WHAT WE DO

 

HEALTH

Being able to health test the Cane Corso in our breeding program, as well as those in pet homes not used in our program, gives us the knowledge to make informed decisions. We do require all of our puppy families to test their dog's hips, heart and eyes, at the appropriate age, as part of our contract.  There are many problems and diseases that cannot be improved without health testing. While the results of our testing might not always be what we would hope for, and results provide knowledge.

As hobby breeders, it is important for us to improve our breeding program with every dog.  Unlike many other breeders, we encourage our owners to health test dogs placed as pets too (and offer rebates). We advocate health testing so that we can make the best decisions for the breed and Cane Corso going forward.  Health testing is more than testing breeding dogs, it helps us to learn more about inheritance of diseases that affect the Cane Corso.  We are proud to show our health testing statistics below:

  • 23 PennHIP/OFA Hips Tested

  • 12 OFA Elbows Tested

  • 8 OFA Patellas Tested

  • 2 OFA Shoulders Tested

  • 2 OFA Thyroid Tested

  • 19 OFA Cardiacs Tested by Cardiologists

  • 18 Dogs Tested for Eye Certifications over multiple years.

  • 4 CHIC Certified

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      Last updated 9/26/2021

 

PrideNJoyz Health Statistics

TITLES

 

We are very proud of each of the dogs in our program and the ones we have produced. We are exceptionally proud of the dogs that show us just how versatile the Cane Corso can be and still be a Cane Corso.  We encourage our owners to do more with their Corso and even offer rebates for those that accomplish these titles.  If you are interested in owning a Cane Corso and doing more with your Cane Corso, we would love to have you as part of our extended family.

PrideNJoyz Dogs have proudly achieved the following titles:

 

Conformation Accomplishments

  • 6 AKC Champions

  • ARBA Champion

  • NAKC Champion

  • Canadian Champion

  • 3 AKC Grand Champions

  • CCAA Grand Champion

  • ICCF Grand Champion

  • Best in Specialty Show

  • AKC Multiple Group Placing

  • AKC Group Placing - Bred by

  • AKC Group Placing - Owner Handler

  • #2 Cane Corso in Canada 2010

  • 1st Female to Win Working Group in AKC

  • 1st Female AKC Champion Cane Corso

  • #1 AKC Bitch - All Systems 2010

  • #3 Cane Corso - All Systems 2010

  • 2010 CCAA Regional Specialty - BOS

  • 2010 CCAA Regional Specialty - BOB

  • 2010 CCAA National Specialty - BOS

  • 2017 CCAA Regional Specialty - BOS

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Temperament Accomplishments

  • 20 Canine Good Citizenship (USA)

  • 2 Canine Good Citizen Advanced

  • Canine Good Neighbor (Canada)

  • 9 Temperament Tested

  • 2 Farm Dog Certified

  • 2 IPO Companion Dog (BH)

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Sporting Accomplishments

  • 4 Herding Instinct

  • 5 Lure Coursing Ability

  • 2 Lure Coursing Ability Advanced

  • Lure Coursing Excellent

  • 2 Fast CAT - BCAT 

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Obedience Accomplishments

  • 5 Rally Novice

  • 2 Rally Intermediate

  • 2 Rally Advanced

  • 2 Rally Excellent

  • 7 Trick Dog Novice

  • 2 Trick Dog Intermediate

  • Trick Dog Performer

  • 1st EVER Trick Dog Performer Elite Cane Corso 

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Other Accomplishments

  • IPO 1

  • CCAA Working Dog of the Year

  • 4 Univ of Penn Blood Donors

  • 3 Therapy Dogs

  • SDA Family Obedience

  • SDA Protection 1

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PrideNJoyz Titles & Awards

PrideNJoyz Titles & Awards

 

Questions & Answers

Health

What are common eye issues with the Cane Corso?

