Day 3, the good and the bad. All and any advice much appreciated!
Thunder has been really good overall. The characteristics and personality traits of the breed come out really strong for these dogs! It's really fun to experience how spot on most of what I read about Corsos being evident with Thunder. I have had many dogs over the years and I never have seen one that is so accurate to how they are talked about online, in books, etc.
The good:
Interactions with other dogs.
Whether we had him out for walks seeing other dogs, or our own, he is reserved and scopes the animal out first. He just turned a year so he can get a little playful, but it seems to only get like this when another dog first initiates that they want to play.
For smaller dogs that are reckless with playing, I have just been keeping an eye on Thunder. He can become unaware of how large he is. Our one dog can be a little butthead with playing and can start mouthing around the neck. It's all soft and playful. Thunder picked up on this and has put his mouth around the other dog. I never felt worried yet, but we break it up in a "okay guys, enough settle down" tone. And they stop (Thunder first, smaller dog you need to get on him more to quit it). You ever know. Based on how he is acting it seems like his previous owner was pretty good. But they are a smart, people pleasing breed. Again, just speculating.
Great on a leash.
All around good. Always by out side. Leash can stay loose rand if he gets off course, a little tug with "hey" or "get" brings him back on track.
The Bad: Cats
I worked yesterday and I get a phone call that Thunder went after the one cat in a way where he'd probably be a goner if my wife wasn't there to intervene. Thunder showed zero signs of aggression towards my wife, but just some high, and instinctive prey drive towards the cat. After she I understand and accept the dog and cat may not end up being friends but I want to do as much as I can to have them co-exist.
All advice is appreciated. We went into this knowing about Corso's prey drive. Thunder seems like a very good pup who still seems pretty trainable at 12 months. After a lot of reading over the last month here's a few ideas I have. Feel free to chime in, I would appreciate all feedback!
- escape routes / cat doors: the cat is in one bedroom 85% of the day, will come out here and there. But little cat doors installed in two rooms would benefit things and let our cat know he is the only one that can get in and out of there.
- slow but consistent interactions with the dog and cat: I don't think Thunder realizes the cat is part of the family too, and likely thought he was an animal intruder. Lol. Sounds silly, but I read this a few times online in spots and it does make sense. When things are calm I plan to have Thunder loose on his leash when the cat might roam from one room to another. I want him to see that the cat being around is normal. Treat reinforcement and praise hopefully helps overtime.
That's it for now. Thanks again guys.
