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markwaynewolf

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone. I am new to the forum, I just wanted to say hey! I have a 12 month (will be 13 months in a week) Female Cane Corso named Nova. She is a wonderful dog. Very loving, loyal, protective and downright goofy! I'm here because I love hearing about Cane Corsos. I've read all I possibly could to my knowledge and it intrigues me. Granted I have a few issues I may need personal advice on how to handle with her, but overall no complaints! She is 26" tall at the withers, 85 pounds (I do hope she fills out more, pretty lean), black coat with slight brindling and white markings on her rear tip paws and on her chest, docked tail and unclipped ears! I will post pictures as soon as possible I just wanted to introduce myself and describe my beautiful baby girl :) :)
 

markwaynewolf

Well-Known Member
This is my beautiful 13 month old CC Nova!
 

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Mag-Pie

Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome to the forum, this is the place for all your questions and concerns. Nova is a cutie! Great pics. Cheers! :)
 

markwaynewolf

Well-Known Member
Thank you everyone! She is my baby and I also think she is very beautiful! <br>
Good looking pup. There are alot of good people on this site. What issues were you having?

As for issues I have the only major issue I come accross is how much she doesn't like strangers. In public or at a dog park she will walk by someone, sniff then leave them alone but the biggest issue arises when they try to pet her. I often let people know not to pet her until I give the okay but they insist and try anyway and she hates it! Sadly on the 4th of July she was taken by someone who tried to breed her.. it took us 2 days to get her back but we did! Now after maybe an hour or so with a new person she starts to open up, maybe let them touch her. I know as a breed they are aloof. Maybe it's just me but I think she has a more severe mistrust in strangers than what is typical. I however did buy a thunder shirt and it has helped the cause a little. still working on it (just got it last week.) but that leads me to believe she has anxiety of strangers. Sorry for the long novel just letting you know!

P.S. I look forward to seeing all your amazing puppies!
 

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
That's horrible that she was taken. Did they successfully breed her? Probably not since they gave her back. Do you know who took her? Did you report it to the police?

Yes, people are idiots and they insist on petting a dog that the owner has clearly stated to wait. I would stop people before they get close and let the pup go to them and tell them to not look, touch or talk to her until you give the ok that she is in training.
 

markwaynewolf

Well-Known Member
They did release her thankfully! The breeding was unsuccessful because she's fixed :) I wasn't interested in breeding her, that's not why I got her. As for the police because we actually have no proof nothing can be done but I'm just thankful I got her back and she is alive, well and healthy! that was my concern.

I often let them know she isn't readily available to pet and we are working with her. But, we still have those who claim they are "dog people" and still try. I guess my wonder was if this is a common thing among other owners as well lol

Thankfully the thunder shirt is making the training much easier!
 

kguitarchic18

Well-Known Member
welcome to the group! she sounds just like my girl, I think at 13 months they still have more filling out to do, its like the awkward teenage phase :)

I am having the same issues as you though, with the strangers. Zola does not let anyone new pet her, and she has to come up to them and be ok before they can touch her. And yes, people always insist "oh dogs love me" but we try to explain that they should just ignore her and then she won't leave them alone and will want to give them lots of love, but on her own time. Maybe mention what we do.... Oh shes still a puppy, and she is a protective breed, so it is in her nature to not welcome strangers until she knows are ok with you. Most people respond well to that, we have more of an issue with her barking when people come to the door and come inside. Thats a major thing we are working on.

I have heard that until around 14 months they do go through their second fear stage, so hopefully within the next few months she will get better, but remember, they arent meant to be welcoming to strangers. their job is to protect their family, and thats exactly what she is doing, and as long as she isnt snapping or trying to bite someone, her not letting a stranger pet her is ok. Just find what "wording" works for you :)
 

Mag-Pie

Well-Known Member
"Yes, people are idiots and they insist on petting a dog that the owner has clearly stated to wait. I would stop people before they get close and let the pup go to them and tell them to not look, touch or talk to her until you give the ok that she is in training."

Exactly. ^^^

"...but remember, they arent meant to be welcoming to strangers. their job is to protect their family, and thats exactly what she is doing, and as long as she isnt snapping or trying to bite someone, her not letting a stranger pet her is ok."

100% Agree. ^^^

My CC also dislikes strangers, and is not fond of meeting new people either. However, the Cane Corso typically is NOT a social butterfly type of dog. They naturally tend to find all strangers suspicious, and will stay aloof at best. Although it is possible to properly socialize them to be accepting of people you okayed, as far a respecting them that will depend on the individual person in question. Honestly, it never occurred to me how ignorant the general public is about dogs, dog behavior and signals, until it came to having my CC interact with others. People seem clueless, even people who claim they know dogs. Considering that CC's are so particular in their behavior, have unique personality and drive tendencies, I always limit and supervise all interactions between him and others. And frankly, I DO NOT want random strangers coming up to us and petting my dog. No thanks.

As far as my friends and family, well, when first meeting him they are told to basically ignore the dog initially, and 'no touch', 'no talk' and 'no eye contact'. Yes, even looking Luther in the eyes makes him react to the person. And attempting to pet him within a minute of meeting him, (even if he comes by to check out the person in question), still is not a guarantee that he won't snap at them, he might as he has before, so I basically tell everybody to 'keep your hands to yourself'. IMO it's disrespectful to a dog to be handled by strangers he just met, just because he is a dog I am not going to force him to interact with people he does not want to. Plus, he is a working guard dog and my companion, not a toy. I understand him, he's staunchly protective of his territory and his “pack†(immediate family) and he does not readily accept new members without a significant “warming up/getting to know you†period. And neither do I, but that's just me.

Also, personally I would NOT take my CC to a dog park, way too many irresponsible dog owners and unbalanced dogs running around unsupervised out there. That's just asking for trouble.
 

DalCielo CC

Well-Known Member
At 13 months your Corso is still a puppy and is still needing socialization. There's a difference between being aloof (I hate that word) and being fearful. If someone reaches out to pet your pup and it tucks and runs, it's being fearful and not aloof. Barring any hidden issues, socialization, desensitizing and maturing is what she needs. Be patient and don't force her into situations shes not comfortable with. Be consistent, get a little closer, and then a little closer and continue give her chances to overcome her issues (desensitize). Plenty of dogs of all breeds go through the same phase and grow into confident adults.
 

markwaynewolf

Well-Known Member
Thank you everyone for the advice and for letting me know that I am not the only one with that problem! I love this place because I can hear first hand from other owners instead of asking Trainers who know nothing about this breed and searching all over the web for answers I can't find!