Cherry Eye is a protrusion of the tear gland associated with the third eyelid. It can be common in the Cane Corso but there are options for fixing such as tacking and removal. Always learn the facts behind both options before selecting the proper treatment for your dog. Typically surgeries can range from $200 - $4,000. Entroprian is a conformational defect resulting in an "in rolling" of one or more eyelids which may cause ocular irritation. If you suspect your dog may have entroprian, please consult a vet as it can cause permanent damage to the eye if left untreated. Ectropian is another form of conformational defect resulting in the eversion of the eyelid, which may cause ocular irritation due to expose. Ectropian is sometimes seen as droopy eyelids.



What is dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia is associated with abnormal joint structure and laxity of the muscles, connective tissue, and ligaments that would normally support the joint. Each dog is different and have varying thresholds for pain. A dog can be labeled as dysplastic without showing symptoms. Elbow dysplasia is very difficult on the large breed dogs. Elbow dysplasia leads to incongruity of the bone and bony fragments leading to severe arthritic changes. DJD - Degenerative joint disease, also called DJD, is another name for arthritis.



Why do we follow the raw diet with our dog and puppies?

It all started with our first Cane Corso, Sapphire. When she was around 7 years old, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After researching cancer treatment and hearing how toxic the treatment was, we could not potentially subject her to an awful ending for her life. We researched the best methods and treatments for her disease that were not toxic to her or the other dogs and found that many times over, the raw diet was highly recommended. We switched Sapphire right away and then transitioned the other dogs to raw. Although it didn't make the cancer go away, we hope it helped her enjoy more of her life when she was with us. We have since noticed many benefits from feeding raw. We encourage you to open your minds and learn about the benefits of raw feeding.



What is the limited vaccination protocol?

We believe that the veterinarian profession has become overly dependent on the deep pockets of the large companies and have guilted owners into overvaccinating their pets for quite some time now. There have been studies to show that vaccinations last much longer than one year or even three years, depending on the vaccination. Therefore, we feel that going back to basics is best. We require out puppy families to vaccinate no more than what is recommended by Dr. Jean Dodds recommends as noted in the link below. https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/147595920886/dodds-vaccination-protocol-dogs-2016#.WcnGv2hSzIU



General /

Are you ready for a Cane Corso?

The Cane Corso needs a confident and assertive owner who will provide consistent training. Due to their strong instinct to guard, the Cane Corso needs regular socialization and training to understand behaciors that are expected of them to be good members of society from positive training. The Cane Corso is a social breed with a need and desire to be part of the family.



How do I find a good Cane Corso breeder?

Expect a good breeder to have a contract that provides a clear understanding of your relationship. You should be able to ask and be provided official health testing results if they are not on the OFA website. If the sire of the puppy is not available, ask if you can speak with his owner to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask the breeder why they chose to pair those two dogs together. A good breeder should make every effort to meet you prior to you picking up your puppy (even if only video chat). The breeder should be available to answer questions for the life of your puppy/dog. The breeder should also have a notation in the contract that he/she will take the puppy/dog back for any reason rather than it go to a rescue or shelter.



Do you recommend any other Cane Corso breeders and who?

We know we don't always have puppies available and know it is important for families to find great breeders. Therefore, we do have a few breeders that we recommend to families when we aren't able to provide them with the right puppy for them at the right time. The breeders that we recommend don't necessarily follow the raw feeding diet, limited vaccines or health requirements the same as us but, we are comfortable in at least pointing you in a direction to start your own research on these breeders. Recommended: Ivy League Cane Corso, Windy Pine Cane Corso in Wyoming, Avitus Cane Corso in Alberta and Royal Cane Corso in Washington.



I need to rehome my Cane Corso, can you help?

We do not take dogs that need to be rehomed unless it is a dog from our program.

We will suggest that you contact Cane Corso Rescue, East Coast Gentle Giants Rescue, Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue or other local rescues as early as possible. Most rescues are at capacity and finding space can take time. Be honest with the rescue, the more information they have the better equipt they are to find the perfect home. Additionally, we always suggest reaching out to your breeder to see if they can assist in rehoming the dog. If the dog is having behavior issues, contact an experienced trainer as soon as possible. No one wants to rehome their dog but, sometimes it happens. The best thing is prevention by ensuring you bring home the correct breed for your family and situation, making sure you can afford vet care, make sure your landlord approves of a large breed dog, and start obedience training the day you bring the puppy/dog home. Pets are a long-term commitment, don't forget to have a plan for someone to care for them if you become injured.



