Curious: Cane Corso mix attack on Yorkie - Page 1

Hi. I wondered if any Cane Corso experts could offer any insights on a recent horrific incident at my dog park in southeast PA. Apparently, a woman who had been in the small-dog area with her Yorkie, then brought the dog into the large-dog area. She was carrying the dog--an older female--when a lab/Cane Corso mix grabbed the dog from her arms and began shaking it, despite attempts by multiple people (including big dog's owner) to rescue Yorkie. The Yorkie eventually was taken to vet but ended up dying from her injuries. The Cane Corso mix apparently had been to the park before without incident. In the wake of such a sad and upsetting incident, I'm wondering if there's anything useful to learn. Please understand that I like big, strong dogs and am not looking to "blame the breed." At the same time, I don't know that much about these guys and wondered: How do they tend to be with very small dogs? Any thoughts to share? Thanks in advance.

Dog fights in dog parks are very common.  http://leerburg.com/dogparks.htm

Small dogs will sometimes trigger the prey drive of large dogs, resulting in the small dog being grabbed by the neck and shaken to death.

 

People need to realized that dogs are not children with fur, and the chance of this sort of thing happening is very real. I also blame the all-positive trainers who say pack structure and dominance are a myth. NOT true! I have studied the biology of different groups of animals, and if dogs DO NOT have a pack structure, then they are the only animal living in groups that does not. Yes, it may be different and more fluid than what scientists observed decades ago in their studies of captive wolves, but it DOES exist! 

Certain breeds have more of a tendency to dog-on-dog aggression than others. I was not surprised to see Akitas mentioned in the Leerburg article. Unfortunately, Cane corsos are another breed that can be aggressive, but every breed has its bullies. There used to be a lab mix at a local off-leash dog area who had a terrible reputation for ripping up other people's dogs, and because the off-leash area was an unofficial one (a hydro right-of-way) there was not much anyone could do to stop it other than avoid the dog! Our local animal shelter recently had to euthanize an aggressive golden retriever which attacked its owner, then attacked and seriously injured a shelter worker.

To sum up the key points of the Leerburg article:

Dog owners need to carefully watch their dogs while at a dog park, and not be focused on their cell phones or talking to other dog owners.

Small dogs should be separated from large ones, as a large dog can hurt or kill a small dog very quickly.

Owners need to learn to recognize the body language of dogs. A stiff body posture, staring, growling, etc. often warn of a fight before it happens. Also, an aggressive dog will often T-off on another dog (put its head over the other dog's back.) Dogs will sometimes exhibit stalking behaviour if about to attack a smaller dog.

Female dogs should NOT be brought to dog parks if they are in heat, about to come in heat, or have recently been in heat. This will trigger aggressive behaviour amongst male dogs, even those that have been neutered!

Owners should always keep their leashes handy, and know how to break up a dog fight. They should also train their dogs to respond to them even when off leash and playing with other dogs. This way, if the owner sees a situation developing where their dog may be attacked, they can get their dog out of harm's way before it happens.

Above all else: KNOW YOUR DOG!! If you can't trust it 100% to not attack other dogs, stay away from dog parks! 

One bad experience at a dog park can cause your dog to develop reactive aggression, and want to attack any dog that comes near it. Many people avoid dog parks completely for this reason.

 

Dog parks.... Humans are interesting creatures... They get a dog , for whatever reason[s] they have . For what reason , who knows. Then their notion of giving a dog exercise , letting it have company and so forth is to take the dog to a dog park . THAT is the problem : if you cannot have pleasure interacting with your dog or your dog takes no pleasure interacting with YOU I say , for those that like to frequent the dog parks . You can solve your problem with dogs fighting in dog parks by doing yourself a favor.. never get a dog again ....

Absolutely agree with both Sunsilver's and Centurian's posts. One further thought: this was a Cane Corso / Labrador mix - I think owners often underestimate Lab mixes, and therefore their need for careful training / close supervision. Because Labs are generally so soft, these inexperienced people tend to forget about another, powerful breed that is just as much in the equation ! Have seen this more than a few times with GSD/Lab mixes.

Centurion...I concurs. I would add, STAY The He!! Out of Dog Parks with ANY dog.
That is a deal breaker for me if someone says they intend to go to the dog park with a pup from me..

Sunny, absolutely, dogs are NOT furbabies....another deal breaker for me when I hear that term used referring to a dog.

Yorkies might be cute little dogs, but they often have the nastiest attitudes you'll ever see in a dog. I have yet to met a nice Yorkie to be frank and I've met several. Heck, for a short while I owned my late aunt's Yorkie after she died. That dog was a demon in a Yorkie body. She hated everyone except my aunt and loved to bite people if given a chance. I would seriously trust a stray Pit Bull over a stray Yorkie I didn't know. I would bet if they did a study of how many Yorkies have attacked people or animals, it would show them to be way worse than a Pit Bull. Most of the time when a Yorkie is attacked by another dog, the Yorkie has actually attacked or tried to attack the other dog in the past. Dogs can remember things like being attacked by a certain dog or a breed of dog and develop a hatred or fear of them over time. I hate how so many people are quick to blame the big dog than they are the little dog in cases of dogs attacking each other. I've seen way too many different toy breeds getting away with biting and attacking people or other dogs just because they are little in size. That bit might be small, but it's bites can still get infected and lead to death. Not to mention if the little dog has rabies. And I've even heard of actual human babies being eaten by little dog breeds. And that is one strong reason why I'd sooner trust a big dog than a little dog for sure.