Cane Corsos often get a bad rep, but is this just thanks to their innate sensitivity and drive to protect those they love?
One TikTok video showing a couple’s pet Corso, Rip, defending their child when his dad pretends to become violent has gone viral thanks to Rip’s immediate and stern warning.
Sarah_rue1 posted the video to TikTok with the caption “Rip is a natural-born protector. (9 month old Cane Corso)” and a label across the video reading “Watch how protective our Cane Corso is of our son”.
The video shows a very young boy and his dad shaking hands and hugging with Rip sat in bed watching them. Then, the father shoves the child (acting, of course!), in order to simulate a threat to the boy. Immediately the dog leaps up and grabs the dad’s arm in order to defend the child.
@sarah_rue1 ♬ original sound - Tik Toker
Unfortunately, Corsos and other Mastiffs are often branded as aggressive dogs, but as we can see from the video, the pup shows no aggression towards the man, but simply prevents him from touching the boy, pushing him away.
Dog lovers have commended the video for displaying the protective nature of the pooch, and Rip has gained a lot of respect and admiration.
Moriahjane286 comments: “I love that his tail was still wagging like “let’s just chill out bro here I’ll help you control your hands, just relax a sec” such a good dog!”. While Nomoreabuse2021 adds: “He's like um no sir let me show you the door. Great dog”.
“That dog was watching you just waiting for a reason. And I love how he wasn’t really aggressive, just a firm - you’re done,” Jennifer McIntosh observes. Becca also noticed how gentle the dog is: “I’ve watched this like 100 times… he’s perfect. The body language, the understanding of how much force to use? Beautiful.”
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Other dog owners have seen similar behaviour in their own family pets. Paige explains: “Me and my son were playing one night, guess my Cane Corso thought it was too rough and stood guard over him when he was laying on the floor lol.” While Lead Rayne863 says: “I have a Cane Corso also, we can’t even tickle the kids because he thinks we are hurting them, best family pet ever!!!”, with the OP exclaiming that the breed are “so sensitive!”
However, some have been less enthusiastic. Dani commented: “This could not be a worse idea. What happens when your son and another kid are play wrestling?” To which the OP replied: “We have other kids over all the time and two more of our own. He is very gentle with them. He has a great temperament and is well socialized.”
Rip’s protectiveness over his mum and siblings, can be seen further with the family’s “tortilla challenge” video below.
@sarah_rue1 ♬ original sound - Tik Toker
While this protectiveness is natural from a pack animal and Rip shows no signs of aggression or acting possessively in the video, it is also important to look out for signs of resource guarding (with any dog), as this can be a much more problematic and aggressive behaviour that quickly needs to be nipped in the bud.
There are no signs from this video that Rip views his brother as a resource, he is simply ensuring that he doesn’t get hurt. But, when adopting a new pet it's important to look out for pups who become defensive and possessive and try to keep you away from any item; most commonly food, treats, toys, a bed or even a person. They will exhibit behaviours such as growling, lunging or biting.
Check out Sarah_rue1’s Tiktok for more adorable videos featuring Rip and his three human siblings, including her very first Halloween!
