Perro de Presa Canario

Attention: – this breed is now banned in Australia:

The Perro de Presa Canario is a large dog breed originally bred as guard dogs.

Appearance
They are thick skinned with short fur in fawn, brindle (various shades), and black; white is an allowed colour up to 20 percent. No shades of blue are allowed in competition. Males average around 55 Kilograms(125 pounds and females roughly 47 kilograms(105 pounds).

Some breeders are trying to change the create a more massive breed, especially in the male with breeding males well above 68 Kiolgrams(140 pounds), which is leading to a breed more prone to health, endurance, other size related issues.

History
The breed orignated in the Canary Islands in the 1800s. Its exact ancestry is unknown, but enthusiasts believe that an already established farm dog from the Canary Islands called the “Majero bardino majorero” was crossed with the English Mastiffs and Old-Style Bulldogs that were brought from Europe to the Islands, creating the modern Presa Canario.Bred for fighting, they became nearly extinct after dog fighting was outlawed in the 1940s, but it was revived in the 1970s. It is sometimes referred to in English as a “Canarian Dog” and in Spanish simply a “Presa”.

Health
As with most massive dog breeds, Hip dysplasia is known to occur(rarely)in this breed.

Aggression
As with any breed, those interested in purchasing a Presa Canario should carefully research breeders and a dog’s ancestry to ensure that the breeding lines are healthy. Some enthusiasts hold that if the dog’s pedigree cannot be traced back to the Canary Islands it is not a true Presa Canario but rather a Bandog.This is now a moot point, as the dogs are banned in Australia in any case. if someone offers you a large dog claiming it its Perro de Presa Canario or cross breed Perro de Presa Canario – we’d recommend looking elsewhere for a large breed that is not banned.

Individuals can exhibit extreme pack protection characteristics and will attack anyone or anything that inappropriately approaches their pack master(their owner). This may be a human, or another dog.