New Cane Corso Owner

[Rocco's Mom]

Hello! I actually was referred to this forum by a guy i met at a cool new dog meet up i stumbled on today! (double win). I am a owner of a 4 mth blue brindle cane corso male (Rocco). My 1st dog.... he's a handful but i love him dearly. I have TONS of questions and am new to forum etequitte so be kind

Judging from the past hr of me lurking it seems like the following is the consensus of the group on CC's:

1. raw diet is the way to go (still don't know the specifics of it)
2. chicken and grain is bad and can cause loose stool
3. Earthborn holistics grain free is good kibble to buy
4. uneaven growth is normal

thats about all i got so-far. if there is a thread on here that summerizes the do's and don'ts that would be great! I have questions on food, weight management, training (biting and pulling on leash), snoring, leg shaking (bad nerves?) and excercise reccomendations.

 

[angelbears]

Welcome! Glad to have you.

I feed raw so I do think that it is the best way to go but if you have a dog that has no problems with kibble I think that is fine too. You can find a lot of threads on the subjects you listed. You can also ask specific questions and most always someone will try to help you. It can take a while for a reply.

 

[Rocco's Mom]

thanks for the welcome! Do you know anything about Merrick brand foods?

 

[angelbears]

Sorry, I don't know much about kibble. I don't like Blue Buffalo. My dog didn't do well on it and I have seen a lot here on this forum about loose stools while feeding it.

 

[Rocco's Mom]

good to know as that was my next option

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Welcome to the board from anther corso mama! I would just ask the questions you have an get the full forum of opinions There will be some that work for you and some that don't but that is what is great about here... we all have different experiences which makes for lots of different ways to do things that might work for others

We haven't use that food with our dogs but Smart Family is the food guru here so she will probably chime in once she is on.

 

[Rocco's Mom]

We haven't use that food with our dogs but Smart Family is the food guru here so she will probably chime in once she is on.

haha, thanks! i forgot to mention that was the 5th thing i've picked up while trolling around here. I'd love to ask her a few questions but do you know if she works for a specific food company? Doesn't really matter as it seems the concensus is she's really knowledgeable, just asking

 

[angelbears]

No, I don't think that she works for any dog food company. I think she said she works for a local shelter. Of course this is the internet you never really know who you are conversing with.

 

[Rocco's Mom]

so i've added a few questions but dont know if it's better to just ask here:

1. Food- Since changing from Eukenuba -Large breed puppy, Rocco's stool has been like soft serve ice cream to say the least. i've read that it may be the chicken or grains in the new Merrick Puppy brand i am using or the amount i am feeding. Question: how much should i be feeding? i currently feed twice a day 2 cups a feeding.
2. is it normal for CC's to snore? he sounds like an ex i had! (6'4 240 linebacker). Could it be breathing issues or mucus problems?
3. biting is a real issue. my arm has me looking like a chew toy and nothing is detering his biting. he also has lunged at my face (tries to nibble at my earrings). Im not scared as i know he is just playing, but he's about 45lbs now so i cannot have this become habit. any tips?
4. Rocco is LAZY. We can hardly make it around the block without him plopping down in the grass and all but refusing to walk any more! is this normal?? could his legs be that tired? I read that mastiffs grow lopsided sometimes and today i did notice that his hind legs are wayy longer than his front. Could that be causing discomfort when walking?

thanks all!

 

[musicdeb]

Welcome! Rocco is adorable!

In response to some of your questions.

I feed raw. Best decision I ever made but it is a lot of work.

Yes, all mastiff snore. Titan snores like a man.

Biting is normal for a puppy. Re-direct his biting to a toy, frozen wash cloth, or nylabone. Some dogs react to a LOUD OWWWWW or NO. If you search biting on the forum you will see a lot of posts and a lot of suggestions.

Generally speaking, most mastiffs are lazy. Rocco will grow into his body. It's best to avoid Rocco jumping and doing stairs until he's about a year old. This give his bones time to mature. Titan goes out twice a day. In the summer for about 10 minutes and in the winter for about 20 minutes. He has play dates that last about a hour and he's dying of the heat. Poor baby...

It is best to start obedience training at around 6 months but you can start at home before 6 months with simple commands, i.e. sit, stay, come, leave it. Most puppies will work for treats.

Hope that helps...

 

[bellareea320]

Hello and welcome! You've found the right place for all your questions.

1. with amount you have to look an the bag to see how much. when you change your pups food its best to do it slowly to avoid any shock to their little systems. I change 75% old to 25% new for three days then 50% to 50% three days then 25% to 75% three days and your pup should be good.Smart family is amazing when it comes to food she help me and now my Luna is on earthborn holistics because I cannot do raw.

2. I had a really big issue with bitting and jumping and am still working on it. Try to re direct with a toy or treat and say NO BITE. This works for me because everything else didnt. Have lots of patience and be kind but Firm. look up Luna is challenging me this week..thread great tips and advice there

3. I only have an issue with Luna walking very early in the morning when its still dark. My trainer said it's because she's still young (5 1/2 months) and insecure. Start off going one block and praise like crazy, then another and never get frustrated if he wont go. My girl has tons of energy so I'm not sure about the lazy part

Good luck!!!

