A result of breeding between the Bardino and possibly English Mastiffs, among others, the formidable Presa Canario was originally used for working livestock. A strong, powerful molosser breed, the Presa Canario like others from the same group is a large, solidly built dog.

Presa Canario

The Presa Canario takes its colouring and fierce nature from it’s ancester, the Bardino. Coupled with the large, study pyhsique of a mastif the Presa Canario is an impressive canine. In spite of it’s size it is a very agile dog.

Originally used as a working farm dog the Presa Canario gained popularity as a fierce fighting dog and was used in dog fights. When these were made illegal the breed nearly became extinct but had a revival in the 1960’s when an Amereican vet Dr. Carl Semencic wrote about them introducing them to America and other parts of the world.

They are a very stong willed dog and as such are a challenge to train. Training should start young and early socialisation is a must as this breed can be aggressive towards other dogs, animals and even people. Not a breed for the inexpericened dog owner but in the right hands these dogs make wonderful companions and family dogs. In fact, due to their high tolerance and low body sensitivity they are generally very good with children.

Care of the Presa Canario

Grooming of the Presa Canario is minimal with a quick brush to remove the dead hair all that is required. To keep the coat shiny the occassional bath and rub down with a rubber glove works very well.

This is a breed that requires plenty of exercise as it has a lot of energy

The average lifespan of a Presa Canario is around 8-12 years.