Presa Canario Dog Breed - Facts and Information

Appearance
The Presa Canario is a robust and big mossoid type of a dog, with a lot of muscles. The average height of Presa Canario is between 56-66 cm, which is 22-26 inches and weight is usually between 40-65 kg, which is 88-145 pounds. The females are naturally little bit smaller than males.

The Presa Canario comes in two colors. The first one is brindle and they can be in all shades of brindle, varying from dark brown to almost blonde. The second color is fawn. They can have white marks on the chest, base of the neck or feet. The mask must always be black.

The Presa Canario has massive head, medium to large sized oval shaped and dark eyes, the ears are often times cropped, but if they are left natural, they hang down closely fitting to the head.


Temperament
The Presa Canario has very intimidating appearance, but it is quite calm dog breed. Of course, the temperament is vastly influenced by training and early socialization, but when the Presa Canario is around its owner and family, they tend to be calm and extremely devoted and docile. They also tend to be quite active and playful, especiall when they are younger.

On the other hand, this is a strong willed dog who is naturally cautious, suspicious and alert around strangers. They can be easily trained to be good territorial protectors. Early proper socialization is definitely needed with the Presa Canario, especially if you want to have obedient companion by your side.

Even though, the Presa Canario is very smart dog, that is capable of getting new commands fairly quickly, they are not total pushovers to train. It is because of their independent, self confident and strong willed temperament. Because of this, and their incredible strength, this is a bad choice for a novice or unexperienced dog owner.

Another important thing to consider when buying a Presa Canario is their higher energy. They definitely need daily outdoor exercise, longer walks, interactive playtime or jogs. Otherwise, they will become bored and can develop problematic behaviour like destruction.

Overall, the Presa Canario is a great livestock guardion and amazing companion for active and experienced dog owners who know how to proplerly socialize and train dog from younger age.


History
It is believed, tha the Presa Canario origin dates back to 15th or 16th century and that its ancestors are very old indigenous Canarian dogs called Bardino Majorero and other mastiff like dogs brought to Canary Islands by spanish conquistadores.

During the 17th century, the popularity of this new breed raised rapidly and the Presa Canario was used as a livestock guardian dog and to guard the farm from predators and they were great at it. Sadly, the Presa Canario was also used for dog fighting until the prohibition of dogs fights in 1940s. After that, the number of dog fights has been reduced to minimum, but there were still some illegal fights. But since than, the Presa Canario became not only a great livestock protector, but also a popular companion dog.

In the second half of the 20th century, the Presa Canario numbers declined quite a lot. It was because they were no longer needed that much for working on farms and because of further import of other European dogs, such as German Shepherds or Dobermans. Luckily, in 1970s, people started to revive the breed and in 1982 the The Perro De Presa Canario breed club was formed. Today, the Presa Canario is not on verge of extinction, but it is still a rare breed, especially outside Canary Islands.


Health and grooming
For a large dog breed, the Presa Canario is quite healthy, with average lifespan between 10-12 years. Just like majority of larger breeds, they can be suffer from hip dysplasia. Other health issues, that can offer less often and mostly in older age includes panosteitis, entropion, hypothyroidism, bloating or demodectic mange.

The Presa Canario is easy breed to maintaing and groom. Their short coat does shed, so if you want to minimize the shedding to minimum, weekly brushing is recomended. They can drool after drinking and eating, but again, it is nothing terrible, especially in comparsion to other mastiffs breeds. Just like with all dogs, you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.