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Corso raised TOTALLY WRONG! PLEASE READ AND HELP!

goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
My family - parents, 3 kids (10, 3.5 and 2.5)
My buddy's family - parents, 1 kid (5)

Tig raised by my buddy 10 mo old male CC he's 115lbs
Hazel raised by me 17 mo old female CC she's 78lbs and acts like an alpha

Tig's upbringing:

owners not dominant leaders
took food from kids hand or plate
not consistent with corrections
slept in kids bed since 8wks
praised for tug of war
in a crate from 6am to 5pm with no exercise/walks after released, last 4-6 mo no 1 on 1 time
very minimal dog interaction, basically just hazel
minimal obedience training
homebody cause their fence isn't finished
growls when buddys son gets close to him sometimes or plays just fine other times

All of this led up to his son getting 4 stitches in his cheek when tig went to grab a piece of candy

He's in quartine now. My buddy says he has to go. If I dont take him he's dead.

From my research he needs to learn he's below my kids in the pack order, handle any food aggression and socialize him (environment, my family and other dogs). I'm home alot since im self employed. I'm dominant...I don't play that BS of dogs running my house.

Should I leave him in the backyard for 2 weeks with my other dog to get used to the sounds and to break his thought of his last pack?

Basically isolation or exposure?

I plan to muzzle him when in the house until he learns his order.

Will hazel (my dog) help teach him the pack order?

Should I even try or just let him die?
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
Keeping him in isolation or stuck in the back yard will teach him nothing. He needs to supervise the family in a safe manner. I would suggest a crate right in the middle or the action so he can watch the family dynamic. What exactly happened with the bite? The 5yr old was holding candy and the dog bit his cheek trying to get it from him? You have very young children and can obviously not be everywhere at every time so I would be very careful bringing a dog with bite history into the home. I agree with a muzzle for a long time.
 

Th0r

Well-Known Member
I would be very careful integrating since the dog has already bitten a child.
Also another thing to note about acting like an alpha doesn't mean they are. They are only alpha until they meet a stronger willed dog!
I say this cause I only started taking Thor to the dog park less than 4 weeks ago and he was alpha the minute he got there. No dogs dared challenge him and they stopped aggressive play with each other the second he comes to police the play. They don't even dare play rough with him.
The other dog owners in the park chuckle and say that their dogs have all become super polite since Thor showed up!

Is your dog friendly with other dogs? Or is she dominant with other dogs?



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goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
Im no trainer but my corso can do extended stay and i leave her in my front yard hours on end. She doesn't leave the yard. Boundary training was cake. I love these dogs. Such fast learners and so intelligent.

My plan is to leave him and my female in the back for a while. He needs to get used to outside noises. He cant distinguish between threat or not. Then start teaching him to be submissive to my son (2.5). House rule on tig: muzzle at ALL times around kids. He will get exercised atleast 3x wk. After speaking to my buddy there was a progression of aggression but he didn't realize plus he didn't realize he was praising aggression. My kids should have him trained in no time.
 

goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
My buddy also mentioned there were times he gave his corso way more attention than his kid so im sure that would cause jealousy issues. I treat my dogs great but dogs arent kids. I also use a 2' and 5' leash at the same time so the dogs think the kids are controlling them. Gives the kids dominance.
 

goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
My dog is friendly with all dogs. Her and tig have been playmates since he was tiny. She nvr goes belly up with any dogs but she growls at tig.
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
I am sorry but I want to make sure you understand that your dog and this dog are not the same and just because something works ok with your dog does not mean it will work ok with this one. Aggression and the ability to follow through with an actual bite needs to be handled very carefully. You need to figure out what type of aggression the dog really has and deal with it appropriately. Dogs can be fear aggressive or resource aggressive and both of those issues would be made MUCH worse with dominance exercises. Because food was involved during the bite I would lean towards resource guarding but who knows without seeing it. If you try to alpha/dominate a resource guarder you could end up with a bigger issue on your hands. Your kids are 2.5 and 3.5 years old and are not going to be able to dominate anything. I don't understand how you are going to teach the dog to be submissive to a child? If you watch dog interactions, submissive dogs put themselves in that position willingly. If another dog tries to force a dog into submission they may back down for a bit but usually will only take so much of the nonsense before fighting back depending on how much of a bully the other dog is. I am concerned because your children are so young. A 2.5yr old is no match for an aggressive corso. I am very thankful your using a muzzle, just please make sure it is a good quality one and make sure whatever is keeping the dog restrained is child proof.
 

goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
It sounds like hes jealous and has been taught that he was above the kid in his last pack. Hes a nice and sweet dog...usually i think he just wasnt raised with the intentions of proper pack order. Im going to find out what his triggers are and work with him. I should be getting him on Monday. I will post a video.

