Cane corsos are some of the biggest and boldest dogs around. They’re large dogs that have protective instincts, and they even have a unique history of being direct descendants from ancient Roman war dogs. While these traits may make them sound like the perfect candidate for watchdog work, you’ll also find that cane corsos are great at herding and supporting the weight of people who struggle with disabilities.
Due to the powerful nature of these dogs, it’s important to learn more about them before you commit to using one as a service dog. If you don’t, you’ll find that cane corsos can quickly become too much to manage. The good news? Cane corsos can still be great service dogs if you know how to care for them properly, and in this guide we’ll answer all of your cane corso service dog questions.
Read on to learn more below.
What Are Service Dogs?
Service dogs are elite canine companions who assist their handlers with a mental or physical disability. Unlike your average canine companion, service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), and the Fair Housing Act (FHA). These federal protections ensure that service dogs can come with you in public spaces, on airlines, and in workplaces that aren’t usually pet-friendly.
While service dogs have these protections, there’s a reason that they have more freedom than your average dog. This is because service dogs are specially trained to perform tasks that help with their handler’s disability. This ability to perform assistive tasks is what defines them as service animals and grants them legal access. But just because they can legally accompany you does not mean that they are immune from the law aside from access. If your service dog harms someone, threatens someone, or destroys someone’s property, you could be asked to remove the dog, and you could be liable for the damages. This is why proper training and complete control over your service dog is so important.
Choosing the right dog breed is essential, you need a dog you can trust, with even temperament, and easy to train. This is why it’s important to understand the cane corso dog breed before you consider them for a service dog role.
Can a Cane Corso Become a Service Dog?
Yes, a cane corso can become a service dog. In fact, most dog breeds are eligible for service dog work. This is due to the fact that there aren’t any breed restrictions. Instead, it’s all about the dog’s behavior and whether or not they can help you with a specific disability. For these reasons, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of relying on a cane corso service dog.
Benefits of a Cane Corso Service Dog
If you really want to get a cane corso service dog, you need to understand the advantages that come with this breed. This will help you make a decision on whether or not a cane corso service dog is right for you. We take you through the advantages of using a cane corso as a service dog below.
Excellent for Physical Assistance
When someone has a mobility related disability, cane corsos are some of the best service dogs around. This is due to their size and strength. Cane corso service dogs will have no problem pushing a wheelchair, opening a door, or providing support for you as you move around.
When it comes to size and weight ratio, cane corsos are some of the few service dogs that are a good choice for assisting larger people.
High Intelligence
When it comes to service dogs, it’s important to focus on intelligence. Cane corsos are some of the smartest dogs around, so you can train them to help with just about anything. Whether you need a service dog that can help you grab medicine from a cabinet or a service dog that knows when to provide you with emotional support, cane corsos can be trained to help.
That said, you’ll need to work with a professional and remain consistent with your training to avoid any issues. Thankfully, once cane corsos come around to a training program, they won’t give you any further issues.
Protective and Loyal
Another benefit of choosing a cane corso for service dog work is their protective nature and loyalty. Cane corsos service dogs form deep connections with their handlers, so the more time you spend with them, the stronger your bond will become. When it comes to danger in public spaces, their protective nature and size help them escort disabled people to safety.
What’s more, cane corsos will learn more about you over time, which will help them do a better job with their service dog duties.
Drawbacks of a Cane Corso Service Dog
While cane corso service dogs make some of the best canine companions, you’ll also find that they can be problematic. For these reasons, it’s important to understand how to care for these dogs. Thankfully, we cover any concerns you should have below.
Training Problems
We’re not going to say that training a cane corso is impossible, but you may struggle to do so without help from a professional. This is due to the fact that cane corsos tend to be difficult to train because of their protective nature.
Sure, this might sound great if you’re worried about someone harming you, but this can be problematic for socialization. The last thing you want is to end up in a busy airport with a dog that’s barking and growling at everyone. In common public settings a large reactive dog is a dangerous dog. A cane corso who pulls on a leash after a cat can end up knocking over the person they were meant to be assisting.
Not the Best Psychiatric Service Dogs
Cane corsos need a firm hand and consistency. Without these traits in a handler, cane corsos can become confused. Unfortunately, this may result in erratic behavior, anxiety, or frequent barking.
For these reasons, if you’re someone who has panic attacks, seizures, or other mental health issues, sudden shifts in human behavior can cause the cane corso to respond aggressively.
Too Big for Some Spaces
While a cane corso will be allowed to accompany you in public due to how public access laws for service dogs are handled, sometimes, they may be too large. For example, a cane corso service dog may struggle on an airline to fit in the space in front of their handler’s seat.
Furthermore, cane corso service dogs may struggle in small apartments. If you have a smaller one-bedroom or studio apartment, for example, you might not have enough space for a cane corso.
Unfortunately, their size also impacts their lifespans and health. With a heart as big as the rest of them, they on average only live to 9 years old. In their later years, it’s considered best practice for them to not perform tasks that require them to exercise extensively, or to put much weight on their joints. So they retire from being service dogs sooner than other breeds. Before you commit to this dog breed, these are all factors you need to consider.
How to Get a Cane Corso Service Dog
If you’re ready to take the leap into the world of service animals and you want a cane corso, we have your back. To get a cane corso service dog, the best thing you can do is learn more about the breed and speak with a medical professional. We summarize the steps you can follow below.
- Learn more about the cane corso and whether or not they’re the right dog breed for your circumstances (at this point, you should have a good understanding).
- Speak with a medical professional to determine if you have a disability that qualifies for a service dog.
- Purchase or adopt a cane corso puppy.
- Begin training your cane corso puppy once they get comfortable in their new home.
While we covered the basic steps you can leverage to get a cane corso service dog, the process is often more in-depth than that. You also need to consider whether or not this large breed is right for you. For these reasons, we recommend reading our comprehensive guide that covers how to get a service dog.
How Much Does a Cane Corso Service Dog Cost?
When getting any service dog, the costs can vary substantially depending on what course of training you decide, so it’s important to understand how much a cane corso service dog costs. If you plan on buying a fully trained cane corso service dog from a licensed trainer, expect to spend around $15,000 to $30,000.
On the other hand, if you buy a purebred cane corso service dog and train them yourself, the cost is much lower. Expect to spend around $1,000 to $3,500 on a puppy, and another $5,000 to $10,000 on training. To fully understand how much a service dog may cost you, we recommend reading our comprehensive guide that covers how much a service dog costs.
Cane Corso Service Dog: Our Final Thoughts
Whether or not you need a cane corso service dog is completely up to you. That said, we recommend understanding the pros and cons of cane corso service before you choose one. This is because their behavior and size can be tough to manage for some disabilities. However, if you believe that a cane corso is the right service dog breed for you, don’t let anyone stop you.
Focus on training your cane corso well and be prepared for the attention that a 200 lbs dog brings, and you ‘ll find them excellent service dogs for mobility related disabilities.