Have you ever had any of your dogs or puppies returned to you?

Yes. We have repossessed one puppy in the past. It was obvious to us the family was not following up with proper training and socialization and the puppy was going to grow up to be a problem later. The family also misrepresented themselves to us just to get the "big, blue puppy". We have also had a few dogs returned to us. Sometimes it is from a changing in living situation that won't permit a dog, the puppy not being friendly with strangers (which is not a breed trait), and lack of training and socialization by the owners. In all of these cases, the commonality of each situation was families that were not willing and able to commit to the needs of the breed. This is why we stress the importance of understanding the breed's charaterics and temperament to make certain it is the right fit for your family BEFORE adding one to your home.



Training /

What is Puppy Culture?

It is more than just training. It is about watching the puppies grow and working with them at the right moments in their lives to gain the greatest benefit, as not each puppy grows at the same rate. It helps us to know when to let the puppy figure things out on their own and how to encourage them when they are having difficulty. It is about teaching them to solve their own problems and not get spooked by new situations. It is also about learning to be your puppy's advocate/voice. We encourage you to watch the introduction video to Puppy Culture.



How do I find a good dog trainer or training facility?

Your breeder should be able to help you find or give you ideas on how to find a good trainer. We suggest looking for a trainer before your puppy arrives. Visit the dog trainer and observe a class. Visit the training facility. Ask what experience they have had with the Cane Corso. What training methods do they use? Treats and praise? Pinch collar? How do they handle puppies that act fearful or aggressive towards others in the class? Ask for a referral. Look for dog trainers that actually title their own dogs in obedience and other avenues. It shows they have experience.



Everyone talks about socialization but, what is it?

Socialization can have different meanings depending on who you ask. For us, we believe that socialization in dogs is when you puppy/dog can relax in many or all situations. Puppies should start learning from a young age that observing rather than interacting is best. For example, not lunging or chasing running children. Instead, the puppy should learn to sit and observe and play when only when supervised by an adult. Another example is taking the puppy or dog to a park. The puppy should be ok with sitting and letting people and dogs walk by without barking and lunging. Remember, strangers do not NEED to be friends with your puppy or dog and it is more than ok to say "NO" when strangers ask to pet him or her. Just tell them your puppy or dog is in training. You want a well behaved puppy or dog, not one that is nervous, scared, pushy or aggressive. The goal is to have your dog be ok with just "being".



Our Polcies /

What is the typical purchase price of a Cane Corso and what is your price?

The price of a Cane Corso from a quality breeder (one who titles, health tests and works to improve the breed) range from $2,500 to $4,000 for pet quality. Cane Corso puppies sold for less than $1,500 are typically from breeders of poor quality dogs, unregistered parents, unhealth tested and lack of breeder knowledge and support. We highly suggest saving your money and waiting to purchase from a good quality breeder. Our pet quality puppies are typically $3,500 that includes the cost of ear cropping, raising the puppies on a raw diet and giving them a great start with training. To encourage our puppy families to bond, train and socialize their puppy, we offer a fantastic rebate program. The rebate program enables the families to easily earn over $400 starting as early as 6 months. We are always looking for families willing to co-own dogs with us that will remain intact and part of our breeding program. These families must be within 1 hour driving distance from us and willing to fullfill certain requirements.



Can I choose a specific color puppy ?

While we do not allow our puppy families to choose a puppy based on color, we do allow them to help choose the right puppy based on their family, their experience and temperament. We find it is more important to match the puppy to the family so that both the family and the puppy live together forever.



Why is it important that the entire family know the puppy/dog is coming?

We do not believe that any puppy or dog should be purchased as part of a surprise/gift without everyone in the family knowing about it. All the adults and children over 8 years old in the home should be involved in the process. Everyone should be able to join in the excitement of a new family member and in the upcoming training of the new family member. Any reservations can be dealt with before the puppy/dog arrives. We have found that sometimes when puppies or dogs are given as a surprise, the other person might not be as into the puppy/dog as expected. A good breeder will want to meet the entire family and if the family places a deposit, the family might be able to visit and watch live videos as the puppy grows between birth and ten weeks.



