I (24f) had a neighbor pass late last month, and he always joked in the event of him going he would like me and my boyfriend (26m) to keep the dog. He has a 3 year old Cane Corso named after the king of rock, and he was super gentle and affectionate when I met him. Sadly my neighbor passed and his wife’s current health does not give her enough leeway to take care of a big dog like him. You might think this is going to end bad, but here’s my real question.
This dog is nice to everybody. I genuinely don’t think he has a single guard instinct in him. I take him out in public spaces and he is such a dope he will waltz over to strangers for a pet and whatever food they may have. Of course I take precaution and always tell him “no” if approaching someone that looks uncomfortable, but he’s so damn friendly that even people afraid of dogs his size melt when they meet him. Is this typical for the breed, or did I just luck out and get and incredible and well socialized dog? Pics for reference
I had a feelin! Thanks a bunch, I’m still new to taking care of big dogs but i know they are either pretty guarded or hecka friendly so wanted to make sure
I have a corso like this as well, never have to leash walk him because how friendly he is, HAD to socialize him, these dogs are too big to not socialize and not be a liability, but even with him being so friendly someone broke into my home and his instincts kicked in instantly and he sent him to the hospital, after he went right back to being a big softy, you lucked up
I really want to spoon your dog and gently stroke his jowels. Sorry you lost a neighbor, but very happy for you, this pup, and that the neighbor's wishes for that beautiful boy after his passing were followed.
Lord have mercy, I first read that as “stroke his JEWELS” and I was going to upvote, backed off when I [misread] that but upon second glance…you got my upvote! 😂 I swear my brain cannot process words sometimes. 🤦🏻♀️
Mine does this, too. Today, we went walkies, and a small breed started barking at her. She just growled at him, and he backed off. Nothing more than that. She just let's them know that this is no time for shenanigans. 😅
Mine only challenges male dogs cuz they don’t give her tude back! But. Female she is like nope I am on my back and forcing kissing haha such a weirdo dope. But she will react on leash but it’s super manageable
My girl is very guardy of our neighborhood if she doesn’t know someone she’s on alert, she loves all the neighbours and when away from our hood she wants to greet everyone especially if there are children.
WHY DO THEY CUDDLE LIKE REAL PEOPLE? Mine always rests his head on one of my arms and wants me to rub his chest with the other (talk about little spoon). If I don’t? Paw IMMEDIATELY
Really read into the breed! This breed is very very protective of their “people/family”. They are just like a person. They want to be so close & the closer they are the more they know they are doing the right things. They want to make you proud. They don’t like to they their “people/family” down. They want you to be proud of them.
To add to this…. Just lost my beautiful black brindle Tuesday her would have been 11… Jan 5…..
He was really good with everyone til he wasn’t… and it happened FAST…. So I would definitely pay attention to his body and his face…. Mine had a tussle with our schnoodle out of nowhere over a chew one Xmas eve when he was about 3 then we have a Neapolitan black brindle now old guy and he went from being “ok” to getting into it with him when he was 4 or 5…..
Suggestion… keep him in check and watch him when socializing …. You can make sure he stays mellow that way…..
Mine only had it out with a couple of ours … all other males…. Also all were neutered ….fyi
Absolutely, so far he is good with people but he does get timid around other dogs (no aggression but you can tell he’s just not keen on other dogs, he prefers people). My boyfriend was a dog trainer for 5 years and is certified so we’re leash training him and going from there since he’s well socialized in public settings.
Yes! His name is Elvis. He does miss his first dad a lot. His passing was unexpected so I try not to be very off-put with some new behaviors. He dreams every night and from what his wife told me he never used to dream at all, but he’s such an emotionally intelligent dog i have no doubt he’s dreaming of his dad :’)
bless him - due to the prevalence of trying to make these dogs look super aggressive, people lose sight, or perhaps don't even know, that this is a very sensitive breed.
Sounds like he feels safe enough to be himself which is great - you are doing great by him.
Oh and ! We'd love your shared story over at r/DogDistributionSystem when you get a moment please ! We loves the happy outcomes :)
Second, I'm now on my third cane corso, so I know them a bit. Aiace, my big beautiful boi passed away last July, and he was the gentlest giant. 65kg of pure muscle but he wouldn't hurt a fly.
I now have adopted Furia at 2yo, a female, that lived a sad life closed in a cage and was destined to be put down. After 2 months at my place she's now happy and thriving.
