DevWin
Member
Atlas is our 16 month old male Cane Corso.
How we ended up with him.
I grew up with Rottweilers and my wife and I got Drey our female Rottie shortly after we were married. She was our first child and a great dog. Unfortunately she got bone cancer and we had to put her down. She was the second Rottie in my life that got bone cancer. We were going to hold off on looking for another dog for awhile. Four months before she died we also had our first real Child.
A few weeks later my in-laws mentioned they had an friend that had this dog they wanted to get rid of. They were first time dog owners and they got this puppy and now couldn't handle him and kept him locked in a crate all the time. The in-laws didn't know what he was, but he was big and kinda like a rottweiler. So against our better judgement we went to "meet" this dog. He was a 1 year old Cane Corso that had a lot of puppy in him, but was sweet. I researched them and saw alot of the same characteristics of rotties and very few serious health issues. We also found out he was from a reputable breeder, AKC registered, and the owner paid $2300 for him and was free to us. So we said yes.
Get him home and he was a hand full. He immediately attached to me. Cried every time I left and peed when I came home. Really didn't take to my wife much, but was completely fine with our daughter. He spends very little time alone. My wife is home 4 days a week and I take him to work with me the rest of the days. He is exercised everyday and put into social situations constantly.
Behavior and Training
He was a serious play biter and would get very worked up. He also got into everything and chewed a carpet I brought back from Afghanistan. Would only come when called sometimes. Very hard to walk on a leash. Just very bullheaded. So we made a call to our dog trainer that worked with our last dog. In one session the leash issue was taken care of. Another session we started on the play biting and aggressive play. I could handle him, but he still didn't get what he was doing wrong. My wife was completely over powered by him. The trainer assured us he was a good dog and not to give up on him. At this point the trainer and I were his only fan. My parents and wife were fed up. I had to go out of town for work and my wife not happy about staying with Atlas. So the trainer came over with the E-collar. He doesn't resort to it as his first method, but felt my wife needed it to establish he place. It has been great. She was completely happy with him for the days I was gone, and now a few weeks later is doing very well. He has solidified is place in our home with his new found behavior. We barely use the collar at this point. I take him to the dog park everyday and to work with me a couple days a week and he is great. Meets total strangers and does very well. Only 2 people that were visibly afraid of dogs, and he could sense it. We still have some work to do, but my wife went from wanting to get rid of him to taking pictures of him and our daughter together.
Food and Allergies
The previous owner claimed he had food allergies and was allergic to all meat. He had him on a vegan kibble. My wife and I are vegetarians, so it was ironic we ended up with a vegan dog, but I didn't buy that he was allergic to all meat. He claimed it made him smell bad and his skin was irritated. The vet he was using gave him all kinds of meds and shampoos. We found out that we was bathing him excessively because he didn't want his house smelling like a dog. I think the vet bought the issues because the owner was also a doctor. We switched him to Fromm Family Salmon a la veg. He has been on it for 4 months and is doing pretty good. No "smell" or skin issues. His stool is soft. I have been adjusting the amount I give him to see if that helps, but I may try switching to something else. Any suggestions would be great? The previous owner fixed him at 11 months so I realize he won't reach full size, but he hasn't really gained much in the past 4 months either.
He did have one major allergic reaction. He were keeping him off our sofa and finally gave in because our last dog was allowed on it. He woke up the next morning with serious hives all over. I took him to work and they didn't get any worse. Came home that night, crawled up on the sofa, and they got worse. The sofa is wool with down pillows. So we blocked him from it and they have healed up and his fur is starting to thicken up again.
Sorry for the long story, but that has been our adventure with Atlas so far. Like I said he is really starting to come around. I am glad we could give him a home and hopefully a better life than the previous owners. Everyone that meets him loves him. I get tons of questions, and even had a customer of mine decide to get a CC after meeting him. I will try to update his progress periodically.
And some pictures.
How we ended up with him.
I grew up with Rottweilers and my wife and I got Drey our female Rottie shortly after we were married. She was our first child and a great dog. Unfortunately she got bone cancer and we had to put her down. She was the second Rottie in my life that got bone cancer. We were going to hold off on looking for another dog for awhile. Four months before she died we also had our first real Child.
A few weeks later my in-laws mentioned they had an friend that had this dog they wanted to get rid of. They were first time dog owners and they got this puppy and now couldn't handle him and kept him locked in a crate all the time. The in-laws didn't know what he was, but he was big and kinda like a rottweiler. So against our better judgement we went to "meet" this dog. He was a 1 year old Cane Corso that had a lot of puppy in him, but was sweet. I researched them and saw alot of the same characteristics of rotties and very few serious health issues. We also found out he was from a reputable breeder, AKC registered, and the owner paid $2300 for him and was free to us. So we said yes.
Get him home and he was a hand full. He immediately attached to me. Cried every time I left and peed when I came home. Really didn't take to my wife much, but was completely fine with our daughter. He spends very little time alone. My wife is home 4 days a week and I take him to work with me the rest of the days. He is exercised everyday and put into social situations constantly.
Behavior and Training
He was a serious play biter and would get very worked up. He also got into everything and chewed a carpet I brought back from Afghanistan. Would only come when called sometimes. Very hard to walk on a leash. Just very bullheaded. So we made a call to our dog trainer that worked with our last dog. In one session the leash issue was taken care of. Another session we started on the play biting and aggressive play. I could handle him, but he still didn't get what he was doing wrong. My wife was completely over powered by him. The trainer assured us he was a good dog and not to give up on him. At this point the trainer and I were his only fan. My parents and wife were fed up. I had to go out of town for work and my wife not happy about staying with Atlas. So the trainer came over with the E-collar. He doesn't resort to it as his first method, but felt my wife needed it to establish he place. It has been great. She was completely happy with him for the days I was gone, and now a few weeks later is doing very well. He has solidified is place in our home with his new found behavior. We barely use the collar at this point. I take him to the dog park everyday and to work with me a couple days a week and he is great. Meets total strangers and does very well. Only 2 people that were visibly afraid of dogs, and he could sense it. We still have some work to do, but my wife went from wanting to get rid of him to taking pictures of him and our daughter together.
Food and Allergies
The previous owner claimed he had food allergies and was allergic to all meat. He had him on a vegan kibble. My wife and I are vegetarians, so it was ironic we ended up with a vegan dog, but I didn't buy that he was allergic to all meat. He claimed it made him smell bad and his skin was irritated. The vet he was using gave him all kinds of meds and shampoos. We found out that we was bathing him excessively because he didn't want his house smelling like a dog. I think the vet bought the issues because the owner was also a doctor. We switched him to Fromm Family Salmon a la veg. He has been on it for 4 months and is doing pretty good. No "smell" or skin issues. His stool is soft. I have been adjusting the amount I give him to see if that helps, but I may try switching to something else. Any suggestions would be great? The previous owner fixed him at 11 months so I realize he won't reach full size, but he hasn't really gained much in the past 4 months either.
He did have one major allergic reaction. He were keeping him off our sofa and finally gave in because our last dog was allowed on it. He woke up the next morning with serious hives all over. I took him to work and they didn't get any worse. Came home that night, crawled up on the sofa, and they got worse. The sofa is wool with down pillows. So we blocked him from it and they have healed up and his fur is starting to thicken up again.
Sorry for the long story, but that has been our adventure with Atlas so far. Like I said he is really starting to come around. I am glad we could give him a home and hopefully a better life than the previous owners. Everyone that meets him loves him. I get tons of questions, and even had a customer of mine decide to get a CC after meeting him. I will try to update his progress periodically.
And some pictures.
Your wife will never remember the day she considered not keeping him lol.
