By Daniel — Godthund
If you're expecting to read something politically correct as a newspaper or the evening news would, or in the neutral tone AI now uses, I'm sorry to tell you, you won't find anything of interest here.
I speak from my experience, from my view. No hairs on the tongue. The more years pass, the fewer hairs.
Must be the age.
I'm going to talk to you about the Presa Canario's character, about what I understand a working Presa Canario to be, and about many other things.
Stay if the breed catches your attention. If when you finish you haven't taken any learning, you can curse me as much as you want. If you learn something, if you wink at me, that's enough for me.
I'll tell you about the origin, about the difference between Dogo and Presa, about its character, about whether or not it's a working dog, about the PPP laws, about whether it's for everyone.
But I'll do it from experience.
The experience given not only by the thousand training sessions received and given, nor by having worked with so many dogs, nor even by having represented the breed at events and fairs across half of Spain.
The experience of assimilating. Of letting all that settle and understanding how it works.
That's the hardest part.
You can have years and years of experience saying and repeating the same thing and doing it fucking badly, and being wrong, or you can question things, open your mind, your ears and your eyes, and understand how the little head of a Presa Canario works.
The Presa Canario's Character
Well. The Presa Canario is a dog.
Sometimes, out of fanaticism or devotion, we tend to believe that "our breed" is some kind of superdog with superpowers and that there's no dog in this world like ours.
My kid is the best-looking, the smartest, and the one with the best grades. Sure.
I prefer to talk about individual dogs rather than breeds. I don't believe in generalisations. I've seen too much to believe it.
Is the Presa Canario a family dog?
It is. Most dogs are. The Presa too.
Is the Presa Canario a dog for everyone?
Probably not. Like most. We choose selfishly without knowing if we're ready, if we have the knowledge, the attention, the time… Human things.
But then, is the Presa the dog for me?
Listen carefully. If you're looking for an imposing dog, a dog to have with your family, easy-going, one you can go on long walks with, it's your dog.
If you like prey dogs and you intend to do some work, cost what it may, it can also be your dog.
If what you're looking for is a dog to put on a property so it barks at everyone who passes by, then stop reading and make an appointment with the psychologist. For that, install an alarm and spare the animal a shit life.
Would you leave a child alone with a Presa Canario?
No. With any dog.
I'm one of those who think that a dog's commitment and loyalty are, without any doubt, much greater than those of any human being. I've seen the protective instinct and the care towards children. I've seen gestures that only the given and unreserved heart of a dog can make. But it's an animal, with its animal instincts, that in a given situation and context, a "leave me alone for a while" turns into a scare. A bit of common sense. Nothing more.
In the same way I tell you that, if I had to name someone who has passed through my life to trust them with it, it would be a dog. And he has a name. Another day I'll tell you.
The Presa Canario, in "general terms" (I hate this term, but you get it), is a family dog. A dog with whom creating a great bond becomes tremendously easy.
You can find dogs very sensitive with you. Sensitive to a voice, to a gesture. Always attentive to you.
At home he shows himself protective, confident. He's not especially wary, not the majority. But for 99% of people, an upright posture of tail and ears will make them cross the street and give your fence or your car a wide berth.
When I was a kid I'd walk two or three Presas down the street and it looked like I was carrying a flamethrower. Nobody within 20 metres. It's not a virtue, nor a problem. It's what happens when you walk down the street with a couple of Presas.
The Presa Canario and the PPP Law
Now we're getting into politics.
And if there's something I like less than burnt bread, it's politicians.
These laws, licences and insurance policies are devised by clueless heads who haven't had a dog even on the computer screensaver.
And mind you, mandatory insurance makes complete sense, but considering certain breeds as PPP…
That's why I was telling you I hate generalisations.
Are there people who shouldn't have this kind of dog? Of course. Nor children. But it's collateral damage.
A Presa, in a specific situation and context, is clearly a dog that can cause serious damage. Whether to a dog, another animal or a person. Having insurance is a logical thing. I share it.