Ive read that for kid socializing u should have the kid walk the dog or double leash. Getting the dog to lay down under kids command and just have him hangout to feel the love in our family.
 

season

Well-Known Member
This dog needs to learn to live with you. Rules, boundaries and limitations.


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karennj

Well-Known Member
Yes, doing the double leash and obedience training with the child giving the command and praise/reward is a great way to teach a dog to respect the directions from the child and build a good relationship built on positive associations. I do not believe you can make a dog submit especially a dog like a cc to a child if they don't want to and forcing them into that position might be a bad idea. The only problem is if the aggression is resource guarding which can also show up as jealousy (guarding the owner) you really have to treat that differently than strait out aggression. There is a reason the shelters have a different protocol for RG'ers. I think the best option is muzzle on whenever the dog is out. Safe containment when the dog is in. No food around the dog or other high value food items (bones and such) unless the dog is contained. Have him spend time contained just watching the family the first few days. Don't interact with him just let him observe. Be consistent with the rules and boundaries with everyone and every day. Get him on a schedule so he has a routine and stick to it. Spend a lot of time on obedience training with the kids involved but make it a positive experience. The one thing you DON'T want is negative associations with the kids. Your going to have to tell the kids to ignore him for awhile. Be in control and firm but keep it positive. Remember everything you do is either going to have a positive association or a negative association.

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goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
Understand this dog is not new to us. My family has been around him alot and the only kid hes shown aggression towards was my buddys son. I dont know if its all little boys, but i will find out next week.

I have the time, patience, consistency and im a fearless leader. Im his last chance. He dont work with my fam its needle time. Tig was placed on a pedestal and needs to be reset.
 

DDSK

Well-Known Member
Sounds like you have made your decision, good luck and keep us posted I'd love to hear a success story here it's a shame to put down a good dog that has learned bad habits.
 

CeeCee

Well-Known Member
This sounds like it could be potentially pretty dicey situation (large dog, small children, bite history). I know you know the dog, but I would not mess around and I would have a behaviorist evaluate him and come up with a specific plan to integrate him into your household.

I don't know that you can go wrong with a two week shut down period, but I would keep him in the house; not in the backyard.
 

teodora

Well-Known Member
did he bite the child because he got aggressive or he was playing rough/trying to get the candy? This is very important: he's still a pup and not very well coordinated. It's unfair to label him as "aggressive" every time: they're just big, bigger than they think, and sometimes clumsy.
He just needs some proper guidance.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Please let us know how it goes!!

Tig is still a pup, at 10 months, but is hitting that 'test the limits' phase (if he's not there already)... so knowing he's going to a house with good rules and limitations already in place is VERY good news!

I think this is the perfect 'boot camp' for Tig.
The muzzle is a great idea to keep everybody safe during his learning phase. Make sure he enjoys the muzzle, and you find him a good, comfortable one.

I would not leave him in the yard for Hazel to teach alone - she might be a great support to you, but I think it still needs to be YOU doing the training - and Tig needs to know you're in charge - not Hazel.

Knowing the reason for the bite is important - hopefully you trust the account your buddy gave you... it could easily have been a dog lunging for a treat, and inadvertently hit the child's face. Or... it could have been something much. much worse.

Again - keep us posted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Tig is desperate for some firm direction in his life, and makes a quick rehab at your place.
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
Sorry I didn't realize tig was only 10 months old. I would still proceed with major caution but hoping it was just lack of impulse control and not aggression. You mentioned your buddy said there has been increased aggression so I would want to know every detail of that. Find out the scenarios and understand the triggers. Even if it was an accident, a bite requiring stitches on a child face needs to be taken seriously

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cj-sharpy

Well-Known Member
I'd keep him and the kids separate for a while. Just until.you can trust him.
But NEVER forget his ability. If he has it in his head that a bite (and I don't think that's what he's done) is an option then I'd muzzle him. But make the muzzle a play thing. If he wants to play he plays with a muzzle on, treats, a wash, anything he enjoys comes with a muzzle.
then bring your kids in.
so.kids and muzzles mean good things.

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goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
My kids have all pet him and played with him since he was 8wks. No growling BUT im not taking any chances. After this im seriously considering pet training license.
 

goatnipples2002

Well-Known Member
My kids have all pet him and played with him since he was 8wks. No growling BUT im not taking any chances. After this im seriously considering my pet training license.
 

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
"in a crate from 6am to 5pm with no exercise/walks after released, last 4-6 mo no 1 on 1 time
very minimal dog interaction, basically just hazel"

This is huge in my opinion. A young dog, crated for 11 hours a day, with no exercise or structured walk/training/way to blow off steam?

He needs a lot of work, to be sure, but I would focus on the basics of training, as well as tons of physical exertion for this dog--- being in a crate for that amount of time is untenable, IMO.