Not having met you personally, nor read anything on any other forum written by, or about you, I would like to offer the following comments. Let me also mention that I have a law degree though am not a licensed attorney at this time, and can speak to other elements of this issue as well. Bear with me please.
One of the first requirement of owning a corso is understanding the mental discipline that is required of the OWNER as well as the dog. Same requirements, same commands, same expectations, over and over and over without deviance. It is not always convenient to be patient and yet disciplined but it is necessary. Hitting a corso will not get the response you are looking for; it will slowly build intense resentment. Think ahead for some creative discipline.
Dominance is bred into the Corso, and you will be dealing with that issue, in some form, every day. You MUST be on top of them in a firm manner, but also kindly. Because you have dealt with other "hard or difficult dogs" does NOT qualify you to own a corso. Just because someone once rode a pony at a birthday party does NOT make them qualified to jump a 6 foot fence in the Olympics. There are many subtle, and not so subtle difference inherent in the corso as a breed.
The first thing to be aware of is that their default response to ALL new people and ALL new situations is suspicion, which can be expressed in many ways. You will have to work to overcome that FIRST before getting to anything else; not just once, but in every new situation and with every new person. Actually, one of the FIRST changes you should make is contacting your insurance carrier to see if there is an increase in premium for owning one of these dogs. Failing to carry proper insurance can cost you not just your dog (to euthanasia), but your home; any and every asset that can be liquidated to pay a judgment against you for personal harm, injury or damage. And yes, it will go just like that.
These dogs read you like a book. It is up to you as the owner to have properly instructed your dog, keep a roving eye for potential problems, in the home, outside the home, everywhere. Bringing a corso into a home with other animals or children ups the ante.
In chatting with other corso owners they indicate that when they are in a bad mood, so are their dogs. I have found this to be true. Same when they are in a good mood. So how YOU feel is entirely germaine to dealing with your dog. These are also the most attentive dogs; I recently was developing a migraine headache which eventually caused me to go to the ER, and my corso just KNEW there was something wrong and kept pestering me to get up and tell someone. In a suit for personal injury, for instance, a good attorney can delve into your background, discover "an issue" and run with it. For instance"...if you knew you experience panic attacks (insert whatever issue you have here) then why did you obtain an animal you knew you did not possess the mental capacity to control?" And yes, it will go just like that; that's where I would take it.
And if you are not taking the dog into situations where you experience these panic attacks, then conceivably the dog is only meant for protection? Then why a mossler breed at all? A GSP is another good choice, if all you are looking for is an "alarm" dog. Or any mid sized terrier, say a Boston or Schnauzer. You mention that you spend a good deal of your day out of doors; how do you plan to maintain control of your young corso? Or protect the other animal or child members of your household from being subjected to corso domination? It is one thing to read about these things, and an entirely other thing dealing with them.
I used to retrain mentally damaged/traumatized horses that outweighed me 150-1, then at age 47 I took on law school and graduated, and I thought that was hard. Even after all that I thought long and hard before committing to this breed. I may not be the smartest person on the planet but I do know that I cannot muscle down a 125 pound dog that wants to be somewhere else any more than I can put an 1800 pound horse down physically. It takes forethought, foresight and proper training to be able to effectively manage any sentient being. For instance, I trained in a command into my corso that I didn't think I would ever use, for emergencies, and I used it and it worked. It is that kind of forethought that will be required. Then being able to recognize when to use it and do all this in a split second or less.
I suspect, in reading this thread, that you have heard all this before. So I have to ask myself, why are you really limiting your search to Texas? Have other breeders refused to sell you a dog? Is that what makes them disreputable breeders in you mind?
I know that breeders are looking to build this breed into something safe and dependable, not intimidating and reckless. The application process itself seems tedious but is very necessary. If you are not completely honest with the breeder, you are placing them as well as yourself in danger physically and potentially legally. in the event an owner is sued, there may also be an attempt to sue the breeder of the dog, and these applications ask many important questions in the event a lawsuit against the breeder may arise. Even hold harmless agreements may require defending on the part of the breeder, which is costly as well!
You will not be able to control a corso with a shock collar or a prong collar, which btw break at the most inopportune times, physical pain doesn't phase them when they are intent on doing something. Emotional inconsistency will cripple a corso and make it the most dangerous animal you will ever see. Indecisiveness on the part of an owner will confuse and potentially anger a corso, forcing it to go to their default behavior.
I would be more than happy to chat with you if you want to PM me your number. I would urge you most ferverently to reconsider a cane corso as a choice for you. I seriously doubt that all the posters, both here and on other forums, would take the time or effort just to be malicious or vindictive. Perhaps try to see it more as wise counsel. After all, we all learn from each other's experiences, right?
And from a legal standpoint, just the information on this and presumable other forums would likely provide the requirements to obtain a subpoena for other discoverable records. It costs just as much to prove your innocence as it does to defend if you are guilty.
