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Cane Corso Puppy- please help:)

apollo92

Member
Hey everyone new to this forum even though I’ve lurked on it for a couple of years - before even getting our cane corso puppy Apollo who is 13 weeks. Hoping you guys could help me out with a few questions.

My three questions are:
1.How to get my puppy to remain calm before taking him out of his crate in the mornings. No matter what I do he will not stay calm upon opening the door he will try to force his way out. He goes in like a charm all I have to say is “crate”. No matter what I am doing I want a calm polite dog and really would like to get this issue solved - he is a smart dog and catches onto most things fast.

2.Puppy biting- me and my wife are on the same page of training and are sticking to the firm NO and redirecting him to a toy or putting him in a sit and stay. Or if we are playing with him we immediately end play time and walk away.
it does get frustrating sometimes when he follows like a little pirhana ignoring our NOs and continuing to nip. Are we doing something wrong ? Or do we just keep it up.

3. Puppy joint concerns- I am very cautious with how we exercise our pup as I’ve read scary things regarding this breed and there hips/joints. 2 times we’ve had slip ups of where he’s bolted and jumped off 1. Our porch (2/3 ft high and landed on his feet) and recently today he was in his witching hour where he is off the walls he ran up on our couch and jumped off the back onto our floor (4 ft high) I didn’t have a chance to stop him and I even keep a leash on in our house in case I need to correct him. He never yelped or limped in either situation - am I being overly paranoid ? (I just wouldn’t want to be the reason of issues down the road)

sorry for such a long thread - I just didn’t want to do multiple topics - any help is greatly appreciated!
 

Richie

Active Member
Hey everyone new to this forum even though I’ve lurked on it for a couple of years - before even getting our cane corso puppy Apollo who is 13 weeks. Hoping you guys could help me out with a few questions.

My three questions are:
1.How to get my puppy to remain calm before taking him out of his crate in the mornings. No matter what I do he will not stay calm upon opening the door he will try to force his way out. He goes in like a charm all I have to say is “crate”. No matter what I am doing I want a calm polite dog and really would like to get this issue solved - he is a smart dog and catches onto most things fast.

Take a look at this:

2.Puppy biting- me and my wife are on the same page of training and are sticking to the firm NO and redirecting him to a toy or putting him in a sit and stay. Or if we are playing with him we immediately end play time and walk away.
it does get frustrating sometimes when he follows like a little pirhana ignoring our NOs and continuing to nip. Are we doing something wrong ? Or do we just keep it up.

I think you keep it up but also understand the difference between biting and being mouthy... one of the ways a puppy learns is via their mouth and a lot of times they are curious with their mouth and not biting. One of things I did to distinguish between the two is, I would let him bite or nibble. most of the time he would just be nibbling and not trying to hurt. The few times he did bite I corrected him verbally and over time the problem went away. I know it tempting to overreact as soon as they open their mouth toward you but it's important to help them understand the difference between biting and exploring with their mouth.

3. Puppy joint concerns- I am very cautious with how we exercise our pup as I’ve read scary things regarding this breed and there hips/joints. 2 times we’ve had slip ups of where he’s bolted and jumped off 1. Our porch (2/3 ft high and landed on his feet) and recently today he was in his witching hour where he is off the walls he ran up on our couch and jumped off the back onto our floor (4 ft high) I didn’t have a chance to stop him and I even keep a leash on in our house in case I need to correct him. He never yelped or limped in either situation - am I being overly paranoid ? (I just wouldn’t want to be the reason of issues down the road).

I don't have much help here. Until my puppy became too heavy I always lifted him and placed him where I wanted him to be (in the cab of the pickup for example) to avoid jumping. Avoiding hip and joint problems is a big deal, however it's hard to know how much jumping is too much so I think it's best to avoid when possible.

sorry for such a long thread - I just didn’t want to do multiple topics - any help is greatly appreciated!
 

apollo92

Member
Thank you for the quick reply Richie.
1.I have tried techniques very similar to this and it just isnt working.I’ve sat there in the mornings for up to an hour trying to get him to remain calm before letting him out but boy is he stubborn. (Luckily my work schedule is flexible right now where I have that time to put in) any other tips or advice would be appreciated.
2. In regards to his biting it definitely is biting not just him exploring with his mouth. It is not in a viscous way and I know he is playing but regardless it hurts(he has broken skin) and it won’t be tolerated. (It usually only happens when he’s in one of his moods where he is hyper, he has never growled at us or shown any signs of aggression with food,bones ect)
 

BattleDax

Well-Known Member
Welcome from a relative newbie myself!

Crate thing: I'd just make him wait like 5 seconds, using your chosen wait command, then release him with your release command. Every couple days or so, lengthen the time that you have him wait. This will translate nicely into your having him wait before entering or exiting the house – a crucial behavior and key way to subtly show him his place in your pack.

Biting: If you don't plan to get him involved in bitework in the future, just discourage the biting, and redirect. The "ouch" thing often doesn't seem to have much effect. Redirect him to a toy he can chew on. It's really just a matter of waiting this out. They always grow out of it.

Joints: Personally, I wouldn't worry about the occasional, not too frequent, incident of him jumping off stuff. Life happens. I don't think it's these incidents that give dogs hip or elbow problems. The vital thing is their genetics. Oh, and NOT spaying/neutering them too young! For large breeds especially, they need those hormones in place at least until they are physically mature, or, if it's the best you can manage, at least until 18-24 months. I realize that, unfortunately, a lot of breeders' contracts demand early spay/neuter and that's a deal-killer for me.

But yes, try to make sure they take it easy with the impacts and the repetitive stuff like running on hard surfaces.

