Bred to be a guard dog, descended from Roman war dogs, the cane corso is the new pet of choice for those looking for a formidable status symbol.
From Love Island’s Jack Fincham to footballer Marcus Rashford, the breed is becoming more popular than ever before.
And it’s been claimed that the UK’s ban on XL bullies has led to increased interest in this alternative breed.
The cane corso, an Italian mastiff breed, is traditionally used as a guard dog and can weigh up to 50kg (8st).
The breed is fully legal in the UK and isn’t subject to the same restrictions as XL bullies.
There aren’t any official numbers showing how many cane corsos are in the UK – the Kennel Club doesn’t recognise the breed, for instance – but canine behaviour specialists say they’re seeing the dogs more frequently.
Rob Alleyne, who runs the Canine Instructor Academy in Suffolk, told the Times that he and colleagues are seeing cane corsos more often, describing them as ‘like an XL bully on steroids’.
He said: ‘It’s a killing machine and they’ve become much more popular now.
‘[The ban on XL bullies] has just pushed people towards an even worse dog that doesn’t need to be registered and God help us if they become too popular.
‘I certainly know my trainees are now seeing more cane corso dogs [in their own training classes] than they used to.
‘I just think it’s history repeating itself. We saw it happen with the pitbull terrier.
‘When they banned the pitbull terrier, what did we get? We got a dog far more dangerous than the pitbull terrier.
‘They just made a new one worse than the preceding one: the XL bully.
‘And then if we ban the cane corso, people will just go out and get something else.’
Bill Lambert, a spokesman for the Kennel Club, said: ‘Lots of families enjoy owning larger breeds or types of dogs, and many may now be looking for a pet that is broadly similar to an XL bully but not a banned type, without any ill intentions.
‘Any dog can make a wonderful family pet if bred, trained and socialised properly — and with a larger dog, owners need to really understand their pet’s size, strength and exercise needs and be able to accommodate these responsibly.
‘Sadly however, any large or powerful dog can also appeal to those who wish to train a dog for illicit purposes, and banning breeds can move these people on to other breeds — or indeed new types of dogs that are outside of the law.
One of the ‘failings of the current dangerous dogs legislation is that it identifies specific breeds as “dangerous”, implying that all other breeds are inherently “safe”.
‘The fact is that the behaviour of a dog is shaped by the way that it is bred, raised, socialised and trained.’
Cane Corsos have hit the headlines in recent weeks, after Jack Fincham was charged with allowing his out-of-control cane corso, Elvis, to bite a man.
Last October Gary Stevens was jailed after admitting being in charge of a cane corso, named Ace, which killed his brother. The huge dog had to be shot dead by police after repeated tasering didn’t manage to stop it.
Carmen Pintea, owner of Barbarian Corso Kennels in Sheffield, has 13 cane corso dogs on site.
She said: ‘I’m very strict about who I place my puppies with. I have seen an increase in irresponsible breeding. Unfortunately, it seems to be heading that way.
‘I’ve seen adverts for [cane corso] puppies for £500, which is an absolute disgrace. Do we want just anybody to have a cane corso?
‘They are fantastic dogs and wonderful family protectors — with the right training, in the right hands of the right owners who have clear boundaries and rules. They really do need responsible owners.’
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