1st Steps
Contact some breeders, give them a run down on your interest about the breed and a bit about what you would like and see if the breed is still for you.
ask them about their pedigrees, about their goals for the breed, about competing if in show/sport and obedience and guarantees on the offspring.
From Day One
From the first day you bring a puppy home you need to assert yourself as a leader. We need to be clear what we expect from the dog, assert ourselves in the new relationship from day one and teach the dog how we expect them to behave.
- Always be calm, focused and fair.
- Never correct your dog with anger or frustration.
- Food is a powerful enforcer, be careful how you use it.
- Only enter a situation when the dog is Calm, submissive and not in a reactive state.
Whether it is approaching a person, meeting a dog, entering your home or your car. Do not let the dog lead (pull) you into the situation or it will try to control that situation. Only proceed to the stimuli when the dog is collected, calm and you are in control.
- Get a solid foundation in obedience to have control over your dogs will. The more your dog listens to you, the more you will trust it, this means more freedom for the dog because you are confident, and so you always have control in any situation.
Remember, if your dog doesn't listen to you, chances are it does not respect you.
- You choose when to give the dog affection, make your dog work for it and only give affection to the dog when it is in a good state of mind, never in panic, fear or aggression.
SOCIALISATION
It is really important to socialize your puppy from a young age, this is one of the main keys for specialised training. Off leash parks are a great way to start this, majority of the people and canines that attend these areas are there for the same reason. It is also great on the health side of it as almost all of the people that take their canines to off leash areas care about the health of their pet, for example shots and vaccinations are up to date reducing the risk of Parvo virus.
By starting this early with your new puppy will reduce the risk of aggression towards other canines and household pets, it is only natural for a canine to protect its owner from threats especially if the owner is the only person or animal he or she has ever been around. These Corso’s are naturally protective. For your pedigree to feel safe he or she needs to build up confidence this is very easy to accomplish in an environment such as an off leash area.
HOUSING
There are many ways and methods to house your pedigree and there are many suppliers of ideal runs to house your pedigree in at night. It is recommended that there is a minimum 10 square meters in each day run or pen this may vary state to state. Ideally for the pedigree it is best to provide more if possible so that they have plenty of room to move, full access to the back yard is awesome for them. Our Corso’s know that there run is there safe spot as this is where their kennel and bed is, this is also where we feed each of them.
EXERCISE
Exercise is important for your pedigree but caution needs to be taken. As a puppy, your Corso should not be allowed to do anything that you would not wish your full-grown Corso to do, like jumping, rough play. During growth periods your Corso puppy is subject to joint injury. You will need to be especially careful during these times to control excessive exercise. A puppy may play at its own rate but should not be encouraged to take long walks, jump obstacles, or any other exercise that will stress the joints. This is not to say the puppy has to be confined. Just use caution and do not allow it to over exert itself.
After about 18 months the growth rate has decreased and the puppy has just about reached its full stature. It is important that you NOT over exercise any Corso under 2 years of age. Up until this age (and sometimes later) their skeleton is still developing. When you do begin to exercise your Corso, begin GRADUALLY. Build up SLOWLY. Make sure you know and watch for the signs of your dog getting tired or overheated. Take ice and water with you in case the dog overheats.
FEEDING
Whilst a puppy your Corso should be consuming a balanced diet. There are a few things that we believe is a must for a large pedigree’s development.
- Optimised Protein and Fat levels
- Balanced Calcium and Phosphorus
- Natural Vitamins and Minerals
There are many varieties that you as the owner can choose from to feed your puppy.
At Thore Cane Corso we use our own super-food mix for optimum performance:
- A high quality pellet/kibble soaked in warm puppy milk or warm water, there is a large range to choose from however we recommend Performa dog as it is an all in one diet where you do not have to change due to the growth of the pedigree or Advance Large Breed Puppy
- Raw beef, kangaroo and chicken mince and occasionally sausage mince
- Salmon heads & Sardines that they absolutely love
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Boiled pasta and rice
- Raw egg and Cod Liver Oil once a week
- Beef and chicken stock adds flavor
- The occasional specialised tin food is ok but is best in small doses mainly just to add flavour and great for weaning puppies
And to spoil them threw Summer & Winter, Add 2 litres of water to a large pot, add 1 tablespoon of Vegemite, 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons of natural honey, 2 standard teabags and 1 mint tea bag, 1 cube of chicken stock and 1 cube of vegetable stock and bring to the boil for 5 minutes and divide it out between your pedigrees. In winter serve warm and in summer freeze this in Chinese food containers and give it frozen to cool them down, they will treat this more like a toy.
There are many ways to prepare your puppies meals. We like to mix it up so they think they are getting something different each day, we combine the products above on different days creating different tastes and textures: NOTE "WATER SHOULD BE ADDED TO PELLET FOOD". This is where we dilute the beef and chicken stock. You also have to remember that there may be certain products that your puppy will not like so it is good to introduce a large variety early. For example we use carrots as puppy treats, although it can be a little messy at times teething puppies love them and as they get older they still like to eat them. If you combine all of the above on a weekly basis you will have a healthy pedigree and will enhance the overall appearance of your Corso.
How to grade the quality of your dog food brand
Start with a grade of 100 points:
- For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
- For every non-specific animal source reference, such as "meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat, (not to be confused with actual protein source stated such as chicken, lamb, turkey etc), subtract 10 points
- If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points for each
- For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source subtract 5 points
- If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
- If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
- If it contains any artificial colorants or preservatives, subtract 3 points for each
- If it contains corn (ground corn, corn gluten, whole grain corn etc) subtract 3points
- If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
- If the food contains any added animal fat other than fish or flaxseed oil, subtract 2 points
- If lamb is the only animal protein source, subtract 2 points
- If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
- If it contains wheat, or components of wheat such as gluten, subtract 2 points
- If it contains "digest", subtract 5 points
- If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit Bonus Points:
- If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
- If the protein source is meal vs meat, add 5 points
- If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
- If the food contains probiotics or prebiotics, add 3 points
- If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
- If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points
- If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points
- If the food contains barley, add 2 points
- If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points
- If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
- If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
- For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "fish" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
- If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
- If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point
- Bonus credit - If the food contains NO grains, add 10 points
Kibble's Quality Score:
- 100 + = A+ (Excellent Kibble Quality!)
- 94-100 = A
- 86-93 = B
- 78-85 = C
- 70-77 = D
- 69-below = F (FAILED - Very Poor Kibble Quality)