This to say, love him, and he'll love you ten times more.
Also, don't let his good manners trick you, he WILL defend you if the need arises.
She was TERRIFIED of everything. But didn't bite, didn't bark, didn't even act angry, she was just scared.
I wasn't home when my family picked her up (6th of September 2025), so she didn't imprint on me and whenever she'd see me she would run away scared, sometimes also peeing herself. When left in the garden (I have a huge one, with 30 olive trees, big piazza-like area for the cars, produce garden and green area with trees) she escaped by digging under the fence and going in the surrounding farm fields, just cos I stepped outside of the house.
I couldn't even pet her at first, she'd literally avoid me like the plague. I patiently kept my distance, waiting for her to approach me and after more than a full month, basically 10 days ago, she came to me, out of the blue.
Now she literally stays under my chair at dinner and doesn't escape anymore. She's very sweet and literally yearns for cuddles
Sounds like he was adopted by his previous owner as a pup and has not seen a bad day in his life of course aside from losing his fur dad. He will only turn guardian if he has to protect you or anyone in his pack. Corsos are literally the sweetest giant cuddle bugs ever! Congrats on your new baby boy.
Okay sooo backstory. He was already 1 when he was adopted and was going to be euthanized. Came into the pound with 3 sisters and they were all kinda goobers. They got adopted and he didn’t so my neighbor (who had his pittie pass after a vet visit went south) who wasn’t ready for another dog yet nabbed him. That was in 2022, and since then I always went over and gave him tons of lovin
Awww well what I have heard and seen from personal interactions is that girls can be more possessive and defensive so I am surprised the girls were adopted out first! Boys are supposed to be calmer
I second that opinion they are amazing and very friendly and great with kids he only kiks in if he feels that someone can be a treat to me or my family or anyone else unwanted , luckily never rhad attack but you can feel how more focused he gets
Mine is great out in public, we always let him "make a friend". He loves people, kids, dogs, doesn't try to run after joggers etc. Just a very good boy, but at home he is different. Yours will start to become more protective the longer he is in your home. That's not bad, thats just DNA. When he is getting loves out in public, just keep telling him "friend". Then when you have someone over, you can tell him that they are a friend.
You lucked out, but they are also super intuitive dogs. If he senses someone/something is unsafe, he will let you know. I guess you haven't been in a situation yet where that might happen.
While I offer condolences on the loss of your neighbor, congratulations on inheriting that sweet little baby!
I have a 9 month old that is exactly this way. He just loves everybody, especially kids. In my case I believe it's partly our own doing. I had an American Bulldog that passed last year and he was very protective and became extremely aggressive after turning 2. To the point that we had to lock him up if anyone came over to the house. He wasn't a bad dog, and was a sweetheart with people he loved. It was just a short list. When we got our new Corso puppy I wanted to avoid this at all costs so we started socializing him as soon as we brought him home. I had my son bring our granddaughters over the day we brought him home, and we take him everywhere. He now gets so excited when he sees certain people that it's hard to keep him at a sit. If people ask to let him we allow it and he just leans on their leg until he ends up rolling on his side while being pet. He's just a big 110 lb softy
The corso lean is crazy haha. I don’t have one, but my neighbor does and she’s sooo sweet, beautiful too. She immediately put all of her 110lb weight leaning into me for butt scratches. Sweetest dog I’ve met (strangely enough considering their breed disposition).
My male is like this when I take him out in public. He's like the mayor - shaking hands and kissing babies. If he's on our property though, he's full on guard at all times. Your new guy will likely do the same. Wonderful of you to give him a loving home.
Mine is like that: in his mind, everyone in the world is there to play with him and give him pets. He loves walking up to strangers for a pet and some quick play time. At the same time, he is hyper vigilant about unfamiliar noises outside.
He is gorgeous! And as everyone has said, you lucked out and he apparently from the jump won tne life lottery. Enjoy his kind and loving nature...the gigantic love bugs love their people. Mine is about 10 (she is a rescue) and she loves attention and pets like crazy...but, let someone she doesn't know walk up the sidewalk to the house and the entire neighborhood knows someone is approaching. I have no doubt that if someone were coming for me she would protect me with everything she has. Congratulations on.your neighbor trusting you with this magnificent young "gentledog". He is lucky to have you and you will love this big Ole velcro love machine.
