The Doberman Cane Corso mix is a hybrid dog that is rarely seen, but this mixture of purebred dogs should be given more notoriety.
It has all the great traits of each parent breed, is easy to groom, is very loyal, and is affectionate, all in one large package.
It’s helpful to learn about the heritage of each breed of dog in a Doberman Cane Corso mix, so you know what type of qualities it will have.
What is a Doberman Cane Corso Mix?
This designer dog is a mixture of a purebred Doberman and a purebred Cane Corso.
When you hear someone talk about a designer dog, the image that comes to mind is a very small dog that’s cute. Not in this case, though.
The two-parent dogs are quite formidable and make great watchdogs. These two breeds were crossed to bring out the finest qualities in each breed and combine them for a great family member.
Doberman Pinscher History
The oldest reports of the Doberman Pinscher are from the 19th century in Germany. The Doberman was used as an imposing but very dependable dog for tax collectors to keep them safe. In this era, the dog was dubbed “the tax collector’s dog.”
Dobermans have also been used as military and police dogs throughout the years because of their superior intelligence, agility, good temperament, and supreme loyalty to their handlers.
Many Dobermans do very well in the show ring and often rank as the Best in Show for their class.
Cane Corso History
The Cane Corso was first bred by ancient Greeks to be a big-boned guardian dog that was large, much like a Mastiff.
These dogs were considered fearless as they would charge enemy lines in battle with buckets of flaming oil strapped to their backs.
Later, the Cane Corso was used as working dogs for many different jobs, such as hunting wild boar and farm dogs to protect herds of animals and herding livestock over large expanses of land while keeping them safe from wild animals.
The most noted job of the Cane Corso was to guard farmsteads and protect henhouses from predators.
This breed of dog was accepted by the AKC in 2010, so it’s fairly new to the United States, and they are quite rare still today.
You can expect your Doberman Cane Corso mix puppy to grow up with some of the traits from his heritage in the past.
He will be a great guard dog for your family, very intelligent, and highly adaptable to new situations.
These instincts have been handed down to the parent breeds from their beginning lineage many years ago.
Crossing the Doberman and the Cane Corso levels qualities of each type of dog. The Doberman’s temperament is rated as good overall, very good for being family-friendly, good for kid-friendly and stranger-friendly, but poor for being friendly with other pets.
The Cane Corso’s temperament is good for overall friendliness, very good at being family-friendly, and good at being pet friendly, but below average for friendliness to kids and strangers.
Combining these two breeds that are overall friendly balances the friendliness and temperament of the two separate parent breeds.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Get a Doberman Cane Corso Mix
This mixture of two large breeds of dogs creates a very strong and large hybrid pup. When dealing with a Doberman Cane Corso mix, you must have a firm hand because they can easily decide they are the pack leader and can be a bit stubborn to train.
It should be noted that this breed of dog is not usually a good choice for a first-time dog owner or for a first large dog as an addition to a family.
The Doberman Cane Corso mix may not be an ideal dog for a family that lives in an apartment because he will need at least a brisk walk or run twice a day for an hour each time to keep healthy.
If your family isn’t very active, this is probably not a dog you should consider.
Reasons Why You Should Get a Doberman Cane Corso Mix
This pooch will be very loyal and very intelligent as well. He will get along well with his family and friends, but it may take some time to warm up to strangers as he will be wary of them at first.
Both parent breeds make fantastic guard dogs for a family, and the grooming needs are minimal.
This new dog breed will also need a lot of time for exercise daily to get rid of all his pent-up energy, and a large fenced yard is also very beneficial for him to have exercise and play on his own.
Appearance, Personality, Coats, and Colors of a Doberman Cane Corso Mix
You can expect your Doberman Cane Corso mix to have many of the same features as both parent breeds. A Doberman reaches about 24 to 27 inches tall at the shoulder when it is mature.
A Cane Corso reaches a height of 23 to 28 inches tall when it is mature, so your mixed pup will be an average of 23 to 24 inches tall if it’s a female or 27 to 28 inches tall if it’s a male.
Dobermans weigh around 60 to 100 pounds when they mature, and Cane Corsos weigh between 88 and 120 pounds when they stop growing.
Your hybrid dog should average around 70 to 120 pounds at the lower end of the spectrum for shorter females and the higher end of the spectrum for taller males.
