Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix owner review: Maggie and pup Josie

I could talk so much about our Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix Josie, to be honest. She is a huge love of my love – quite literally. She is a very large dog. The last time we put her on the scale she was just over 160lb! All the other dogs I meet seem so tiny and fragile compare to Josie. But, as her name may suggest, in reality, she is just the sweetest dog out there.

What aspects of owning a Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix do I wish I knew before adopting Josie? There are quite a few!

First of all, it’s a huge responsibility. Especially when it comes to such a large dog. (Although I am sure small dogs can be a handful too). Quite literally, a dog as large as Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix needs a lot of space! This means that if you live in an apartment or in a very small house, this crossbreed will not be a perfect fit for you. They just literally won’t “fit”!

Also, due to their size and weight, these dogs do tend to be clumsy and can easily get an injury if they hop off a sofa in the wrong way. One little misstep and you get your dog looking at you with sad eyes and a possibly fractured or even broken leg!

The other thing about large dogs like Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix is that, unfortunately, they tend not to live very long. Even just 10 years is a considerably long life for these dogs, and usually it’s much shorter than that. You need to be ready for that when you decide on adopting this dog.

The other thing to consider is feeding your dog. They eat a lot! Josie can probably eat through a 40lb bag of dog food in a month!

But of course, there are upsides to owning this dog too. Quite a few actually, which is why we are so happy with Josie.

I don’t know about Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix in general, but our Josie is the smartest dog in the world. There, I said it. She is so, so smart and so easy to train. She got the concept of house training very quickly when she was still a very young puppy. She knows what we say to her and is happy to do what we ask. She is very obedient when it comes to the commands we ask her to do. She knows her place in the house is very good at “reading the room”.

Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix Temperament

Josie is a very kind, mild-tempered dog. Having said that, her loyalty and love are limited to her own family. As for strangers, she is either indifferent or would prefer that they do not approach. She will not actively threaten anyone, but if a stranger enters the house, she will certainly be inclined to guard and protect.

Josie is incredible with kids. All the kids in our family adore her and she adores them back. She is very patient with children: it’s as if she understands they are just very young and rambunctious versions of adults. We always supervise Josie’s interactions with the kids, of course, but we are almost always sure they will be just fine.

Our Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix is very patient towards other dogs too and rarely (if ever) displays any aggression. She definitely won’t be the first to attack another dog. She prefers avoiding confrontation at all costs. She also never chases cats. I think she has too much self-respect for that.

As a large and fairly active dog, Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix does require quite a bit of walking and exercising. We walk Josie for about 40 minutes in the morning and about an hour in the evening. We also make sure she has plenty of off-leash time to run around in the park.

Feeding your Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix

Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix is obviously a very large dog and feeding and nutrition are important! We feed premium dog food and she seems very healthy. She also likes fruit, but we try to limit that so she doesn’t consume too much sugar.

Although they do need a lot of food, I wouldn’t say that our Josie is a very “expensive” dog to own. Of course, premium dog food is the best option, and it can be costly. Vet bills can be quite high too, especially if it’s an emergency. But with careful prevention, good nutrition, and plenty of exercise, you can avoid most of the problems associated with this cross-breed (and its two parent breeds).

Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix pros

Here are some of the things we really like about Josie.

Intelligence

We love how intelligent she is, how quickly she picks the new things and ideas up. She can also be quite sly and even manipulative, but it’s also very funny.

Appearance

This is a large, heavy dog, with distinct features of a mastiff but also some features from a Cane Corso. It makes for quite an intimidating look and it’s something you have to get used to. But deep down, we really think she is gorgeous and you couldn’t convince us otherwise. She is well-muscled and powerful and strong.

Self-respect

Confidence and self-respect are the two qualities that really stand out in this dog. She does everything with this palpable sense of self-worth that is almost a little comical in a dog. She is never in any hurry, she knows she’ll get everything she needs and she just goes for it.

Loyalty and affection

This is a very family-oriented dog. They thrive when they are near their people and Josie is always there with us and for us. She doesn’t talk, but she understands. Any time I am sad or frustrated or simply tired, her presence really, really helps me get out of the funk.

Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix downsides

Some of the downsides I can think of in regards to our dog is how much she drools and how much she snores. There is always drool on our furniture and around her feeding bowl and we basically just learned to live with it. Nothing can be done about it anyway. She is also a big snorer and so we prefer that she sleeps downstairs in her own space, quite far from our bedrooms.

Another issue is allergies: Josie has struggled with quite a few food allergies when she was a puppy and it took us a while to find a brand of food that didn’t contain her allergens.

Dog hair is another one. Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix has a short coat, so you would think dog hair wouldn’t be an issue. Wrong! Dog hair is everywhere in our house, no matter how much we vacuum. It’s on our clothes and in our food too. That’s just the fact of life with a dog.

Josie generally isn’t very barky, but she makes plenty of other noises in the house. She sighs, snores, coughs, puffs, licks herself loudly, and makes a variety of other sounds that are our constant companion since she is always somewhere close. You just have to live with it.

Speaking of sounds, she also farts regularly at least several times a day.

Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix is a very strong dog (a combo of Cane Corso and Bullmastiff!), so they require a strong owner. If she decides to chase something or even suddenly gets interested in something in the nearby bush, she could easily “pull” the person holding the leash right off their feet unless they are fairly big and strong. Training solves this problem, but of course, it requires time and effort!

One major downside of owning a Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix is, I think, their very short lifespan. Both Bullmastiffs and Cane Corso generally have very short lifespans: only about 7-8 years!

This breed (cross breed) isn’t ideal for outdoor living. They need to live in the house! Their coats are short and they can easily get cold and sick in the cold weather. They don’t like drafts and don’t do very well in the heat either.

They need a soft dog bed, otherwise, you will notice their coats thin on their elbows, knees, and even sides!

You will have to regularly clip their nails because they just keep growing, and if they are too long, the nail can crack and get infected.

Overall, this is a great family dog, although not a lot of people are even familiar with the Cane Corso and Bullmastiff breeds, let alone their combination. They are not inherently aggressive, but certainly are protective. They do require training and strong discipline. They are loyal and loving towards their family and neutral or suspicious towards strangers. Cane Corso Bullmastiff Mix will never be a hyper-energetic dog and they are generally fairly quiet. They do require more training than some other breeds though, so they may not be perfect for just about any family.