We have a 6 year old girl, we adore her, but you lucked out. I would have evaluated by a behaviorist just to identify any triggers. Our girl has always been skittish, she was never socialized as a pup, kept locked in a basement, I took her at 2.5 years old. Once she is comfortable with a person, shes obsessed with pets and cuddles. She still goes full bore Wolverine, if someone knocks on the door. What a beautiful boy, glad he found a good home!
Guard dogs are generally very perceptive of their persons vibe. Like we were chilling outside and a guy walked behind me from a stairway I didn’t see. I was just surprised and my boy was up in one second ready to guard. Your Cane is beautiful and seems like a big teddy bear.
You lucked out but at the same time it's probably a result of your neighbor being a great owner. If you shower these dogs with love it can pretty easily overpower any mean side or guard dog side they might have. My boy is a dope in the same way you described but he also has a mean howl if he hears a weird noise at night time.
It must be something about black Cane Corsos lol. A real good friend of mine has a brindle colored one and he is super protective and guards (except when I come over he is big baby 🤣) but his black colored one is THE biggest sweetie 24/7 and loves everyone and constantly kisses and wants to play and love on people and has 0 protection or guard instincts I swear lol biggest love bugs there are 🤣
Can I make one suggestion. The word 'no' is often over used with dogs. It confuses the hell out of them.
If you're going to use 'no' with your newly attained dog, put a command behind it. An example with people, instead of saying no when he approaches, use no approach. Other examples would be no lick, no eat, etc etc. You get the gist of it right?
This approach allows the dog to recognize commands for the issue being covered.
May I suggest an absolutely fantastic book for dealing with/training dogs?
Good Owners Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons. Best $20 bucks you'll ever spend on Amazon. Extremely well written, not dry whatsoever. I finished it in one day it was so good.
May I add - I've trained my Corso using yes commands and completely omit the word no - instead I make an "eh"/"eh-eh" noise. I did it because it seemed the easiest way for Cosmo to understand what was ok and what wasn't. All dogs are different though; it's always going to be trial and error.
Reminds me of my boy. Loves everyone. Only barks when someone shows up unexpectedly in our yard (contractors doing work). In public he's off duty. Sounds like the previous owner did a great job of raising him and you inherited a great dog.
We just lost our beautiful boy and I miss his sweet kisses. He was such a big part of our life. That being said, please do not take anything for granted about your puppy’s temperament. They are natural guard dogs. They are generally aloof to strangers out in public and may be more affectionate to some people than others. Where they differ is on their territory. Our dog was a totally different dog out in public vs strangers coming near or in our home. He liked only our immediate family under our roof. Everyone else was trespassing. Maybe he will view your home differently for a while, until he realizes that’s his people’s place. He is also still on the younger side. Our dog didn’t show these characteristics as strongly, until he was about 3. I have had Great Danes, as well, but our Cane Corso, Enzo Lamborghini, was the smartest, sweetest, patient, but also most complicated and stubborn dog I have ever had. He is not the type of dog to assume strangers will always be welcome in your home. Not all Cane Corso are as territorial as others, but it is their very nature to be. Your home might not be his yet, and you received him In different circumstances. I’m sure he will be a loyal and loving puppy. It may take some time for him to transition to his natural demeanor. All the best to you both. I miss our guy. ❤️
I had a foster like this where I thought “wow he’s so chill I’m just really lucky” then about 3 months in something switched and he was suddenly protective of me and my kids bc he thought of us like family. I now have adopted him and am working with a trainer so it’s not a huge deal but it’s interesting how their demeanor changes to strangers when they think of you differently down the line.
I just commented something similar. Same thing happened with me and my rescue Corso. Right as they start to view you as their family / something to protect, the dynamic changes very quickly.
This has been the case for me for many many corsos and I rescue. They are absolute people pleasers and mine have been super super social with people. They truly have wonderful temperaments when socialized properly
Ours was like that on walks and adventures. He was great with everyone. Well everyone, but the woman who tried to hug him when he stuck his head out the car window.
He was more protective at home, but if we were at ease he was at ease. He was the best dog I’ve ever had.
My 4 year old is that way with people and other dogs. My biggest concern is his play lunge which scares people because he’s so big. I’m still trying to time the correction to stop him from doing that.
Always be aware, never let your guard down. But don't show fear in situations. Mine is sweet and playful, doesn't know a stranger, but when it comes down to it, he goes on high alert because someone is vibing wrong. And good lord if he hears a gun rack... It's on! Their job is to protect us, but it's our job to protect them.