Just some advice from a stranger. :D
 

Dstack

Well-Known Member
Welcome from a relative newbie myself!

Crate thing: I'd just make him wait like 5 seconds, using your chosen wait command, then release him with your release command. Every couple days or so, lengthen the time that you have him wait. This will translate nicely into your having him wait before entering or exiting the house – a crucial behavior and key way to subtly show him his place in your pack.

Biting: If you don't plan to get him involved in bitework in the future, just discourage the biting, and redirect. The "ouch" thing often doesn't seem to have much effect. Redirect him to a toy he can chew on. It's really just a matter of waiting this out. They always grow out of it.

Joints: Personally, I wouldn't worry about the occasional, not too frequent, incident of him jumping off stuff. Life happens. I don't think it's these incidents that give dogs hip or elbow problems. The vital thing is their genetics. Oh, and NOT spaying/neutering them too young! For large breeds especially, they need those hormones in place at least until they are physically mature, or, if it's the best you can manage, at least until 18-24 months. I realize that, unfortunately, a lot of breeders' contracts demand early spay/neuter and that's a deal-killer for me.

But yes, try to make sure they take it easy with the impacts and the repetitive stuff like running on hard surfaces.

Just some advice from a stranger. :D
Well said BattleDax! I can’t speak much on the crate- we used it only for house breaking. The biting/nipping-Apollo92 - it’s natural and at times a nightmare. Our Boerboel turned a year this month so I remember the nipping stage well. My forearms, legs and hands had scabs so badly from broken skin-you’d think i was abused. She was never aggressive just playing like a pup plays. Nippy All day-all night and in between! We did the same- redirect/toys/treats. Verbal ‘NO BITING” It’s exhausting. The kids were EXHAUSTED. She became “soft mouth” at 19 weeks. Hang in there. Stick with it. I feel your frustration. Your CC will outgrow it.
Joint issue with giant breed- the best advice I received was on this Forum. Walk walk walk- keep your puppy active. Walk up hills! Let him work his muscles. Stay active. Follow his natural gait. Daisy has been going up and down stairs in our home, jumping into our pickup truck, hunting, swimming, walking etc. from the moment we brought her home. I don’t jog with her on my runs although she begs to go. I hope some of this puts you at ease. All the best and post pics!
 

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apollo92

Member
Welcome from a relative newbie myself!

Crate thing: I'd just make him wait like 5 seconds, using your chosen wait command, then release him with your release command. Every couple days or so, lengthen the time that you have him wait. This will translate nicely into your having him wait before entering or exiting the house – a crucial behavior and key way to subtly show him his place in your pack.

Biting: If you don't plan to get him involved in bitework in the future, just discourage the biting, and redirect. The "ouch" thing often doesn't seem to have much effect. Redirect him to a toy he can chew on. It's really just a matter of waiting this out. They always grow out of it.

Joints: Personally, I wouldn't worry about the occasional, not too frequent, incident of him jumping off stuff. Life happens. I don't think it's these incidents that give dogs hip or elbow problems. The vital thing is their genetics. Oh, and NOT spaying/neutering them too young! For large breeds especially, they need those hormones in place at least until they are physically mature, or, if it's the best you can manage, at least until 18-24 months. I realize that, unfortunately, a lot of breeders' contracts demand early spay/neuter and that's a deal-killer for me.

But yes, try to make sure they take it easy with the impacts and the repetitive stuff like running on hard surfaces.

Just some advice from a stranger. :D

Thank you for your advice! As far as neutering goes I still need to do a little more research but I would like to not do it at all.In the end I want to make the choice being based on what is better for my dogs health.
 

apollo92

Member
Well said BattleDax! I can’t speak much on the crate- we used it only for house breaking. The biting/nipping-Apollo92 - it’s natural and at times a nightmare. Our Boerboel turned a year this month so I remember the nipping stage well. My forearms, legs and hands had scabs so badly from broken skin-you’d think i was abused. She was never aggressive just playing like a pup plays. Nippy All day-all night and in between! We did the same- redirect/toys/treats. Verbal ‘NO BITING” It’s exhausting. The kids were EXHAUSTED. She became “soft mouth” at 19 weeks. Hang in there. Stick with it. I feel your frustration. Your CC will outgrow it.
Joint issue with giant breed- the best advice I received was on this Forum. Walk walk walk- keep your puppy active. Walk up hills! Let him work his muscles. Stay active. Follow his natural gait. Daisy has been going up and down stairs in our home, jumping into our pickup truck, hunting, swimming, walking etc. from the moment we brought her home. I don’t jog with her on my runs although she begs to go. I hope some of this puts you at ease. All the best and post pics!

Appreciate the reply! I will continue to do what we are doing with verbal corrections and redirecting to toys.It can be extremely frustrating at times but I am enjoying this puppy stage because I know it will fly by!
 

timmy59

Well-Known Member
IMO, again IMO, your expecting to much for question 1, he is a puppy / child, therefore he will be excited after a nights sleep.. Our pup, coming up on 8 months does summersaults, backflips and high jumps when I pull in from work.. Excitement to see me, I will not ask her to stop, I'd be wrong in asking her to not be happy to see me home..
#2 our pup drew numerous ozs, pints, quarts of blood from me, there were times I didn't get out of the car before I was bleeding, lol.. It's a puppy thing.. If we didn't want to bleed we had toy in hand.. At near 8 months now and she is a world better, She accidently missed the toy and put a couple holes in me, But I'll survive..
#3 I can't comment on since our dog is a full fledged farm dog and gets all kinds of exercise and ruff housing..