Updated Aug 22, 2022

Cane Corso Rescue
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Rescuing a dog is always a fantastic thing to do. And Cane Corso rescue has its own set of circumstances for you to consider. You’re providing a home for an animal that really needs one. But you also have to make sure that it’s the right thing for you.
The Cane Corso‘s imposing appearance, his strengths and muscularity, and other physical characteristics make him a dog which stands out. The Cane Corso‘s appearance can cause people to misjudge the dog’s nature.
The Cane Corso does have a breed tendency towards being protective. Much is made of his guard capabilities. But, he is not inherently dangerous or aggressive.
However, there are a couple of things to add to that, which are particularly relevant if you are thinking of rescuing a Cane Corso.
The first is that he is indeed a big dog with a lot of strength, and also a very high bite pressure. So, whilst he is not necessarily dangerous, the consequences of any bad behavior are multiplied by his physical characteristics.
In other words, you don’t want a very large, very strong dog behaving badly .
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The second thing is that the individual nature and individual personality traits of the dog will most likely override the breed characteristics.
What do we mean by that? Well, we can quote Cane Corso breed characteristics all we want, but the individual dog’s nature, and the way he has been raised and trained (or not trained) are likely to be more important in shaping his behavior.
These things will have a larger effect on his behavior than general breed characteristics.
Three Things To Watch Out For
Here are three things you need to consider when rescuing a Cane Corso, along with our recommendations.
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When you buy a Cane Corso puppy, all the elements of his circumstances, training, and socialization are in your control. And you can make sure that all of this is handled in the right way. You can work towards an adult dog which has ideal behavior patterns.
When you obtain an adult Cane Corso from a rescue center, all of that opportunity to shape his behavior has been lost to you.
And, worse, you have no idea what those elements in his life have been like. And whether they have come together to produce a stable, well-behaved dog, or whether the dog has been subject to circumstances which can lead to behavioral problems.
Other Animals
We have an article here: Can Cane Corsos Live With Cats? Where we talk about how well our Cane Corsos get on with our cats.
But there are a few caveats. Firstly, we had our Cane Corsos from eight week old puppies. One of our cats was already in residence at the time we brought the Cane Corsos home.
So, as tiny puppies, they easily took on board the family cat, and adapted accordingly.
We added a second cat a little later, and were very careful to ensure that there were no problems. As it turned out, our Cane Corsos also easily accepted the second cat as part of the family, and there were never any issues.
Two Cane Corsos and two cats, and they all got along very well.
But, I would definitely be more apprehensive about bringing home a rescue Cane Corso, if I already had a cat.
It's the same with other dogs. Mostly, with a bit of care everything will be fine. But, again, it's very different introducing a new Cane Corso to other animals when he is a puppy, and introducing an adult animal from a rescue place.
With a rescue Cane Corso, you should take extra care with the first meeting with your existing dog. You should arrange a first meeting on neutral ground, and see how they get along. You can discuss this with the rescue staff.
There is not necessarily any reason to worry, but the added assurance of knowing your dog from a puppy, and having a good insight into his nature is just not there with a rescue dog.
It’s not that there is more likely to be a fault in the door necessarily, it’s just a lack of knowledge.
But you must account for that lack of knowledge, and get whatever information you can about the rescue dog, and be extremely careful with the circumstances he is brought into.
Children
Of course, the stakes are even higher if you have small children. Here, it becomes essential that you are able to fill-in the knowledge gaps in relation to your rescue dog’s temperament and behavior.
One way you may be able to get the information you need is if the rescue dog has spent time in a foster home.
This is not uncommon. Often, if a rescue center’s facilities are stretched, they may temporarily place animals with volunteer foster homes. If your intended rescue dog has spent time with a family similar to your own, you can get the information you need about how he gets on with other animals and children.
And people too! Sometimes, for example, dogs have an aversion to men. Perhaps they have not been treated well and have formed an association between bad experiences and men.
Health
All the issues related to lack of knowledge also apply to the dog’s health background. When you get a Cane Corso puppy from a reputable dealer, you get to know about his lineage, his genetics, the health situation of his parents. You also get health information such as hip score and eye score of his parents included with his papers.
But this information is also likely to be missing when you get a Cane Corso rescue dog.
Although these are things to be aware of, they are not things that should put you off looking into rescuing a Cane Corso.
But it does highlight that it’s very important to learn about the rescue center you are dealing with. You are dependent on the rescue center to fill in all these blanks in the temperament, behavior, health and disposition of a rescue dog.
Most rescue centers and rescue center staff are very conscientious and diligent about helping a prospective home by providing as much of this information as possible. And the rescue center staff will be in a good position to know about the characteristics of the dog, because they will have been in close touch and looking after him, probably for some while.
But you must be firm about getting these questions answered fully and honestly. Rescue center staff also have a wish to get their animals homes. In many cases, there is a limit to how long the rescue center can keep. In some cases, if the animal has not found a home in a certain amount of time, he may have to be put down.
Obviously, the care workers at a rescue center want to avoid that if at all possible. So they may have a tendency to paint a slightly rosy picture of a dog, in the interests of finding him a home. Whilst this is understandable, you do need to make sure you are getting full and honest information about a dog’s behavior and temperament.
You don’t want any surprises in the health area either. The Cane Corso is a big dog, and his vets bills are proportionally big as well. Medical conditions that the breed may be susceptible to include: hip dysplasia, eye problems, epilepsy (in some lines), pan osteitis.
Rescue Center Checks
The vetting process works both ways. The rescue center will also want to check out you and your circumstances for suitability as a dog owner. They may well want to visit your home, and will undoubtedly have questions to ask you about your experience and circumstances. The process may also involve a background check, a check with your veterinarian, along with personal interviews.
These are the hallmarks of a conscientious homing process, and you should welcome these checks. A rescue center which works this way is also good for you, because they are demonstrating that they operate with diligence, and you can trust them accordingly, in terms of providing you with reliable information.
Experience As A Dog Owner
Speaking of experience, in my view a rescue Cane Corso is not for the first time dog owner. Some people say the Cane Corso is not a good choice for a first time owner at all. I think it’s fine if you are getting a Cane Corso as a puppy from a good breeder, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a rescue Cane Corso with all the unknown variables we have been discussing. I think adult rescue Cane Corso will be better suited to a dog owner with some experience.
Summary
In summary, rescuing a Cane Corso is a noble thing to do. And there is no doubt that you can end up with a great dog and a win-win situation.
But it is essential to be aware of the pitfalls discussed above, when you are not getting your dog from a reputable breeder. Fill in the knowledge gaps about the behavior and temperament of your intended rescue dog by whatever means you can.
Either by full and frank discussion with the rescue center staff or, ideally, by finding a rescue dog candidate who has spent time in a foster home, in family circumstances.
Information about how he has done under those circumstances will go a long way towards assuring you make a good choice.
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