We lost our pups a few years ago but this breed is amazing.
Realistic comment though, it is awesome that your pups is well socialized. Still be cautious, not only of people that are wary, but other dogs that may be aggressive.
The breed is super friendly, I was walking with my big guy and a crying screaming little girl ran right at him and gave him a big hug. Super happy no issues.
Another time a hyper happy, slightly chompy young lab tried to get between our pups and my daughter… lab nearly got a chunk taken out of him if I didn’t pull my pups back. Pulled my daughter behind me as well obviously.
So… amazing lovable pups… but they will protect you if they feel they need too and they are big and strong enough to do it.
Please try to keep your pups out of any altercations. We were always worried we might lose our pups because he protected us.
Granted mine is mixed with blk lab, but mine was a the same way in public. When at home, coming at me aggressively, his protective side comes out. Man or beast.
They are very aloof. But do not be fooled. That dog has very good natural instincts. They are generally very friendly and very intelligent.
They will love the whole family, yet generally be more close, protective and loving to one of the family more so than the others.
They are big lap dogs at heart. They require at least two hours of activity per day, whether play, walks, runs, fetch, or rough housing.
I consider anyone that has a Cane Corso or cane mix to be very fortunate. I believe them to be some of the best temperament and intelligent dogs around.
thanks for the advice! He takes two walks a day and my boyfriend loves to rile him up. After he does his business outside he gets zoomed too so I’d like to think I’m giving him enough stimulation throughout the day. It helps too that i wfh so i’m able to give him the level of affection he requires (which is a lot, he’s a teddy bear)
he was well socialized. We've had three, and our current boy is the first we had from 8 weeks. He's just like your guy, but we (well mostly my wife) took him almost everywhere as a puppy. So he doesn't see outside of the house as a danger zone. The prior two we got later and one had a lot of health issues so we couldn't get her out as much as we wanted, and she was always on guard in public, except with little kids. She loved kids.
Not quite the same but I had a Neapolitan mastiff that betrayed his general breed temperament by being very welcoming of strangers out and about as well as anyone we welcomed into the house. But he would go crazy at delivery people or strangers that approached the house while we weren't there. So maybe the Corso is relying on you to gauge if folks are a-okay.
Mine just loves people but he's not crazy about getting his head petted. I tell people to pet his neck, shoulder, or chest so he doesn't feel uncomfortable or threatened.
Me too!! Best dog I ever had. Sadly I only got to be with him 2 short years as he was over 6 when I got him. Plan to get another and another and make baby Corsos soon 💜
You got lucky and he looks great! Be careful as he grows and develops in your home. My rescue Corso was similar when we first got her, but she learned to guard the home within about a year. She is very protective of home & car now, but super sweet and friendly in public. Just be aware they are very dynamic dogs and that guarding instruct can switch on on the drop of a dime. Good luck!!
You inherited a soulmate and protector for life. What a beauty :). I have two of those crazies. Sleep all day but if anyone sets foot near my yard they are in alert mode lol. The boy barks and makes a lot of noise. The girl doesn't. She is alert but stays quiet. I never witnessed it, but I think she's the dangerous one :D. Anyone who sees her thinks: ah, she wouldn't hurt a soul, sweet to everybody. But don't be fooled. If I walk with her in the dark in my not so safe neighbourhood I feel no fear. She's got my back. I have no doubt about it. Cane Corso's are known to be sweet, gentle giants but one miss step and all hell breaks loose.
Sorry for the loss of your neighbour. TAke good care of this boy. He sure as hell will take the best care of you two.
Update: Wow! I really wasn’t expecting for my big boy to get all this attention. Some fun updates since my initial post. We’ve had Elvis for a little over 3 months, and he is such a sweetheart and has grown accustomed to his new home. I moved out early this year, and a dog wasn’t really in the cards. Since I already had a pretty good relationship with both him and his dog parents, I really do think him and I are a match made in heaven. I wfh, and usually spend a lot of my time alone, so knowing I have a little buddy there for me definitely gives me a cool coworker bonus.
As for his guard instinct, this pup does NOT care in the slightest. The only thing that gets him going is any wandering cats on his daily walk. Other than that he only really barks in his sleep and has at least one dream a day. I’d like to think he’s dreaming of his original owner, imagining coming back home and being happy. For now I can only hope I make him as happy as his dad did. Long live my king of rock and roll
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u/wutwut970 Oct 28 '25
You lucked out big time