Diamond Grit Cane Corso

01/11/2024

Cane Corso and Catahoula Leopard dog - teamwork makes the dream work.

24/10/2024

Introducing: Karma - We’ve had Karma for a few months now, she did not fit in where she came to us from but to no fault of her own. She didn’t have a problem, she was just a working dog at heart who was unemployed and needed a job. I admit I am very picky with what I bring into my program so I took her in under the conditions that I was only keeping her if she could prove herself, so I’ve kept this girl on the LOW, working in the lab quietly, making sure she meets our standards of working quality Cane Corso’s before introducing her as an addition to our program here at Diamond Grit. This girl is both ready for work as she is ready to cuddle for hours on the couch with us. Whatever you want to do is what she wants to do! The epitome of a sweetheart! If she could talk she would tell you she’s a lover not a fighter, but don’t tempt her with a good time 😉

21/10/2024

Real. Raw. No bs. Hard work. True grit.
Something about this picture of young Knight that I just love. I’ve always said, when it comes to truly testing a dog, hog hunting work is as real as it gets for these gladiators.

12/10/2024

Story Time: Quick hunt with our Cane Corso (Knight and Sunny), and our young bay dogs, all here except 1 of them are under 1 year old. It was training day after Hurricane Milton left us without any power, so might as well go hunt. The bay dogs were having trouble with this wild Boar they found in the sugar cane fields, it’s been giving them the run around and losing them for well over 30 minutes already prior to this clip you are seeing here. At this point here, I came around the corner with Knight, my male Cane Corso (10 months old) going towards the dogs working the Boar after finding it again. By luck it was charging towards our direction, running from the dogs that couldn’t stop it. Knight got to display the grit in his blood, he charged forward, directly towards it and braced for the impact he knew was coming. He is the anchor these dogs will need in the future when faced against the big 300+ pound wild Boars running around here. He stopped it where he could grab first, which was the snout, but once he knew he had the chance, he quickly regripped to grab the ear in a quick instant and held it by the ear, moving with it by its side to avoid the tusks and bites, while I got dogs off the pig. I let him do his thing while taking the other dogs off one by one to let him practice his skills and learn through this valuable experience that can save his life later in difficult situations. Most times we are not right there when this happens and can take a long time to get to the catch dog to help, so it’s good he learns to hold until the job is completed, which he’s been doing beyond my expectations!

04/10/2024

I’m curious as to your thoughts on the topic of a dog hierarchy. I’m sure many of you have heard that apparently there’s no such thing as an Alpha in dog packs, it’s been debunked! 😂 Apparently dogs don’t have a linear hierarchy like wolves, where there is a clearly dominant leader and a pecking order below that as well. I disagree with this theory based merely on the fact that I am always seeing demonstrations of their hierarchy every single day. This is a clip I took a few weeks ago and never posted it but you can see how our dog pack greets Ursa every time I let them all out together. They also greet Genie (my small Blue Lacy dog) like this even though she’s only 35 lbs, she’s helped raise them all and she’s a badass so she has their respect even when the Corso pups quickly outgrow her. This show of affection is not shown to every dog in the pack in the same way, in fact only they are treated like this. I can also show many examples of them using “dominance” over another dog to remind it of its place in this make believe hierarchy that doesn’t exist. But I must be crazy because apparently dominance in dogs is also a debunked theory, they don’t do this I am told. They are all friends and always nice to each other and as long as all their needs are met they don’t display any of these basic animal traits, so I am told. So I must be crazy, seeing things every day that aren’t there. 🤷🏻‍♂️ There are many other examples I can list of common pack hierarchy behaviors in our dogs but the post would be too long. Funny enough, people making these claims don’t live with an actual dog pack or have any real life experience in the field, but they read a book.

04/10/2024

12/09/2024

Alert 🚨: You’ve all been asking for me to upload a video, here it is! Hope y’all enjoy, and feel free to join in on the topic in the comments section on YouTube so it helps the algorithm. Topic is, working line vs show lines. As usual, we don’t just talk, we’ve included several hunting clips for y’all to enjoy watching these dogs putting in some good hard work.

03/09/2024

Introducing our Knight, at 9 months old. This boy is going to be special. I have a feeling when it’s all said and done, he will be one of my main Corso’s that I trust to do it all, hunt in the field & protect my home/family. An all around balanced, great dog! The proof is in the pudding, stick around, y’all know we like to actually show our dogs work not just talk about it.

22/08/2024

Some people don’t understand just how dangerous and aggressive a wild Boar can be. Poor little girl having to see that, she clearly loves her dogs and had no idea of the dangers, nor did the dog apparently.

