A Cane Corso serving as a working dog along with police is quite common but utilizing them as a service dog is something that boosts up my curious mind.
Like most other people, I have also started to learn about their capabilities to work as a service dog. The more I search the more amazed I get.
So, can Cane Corsos be service dogs? Cane Corsos are good service dogs working with different medical disabilities. They do great as Psychiatric Assistants and PTSD Support Dogs. They can also help as Mobility Assistance Dogs, Wheel-Chair Assistance dogs, and Seizure Response Dogs as well. But, they are not recommended to perform as Visual Assistant Dog or a Hearing Assistant Dog.
I have mentioned every detail below, and I bet you will get a clear picture if you keep reading further.
What Makes Cane Corsos An Ideal Candidate For Some Service Dog Categories?
As you can guess, Cane Corso might not be the best fit to perform each and every category of a service dog, but some. All recent research shows Corsos do excellent in some categories.
Yet, in some other categories, they might be a good well though those have no clear evidence. I’ll explain those later.
Before that, let me tell you a few more things that make Cane Corso a good candidate breed for being an awesome service dog.
Size
The Corso is a big, muscular breed of dog. Males stand 25 to 27.5 inches tall at the withers, while females are 23.5 to 26 inches tall. Weight is proportional to height and usually varies between 90 and 120 pounds.
Temperament
Corsos are friendly dogs, and they work well with kids. Service dog trainers can easily teach them how to respond to specific disabilities.
Longevity
I believe the average lifespan of a Corso is very important for any service dog, and studies say it lives 10 to 12 years on average.
Low-Maintenance
The Cane Corso is a low-maintenance dog breed. It is highly beneficial for service dog handlers, who are frequently physically or psychologically handicapped persons.
Intelligence
All service dogs must be clever and intellectual. Thankfully, trained Corso doggies are smart enough to recognize most of the symptoms. When necessary, they may quickly notify the handler or any individuals around.
Strength
Cane Corsos are a strong breed of dogs. Even a retired Corso can pull a wheelchair without any hesitation.
Roles That Cane Corso Service Dogs May Perform Best
As per different studies, Cane Corsos have proven to work best as Service dogs but in some specific manner. Nowadays, people are trying to have them in their needs.
Now I will discuss some of the categories where Corsos are giving remarkable services. So, keep reading.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Medical Alert Dog?
Medical Alert dogs can notify their handlers of potentially harmful bodily changes. Strong doggo like Corso is the best choice for this job.
Cane Corsos can be trained to identify verifiable or measurable physical signs in humans. They have a strong sense of any sudden changes, and they can respond quickly to them.
I have come across a story where an Italian Corso named Lahli serves as a Medical Assistant Dog. Lahli was trained by Independence Canine Assistance to help its handler in case of emergencies.
Lahli has become a lifesaver as it can prevent its handler from Self Harm. She also assists her partner in getting stabilized in any adverse situation. Even in crowds, Lahli never fails to keep special attention towards its handler.
I have added a video of Lahli above. You can find some other videos of Lahli on that same youtube channel here.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good PTSD Service Dog?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety condition that can occur after a stressful incident. A service dog like Cane Corso can assist its handler in remaining calm and dealing with challenging emotional states.
An Italian Corso may also stop harmful behavior and remind their owners to take their medicine.
I have heard about a dog named Levi who is well trained to serve as a PTSD Service Dog. Sometimes Levi’s handler, who is also a veteran, feels extremely paranoid and threatened, but Levi is always there to help.
I have added a video of Levi above. You can find some other videos of Lahli on that same youtube channel.
There is another Cane Corso in Chicago named Anny, who has been living with her handler since 2016 until now. This dog was also trained to combat PTSD and provide her handler with a sense of confidence and security in her time of need.
I have added a video of Anny above. You can find some other videos of Lahli on that same Instagram page.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Wheel-chair Assistance Dog?
Wheelchair assistance dogs are similar to mobility assistance dogs in aiding individuals who use wheelchairs. Cane Corso is an excellent choice for these service canines since they must be powerful enough to pull the handler’s wheelchair.
I know a wheelchair assistance dog named Samper who has been trained to assist disabled people. He can retrieve dropped objects, open or close doors, retrieve phones, or do anything else the handler may need.
I have already attached a video of Samper showing how he was trained.
Let me add another canine named Capo. He was born in the year of 2017. Then was well trained to become a wheel-chair assistance dog.
As you can watch in the above video, Capo helps his handler to move from one place to another, even outside the home.
Capo is very popular on Instagram. You can check their Instagram profile.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Seizure (Epilepsy) Response dog?
Seizure response dogs are service dogs who have been exceptionally trained to aid the handler during or soon following a seizure. Even a Cane Corso can perform as a Seizure response dog pretty well.
I have gone through a story where an Italian Corso named Jaxx works as an epilepsy response dog. His handler has uncontrolled epilepsy, which is sometimes hard to maintain, but luckily, Jaxx is there to help her.