The Doberman has a sleek and muscular body that is compact and powerful. He has a blue, red, fawn, or black coat with rust-colored markings on his legs, chest, and muzzle. A Cane Corso has a very large head, a short nose, and a highly muscled and thick body.
This large breed of dog may have a body color of gray, black, fawn, gray brindle, red, black brindle, or chestnut brindle with a gray or black mask.
Your hybrid pup may be any of these many color combinations of the two standard colors of the parent breeds.
You can expect your pooch to be very trainable and have a high energy level, as both parent breeds are. He will be a moderate barker and need mental stimulation like both parent dogs.
Lifespan and Traits of a Doberman Cane Corso Mix
The average lifespan of a Doberman is 8 to 10 years, and the average lifespan of a Cane Corso is about 10 to 12 years.
The combination of the two breeds can enable your beautiful and smart dog to live a bit longer than the Doberman, and you can expect it to live to be 11 or 12 years old with very good veterinary care.
Many of the traits of both parent breeds are pretty similar to each other. Both parent breeds are friendly and family-friendly, although the Cane Corso is below average for child-friendly.
The Cane Corso is more pet friendly than a Doberman, and the Doberman is stranger friendly than a Cane Corso, which is below average.
Both dogs are affectionate, enjoy attention, are very intelligent, and are easy to train while willing to please.
The Cane Corso does not like being left alone for long periods, and your new pup can be destructive if he doesn’t have mental stimulation while you are away from home.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix Puppies for Sale
This newer dog breed isn’t very popular yet, and you will have difficulty finding a breeder of Doberman and Cane Corso mix puppies.
The price for this hybrid pup is about $500, a very nominal fee for a mixed breed of dog loyal and protective of your family.
Grooming Your Doberman Cane Corso Mix
The grooming needs of both parent breeds of dogs are pretty simple, as they both have short coats with straight hair. Be aware that your new pooch will shed quite a bit daily, so you must vacuum more often. A nice brush is required about 2 to 3 times a week to cut down on the shedding.
You should bathe your four-legged family member whenever he is dirty, but not too often, or it will dry his skin and cause itching.
If his skin is too dry and he itches a lot, the skin can become inflamed and lead to infections which require a veterinarian visit for medication to clear it up.
You should also clip your dog’s nails as it is needed. If you exercise your dog on a brisk walk or run on hard surfaces, such as concrete, it will naturally keep its nails pretty short, so it won’t need clipping as often.
Every time you brush your dog, examine his ears for any signs of infections, mites, or debris that may need cleaning. Also, look at his skin to ensure his coat is not too oily or dry, which can lead to skin infections.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix Health Problems
Both the Doberman and the Cane Corso can have several health issues acquired from the parent dogs and passed down to them, but as a whole, this mix of dogs has fewer health issues than many other breeds.
As with all large breed dogs, your new family member is susceptible to hip dysplasia, in which the hip joint and thigh bone aren’t correctly aligned.
He may also have issues with his eyes, demodectic mange, and bloat from the Cane Corso side of his parentage. Hypothyroidism and heart conditions can occur from the Doberman side of the mix.
When you choose a puppy from a reputable breeder, they will be happy to give you paperwork showing they had both parent dogs’ health screened before breeding them.
If the parents have clean health records, then it is likely that your new furbaby is going to be very healthy as well.
If the breeder doesn’t give you a health guarantee, you should search for another breeder to ensure that your pup will be healthy because it can be heartbreaking to fall in love with your new puppy and then find out that he has a serious health issue.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix Food Requirements
The food requirements for your new dog are pretty basic. You should always feed him a quality brand for his stages of life, such as puppy, adult, or senior dog food.
To avoid the possibility of bloat, you should split up his daily food ration into about 3 meals a day, if possible, so he doesn’t eat too much at once.
You should also not exercise your dog heavily just before or after eating to avoid bloat. Make certain that you supply him with the appropriate amount of food by reading the instructions on the bag of dog food and measuring it to be appropriate for his age and weight.
Overfeeding your dog is a bad idea because it can lead to obesity, making him more susceptible to hip dysplasia because of the additional weight and stress on his joints.
If your dog, as a young adult, still tends to gobble his food down very quickly, a slow feeding bowl can help ensure he doesn’t develop bloat.
Slow-feeding bowls have some raised pieces at the bottom of the bowl instead of flat like a regular dog dish.
When you put their food in it, it goes around and between the raised areas to prevent your dog from grabbing large mouthfuls of food at a time.