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19/08/2024

FAQ: Do you encounter other dangerous animals when out hunting? The short answer to that is YES. I put together this small clip of two recent encounters we just had back to back, while out hunting with the dogs. This is just two common species that are fatal where we live and hunt in south Florida, but there’s many more. We take all precautions to avoid our dogs having a fatal encounter, but the truth is when you step outside of the confines of the bubble (civilization) and step back out into the wilderness, we are all fair game in this ecosystem. You can’t be out in the wild and expect to be exempt from the rules of the game. Is it dangerous? Yes, but in a strange way it also makes you feel more ALIVE! Do this long enough and you will learn a lot about yourself and your animals, but you will also learn about loss.

18/08/2024

This clip here is part of a longer video I posted on YouTube but was deleted (don’t ask me why 🤷🏻‍♂️) so I am sharing this one clip here. It captures a moment we were driving and saw a wild Hog from the distance running on the road towards a deeper area of woods. I only had my two female Cane Corso at the time (Ursa and Siren), so once we got to where I last saw it running, I stopped and let the two catch dogs out. They did a great job at catching the scent and chasing into the woods where it went into hiding. It didn’t take long before I heard them find and catch it. I had a guest with me that day who bought one of Sirens puppies and was hunting for the first time with dogs. I took that encounter as a great opportunity to show him how we do certain things like putting the Hog on its side once the dogs have it secured. This allows us to remove the dogs from the Hog while keeping us safe until we hog-tie it to remove it alive from this farm area where we are hired to remove the Hog infestation that destroys their crops. In the video you can also see how well the Corso’s respond to my commands even during the fight when their prey drive is on an all time high, they still demonstrate the ability to listen under all types of high prey drive and high stress scenarios and situations. A well balanced dog.

12/08/2024

Big Ursa, fit for battle! Ursa has been my main catch dog for several months now and has held on to that role because she’s proven to us we can trust her to get the job done and keep everyone safe when it’s most needed.
Ursa is a very big girl, naturally thick and muscular. Everyone loves big dogs of course but there are pros and cons to it. My biggest worry at first was my concern with her ability to get to the dogs quickly when they are on a dangerous wild Boar. That worry was quickly dismissed, she is a missile! She’s faster than many of our smaller dogs actually. She will also run THROUGH any obstacle to get to the dogs when they’re baying a Hog.
My other worry was, would her endurance hold up in our very hot humid climate. The way we hunt, these dogs travel many miles, after all that she would have to engage a wild animal much bigger and stronger than her and have to hold onto it until we arrive. We try to get there asap, but sometimes it’s extremely difficult terrain and can take 15-20 minutes in some situations before you get to the dogs. If the catch dog can’t hold on to the Boar for that long due to exhaustion, it can be disastrous, resulting in serious injuries and/or death. Suffice to say, she’s been in those situations already several times where her endurance was tested to the limits and she got the job done. One of those times she was damn near having a stroke, but she held on until I arrived and got ahold of the Boar. Keeping her in great physical shape and giving her the best nutrition possible plays a role in helping her do the tasks I ask of her.

07/08/2024

Every once in a while I like to show some of the dogs in the pack that makes the dream work. Featured here are two Catahoula Leopard dogs, they are part of our main “A” team bay dogs, the ones who do all the work to actually find these wild Hogs and hold them long enough for us and/or the catch dog. When these two are on the ground, you can kick your feet up and just wait for them to produce. Macho is the black/white/tan colored one. He’s the grittiest of all our bay dogs, he thinks he IS the catch dog. Unfortunately that’s why he’s out damn near half the year due to injuries 😆. His full brother (Clyde) is the Merle colored one, he is also very gritty but knows when to bay a LITTLE more than Macho. Together though, unless the Boar is over 300 lbs, you’ll never hear them bay (bark). I am very proud of these two, good all around dogs in every aspect.

05/08/2024

Story Time: Here’s a clip of Ursa my Cane Corso doing her job even after the mission has been completed. I was just deleting some videos off my phone and was about to delete this one as well but I decided to share something from this clip with you all that shows something I don’t usually capture. In this particular hunt we caught 4 wild Hogs around this area within an hour span. Ursa my catch dog is exhausted at this point, as am I. While I take a break and film, Ursa notices this lil Boar getting up on its feet right behind me, which it’s not supposed to do after I’ve hog-tied it. I ran out of rope so I only tied two of its feet. Ursa does not like that so she starts to sound off the alarm to let me know. If you’re wondering why she doesn’t just grab it, in short, she already knows I do not want her to, if I did I’d only have but to say the word. Her ability to control her prey drive, demonstrating self control and her natural instinct to protect is what I wanted to highlight. It’s one of the many qualities I love about the Corso, they are a breed that brings a diversity of traits, they can be very adaptable to what is needed of them. She has the prey drive and courage to run to the dogs baying a Hog and catch it without hesitation even when tired and beaten up, making it safe for the rest of us. She also has the intelligence and self control to leave those same Hogs alone when I ask her to, but also stay on alert to protect me if anything were to go wrong. I know if that lil Boar were to charge at me, she would not hesitate to act, it would never make it to me. I know this because it’s happened in more occasions than one. In this line of work, trust is earned between humans and dogs. She’s earned my trust.

