temperament

According to the American Kennel Club, “Cane Corso” roughly translates to “bodyguard dog”. Even though this dog breed has a name with underlying aggressive tones, these dogs are exactly the opposite. Cane Corsos are known for being exceptionally affectionate and smart. Additionally, due to their size and strength, they can be trained to be effective guard dogs for your home, property, and family.

Cane Corsos have the uncanny ability to be gentle and caring with those who require that kind of temperament and simultaneously be watchful of intruders. They are also very loyal and have no interest in being playful or friendly with anyone outside their family. This doesn’t mean that they’re naturally aggressive to all strangers, rather, their focus is almost always on their owners.

Due to their high intelligence, Cane Corsos are extremely trainable. If you invest time in quality training as it grows up, your Cane Corso will be obedient and serve whatever purpose you have in mind, whether that be companionship or protection.

How Do Cane Corsos Interact with Kids?

All in all, how your Cane Corso will interact with children depends completely on the quality and amount of training it receives as a puppy. However, Cane Corsos are naturally bent to energy and playfulness so it’s up to you, the owner, to ensure that it’s interactions with children don’t get out of hand.

Keep a watchful eye on your dog while it’s around children and learn to pick up specific cues and behavior when it starts to reach aggressive tendencies. By identifying these triggers early, you’ll be able to adjust your training and allow your dog to learn how to function in public settings.

For example, if you notice that your Cane Corso behaves aggressively when larger dogs are around, try introducing it to smaller dogs first, and slowly work your way up from there. On the other hand, if you find that your Cane Corso comes undone when a small child squeals or screams, you can train it to get used to high pitched sounds so it will learn that those noises aren’t threats.

Raising a Cane Corso with a Newborn

The main concern parents should have when it comes to raising a Cane Corso alongside their newborn baby is the sheer size of the dog. While it’s a small size as a puppy, it will grow very fast into “a bull in a china shop” of sorts; it may be the gentlest dog on the planet but because it’s so large and powerful, there’s little room for avoiding any potential mishaps.

Again, it’s crucial that you adopt a Cane Corso when it’s a puppy, especially if you have a newborn baby. This way, you can integrate your puppy into the public, and your chances of having an equally gentle adult will be much higher.

Raising a Cane Corso with Toddlers

With toddlers, the sentiment of having a well-integrated Cane Corso is basically the same. The only difference is you’re not dealing with a small baby anymore; now, you have energetic kids who are still learning concepts like self control.

The main thing parents should focus on with their toddlers is not to entice the aggressive nature of their Cane Corso. Include your kids in the training process so they learn how to interact with the dog in a healthy way.

Teaching Your Kids to Respect a Cane Corso

You should include your children in the process of training your Cane Corso. While your dog learns how to behave properly, so will your children, and that will make all the difference in the world.

Help your kids understand important concepts like your Cane Corso’s strength and capabilities if circumstances get out of control. Teach them to always play gently with the dog so it doesn’t all of sudden turn aggressive and potentially harm one of them.

If you’re going to raise a healthy and well-behaved Cane Corso, it’s going to be a group effort, so don’t hesitate to include your family in the process!

The Importance of Socializing and Training a Cane Corso

Cane Corsos have been described as having a “vigorous temperament”. Their high energy and willingness to participate in anything can be a positive and a negative thing. This is why the key to having a healthy and non-aggressive Cane Corso is to expose them to other people and dogs as early as possible.

By allowing your Cane Corso puppy to socialize and begin simple training, it is exceedingly less likely to view the rest of the world as a threat when it’s an adult dog. When you adopt a Cane Corso, you’re adopting a dog with the potential to have two extremes: along with high levels of compassion comes high levels of energy, whether that be playful or aggressive. With any dog breed, it can be difficult to differentiate between innocent energy and defensive tactics. So, if a Cane Corso isn’t trained correctly from a young age, it will be even more difficult for an owner to control him in public and around other dogs.

Another reason why socializing and training a Cane Corso from a young age is so important relates to certain stereotypes. Much like Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, Cane Corsos tend to have a bad wrap due to their strength and size. In order to keep you, your family, and others safe, it’s wise and responsible to focus on solid training when you first adopt your Cane Corso puppy.

Families That Shouldn’t Get a Cane Corso

While Cane Corsos are great for nearly every kind of family, they still have some basic needs like space for exercise. Cane Corsos need at least two intense walks or moderate runs per day; in fact, many Cane Corsos compete in agility competitions because of their speed and strength. Therefore, families who don’t have the time or space for this level of physical activity should think twice about adopting a Cane Corso.

Also, because Cane Corsos enjoy the outdoors so much, they will most likely enjoy being left alone a few hours per day to play or nap outside. If your housing situation doesn’t feature a fence or a yard, you may have to make time to take your Cane Corso to a dog park or trail to make sure it gets the fresh air it wants.