Aggressive Cane Corso Pup?

[bwalker]

Ok I have 2 cane corsos. Georgie is 3 years old had him since he was 8 weeks old. He is extremely laid back still acts like a big baby and rarely shows aggression. The few times he has shown aggression they were warranted.

On May 17th I got Bella who at the time was 8 weeks old 1 of 7 pups. She is a ball of fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nothing like my male. She attacks every dog that comes around it starts off as play then immediately rough play, then growling and biting. She even growls at her toys.

When she is around my male she attacks him and bites him. I dont allow them to spend time together unless she is leashed so that I can control her. She makes it nearly impossible to socialize with other dogs because of her rough play (aggression?)

She is crated during the day with frequent breaks and allowed limited roam around the house. She is not allowed in my males room and the only common place they share is on the back deck.

Today I had her with me when I fed my male and she attempted to take his food (He moved out of the way and let her have it. He tends to avoid her at all cost and basically tries to stay out of her way. I worry that my male may react to her aggression oneday and that probably wont be good.

So is this aggression of rough play? Any suggestions? We are going to attempt to attend puppy kindergarten for socialization the trainer is aware of the issues that I am having.

 

[Cody]

I think going to a trainer / Behaviorist is a great start.
Sounds more like you have a dominant female then aggressive to me. Personally I would think your male will put her in her place, which isn't acting aggressively but installing pack order. Male have a tendency to allow females a little more leeway then they will another male. He will put her in her place, usually with some noise and holding them down.
May I ask which breeder she came from, what her lines are? Lines differ, in this breed, as in many.
I just want to add that Corso play hard, really hard. Which is why sometimes they are best to not be at dog parks. When she is playing with your male, how does he react? I mean you say attacks him and bites him, she is 3 months old. That is how pups play, what does your male do?
Have you spoken with your breeder yet?
That may be the place to start.
Good luck.

 

[Sabrina]

I agree...she sounds very dominant like my male corso...she needs to be put in her place a little by you...have you tried excersizes like taking away her toys/bones when she is playing with them, making her sit before eating, etc? I think it's good you have her on the leash when she gets rough with your male because it is your responsibility to protect him from her. There may be a power struggle between the two as she gets older, so you definitely need to keep your eye on them...

 

[bwalker]

When she plays with him (attacks) he basically pushes her away or walks away. She will follow him and basically they end up with her chasing him. He has growled at her once and she chilled out but normally he just takes it until I stop it. I have taken her toys away, I feed her by hand a couple of times a week. She sits before she is allowed in or out of her crate and front door. Her behavior is 100 percent opposite of my male. The only similairities are that they both came darn near house broken. My male was raised with 3 other dogs for the first year of his life including a very dominat doberman he is very well socialized and still acts like a big baby. He was also bitten as a pup by a pitbull (at a dog park, dont do those anymore). He is out of Bel Monte lines and she is out of Rivale lines.

 

[Cody]

There is part of your answer.
Rivale is considered working lines, some have higher drive then many other lines of dogs.
To be perfectly blunt, it doesn't really sound like that much of an issue to me, but you have a higher drive puppy.
They bite, growl and play hard. The Corso is not supposed to be a couch potato. She is 3 months old, she is acting like a Corso pup.
To be honest I do not think your stepping in is really all that productive. She is a baby and your male needs to be able to put her in her place before she grows up and there is an issue.
If she is too much dog for you, you may want to find her a working home that can foster and work her drive, or speak to your breeder about returning her.
You need to remember the Corso is a dominant breed and a WORKING breed.
Also please be very careful labeling a dog aggressive, that is too dangerous a word to be throwing around, for any breed.
May I ask why you chose to go with a Rivale dog?

 

[bwalker]

You may have misunderstood me I am not labeling it aggression the purpose of the posting is to find out from other corso owners if this is the norm. It may not be an issue but I won't know until I speak with someone who has experienced these issues or norms whatever you want to call it. With my male he has been laid back since he came home. With this pup being an exact opposite I thought I would ask around. The Corso out of Rivale lines was just a matter of chance it kind of fell in my lap and we were in the process of looking for Georgie a play mate. I wanted a dog with higher drive than my Georgie so i guess it is just working out that way. Don't believe that she is 2 much dog as a matter of fact I welcome more drive. And My Georgie is exactly that a couch potato!

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

We have a Rivale lines female and they can be more dominant and have more drive than some of the other lines. If you are used to a couch potato that might seem like the polar opposite to what you are used to, but from the Rivale dogs I have met seems to be pretty normal.

Would just get her out and work at burning that energy off to help her chill a little more with your male in the house and get her in the obedience class (hopefully it is one that is familiar with the breed or at least working dogs and won't just label it as aggressive). There are a lot of Rivale line dogs that are working so if you are interested in that avenue with your puppy I would ask on one of the working forums like SACCI or cc.com for clubs in your area and see about getting her out there and working. She will probably be more of a challenge than your male if she is acting like the punk now but a knowlegable trainer that can help you channel that energy into something that you can both enjoy will make for a much happier home.

 

[Cody]

Maybe I misunderstood, but it sounded as if you are not enjoying the drive of your pup.
I just hate to see the word aggression used, as people will take it and run and the Corso doesn't need that added to it's reputation.
Also people seem to mistake drive and dominance for aggression, which is dangerous.
The Corso is still a relatively new breed, so to speak, so tends to be all over the map as far as type and temperament go.
I just brought home a pup from working lines with high drive, and the tiny holes in my hands will tell you she certainly a handful.
But it is normal for her lines and since I intend to work her, I would have it no other way
I agree with Mary above, please try to find a trainer with exp with working breeds and better yet CC experience.