my dog experience and background

My name is Susen and I live in Sweden. I started to show and breed dogs, in 1979. I have had dogs all my life, but until 79, it was just as companionship.

My background is an education as, a veterinarian technician, which comes quite handy, with 7 dogs, cats, chickens and turtles in the house.

17 years old, I started to show Yorkshire terriers, followed by Egyptian pharaohounds. After 10 years I changed breed, and started to show American staffordshire terriers.

The amstaff possessed a lot of skills, that I admired, but the drive was so high all the time, which I found quite stressing. And this breed do have some dark sides of there personality, that I don't like.

When I got Stasia my first cane Corso, I finally found the breed that matched my personality, and fulfilled every dream I had, about the perfect dog.

I wished, that I had known about the cane corso, from the beginning. It took me 26 years to find the breed, that was my perfect match.To me this is the perfect dog in all ways.

There's no "buts" and nothing in there personality, that I don`t find perfect. They are intelligent, gentle, so easy to work with, and so easy to communicate with. And they don't like to fight.

There is still so much for me to learn about the corso, fx regarding breeding, lines etc. And I try to learn as much possible, when I talk to the old experienced cane corso breeders.

This is not a breed, where you can buy a book, and read it all(maby if you read Italian). There's only one way to do it(after my opinion), and that is to listen and learn from the ones, with more experience than one self.

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We live on the countryside outside Malmø, close to the sea, so my dogs gets to swim a lot. swimming and running in the sand, is the best way to exercise a corso.

Because of all my other animals, my dogs are very well socialised with all creatures. The chickens and geese's runs freely on my land, together with my dogs. And the cats cuddle with the dogs, on the cold winter evenings in the sofa.

I don't believe in keeping dogs outside in kennels or special buildings. My dogs are a part of my family, and everybody lives together inside the house, where they are free, to be anywhere they want.

Especially the cane corso, needs to be close to the family at all times.

My dogs are very tolerant to each other, and even that I have 3 males together with all the girls, there is no fighting. Afcourse there is a constant battle among the young dogs about ranks and positions in the pack. But nothing serious. Its mostly a lot off noise and tumbling around. No one gets hurt.

I spend all my free-time on my dogs. To me all kinds off socialising is as important, as food and water. The mentality of the dog, should always come before the looks, and you wont get there, without bunches of socialising.

I take the dogs to town, by train, by buss, in dog-parks, in the line at the post office, the central station etc. and everywhere else, where they can learn to behave nicely towards all other people and dogs.

The result of that is, that my dogs are friendly and very calm in all situations. It also build up, there courage and stress level, because they are used to all kinds of situations.

But they are still fabulous guardians. Nobody can enter my property, if I don't let them inside. The dogs will stop people, without harming them.

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Why Sweden

Originally I am danish, but I live in Sweden with my dogs. Denmark is no Corso country, and the danish kennel club makes it very difficult, if you want to show your cane corso on a high level, outside Denmark.

the dogs have to pass a mental test, where they must prove, that they are not typical corsos.

if they don`t pass this test, they are not allowed to make puppy's. Ducked dogs are not allowed to take the test

this test requires a lot of things, a grown up corso would never accept or do - your dog must go freely with strangers, they are not allowed to be guardians and protect the owner, when threats approaches, and they are expected to take contact by them selfe with strangers.

These are things you can forget, with a typical cane corso!

The corso do not care about strangers, and would never ever walk away, with a strange person. They bond very strongly to the owner, and they don't talk to strangers, unless the owner tells them to.At least that is my experience.

If ghosts covered in white sheets, painted black around the eye area approach the owner, the dog will react as a guardian at once, and protect there master.

I love this breed because of the special personality these dogs have, so starting to change them into Labradors, was not an issue for me.

Also Denmark do not allow ducked cane corsi, to participate in any shows, tests or training, and you cant get pedigrees for your puppy's, if the mother is ducked.And training is a great thing, for a corsi

So 3 years after getting my first Cane Corso, I decided to move to Sweden, that is a much better corso country.

Sweden have more/longer experience with the cane corso, and there are around 300 cane corso registered in Swedish kennel club. In Denmark there is less than 20 with pedigree, and only 3 registered in danish kennel club.

Sweden have a mental-test for the corso to, but they do not expect the dogs, to behave against there nature.

In one way, it was quite a big decision to change country, just because of my dogs.

But it was worth it, because now I can get as fare with my dogs, as I want. I can show them cropped/docked, train, breed them, and keep them as typical cane corsi in the same time. And that is all I ask for..

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Why choose a corso

I have had Cane Corso since spring 2002, and these amazing dogs are my big passion. To me this breed, is the true juvel of all dog breeds.

This is not a breed for every one. It demands an owner, that can level with, the Cane Corso way of thinking (which is totally different from any other breeds way).Otherwise you can end up, with the dog from hell.

The Corso is a very sensitive and intelligent dog, and needs an owner that is likewise. Forget about getting anywhere with your corso, by being hard or brutal. This will only break your dog down forever.

You have to use your brains and compassion, to get good results with this breed. You can only control your corso with your mind, not by a hard hand.

I have been showing and breeding other breeds for 26 years, but nothing compares to the Cane Corso.

There high intelligence, there empathy and compassion, the extreme courage they posses, and the way they bond to there owner. And afcourse the strong way, they protect the family.

One can only admire these proud and loving dogs..

To some this is the easiest breed of all, to others this is an impossible mission.


If you have any questions regarding cane corso, feel free to contact me. I'm always ready for a corsotalk