jeekree
Active Member
I love pictures and seeing owner's progress and time go by with their pet so I thought I would do something similar and post here.
Here is the last thread posted in the Cane Corso sub-forum:
http://www.mastiff-forum.com/index....der-impressions-questions-and-pictures.30217/
Long story short, we have two dogs and a cat and had no intentions on rescuing Thunder, a Cane Corso Mastiff. My wife stopped by a very large and well-run shelter near my work and saw Thunder. Usually I am the one to give the reasons why another animal is too much but I fell for him right away.
I've always loved Mastiff breeds since I was a kid. Great with people and children, low energy when lounging around, and usually pretty even and predictable temperament. On top of that they are large breeds which I am a sucker for. I like the protective aspect of a dog (even though sometimes it can be a handful and too much). After reading about this breed extensively, general consensus is that they are good family dogs who are great with children, and other dogs... But also that they are confident, stubborn, and determined. "No Fear" is a great way too describe what I have been seeing so far with him, but at the same time extremely docile and very trainable; he listens very well.
It's been just about 1 month since we took Thunder home and it's been a rewarding experience. I was looking for any comments, or advice along the way and I hope pictures and various updates are okay here.
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- Thunder was born on 05-15-2016, so he just turned one year. His papers listed him as "Cane Corso" but then later in the shelter he was put down as "Mastiff-Bulldog mix". I am not sure how pure Corso he is. But from everything I have seen and read he looks and acts completely like many that I have seen online.
- 85lbs when he left the shelter and was a bit underweight. I am guessing the shelter didn't feed him quite as much as he needed. His spine was poking out a good deal when sitting. Since then he is right around 90-92lbs and looks to be at a good spot. I am open for suggestions though! I imagine with age he will fill out more, but I don't see him really exceeding 115lbs or so. I see some owners with very large Cane Corsos (130-145lbs). I know some American bloodlines are usually larger. Most statistics state 90-110lbs being the average range for males and he seems like he will fall into that category. How much more growing am I looking to see? He also stands just at 26" in height.
- Fantastic on a leash. Only need to pull when he found what he believes is food or another animal's poop. A "Thunder. Come." and a tug gets him right back. He really seems like he would be fine with no leash at all. He has been leash-less in fields when there is no one around, always stays close by. Follows me and my wife everywhere. Got to load the dishwasher? Here comes Thunder. Need to go to the bathroom? Here comes Thunder. During walks we encounter a lot of other dog walkers. Thunder perks up and observes but that is really where it ends. No interest to approach them himself. If I know the people or we want the dogs to sniff one another I have been getting down to his level and saying "who's this? or it's okay thunder." in a very calm/upbeat tone. His tail shows huge signs of how he is feeling from situations. If it starts flying everywhere I know he is ready.
- Great with all dogs but plays better as the dominate one:
We have a female pit who is a sweetheart but always makes it known she is the leader. She can be a little bit sporadic but we know when it happens and it's controlled. She can be food aggressive when feeling threatened. Never goes after other dogs food but if one of the other stumbles by her bowl she can be snappy. We feed them separately though. Always have.
Thunder loves to play with other dogs. Our pit usually says no way and if he tries she gives a good bark to the face and that is that. He looks sad and shocked and walks away haha. Sometimes she will want to play but in short bursts. As soon as Thunder gets more into it, it seems she understands he is a much bigger dog and doesn't like that. I have a video of this funny "bark talk" he does when he wants to play and she doesn't. It's very funny.
Our other dog is the exact opposite. A male english bulldog / basset hound mix. Never aggressive ever, but peanut brained and as stubborn as they come. Bad listener too (I blame that on the hound dog part, I had a lot growing up as a kid lol). They play and play and play. I need to keep an eye on them though because if it keeps going they can get pretty crazy and rough. The size difference it why I keep them supervised all the time.
- Cat killer but getting better:
When we first introduced the cat we were worried. It was a mess. Thunder seems to have low prey drive for the most part (zero interest in bird or squirrels) but we have seen two foxes so far during walks and it alerts him a good deal. Nothing like the cat though. First few days home we were sure he would eat the thing. We've been stern with him so it seems now he has accepted the cat as living here. They don't approach one another and he still gets iffy with him but nothing like before.
Here's a link to the two public photo albums of the dog. The latest has the video clip of the talk-barking he does to our female when he wants to play and she doesn't.
https://goo.gl/photos/icFpSVj4B35CZXuV8
https://goo.gl/photos/1qWjshyFPANQDrBVA
Thanks for reading and letting me share. I am loving this site. Any comments or pointers are appreciated. And any input on the weight is appreciated too. Thanks again!
