Hi. We have a rescue Cane Corso, he was thrown from a car on the freeway. We have had him since he was 2 months old. He is so awesome and smart! And...stubborn when he wants to be, but even though he already towers over our chiweenie he's learned his limits with her and they chase and wrestle and fake bite all day, it great! But ok, here's my question he is just over 4 months old, he is 50lbs,his paws are huge, his color is Blue Fawn. He is fawn with a blue mask. Any ideas of how large he will get? It's like he grows inches everyday. Thanks foe the read and good info I hope!
@Scotty B Welcome to Breedia. Who could throw out such a lovely and seemingly well-reared puppy? Their loss, your gain. I'm sure he will repay you. I'm afraid I do not know much about the Mastiff breeds but he does look to have the makings of a really big boy. I hope someone more knowledgeable comes along soon.
Congratulations! He is a gorgeous boy! In general, large dogs keep growing until they are over 1 year old and then they fill out over the following year. There is a fair amount of variation in final weight for many of the mastiff breeds so it's hard to realistically guess. It also depends on if he has any other breed dna in him. Even a small amount of dna (under 5%) could affect his adult size. There are calculators out there that will guesstimate the adult size, but I haven't seen any accuracy in them. With many breeds, there is a weight standard with the appropriate kennel club, but for cane corsos, the AKC standard is simply "proportionate to height". And the height standard varies from 23-1/2 inches to 26 inches - so that's a lot of weight variation. In other words, it is pretty much anyone's guess. For comparison, presa canarios grow as big but range between 85 and 110 pounds; whereas a bullmastiff ranges between 100 and 130 pound for the same height range. So, I would make a guess that he will likely be around 100 pounds - give or take 20 pounds. If he has any actual mastiff in him, he could grow even bigger in both height and weight. If he has any other commonly mixed breed in him (lab, shepherd, etc), he may end up slightly shorter and/or narrower. P.S. Paw size has no bearing on adult size - large breed paws always look "huge" on puppies but it is usually just the contrast between a well-formed paw against a short small puppy leg. I highly recommend that you find a force free trainer who utilizes the LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) principle. It is very common with these massive breeds to use force and domination to control them - but that can be very dangerous. You very much want him to grow up knowing he can trust you 100%. Using punishment and dominance theory techniques (like alpha rolls, etc) will just teach him that you are a bully, and as he grows up he may very well decide to not let you bully him anymore. My last bit of advice is against using the word "stubborn". We all use it when describing our dogs when they disregard our commands. But it suggests that the dog is choosing to disobey you simply to thwart us. But 99.9% of the time, it is just that we haven't motivated the dog or we are giving out confusing/conflicting messages (that 0.01% pertains to huskies who take perverse pleasure in outsmarting us mere humans). Just keep thinking outside the box for ways to motivate him, when you find the right motivator you will see how much easier it is to get him to do things. I have always had shepherds and they are motivated by pleasing you. If you are happy, they are happy. If you are not happy, their entire world is destroyed. Very easy to train because of this. When I got my "giant jack russell terrier" puppy, he couldn't care less if I was happy or not. His motivator is fun. If it's not fun for him, then he won't do it. If it's more fun to disobey, then he will disobey. I have to use his motivator of fun to train him and I have to continue making it fun or he will think up a fun alternative to "the right behavior" because it bores him now.
Thank you for the information and advice. Zeus is actually headed to a two week board and training. Many Many excellent reviews as well as a personal friend who speaks very highly of the trainer as a previous client, so our hopes are high. We give him much attention and play his favorite games. He has began to count our daily schedule and knows when it's play time, followed by a good nap and then playtime with our other dogs. Hard to picture this guy ever having an aggressive bone in him. He loves to snuggle and be close. Any way thank you again.
Honestly, I would be very careful with a board and train. The biggest part about training is the bond it builds between the dog and his handler. If someone else is doing the training, that bonding is wasted on someone who is not part of the dog's life. Having a trainer work with you to train him will build the bond between you two. AND you will know exactly what techniques are being used because you are always there.
I 100% agree with this. So much better to have a trainer who will show you the best way to train your puppy - using only reward-based methods. Definitely no staring down or strong-arm tactics. Remember Zeus is still a baby, despite his size. Security and patience are his prime needs.
I also agree with the above posts about training. I’ll just repeat a few things because I think they’re incredibly important points. Zeus is definitely still just a baby, a very, very large one. Having a good trainer teach you, and work with you and your pup, in the environment he will be in (your house and yard, places you will walk him), will be far more beneficial in the short and long term then sending him off to somewhere he doesn’t know, IMO. You being a part of the training is hugely important in creating a lifelong trust and bond. The ladies that shared their opinions with you on training have many, many years of personal experience with various different breeds of dogs, and I don’t remember ever disagreeing with their suggestions to people who come here with questions, looking for support and guidance.
There is some reading you need to do about Corsos they are pretty much a one family or one person dog and are extremely protective so much so that rehoming them isn't a good idea, plan to own for his lifetime approx 10+yrs. Also don't neuter till he's 2 yrs old he requires the testosterone for bone and muscle growth. Since they are protective you need to make sure people don't walk in and out of your house without your supervision, like if you have teenagers running in with friends, that could potentially be a problem. Just read and learn about the breed as much as you can.