30/07/2024

Pictured here is Sunny (black) and Banshee (fawn) at 8 months old. They are growing beautifully and have just passed their X-Rays for their hips. Let me tell y’all, maintaining peace and order with these two girls around is a full-time job! Their personalities continue to show colors throughout this phase, especially in a pack environment where they are around many other dogs. I am loving their personalities but they do come with challenges. They are constantly looking for trouble, and trouble takes no days off here. They are also starting to explore where they will fit into the pack and are testing the waters with each other. Already we are beginning to take extra caution with Sunny and Banshee. They both have shown me they will not back down from the other, and have a no BS meter. Cane Corso can be same s*x aggressive, which is why I don’t suggest anyone have two of the same s*x. For those of us that do, it’s important to know how to read body language and understand the signs. Ignoring these signs or being oblivious to it can eventually lead to an ugly fight one day that will most likely result in a vet visit with injuries (or worse). We have many dogs living in harmony here, roaming freely together, but I wanted to be transparent about the fact that it doesn’t come without paying careful attention and babysitting these big goofballs, constantly!

06/07/2024

New hunting video on our YouTube channel featuring the 2024 Dogo Argentino “Dogo Pachanga” champions and their lil’ human pet 😜 Savanna Merriman - Doguero Pachanga
We talk dogs and have a good ol’ time just watching the dogs work. Hope y’all tune in and enjoy!

05/07/2024

Our 4th of July Wild Boar. Happy 4th to all!
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

26/06/2024

Sunny (6 1/2 month old Cane Corso) cooling off during a very hot run in the woods in the middle of the afternoon ☀️ 🥵 Look at that face, these dogs live for the outdoors. No place we’d rather be!

22/06/2024

Story Time: Meet Ivy, she’s one of Siren’s puppies that went to a beautiful local family. Ivy was one of the top prospects that caught my eye from this litter. I let her go to a home who was eager for a working Cane Corso, and with plans and a vision similar to mine. Although I advised her owner she is still too young, I admire the eagerness & willingness to want to train the pup to be a working dog, so I figured we could bring her hunting and just take it very slow and easy for her first time. We may not even let her approach a wild Hog yet, but we could expose her to the car ride, being in a dog box with other hunting dogs she’s never met, and many other little things that are all part of creating and being part of a successful hunting pack.

However, Ivy had different plans. The very first caught Hog from that morning got her interest immediately. It was clear she did not come just to sit in the dog box and take a nice stroll in the woods. She wanted to get down and dirty with the rest of the dogs. I could tell from the sound of the first Hog that it was not a big one and the Catahoulas had it controlled already so I knew it would be safe for her to approach. I figured once again, WHY NOT, let her follow us, if she dares.
I thought once we hit the tough terrain, mud, and deep water, that she would think twice and stop. Ivy had no such thoughts, she climbed over branches, dragged herself through mud, and swam across water that was waist deep to us. All of that just to get to the sounds of a fight going on that she’s never heard before, smells that were unfamiliar all around, environment unlike any she’s seen in her short little life thus far.
Once I arrived to the Hog, I gave our cur dogs the command to let it go and let Ivy have a moment with it which I share with you all now.
I like to paint the full picture for those of you following our journey. Some people will just see a dog barking at a small Hog, but there’s a lot that went on in that moment for this puppy. There’s not many Corso’s left that show this true working temperament especially at 6 months old. I miss Siren, but I’m happy to see her alive in these pups.

13/06/2024

Beautiful Ursa at her proper, functional, healthy working weight. After I took this picture it reminded me of a recent comment from someone that told me I need to feed my dogs. My eyes must be playing tricks on me because this is what a healthy dog looks like to me, am I crazy???
I do not understand the obsession people have with bragging about a heavy overweight dog. The higher the number on the scale the more bragging rights they feel they have. A working dog that is overweight CAN NOT perform its duties to its full capacity or even close, but aside from that they are also at huge risk of suffering from joint related health issues like arthritis or dysplasia, heart disease, breathing problems, diabetes, certain types of cancers, shorter life span, and so much more! Let’s stop this nonsensical fad with heavy big dogs, it’s not something to brag about.

12/05/2024

Carbon and Sunny - Sunny is one of our Cane Corso female prospects for our breeding program. Out of the four females I initially kept I am now down to two, Sunny and Banshee. I am very happy with everything about them so far, beautiful structure, head, good functional body type for a working Mastiff and her temperament is everything I like to see at this age (5 months old). They are weary of any strangers but confident and will go check everything out that’s unfamiliar. They both appear to have a healthy prey drive, and defense drive. Time will tell when they’re put through the tests if they are everything I think & hope they are. Enjoying the process in the meantime with these wonderful pups Siren left us. 💛