We are ready for a PrideNJoyz Cane Corso, what do we do now?

After you have researched the breed and determined that it is the right breed for you and your family, we encourage you to find a few breeders that fit your needs and abilities. Don't limit yourself to breeders that are within a few hours drive. The right breeder for you might be a few states away.
Once you have decided that we are the breeder for you, read our website. Our website describes the right family for one of our puppies. You can find the average price of our puppies in the questions above, as well. After you have familiarized yourself with our program, you can click on the "Puppy Application" button on the top of the page and fill out the application. We will review your application and reach out to you with additional questions, if applicable, or when to set up a time to talk. Once we have spoken to you, we will reach out to your references. At that time, we will work on setting up a time for you to meet our dogs. When we have approved your family for one of our puppies, we will send you a copy of our deposit agreement and puppy agreement for your review. We do not accept deposits prior to approval. Deposits are non-refundable. Once your deposit has been received, you will be added to our reserved puppy list.

Our puppies are placed on quality (pet/breeding) first and then temperament. Proper evaluation of some puppies cannot be made until 8 weeks of age so availability might not be determined until then. To ensure our puppies get a great start, they stay with us until 10 weeks of age to spend more time with mom and their siblings.



What if we only want a male or female puppy?

We do allow puppy families to request a certain sex of their puppy, expecially if it relates to their current pets. Temperament matching plays a key part in decisions as we do sometimes place females with females or males with males depending on the temperament of the pets and knowledge of the owners.



Our family wants two puppies (perferably littermates) to raise together.  Will PrideNJoyz sell us two puppies?

NO. We will not ever sell two puppies to the same household. In order to properly raise a puppy, we expect you to focus on that one puppy. If you take two puppies, it is much more difficult to focus your attention especially if you need to work on a specific behavior. Additionally, the two puppies might bond more with each other than with their humans. We feel that raising one puppy at a time leads to greater success and happiness. We will (and have) place two of our dogs/puppies in the same household once the first puppy is over a year old and the family has shown that they are ready for another one.



We have filled out a puppy application or contacted you but, have not heard anything.  When can we expect to hear from you?

We receive many applications, emails and phone calls every week. It can take up to three weeks for us to get back to everyone (work, family, dog events and other things keep us busy). We do suggest checking your spam/junk folders, as sometimes our emails get flagged as spam. If you have not heard from us, please don't hesistate to reach back out to us. Email is usually the best avenue.



Did you hear about our Rebate Progam?

In an effort to promote bonding between our puppies and their families, we offer a rebate prgogram. We want your puppy/dog to be a great ambassador for the breed. Some of our rebates include: - $75 for passing the AKC Canine Good Citizenship test - $200 for your first performance/working or sporting title - $50 for taking your puppy in for an OFA cardiac exam by a cardiologist - $50 for a therapy dog certification Families can easily earn close to $500 in the first year of your puppy's life! We will help you find health clinics, trainers and training facilities as well.



Do not apply or inquire about a puppy, if...

- you want a puppy with a natural tail. A PrideNJoy puppy will ALWAYS have its tail docked. We do not leave tails natural. - you want a puppy to protect your family/home. A PrideNJoyz puppy REQUIRES training often and early. If you are not able or willing to have a well trained dog and put in the work to have a well trained dog, I am not your breeder. - you think the veterinarian is always right. We believe in holistic and natural raising of our dogs on a raw diet, many vets do not agree or understand this mentality. You must be willing to speak your mind to your vet or find one that will listen. - you are looking to surprise someone special with a puppy as a gift. A puppy is a commitment. - you are looking to purchase a puppy with the right to breed it. We do not sell breeding rights. - you currently have a puppy (age under 12 months) and are looking to add another puppy now. We want you to focus on training your puppy individually. - you are planning on "free feeding" your puppy/dog. - you believe that crate training is cruel or are not willing/able to crate train for the first 12 months. - you are looking for a oversized Cane Corso. We place our dogs and puppies in like minded families. Please be sure you are the right fit for a PrideNJoyz puppy.