- Jamie
Here is the last thread posted in the Cane Corso sub-forum:
http://www.mastiff-forum.com/index....der-impressions-questions-and-pictures.30217/
Long story short, we have two dogs and a cat and had no intentions on rescuing Thunder, a Cane Corso Mastiff. My wife stopped by a very large and well-run shelter near my work and saw Thunder. Usually I am the one to give the reasons why another animal is too much but I fell for him right away.
I've always loved Mastiff breeds since I was a kid. Great with people and children, low energy when lounging around, and usually pretty even and predictable temperament. On top of that they are large breeds which I am a sucker for. I like the protective aspect of a dog (even though sometimes it can be a handful and too much). After reading about this breed extensively, general consensus is that they are good family dogs who are great with children, and other dogs... But also that they are confident, stubborn, and determined. "No Fear" is a great way too describe what I have been seeing so far with him, but at the same time extremely docile and very trainable; he listens very well.
It's been just about 1 month since we took Thunder home and it's been a rewarding experience. I was looking for any comments, or advice along the way and I hope pictures and various updates are okay here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
- Thunder was born on 05-15-2016, so he just turned one year. His papers listed him as "Cane Corso" but then later in the shelter he was put down as "Mastiff-Bulldog mix". I am not sure how pure Corso he is. But from everything I have seen and read he looks and acts completely like many that I have seen online.
- 85lbs when he left the shelter and was a bit underweight. I am guessing the shelter didn't feed him quite as much as he needed. His spine was poking out a good deal when sitting. Since then he is right around 90-92lbs and looks to be at a good spot. I am open for suggestions though! I imagine with age he will fill out more, but I don't see him really exceeding 115lbs or so. I see some owners with very large Cane Corsos (130-145lbs). I know some American bloodlines are usually larger. Most statistics state 90-110lbs being the average range for males and he seems like he will fall into that category. How much more growing am I looking to see? He also stands just at 26" in height.
- Fantastic on a leash. Only need to pull when he found what he believes is food or another animal's poop. A "Thunder. Come." and a tug gets him right back. He really seems like he would be fine with no leash at all. He has been leash-less in fields when there is no one around, always stays close by. Follows me and my wife everywhere. Got to load the dishwasher? Here comes Thunder. Need to go to the bathroom? Here comes Thunder. During walks we encounter a lot of other dog walkers. Thunder perks up and observes but that is really where it ends. No interest to approach them himself. If I know the people or we want the dogs to sniff one another I have been getting down to his level and saying "who's this? or it's okay thunder." in a very calm/upbeat tone. His tail shows huge signs of how he is feeling from situations. If it starts flying everywhere I know he is ready.
- Great with all dogs but plays better as the dominate one:
We have a female pit who is a sweetheart but always makes it known she is the leader. She can be a little bit sporadic but we know when it happens and it's controlled. She can be food aggressive when feeling threatened. Never goes after other dogs food but if one of the other stumbles by her bowl she can be snappy. We feed them separately though. Always have.
Thunder loves to play with other dogs. Our pit usually says no way and if he tries she gives a good bark to the face and that is that. He looks sad and shocked and walks away haha. Sometimes she will want to play but in short bursts. As soon as Thunder gets more into it, it seems she understands he is a much bigger dog and doesn't like that. I have a video of this funny "bark talk" he does when he wants to play and she doesn't. It's very funny.
Our other dog is the exact opposite. A male english bulldog / basset hound mix. Never aggressive ever, but peanut brained and as stubborn as they come. Bad listener too (I blame that on the hound dog part, I had a lot growing up as a kid lol). They play and play and play. I need to keep an eye on them though because if it keeps going they can get pretty crazy and rough. The size difference it why I keep them supervised all the time.
- Cat killer but getting better:
When we first introduced the cat we were worried. It was a mess. Thunder seems to have low prey drive for the most part (zero interest in bird or squirrels) but we have seen two foxes so far during walks and it alerts him a good deal. Nothing like the cat though. First few days home we were sure he would eat the thing. We've been stern with him so it seems now he has accepted the cat as living here. They don't approach one another and he still gets iffy with him but nothing like before.
Here's a link to the two public photo albums of the dog. The latest has the video clip of the talk-barking he does to our female when he wants to play and she doesn't.
https://goo.gl/photos/icFpSVj4B35CZXuV8
https://goo.gl/photos/1qWjshyFPANQDrBVA
Thanks for reading and letting me share. I am loving this site. Any comments or pointers are appreciated. And any input on the weight is appreciated too. Thanks again!
- Jamie