Appearance

The Presa is a heavily built dog with an imposing look. It also should have the look of athleticism, courage, strength, and balance. Presas have a huge square head with natural folding ears that are normally crop close to the skull, and slight dewlap. The coat is short and coarse and comes in all shades of fawn, black, and brindle with some white that is usually found on the chest and feet.

Behavior

Presas are strong willed dogs and require early training and socialization, but due to it's temperament they can be a challenge to train. They are not for first time dog owners. They will require and experienced handler who exudes authority. They are great guard dogs and very wary of strangers. This breed can be aggressive towards other dogs, but with early exposure to other animals they may get along.

History

Presas are originally from the Canary Islands. It is believed that the Perro de Bardino Majorero, a farm dog from the Canary Islands, was crossed with the Mastiff and othe English dogs brought to the islands by visitors and settlers to create the foundation of the modern day Presa. The Presa was used as a propety and flock guardian as well as holding and driving livestock for it's owner. They were also used for the sport of dogfighting in which the Islanders considered these fights as " honor fights". After dogfighting was outlawed in the 1940's the breed nearly became extinct, but was revived in the 70's with the help of several crosses from different breeds. Today Presas are used as home guardians and compainions. The breed has also gotten some negative press after being involved in two fatalities, once in 2001 in California, and again in 2006 in Florida, in which both were women. Presas are large strong animals that need early obediance training, a strong handler, and plenty of room. They are not a breed for apartment living. Presas can become very territorial, so a large fenced yard would be sufficient for this breed . The name of this breed means the Canarian Dog of Prey.