This will make it take longer for him to eat his meals and help him digest his food better for overall better health.
Make sure your dog has a large bowl of fresh, clean water that he can access whenever he wants.
If you take him outside to play or if you have a doggie door so he can go out on his own, make sure that he also has a large bowl of fresh water and place it in a shady area, so it stays cool.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix Exercise Requirements
As with all puppies, your new family member will be energetic in spurts and then rest afterward.
As your puppy grows, he will still be a high-energy dog that needs lots of exercise by walking or running with him twice a day for an hour at a time.
The ideal situation is to have a house with a securely fenced backyard so your dog can have even more time to play outside during the day and burn off some energy.
The old saying that “a good dog is a tired dog” applies here because if he has too much energy, he may decide to be destructive inside the house.
Since your dog will be large and very powerful, it’s easy to see that he can easily chew up your favorite piece of furniture in a very short time.
This beautiful hybrid dog will most likely have a love of water. They generally like to play in the water from the garden hose, and when it’s warm in the summer, they enjoy splashing in a small kid’s swimming pool to cool down.
You should realize that you will most likely get soaked if you play near the water with your pooch.
Doberman Can Corso Mix Training
As with all large breed dogs, you should start training your puppy as soon as you get him home and adjusted to his new environment.
It’s sometimes funny to dog owners to let puppies get away with bad behavior, such as jumping on people when they are small. But remember that this playful pup will soon be a very large dog.
Ensure you keep the upper hand in training your puppy as he grows. This mix of hybrid dogs can be stubborn while training and will try to be your trainer as they like to be the pack’s alpha. Your goal is to have him be part of your pack or family.
A major part of training any puppy or dog is properly socializing them. When you go anywhere that your pooch is allowed to go with you on walks or in the car, take him with you and allow him to meet your friends and extended family members. It’s great for him to have trust in strangers and other pets as well.
Taking your pup to your local dog park will teach him a lot about how he should act around others and keep him grounded, so he doesn’t get overly excited by other pets.
Of course, everyone will want to pet your beautiful and majestic young dog, and he can even make great friends with another dog for them to have play dates together.
In addition, you will meet more dog lovers with him and may make some long-term friendships.
Doberman Cane Corso mixes love to please their family members, and they are super intelligent and learn new things very quickly.
If you find your pooch still has a lot of excess energy, you can consider enrolling in canine sports with him.
This type of dog excels in obedience classes, tracking, and agility courses with its owner, and it helps you to form an unbreakable and loving bond with your dog from a very young age.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix and Families
Your dog will be a guardian of his family members and very loving. Even after he is full-grown, he will likely still think at his weight and height that he is a lap dog and wants to be near a family member.
The Doberman side of his parentage is good with children, and this helps when mixed with the Cane Corso, which is below average on the friendliness scale with children.
If you have very young children, it’s even more important to train your dog from a very young age, so he doesn’t jump on them when he wants to play.
The Doberman Cane Corso mix dog can easily wag his tail and knock down a toddler on accident.
If your family dynamics include no one at home for most of the day because of work or school, you should invest in interactive dog toys to keep your pooch busy.
You should search for dog toys for aggressive chewing dogs, even when your new family member is a puppy.
From the Cane Corso side of the family, your pup will have very strong jaws, and even as a pup, he will be able to rip open stuffed animals within minutes.
Kong-type toys are a great way to keep your dog busy while away from the house. You can fill them with peanut butter or small dog treats, and your four-legged friend will have an adventure while getting a rewarding treat from his favorite toy.
Another great interactive thing for your dog’s pleasure is to hide some of his favorite treats around the house, such as in his toy box, so he has to smell for them and find them before he can eat them.
Doberman Cane Corso Mix and Other Pets
The Cane Corso heritage is very good with other pets in your household, whereas the Doberman side of the family is rated as poor towards other pets. This mixture of dogs should be about average for their personality towards other pets in your home.
If you get your Doberman Cane Corso mix as a puppy, it’s easier to teach him to be kind to other pets you already have.
Adding another pet to your household while your dog is still young is more advisable than waiting until he is older and has been by himself all his life.
Final Thoughts
If you are part of an active family and an experienced dog owner, then the mix of Doberman and Cane Corso may just be your next family member.
In training, you need to make sure you are the pack leader and start training and socialization at a very young age for the best outcome.
