Training
We began our training program over 12 years ago, when we first met a family searching for a Cane Corso that was past the puppy stage and already familiar with basic obedience and leash walking. What started as a simple act of helping one family quickly grew into a service that many other families came to value — providing well-mannered, confident Cane Corsos ready to transition smoothly into their new homes.
Training
Our training practice begins early with our pups using the Von Folconers way getting the pups adjusted to new sounds and responding to people. The Rule of 7s goes a long way to prepping the pups for the world ahead and helping them adapt to what is before them which is crucial to the early stages of training. The real learning begins at 7 weeks with leash introduction and crate training.
Crate training is a vital tool in helping young pups control their bladder and work through their separation anxiety. This is very important for our Cane Corso Puppies. Leash training at a young age begins with letting the pups feel the weight of the leash and just follow us around with it. To encourage the pups to walk on the correct side and keep walking, we use treats often of pieces of kibbles and chicken. After a few days we begin to hold the leash and guide the pups.
Obedience
Obedience begins with recall. Our Cane Corso puppies are first introduced to simple sound associations — such as a whistle, kiss, or snap — which they quickly learn to connect with food rewards. This early conditioning follows the principles proven by Pavlov, helping pups understand the vital “Come” command as soon as they begin eating solid food. We pair the whistle with their name and the command “Come,” rewarding them with a tasty treat once they reach us.
Within the first two weeks, most puppies learn the basics — Sit, Down, and Stay — through positive reinforcement that taps into their natural instincts and behaviors. For families choosing our trained puppy program, we go a step further by incorporating fun, engaging tricks such as High Five, Sit Up, Roll Over, and Crawl. While not every puppy masters every trick, these exercises make training versatile, enjoyable, and a routine we pass along to each family welcoming a trained Cane Corso into their home.
Over the years, our program has expanded to include Started Level, Fully Trained, and Young Adult Cane Corsos. Every trained dog goes home with a training cheat sheet outlining commands and hand signals, along with access to video guidance. Families who purchase a Fully Trained or Young Adult Cane Corso also receive a professional training collar at no additional cost.
Training Levels
Started pups are like kindergartners. They practice multiple times a day. They have learned the basics but still need help to do things correctly. They have started potty training and can hold it for usually up to 45 min in the house, are crate trained, walk on leash, sit, high 5, sit up, dance, roll over, lay down, crawl, stay and learn fetch. However, as a puppy they have short attention spans. They are still working on stay, come, retch, potty training and proper leash etiquette and they understand what needs to be done to get a treat. Like a kindergartner who knows their ABC’s but still need help, they know not to color on the table but they still might.
Fully trained are about 1 year olds. They understand wrong, their commands, how to play well with others, but can still lose focus so they still need a leash. These dogs walk on leash, are crate trained, potty trained up to 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours, understand their commands with hand signals, and have learned fetch. Different pricing on these are based on ability and age.
Young Adults are potty trained, and work off leash in addition to everything above. Pricing depends on level, type of training, whether they are altered, and have had their elbows and hips evaluated. Most of our Young Adults will have passed their AKC Canine Good Citizenship test.
