Do Cane Corsos Shed a Lot?

If you own a Cane Corso, you already know how much or how little they shed. If you plan on getting a puppy, you probably want to know how much mess they make and ask the question: How much do Cane Corsos shed?

Cane Corsos shed low to moderate amounts all year round. Their hair is short and thick, so it doesn’t stick to clothes like the hair of many other breeds. To put this into perspective, they don’t shed nearly as much as other large breeds, such as Rottweilers and German Shepherds, or even other mastiffs like the English Mastiff.

If your lifestyle requires a large, low-maintenance dog that sheds very little, a Cane Corso is a perfect choice.

Like with most dogs, Cane Corsos will shed more during the spring and fall shedding seasons. Luckily, grooming a Cane Corso isn’t demanding or time-consuming. Regular grooming with a brush, once or twice per week will keep his coat in good condition and minimize the shedding.

How Much Hair Around The House Can You Expect?

Cane Corso’s hair doesn’t make a big mess around the house. Not only because they shed a little number of hairs, but also because their hair is short and pointy, so it can’t create clumps (balls) of hair as a Labrador would.

Cane Corso’s hair has a very similar appearance to a human eyelash. The thickness, color, and length are almost identical. I often find myself puzzled if it’s my eyelashes on the kitchen table or was my dog naughty and was climbing to see what’s on the table.

We surveyed the members of our Facebook Group, and 60% of Cane Corso owners consider their Cane Corso’s shedding to be low, 30% said low-moderate, 9% said moderate and 1% thought it was moderate-high.

Here is my experience about what the shedding is like from living with one Cane Corso.

• On the Floor – First, and most obvious, on the floor or on the carpet. You can see little black hairs that resemble eyelashes on the floor, especially if you don’t clean for more than a week. It’s not that much, and they don’t form clumps of hair, if you vacuum once a week you will be good. On carpets, you can barely even see the hairs, you need to get really close to notice them. If you have a dark-colored carpet with some patterns on it, you won’t see the hair at all.
• On Clothes – When it comes to dog shedding, hairs on our clothes are the most annoying part of it. The reason why dog’s hair stick on clothes so easily is because static electricity makes them stick to surfaces of other things. Luckily, Cane Corsos have short, thick hair that is not easily affected by static. You will still see some hair on your clothes because Cane Corso’s hair is stiff and pointy it can pierce through the fabric and “stick” to the clothes.
• On the Couch, Bed, or His Sleeping Place – If you allow your dog on the couch or in your bed, you can expect a lot of hair there. It’s also true for his sleeping place, anywhere where your dog will spend a lot of time laying down, rolling over, sleeping, and moving, there will be an increased number of hair falling there.
• On Your Hands – When your dog is wet, or your hands are wet, you will see a lot of black hairs on your hands after petting him. Otherwise, if you are both dry, there won’t be a single hair on your hands.
• On Socks – You will definitely catch some of the hair that is on the floor on your socks. This is especially noticeable if you wear white socks.

Cane Corsos shed a little more in the shedding seasons, but not considerably more than year-round. This is even more true if your Corso is an inside dog. If he spends most of his time outside and sleeps outside, he will shed more during the springtime shedding season when he loses his winter coat.

How to Reduce the Shedding

All dogs are unique, and if your Corso sheds more than the average Cane Corso, or you just want to reduce the shedding even further, here are some things you can do:

• Regular Brushing – Brush your Cane Corso once or twice a week with a bristle brush, rubber brush, or grooming mitts. Do it outside for 10 minutes. You can never remove all the dead hair, but all the hair you did brush away is ending up outside and not in the house, that’s the way I see it. It will also give your Corso a shiny coat.
• Wipe his Coat – Wipe his coat with a wet piece of cloth to pick up any leftover dead hair. You can also use a shampoo – get him wet with a wet cloth, scrub him with the shampoo (watch out for his eyes and ears), let the shampoo sit for 10 minutes, then rinse him off.
• Plenty of Exercise – Cane Corsos are working dogs, and they need a lot of exercise in their life anyway. A healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise has a lot of benefits, and one of them is improved circulation, which promotes a healthy coat as well.
• Fatty Acids – A teaspoon of olive oil or coconut oil once a day provides Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and improves and gives a shine to their coat. You can add it to his food, just pour it over everything in his bowl.

I didn’t include Healthy Diet in this list, because that is to be expected of any owner, to provide his dog with a healthy diet in general, and not just to improve his coat. Other than that, these are the things you should do if you want to reduce your Corsos shedding. Although not super necessary as Cane Corsos since they don’t shed that much anyway.

Dealing With Shedding in the House

Dealing with a Cane Corso who is primarily a house dog is very simple and easy. Vacuuming the house once or twice a week will be enough to make the shedding not noticeable. Floors and carpets are easily handled with a vacuum. But some surfaces like fabric couches require other cleaning techniques.

Leather couches are no problem, you can vacuum them too. But the pointy hair of a Cane Corso can stick in the fabric couches and sofas making it hard for the vacuum to suck them out. You can get the hair out by using a bristle brush or a lint roller, then vacuum it once it’s out.

You can use a wet paper towel for the less accessible areas, wipe it all down and the hair will easily stick. But for the most part, the vacuum will be enough, if you live in an apartment it won’t take you longer than 15-20 minutes to get rid of all the hair.

Summary

Shedding-wise, Cane Corsos are a very low-maintenance breed, if that’s what you are looking for then a Cane Corso is a good choice. Just to be clear, there will be hair around your house, you can’t avoid that, but it’s easy to deal with.

Compared to other breeds like a Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Labrador, or Malinois, a Cane Corsos do pretty well.

If you want a breed that doesn’t shed at all you can get a Poodle, but if you were looking into a Cane Corso I’m sure that a Poodle is the complete opposite of what you are looking for.

Related Questions

Is olive oil good for your dog’s skin and coat? – Yes, fatty acids promote a shiny and healthy coat, and Olive oil contains phytonutrients, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids. Some people get it confused and try to apply it by smearing it over the dog’s hair, don’t do that. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to your dogs’ meals, by pouring it over the food in their bowl. The same is true for Coconut oil, and you can use it the same way as olive oil.

Do puppies shed less than older Corsos – Yes, this is true for all dogs, the older the dog, the more he will shed as his health is declining over the years.