Moreover, Jaxx is properly trained to activate an emergency response alarm, retrieve a phone or medication, fetch a nearby person to help, or remove its handler to a safe place.
Above I have mentioned a video where you will see how Jaxx works and spend time with its Handler.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Mobility Assistance Dog?
Trained Mobility Assistance Dogs assist people who have balance difficulties as a result of a handicap. Large dogs, such as the Cane Corso, are most suited for these jobs since they give balance and solidity.
There was a Triple Amputee Veteran who had an Italian Corso named Independence as a Mobility Assistance Dog. He helps his handler in various tasks like retrieving dropped items, opening, and closing doors, bringing objects to people, and operating light switches.
The canine has been serving since 2013, and it has proven to be the best companion for its handler.
If you want to know more about Independence, then you can watch the video given above.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Psychiatric Service Dog?
Psychiatric Service Dogs are service dogs that assist individuals who have depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for them to live a better life. Cane Corso may be a better contender for this position.
I heard about Nyla, a service dog who was properly trained to provide mental support to her handler. She can detect any change in their handler, especially if she encounters unfavorable symptoms such as an anxiety attack or a flashback.
You can find an Instagram post above where you will find further details about Nyla.
Roles Cane Corso Service Dogs May Fail To Perform
Cane Corsos are very active dogs, yet it has some limitations. It was easy for me as well as you will easily figure out which of the categories are not a perfect match for a Corso.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Diabetic Alert Dog?
Cane Corsos have a great sense of smell for which they are preferred by police for investigation. You might be thinking that it will perform exceptionally well as a diabetic alert, but you are wrong at this point.
A Diabetic Alert dog should have a sharp sense of different types of sweat smells due to changes in blood sugar. They alert as soon as they detect any chemical change, but a Corso is not good at this work.
Instead, if they are even given the training they may fail to differentiate smells, and that will be of no good.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Seizure Alert Dog?
Italian Corso is a great seizure response dog and I have already mentioned Jaxx, who has been trained to respond to epilepsy attacks quickly. But this will never justify the fact that a Cane Corso can be trained to become a seizure Alert dog.
Because a seizure-alert dog needs to be sensitive to chemical changes before a person can understand, and a Corso mutt is not good at that.
Even if you try to train your canine, it may get confused and start giving a false alarm. This will not benefit its handler. There is no evidence of such activities by Cane Corso, so you better find some other dog for this service.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Guide Dog?
An Italian Corso is a large breed that you may consider as the best candidate to serve as guide dog. But the matter of fact is that training a Corso to guide a visually compromised person is mostly impossible.
Cane Corsos can guide its handler indoors if trained really well. But they are very sensitive and they can get easily distracted when they roam around with their handler outside.
This can cause significant damage, and the handler may face considerable problems in this regard.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Hearing Dog?
As we all know, Cane Corso is very active, and it can become aggressive if triggered by any disturbing sound. At this point, it is very clear that a Corso pup is not a fit for a hearing dog.
Italian Corso responds to any sound quickly, so it will be able to alert its deaf handler when they are in the house. But in the outside world, this Corso may not be able to focus and start rushing towards random places.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Allergy Detection Dog?
A trained Cane Corso can alert its handler, but in case of recognizing the smell of different items may not be a suitable job for this canine.
An Allergy Alert dog is taught to recognize the smells of items that will cause severe allergic reactions in their handler.
There is no evidence of a cane Corso to serve as an allergy detection dog; this might not even be possible.
Roles That May Fit Cane Corso Service Dogs (No Examples Found Yet)
We are at the point where we can hope for different possibilities though we lack evidence. Cane Corso as a service dog are performing very well in its own sector, but some other categories are there where they might be able to work too.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Autism Assistance Dog?
Autism is one of the most known problems among kids or elder persons that isolate them from others socially. A Cane Corso can be a big help in this regard.
They are already trained to assist people dealing with PTSD. It will be easy to train them to assist people suffering from autism.
These mutts may be able to keep autistic children or elder people from going away to unknown places. Moreover, Corso pups may be able to track them if they, unfortunately, run away.
Can Cane Corso Be A Good Social Anxiety Dog?
Cane Corso is quite familiar with the different emotions of humans. They can jump around or cuddle someone who is feeling low or having a panic attack. That’s what Social Anxiety dogs are trained for.
If a Corso is trained for perfection in which it is naturally good at, then it will be easy for its handler too.
Though there is no evidence of any Cane Corso serving as a social anxiety dog, if trainers try to teach Corso, then they may succeed.
Professionals can also train these mutts to give a false alarm to divert its handler’s mind instantly.
Final Words
Though Cane Corso is not capable of working in every sector, I can proudly say they work best in their own working zone. They are getting popular, and people want to have them in their life as Cane Corso deals greatly with emotions.
Some other retired Corsos racers can be trained for the better of others, and people will try to work on that in the future.
