Do Cane Corsos Drool a Lot?

When my Corso and I meet people who are interested in getting a puppy, they often ask me if it’s true that Cane Corsos are really known for excessive drooling? Let’s see.

Do Cane Corsos drool a lot? Cane Corsos drool, but they drool a little. What I mean by that, is that they don’t constantly drool like Saint Bernards for example. They drool a lot only in certain situations, so you shouldn’t worry all that much about it.

The average Cane Corso’s jowls (those loose flaps of skin and lips that hang on both sides of a dog’s mouth) are tighter and are not hanging down extremely like other Mastiff’s jowls do. And that plays a role in how much a dog drools.

If your Corso happens to have exaggerated jowls, then yes, he is going to drool more. But generally, Cane Corsos do not drool that much.

Let’s take a deeper look into the situations where Cane Corsos do drool a lot.

When He is Waiting For Food

The first situation is waiting for food. When a Cane Corso is waiting to get a treat, or for you to give him his bowl of food, he is drooling so much, I’m talking about drool dripping on the floor amounts.

Luckily those are situations you can prepare for. On his every mealtime, or lure-based training – where you will use a lot of treats, just have an old rag on you, because it can get messy. Maybe even get a rag that you will specifically use for your dog’s drooling.

A dog drooling when it sees food is only natural, and no one can stop that, no matter the breed. Biologically, when dogs or even humans anticipate something (in this case it’s eating) the body follows and reacts as if it’s already happening.

The digestive process begins in the mouth, and saliva is the body’s first mechanism for digesting food. So, when your dog sees food, he is drooling because he hopes and anticipates that he will get a bite of it.

Still, some new owners might not want to deal with slobbering and drooling at all, but it’s really a very minor inconvenience, and you will get used to it quickly, trust me.

After Drinking Water

Most owners say that their Corsos drool the most after drinking, but I think that this is more of an illusion than really drooling, let me explain…

Cane Corsos are highly energetic dogs that love to play all the time, they rarely take breaks even for water. And even when they do eventually go to drink some water, they do a sloppy job, because they want to get back to running and having fun as soon as possible.

That is how the water gets mixed with drool, sticks to their jowls, and then drips down making it look like they just drooled a crazy amount.

Heat

We all have probably seen in our lifetime a dog excessively panting and drooling on a hot day. It’s the dog trying to cool himself down. Dogs as most animals sadly do not possess the unique ability humans have, and that is sweating.

When our bodies heat up, 2-4 million sweat glands produce sweat, which then comes up on the surface of our skin and cools us down. Animals have very, very few sweat glands, so they all have different ways of cooling down.

Hippos and Pigs roll in puddles and mud, okay let’s be real, our dogs do that too sometimes, but their main defense against heat is panting.

By panting dogs throw out hot air and bring cool air in, which helps in reducing the body temperature. That panting also creates a lot of drool. 

Here are a couple of ways you can help your dog cool down in hot weather

• Frozen treats
• Always have a fresh bowl of water, replace it frequently
• Encourage him to lay down in shaded and cool places
• Swimming
• Hose down your dog / mist with cold water
• Create a cool breeze with a fan
• Cool him down with a damp towel
• Stay Inside

When He is Nervous

I noticed that my female Cane Corso is drooling excessively when we go to the vet. I asked him about it, and he explained to me that some dogs may drool more than usual when they are nervous or anxious. When this happens, they usually pant a lot, tremble or show some sign of nervousness.

If it’s nervousness or anxiety that is making your dog drool, the only thing that will stop it is getting out of the situation or removing the thing that is stressing him.

Nausea / Car Sickness

Both of my Cane Corsos don’t handle car rides well at all. They are shaking, panting, and most of all they drool like a faucet. I did a little research, and learned that motion sickness in dogs is a common problem, it’s not breed-specific to Corsos.

The best way to prevent this is to start them young. There was a survey done and 65% of puppies throw up or have motion sickness the first time they ride in a car. But it turns out that dogs that were riding in a car since they were puppies have 90% more chance to “outgrow” motion sickness than dogs that didn’t have this kind of conditioning.

But if you missed that early chance, don’t worry, you can still make your dog’s car trips more present by training him. You will train him by taking really short trips, start by just having your dog in the car without even moving, next time go to the end of the street and back, next time go a little further, and so on and so on.

* Extra tips

• Don’t feed your Corso before a car trip, especially if you know it will be a bouncy one.
• Try letting your dog sit in the front seat beside you, they are guardian dogs that want nothing more than be as close to you as they can, so if there is a chance that it will help, why not try it?
• Make frequent breaks along the way, 5 minute ones, take a little walk, or play a little, you too will benefit from it.

Stomachache / Intoxication

Lastly, dogs drool if they eat something toxic like bad food, a chemical, or a poisonous plant. If your Corso is drooling because he ingested a toxin, he will usually have other serious signs like diarrhea, vomiting, shaking, seizures, or extreme lack of energy. Contact a veterinarian ASAP.