Can a Cane Corso Live in An Apartment?

Do you want to get a Cane Corso, but someone told you that large dogs can’t live comfortably in an apartment? If that is making you second-guess and doubt your decision to get this magnificent breed, I’m here to answer your question.

Can a Cane Corso Live in An Apartment? Cane Corsos can live comfortably in an apartment. They are great at adapting to their surroundings, and can quickly learn how to utilize the smaller space of an apartment to their liking. However, there isn’t enough open space for playing in an apartment, so you need to ensure your dog gets enough exercise and socialization when you are outside.

It’s a misconception that dogs who are living in an apartment don’t get enough exercise and live a sadder life. To clear up that misconception lets imagine two scenarios:

Scenario A: Frankie is a Beagle that lives in the suburbs and has a backyard the size of a football field, but his owner rarely plays with him, he never takes him for walks, he never invites other dog owners for playtime, and his owner makes the excuse: “He has A TON of space in the yard, why would I need to take him anywhere!”

Scenario B: Mikey is a Cane Corso that lives in an apartment building in the city center, he has very little space in the apartment, so while his owner is at work, he stays calm and quiet in his comfortable place. When his owner comes back he takes him to the biggest city park, where they run, socialize and play with other dogs for 4 hours every single day! On top of that, the owner takes him out for a short walk before leaving for work, and a short night walk before going to bed.

The message of the story is that the owner’s dedication and effort are what will determine a dog’s happiness. Any size dog can live in any accommodation. They get their exercise from walks, not in the house. And it’s your responsibility as the owner to provide them with enough walks, and exercise.

Now you know that a Cane Corso wouldn’t mind living with you in an apartment, as long as you put in a little extra effort in giving him enough outside time for walks, socializing, and exercise.

Below I talk about some hurdles and things you need to know and overcome if you are living in an apartment and decide to get a Cane Corso puppy.

Neighbors

You need to train and socialize your Corso if you share a common building entry with other residents and dogs. Cane Corsos are extremely strong and if not trained well any over-reactivity will be misinterpreted as aggression.

Keep in mind that not everyone loves dogs, especially big ones. You have to be prepared that some neighbors will have prejudice and will even hope that your dog will do something “bad” so they can exaggerate it. As I said if a big dog jumps on a smaller dog playfully, nonunderstanding people will misinterpret it as aggression.

As a wise Cane Corso owner once said:

“With these dogs if anything goes wrong it will always be (seen) as the bigger dog’s fault.”

It really is annoying since it’s always the small dogs that bark a lot and cause trouble, but let’s not waste effort on things we can not influence, such as other people and other people’s dogs. Instead, focus on yourself and your dog, if you train and socialize your Cane Corso you will have total control over any potentially bad situation with a neighbor or neighbors dog.

Neighbors or no neighbors, you should socialize your dog anyway!

At least you don’t have to worry about barking annoying the neighbors since Cane Corsos are known as a breed that rarely barks.

Walks

Your dog got accustomed to living in the space that the apartment provides, he found comfort and peace, but he still needs plenty of exercises and walks to stay healthy and happy.

Cane Corsos are working dogs, it’s recommended they have at least a 30 to 45 minute walk, plus 1 to 2 hours of chasing, playing fetch, jumping, or playing with other dogs.

It doesn’t strictly have to be like that every single day, if you don’t feel like going to the dog park, you can go on a long hike in the woods, or go swimming if it’s a hot day, mix it up a little.

Potty

Living in an apartment means that you will have to take your dog outside to do his business a couple of times a day. Adult Cane Corsos have a large bladder so they can hold it in longer. On average they need to “go” 4 to 5 times a day max.

You need to make sure that you take him out before you go to work, and immediately after you come back home. And of course, when you are not at work, take him out every time he needs to go.

Puppies, on the other hand, need to “go” every 2 to 3 hours. If you live with your family, make a plan of who will take the puppy out at what times. And I suggest that all family members learn about puppy potty training, not just you.

If you live alone and go to work for 8 hours every day, potty training your dog to use pads or newspapers as his relieving place will be your only option.

*Tips

• Pick a place where the pads will be and don’t change the spot, it will confuse your puppy.
• Place it in a place where it will be easily accessible to your puppy.
• When you are at home, bring him to the pad every five to ten minutes, when he “goes” reward him with treats, so he correlates peeing on the pad with getting treats.
• Don’t punish him, in the first 2 months a lot of accidents will happen, when he pees somewhere he shouldn’t, simply pick him up and place him on the pad and let him finish there.

Downsides

There are downsides when your Cane Corso lives in an apartment compared to a house with a yard. They are not drastic and if you love your dog and his companionship you will quickly get used to those things.

• Generally, Cane Corsos drool just a little, but in certain situations, like when they are looking at food, they drool like an open faucet. All that drool is bound to get on your furniture and clothes.

• Even though they rarely bark, the bark of an adult Cane Corso will penetrate through the building walls and the whole building will hear it.

• Cane Corsos farts smell like death itself, and in an apartment, you cant quickly get away from it, you will have to open every single window to get rid of the smell.

• Cane Corsos are working dogs, if they get too bored when you are not around, they may start destroying furniture, shoes, socks, plants. On the bright side, that behavior is easily corrected.

• Shedding. Cane Corsos have short, thick coats, but after some time, you will start to notice little back hairs everywhere. On your bed, on the floor, on your clothes. A good grooming brush and regular use of it will minimize the shedding.