This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, July 2015 issue.
My path to participating in performance events with my Cane Corso started in 2007. The Cane Corso had recently been accepted into the AKC in performance events and eventually in conformation as FSS and then into the working group. At that time our breeder had asked me to show our dog in conformation and I was looking for something more for us to do together; something more fun. Although he showed for me in conformation, it was not his most favorite thing to do. I had seen agility on TV and thought that it looked like it might be fun. My husband and I had gotten our first Corso in 1998 but until we got our boy in 2006, we really hadn’t been exposed to the world of dog showing and performance.
I contacted a couple of different places in my area but unfortunately was turned down, one specifically because of ‘not taking a breed like that.’ At that time we were still a new breed and unfortunately had the reputation for an aggressive nature that was unpredictable and not easily trained. Luckily a trainer was recommended to us and she agreed to take us on after an evaluation. When we showed that my boy could pass the CGC we were allowed to start training for agility.
From the beginning it was clear that my boy Machiavelli was naturally athletic. He had a great natural jump, good balance and he was smart. We trained for over a year before we decided he was ready for competition. I had made a good group of friends who were so helpful in getting us set and ready to go. I learned so much with him and he had to suffer from a lot of “handler errors” but he never gave up on me. Much of what I learned with him I could put into practice with my current dogs and also could advise others of what I had gone through and what solutions had worked for me.
We did have challenges. This breed is a guardian breed and as such that meant that some of what I would ask of him went against his natural protective nature. Working at a distance was one of those things. Now many dogs are challenged with working away from their handler but when you have a dog where it goes against their nature, you have to work extra hard. Also for the first couple of years, if we showed to a new judge he would go over and check them out. It got to the point when it was a new judge I would tell them that he was going to come and see them. He only did it the first time we would show to someone and only in the first few years. Again his protective instinct came out. He wasn’t aggressive; he instinctively just needed to see them while we were out running the course.
It took us a few years but he eventually became the first Cane Corso to qualify for the AKC Agility Invitational at Eukanuba.
I also found that slowly as we competed and qualified we were eventually accepted and even sought out to ask questions about the breed and working with the breed. Rescues who had them would ask questions on what was ‘normal’ for the breed. Without really even meaning to, my husband and I became breed ambassadors just because we were out and doing something with our Cane Corso. People saw that they were not all the aggressive, unpredictable dogs that they had read about. They became recognized for the incredible athletes that they are.
All it took was me starting agility and seeing that the people I trained with were also doing other performance events for me to want to do even more with my Cane Corsos. The next Corso we got, Lucretia, is a conformation bronze grand champion and was also the first female Cane Corso to get a CA when lure coursing was opened to all breeds. She has also qualified for the AKC Agility Invitational this year. She has obedience titles, a herding instinct certificate and is even working on a RAT title in Barn Hunt. She is a great example of how versatile the breed is and that a conformation title should not exclude also being able to work.
In my opinion the breed should be able to do anything we ask of them. They are meant to be a working dog, highly intelligent, athletic and trainable. Throughout history they were an all purpose utility dog who could protect their owner their owner’s property and also hunt with their owners. They are more than just a guard dog, though they are very good at that.
In my opinion the breed should be able to do anything we ask of them. They are meant to be a working dog, highly intelligent, athletic and trainable.
The more people who have seen Corsos, in performance events, the more people have been getting out there with their Corsos to try performance events because of their versatile nature. There are many who think that the only true Corso is one that only does Schutzhund/Protection work. I politely disagree with them as evidenced by the multiple venues that my Corsos and others have competed in and excelled at. There are now Corsos participating and titling in Agility, Barn Hunt, Dock Diving, Nosework, Obedience, Shutzhund, Therapy Work, Tracking and weight pulling. They have their CGC, CGCA and ATTS titles. There are Corsos who still work on farms and also compete in various performance events.
There are many who think that the only true Corso is one that only does Schutzhund/Protection work. I politely disagree with them as evidenced by the multiple venues that my Corsos and others have competed in and excelled at.
At this time my husband and I have three Corsos competing in various performance events. All are conformation grand champions and all have qualified in performance events. There are also still a few events that we want to try. We have done some training in tracking and nosework and have a girl who loves the water that we will eventually try in dock diving. This same girl we think might also love weight pulling. The key to doing any performance work with your Corso is to get out there and do it. Find a supportive group to train with and stick with it. If a trainer tells you that all Corsos are bad or impossible to train, find another trainer to evaluate your dog. If you find that your dog does not seem to enjoy what you are doing, try something else. There is no one thing that these dogs are good at.
