Cane Corso vs German Shepherd

You’ll never get bored with a Cane Corso around—you simply won’t have time for it. The training, socialization and exercise needs of this breed will keep you busy throughout their whole life. This is a working breed who was bred to be a guard dog, making them sensitive, serious and intensely loyal. With members of their own household, Cani Corsi (that’s the plural term for the breed) can be affectionate companions, but they’re also naturally alert to new people coming to the house and may react toward strangers—both two- and four-legged—if not properly trained and socialized.

Properly trained and socialized Cani Corsi will be calm and confident. They should ignore strangers and animals who pose no threat to themselves or their people. Thankfully, their high intelligence makes it easy to teach them the difference.

The German Shepherd’s best trait is their intense, unwavering loyalty to their families. (There’s a reason they make some of the best police dogs.) The fearless breed has also been known to put themselves in harm’s way before they let a family member get hurt.

Socialization and training are essential for German Shepherds, to teach them that most things in this world are nothing to fear (and nothing that poses a threat to their loved ones, either). Early social interactions with kids, babies and other animals is also important if you want your German Shepherd to be well-behaved around guests. (Remember to teach children how to interact appropriately with dogs, too.) With the proper education, this easy-to-train pup can be a great family dog.

German Shepherds are born talkers. They will bark when they’re bored, and they’ll bark to alert you if something isn’t quite right. But training and exercise can help curb a lippy pup and keep their barking to when you need it the most.

These dogs are incredibly smart, and they are at their best when they have a job to do, whether working as a police or military dog, doing tracking or search and rescue, serving as a guide dog or at home practicing scent work or solving puzzles for a treat. And when they’re with their family, German Shepherds will let their silly side show as they flip their toys in the air and roll around on their backs.