 

[Barb]

I feed Earthborn Holistics Grain Free to my mastiffs and they do great on it.

 

[raechiemay]

Mastiffs do snore. And loudly at that.

We are feeding our pup Merrick Grain Free Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato for all life stages & she is doing fantastic on it. No loose stools. It took a couple different foods & a hard reset on her tummy before we found what was best for our wallet & good for her too. She doesn't like it all that much so we use a little warm water to entice her to eat. Usually does the trick.

Welcome!

 

[Jadotha]

Welcome!
I agree with everyone's comments on the biting play, snoring, not overdoing it to protect joints.

We DO use Blue buffalo and love it.

 

[Rocco's Mom]

Welcome! Rocco is adorable!

In response to some of your questions.

I feed raw. Best decision I ever made but it is a lot of work.

Yes, all mastiff snore. Titan snores like a man.

Biting is normal for a puppy. Re-direct his biting to a toy, frozen wash cloth, or nylabone. Some dogs react to a LOUD OWWWWW or NO. If you search biting on the forum you will see a lot of posts and a lot of suggestions.

Generally speaking, most mastiffs are lazy. Rocco will grow into his body. It's best to avoid Rocco jumping and doing stairs until he's about a year old. This give his bones time to mature. Titan goes out twice a day. In the summer for about 10 minutes and in the winter for about 20 minutes. He has play dates that last about a hour and he's dying of the heat. Poor baby...

It is best to start obedience training at around 6 months but you can start at home before 6 months with simple commands, i.e. sit, stay, come, leave it. Most puppies will work for treats.

Hope that helps...

wow this helps tremendously! frozen wash cloth? sounds genius!
about the stairs thing ;( my house is nothing but stairs, he's been doing them since 8weeks. i hope i haven't damaged him. I have noticed he develovped shake in his front legs. sometimes while sitting or standing for a while they will shake like he's nervous. i'm scared now

---------- Post added at 06:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 PM ----------

Mastiffs do snore. And loudly at that.

We are feeding our pup Merrick Grain Free Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato for all life stages & she is doing fantastic on it. No loose stools. It took a couple different foods & a hard reset on her tummy before we found what was best for our wallet & good for her too. She doesn't like it all that much so we use a little warm water to entice her to eat. Usually does the trick.
Welcome!

Yeah, i've been topping off with water as well and thought that might have been the culprit. but now im wondering if its the grain and/or chicken.
i moved him from Eukenuba large breed puppy (via the breeder) and would add a table spoon of powdered calf milk to warm water, soak it overnight and feed it to him. this was all he knew from 8weeks till 3mths. Eukenuba does have corn in it but i never had a issue with his poop.

i love what Merrick tries to keep out of their recipes and would love to keep him on it but i keep hearing about the Earthborn. now i am torn between transitioning to the Merrick Grain Free or Earthborn...hmmm

 

[Rocco's Mom]

Mastiffs do snore. And loudly at that.

We are feeding our pup Merrick Grain Free Real Buffalo & Sweet Potato for all life stages & she is doing fantastic on it. No loose stools. It took a couple different foods & a hard reset on her tummy before we found what was best for our wallet & good for her too. She doesn't like it all that much so we use a little warm water to entice her to eat. Usually does the trick.
Welcome!

Yeah, i've been topping off with water as well and thought that might have been the culprit. but now im wondering if its the grain and/or chicken.
i moved him from Eukenuba large breed puppy (via the breeder) and would add a table spoon of powdered calf milk to warm water, soak it overnight and feed it to him. this was all he knew from 8weeks till 3mths. Eukenuba does have corn in it but i never had a issue with his poop.

i love what Merrick tries to keep out of their recipes and would love to keep him on it but i keep hearing about the Earthborn. now i am torn between transitioning to the Merrick Grain Free or Earthborn...hmmm

 

[raechiemay]

It's ultimately up to you. We went with Merrick bc I didn't have to travel 15 miles to get it & I didn't really feel comfortable ordering it online. Make sure you do a slow transition to the new food when you finally figure out which one you want to switch to

 

[jersey girl]

My corso is 10 months old. She snores whenever she sleeps....and some nights it wakes me up! My girl has always had a good bit of energy, I typically walk her 2x a day for about 30-45 minutes. I also have stairs in my house, I don't allow her up and down the stairs during the day, I have a gate to stop her. As far as biting, yes she loves to do that. My husband is the only person who "plays rough" with her. He actually wears grilling gloves to protect his hands when they play. She gets so excited when he breaks out the gloves, but she is trained to stop when the gloves come off.
I also feed Earthborn and she does really well on it. Earthborn has never had a recall from what I have read and seem to have a high quality standard. Good luck!

 

[Aplatitsin]

We need to some pics

 

[Rocco's Mom]

She gets so excited when he breaks out the gloves, but she is trained to stop when the gloves come off.
I also feed Earthborn and she does really well on it. Earthborn has never had a recall from what I have read and seem to have a high quality standard. Good luck!

Wow! Thats awesome! I think i need chain metal gloves and socks for my biting pup