Even receiving some kind of training on behavioural patterns, on how a dog's head works, could be considered appropriate. Without lucrative fees, that is.
Imagine a 15-year-old kid with a 70-kilo dog being this his first dog. A bit of training is very good.
And now the topic that burns. Also boiled down to headlines.
The Presa Canario as a Working Dog
On these topics you'll have read or heard hundreds of opinions.
Everyone has an opinion, but not all opinions are worth the same.
There's no use talking about working dogs when you call "work" bellowing like a fool while your neighbour, the plumber, waves a sleeve on the other side of your garden fence.
That's making a fool of yourself, but it's not working.
Working is having knowledge, having tools, knowing what you're doing and why, having the ability to read and interpret a dog. And the only thing that proves if you do it well is having a clear and objective progression. Measurable.
Is the Presa Canario by default a working dog? Of course not. Whoever it hurts.
There are Presas with good working predisposition, no doubt. But as a breed, you can't say it's the common thing.
Because, unlike other breeds, it's not selected for work. Don't let anyone tell you tales. To be able to select based on work, you have to work. And almost nobody does. Almost nobody.
Remember that goofing around with a mate is not working.
If you plan to really work with your Presa Canario, I'm going to give you some advice that will help you understand him and understand yourself.
First. Enjoy the process. May the goal never cloud the path. If you have as an objective a specific job, a specific ruleset or taking part in some event, let the objective not be the priority. Let the priority be having a good time together.
The second is: don't get frustrated. The Presa Canario is not a Malinois. You must understand the dog you have. If you start from puppy, he'll go through stages where it's very difficult for him to concentrate or even to get involved in the work no matter how much you promote his proactivity. It's normal. Don't suffer, it's part of the game. Some days you'll go home thinking it could have been better, much better. But being there is what counts. Time will give you the satisfactions you dream of. For sure.
Another day I'll give you more advice, now the last one.
Don't listen to anyone who doesn't have a proven track record. Parks and even many working groups are overflowing with experts in the art of babbling and solving other people's problems. Not their own. Other people's.
Don't let the voices discourage you. Look at your dog, high-five each other, hands, paws or whatever you like, and make your own path. Without unsolicited voices.
On socialisation and the Presa Canario as a guard dog, I'll clarify another old myth for you. You can take your dog out and expose him to life. You must do it. He's your life companion. If you need more security, sign up for tai chi. It doesn't kill, but it relaxes.
A Presa needs to go out and live. To see things. Like you. The more exposure, the more bond and the more confidence. Don't have the slightest doubt.
History of the Presa Canario · Presa Canario or Dogo Canario
Much is known about the origin of the Presa Canario.
But you should know that from that origin to today's dog, as in almost all breeds, all that remains is nostalgia.
Today's Presa Canario is a modern dog. They can dress it up with epic tales. The history is beautiful and interesting. But it's history.
The Presa Canario of today is bred and selected under completely different parameters, and that turns him into a completely different dog.
About the coats. Listen, on that better not even give an opinion.
I couldn't care less if he has the mask exactly as the standard dictates, or if the percentage of white exceeds by 2%. I don't care. If I were looking for perfect symmetry and colours defined with Cartesian precision, I'd buy a Rubik's Cube. I care about my dog, and the rest… for whoever's bored.
When the schism in the Presa Canario happened and the term Dogo Canario was created, besides a trousers-down bow by those who were looking for repercussion and, therefore, the money in the world of expos (and mind you, making money is not wrong, quite the opposite. The problem is doing it at someone's expense, in this case the Presa Canario), a pro-expos current was created against another that defended functionality above all.
The truth is that the Dogo crowd did what they were supposed to, well or badly, but they did it. And the crowd that waved the flag of functionality, not so much. The speech came easier to them than the practice. Unfortunately for the Presa Canario.
If after all this you still think this breed is yours, you already know what you have in front of you. And then only one more thing is missing: the equipment a Presa demands. The collar I'd been looking for over 30 years, you'll find it here.
