Some dog owners’ inability to leave their pet alone in the house or apartment surprises me. There is no need for this to occur. No longer will you feel guilty about leaving your baby Cane Corso at home alone if you begin preparing him for this situation right away.
Can a Cane Corso Be Left Alone at Home? During the day, an adult Cane Corso may be left alone for 8-9 hours, however, a puppy less than 4 months should not be left alone for more than 4 hours due to the increased care and bathroom breaks they need.
When a puppy is 4 months old, you can leave it alone for 4 hours, when it’s 5 months old, you can leave it alone for 5 hours, and so on.
Working full-time and wondering whether you can fit raising a Cane Corso into your daily schedule? It is feasible, but you will need to put in some additional time and energy when he is a puppy.
Separation anxiety for your Cane Corso:
Our dog has to learn early on that he can’t tag along on all of our adventures. Establish early on that your departure from home is a common occurrence. If you want to help your Corso become used to being alone, it’s a good idea to practice leaving it briefly.
In the beginning, take it easy and give him five minutes of alone time in his bedroom. If he does nicely throughout that time, reward him with praise and goodies. However, you should go into the room right away if he begins to bark or whimper, and discipline him.
The ten-minute, fifteen-minute, thirty-minute, and so on breaks you took should now be extended. After some time apart, your dog will come to expect your return and will see your absence as routine.
If you want your dog to be excited when he sees you getting ready to leave the house, it’s a good idea to make a routine of giving him his favorite treat just before you leave. Our dogs need to learn that being left alone may be a good thing, or at the very least, something indifferent.
Many homeowners make the mistake of seeing the owner moving out as a bad occurrence. They are saying things like “oh sorry I’ll be right back,” embracing the dog and making a big deal out of leaving the home while saying these things. Obviously, if you’re going to make a big deal out of leaving the dog alone, the dog will think it’s a big deal, too.
If you’re diligent and persistent with your training, your Cane Corso should be able to spend at least six hours alone by the time he’s six months old.
The Dangers of Leaving an Adult Cane Corso Home Alone
I’d want to show you the potential of an adult Cane Corso before we discuss how to care for a puppy while working full time.
Cane Corsos are very smart and flexible canines. If you bring up a child properly, they will grow up to be a reliable, self-sufficient adult. Of course, all dogs are different, and some may take more time than others to adjust to life on their own.
A Cane Corso will have no issue sleeping through the night or being left alone for 8-10 hours a day once he has learned the rules of the home and accepted your absence as a normal occurrence.
Never leave an adult Cane Corso in a crate for 8-10 hours at a time. In a hotel room or similar setting, you would only be able to keep him crated for a few hours at most. A mature Cane Corso that has received proper training and exercise may be left alone in the home (and yard if he has a dog door).
Some essentials to do before heading out the door to the workplace are outlined below.
- Please leave some water out, either in a bucket or two bowls. If your dog inadvertently knocks over one of the bowls of water, he may still get to drink from the other one. Whenever feasible, I choose a square bucket since it’s very difficult to tip over.
- Make sure there’s enough to do before you go. Kill two birds with one stone. Getting in a morning exercise is great for the health of both you and your dog. In order to assist your dog feel more at ease while you’re gone, take him for a walk, jog, or game of fetch before you go to the office.
- Dole out a chew toy. Cane Corsos, like many other breeds of dogs, often chew when they’re stressed. Give your Corso his favorite chew toy before you leave the house if he hasn’t learned the laws of the house yet and you don’t want to come back to find your beloved shoes destroyed.
- Do not let anybody go until the gate is closed. Make sure the gate is locked and the fence is high enough if your dog gets access to the yard via a dog door. If your dog becomes agitated, he may try to escape by climbing over the fence to either join you or investigate his surroundings. My fence is 6 feet high and keeps the dog in. You must not stack any boxes or other anything against the fence that your Corso may use as a foothold.
Whether I’m gone for a day or a week, I know my 7-year-old and 5-year-old Cane Corsos will be good dogs. My family and I were able to spend almost 16 hours away from home for a wedding without any concerns on our part. Before we left, I took them for a stroll, and we gave them lots of food and water.
They did a wonderful job, but it’s important to note that my yard is enclosed by a 6-foot privacy fence and that I’ve provided a warm, dry dog house for them to use if it rains; I left them there because the weather was nice, and they’ve been using both the dog house and the yard to relieve themselves as needed.
We normally keep our dogs inside, but a dog house is a lifesaver when the weather gets bad. Having to hold it for 16+ hours is a lot to ask of any dog, so if you don’t have a yard and don’t want to employ a dog walker, ask a neighbor, friend, or family member to take your dog out for a walk every once in a while.
I mean, I don’t want this to happen very frequently, and I know that many people will give me very firm replies and advice like “You should never leave your dog alone!” or “NO! The Cane Corso requires your undivided attention at all times; if you have full-time work, you can’t provide them the care they need. If we were in a make-believe universe, they’d be correct. But this isn’t a make-believe world, right? Most of us have day jobs so that we can support our loved ones and our amazing Cane Corsos.
I’m sick of these “elitist” Cane Corso owners saying that anybody who doesn’t fulfill their ridiculous standards isn’t qualified to raise a Cane Corso. I’m here to tell you that caring for a dog won’t have to take priority over your career. For their even temperament and willingness to adjust to new environments, Cane Corsos are the ideal working dog breed, in my view.
How to Balance Work and Puppy-raising Duties while Caring for a Cane Corso
Leaving a Cane Corso puppy at home is a lot more work than leaving an older dog alone. Especially if they haven’t learned to use the toilet yet and are confused by the rules of the home. Puppies’ bladders are still tiny even after they’ve been taught not to do their business inside the home, so they require more frequent bathroom breaks.
