Cropping EarsĬropped ears, although appearing intimidating, was actually a way of preventing Presa’s ears from harm when herding cattle or fighting away wild dogs. They also have a recognizable sturdy, square head usually complete with cropped ears which set them apart from other breeds. After all, it’s in their nature to be on guard, carefully taking in their surroundings. First, they are large dogs and stand broad due to their rectangular stature which is often accompanied by an attentive expression. Presa Canarios have several features that make them distinguishable from other dogs. It will need good early socialization with people and other animals, especially other dogs, as a Presa Canario dog may also come with an alpha mentality which will mean it will want to assert dominance over others.

Having said this, due to its innate self-confident nature and intelligence, it is essential that you are an experienced dog owner when raising a Presa Canario. A Presa Canario can be a lot of responsibility, especially in their early years but given the right care, attention, and proper training they can be fearless and loyal. With great power comes a lot of training. A breed club, formed on the Canary Islands in the 1980s, has been dedicated to the resurgence of the Canary Dogs numbers and since this, the Presa Canario has been recognized by the foundation stock service of the American Kennel Club since 1996. However, due to an increasing interest in strong and confident dogs during the 1970s, canary dogs were once again being bred to regain their former glory and reputation. This meant that the Perro de Presa Canario dog breed wasn’t in high demand as it was not the only breed capable of protecting life stock. The amount of Presa Canario dogs that were bred eventually declined with the introduction of Doberman Pinschers and Great Danes as guard dogs. For decades people used the Perro de Presa Canario for fighting until the 1940s when it was finally prohibited. Also, whereas the Canary Mastiff is talented at herding cattle and being an effective guard dog, their immensely tough-looking physique, unfortunately, meant that they would be used for dog fighting.

The Perro de Presa Canarios large build, muscular body, and deep bark made them the perfect breed to work cattle, guard farms, and repel wild dogs from attacking and killing livestock. Although the Presa Canario also has genetic ties with the Iberian Presa also known as Perro de Ganado Majorero. It is theorized that imported English mastiffs and Bardino Majeros were responsible for the Presa Canarios development through breeding. It is documented that the Presa Canario breed was initially brought back to the canary islands by the Spanish conquistadors to be used as working dogs during the 15th century. Breed Group: Molosser/ Mastiff/ Working breed.If you’re knee-deep in researching what the best dog is for you and you’ve found yourself looking at this breed numerous times, we have all of the information you may need on this large and majestic pup. Though this depends on their upbringing and training of course!

They have a shining reputation as being loyal and obedient guard dogs as well as disciplined working dogs. Their name can be translated to Canarian catch dog and shortened to multiple names such as Presa Canaria, Dogo Canario, canary dog, presa, or even ‘good boy’. The Perro de Presa Canario is the animal symbol of Gran Canaria for a reason.

Dogo cansrio