Puppies of the Cane Corso breed are more likely to suffer from separation anxiety than adult dogs. If you have a full-time job that requires you to leave your puppy alone at home during the day, crate training is something I highly recommend.
Soon we’ll discuss crate training, but first, let’s examine how you may plan your day to make it easier for your puppy.
- Raising a dog will change your morning routine in that you will need to get up earlier for work. Try to wear out your puppy as much as possible by taking it on long walks and playing games with it, such as ball. There’s no need to spend more than 20 minutes strolling, although doing so wouldn’t harm.
- Before heading out to the office, take your puppy out for a potty break and empty him or her as much as possible.
- Share your food and drink – Don’t leave without first feeding the puppy. Some believe it’s not a good idea to feed or water a puppy in its kennel since the dog can spill its food or water. True, but if you plan on being gone for more than 8 hours, your puppy will require access to its food and water. Fortunately, options such as portable bowls and water bottles are available.
- It’s Best to Crate Your New Puppy – Ten to fifteen minutes before you leave, cage your dog. The crate should be large enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around in, but tiny enough that he or she feels “tucked in.”
- Fill the box with a few objects that carry the aromas of your loved ones. Your dog will feel more at ease and secure in your absence if you do this. Use anything you have on hand, such old tees or blankets.
- Provide Chew Toys — Don’t leave your dog’s food dish out of the cage; instead, provide his favorite chew toys. However, please refrain from bringing out any stimulating puzzles or games, since this is naptime, not playtime.
- You should take your puppy out for a pee break, check to see if he needs more food or water, and then return him to his kennel during your lunch break if your workplace permits it. If you can’t drop by because of work, you’ll need to be creative. You’ll need to arrange for someone to take your puppy out for frequent bathroom breaks and short walks, whether it’s a member of your family, a friend, a neighbor, or a dog walker. A
- Cane Corso’s puppy has the upper hand since he or she is cute and not threatening like an adult Cane Corso. If you have a neighbor who loves dogs, he’ll do anything he can to assist you out so he can spend time with your new puppy. Why wouldn’t you want to spend time with a cute little Cane Corso puppy?
- Homeward Bound – Overly enthusiastic greets might worsen your puppy’s separation anxiety, so it’s important to maintain your composure when you return home. When you let your puppy out of his kennel, feed him, hydrate him, take him for a walk, and let him use the bathroom, you should also reward him for being a good boy that day. After that, continue playing with him and showering him with love and attention.
It’s a sign that you’re leaving your Cane Corso puppy alone for too long if he still urinates inside the cage after he’s been taught to use the bathroom outside. You should figure out a method to offer him more opportunities to use the restroom. I don’t believe you should get those toilet pads if you can’t find a way to offer him extra potty breaks, but if you really have to, they’ll be a disaster for your potty training.
Crate Training Your Cane Corso Dog
Crate training is the ideal method to teach your puppy to cope with being alone while you’re at work, but I don’t advocate it for adult Cane Corsos.
A puppy’s kennel should never be used as a form of punishment. You want your puppy to link the crate with good feelings, so reward him or her with goodies and praise whenever he or she enters the crate.
Crate train your Cane Corso puppy in 6 steps:
- Crate Spot – It’s important that your dog associates his kennel with positive family memories. Place the crate in a high-traffic area where people in your family spend a lot of time, such as the living room, the kitchen, or the dining room, but be sure you close the door so the dog can’t escape.
- Encouragement – Throwing goodies around the crate, then closer to the entrance, and then inside the crate, will encourage your puppy to go in. Don’t rush him, and remember that this process might take anything from a few minutes to many days. Try putting his favorite toy in the crate if goodies aren’t doing the trick.
- Make it a “Den” – Place the puppy’s favorite toys, food, and water bowls in the kennel to make him feel more at home there. If you don’t want him to spill his food, use the dishes that clip onto the table.
- When your puppy gets comfortable with eating in the crate, start closing the door behind him when he eats. The first time, open the door immediately after he finishes his meal.
- With each mealtime, leave the door closed a couple of minutes longer until your puppy can stay in the crate for 15 minutes or so after eating.
- Practice Extending the Crating Periods – Call your puppy in the crate, give him a treat and close the door. Make a habit of giving a voice cue such as “crate” just as he’s about to go in, and when he gets in, immediately praise and give him a treat.
- After closing the door, sit quietly near the crate for 5 to 10 minutes and then leave the room for another 5 minutes. Return, wait a couple of minutes, and then calmly let him out.
- Repeat this exercise several times a day, gradually reducing the time near the crate, and gradually increasing the time you’re out of sight.
- Crate Your Puppy When You Leave – Once your puppy is comfortable spending 30 minutes in the crate while you are in another room (out of sight), you may leave them in the crate while you do errands or go to the store.
- When arriving home keep it subtle, don’t get over-excited to avoid increasing your pup’s anxiety over when you’ll return.
- Once you start creating them for your departures, don’t stop creating them from time to time when you’re home, so they don’t start associating crating with being left alone.
- Start crate training your dog at night. We want your puppy to sleep well in his kennel while you’re at work so that he’ll be ready to play when you get home.
- Potty Breaks – When you take your puppy out of the crate, immediately bring him to the backyard or wherever his potty spot is, so he can do his business and stretch his legs.
Crate training a Cane Corso puppy typically takes between 3 and 6 weeks. Maintaining a regular training and conditioning schedule will eventually have your dog crated for as long as you need him to.
Obviously, if you have a family with a wife/husband and children, and you all have different schedules for work/school, things change. If you can arrange for someone to take the puppy out for walks and bathroom breaks on a regular basis, you won’t have to cage it as often.