Presa Canario dog

[Suzi888]

DH has been looking at rescues and come across a Presa Canario dog, not had the best start in life, was bred from and has a few health issues so he’s been in the centre a little while now. Greeder dumped him due to the health issues. The blurb is all good, gentle giant, loves everybody, can live with another dog etc. Looks a bit like a staffie or cane corso to me.

I’ve not heard much about this breed and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one out and about. Does anyone have one? Any health issues? Joint issues? How much exercise?

We’re both used to dogs being strong on the lead etc and we both work from home, large garden and live near a wood.

We’ve not been to see him yet.

If people want a 'rescue' dog with a more known background, ex-racing greyhounds (from a specialist charity devoted to finding new homes for them) are worth a look.
They have their own personalities like any animal but in general they're sweet natured, a bit dim, and lazy.

Apologies for the minor diversion OP but you said you were interested in big dogs and they are big!

@Fenella123 I can’t cope with the skinny/bony body😂. My friend has one and every time I touch him I want to feed him up. Their legs look like they could snap. I know I shouldn’t judge on appearance. I just can’t imagine cuddling up with one.

I think the Presa probably will be too much dog, DD will have friends over and I don’t want to have to put the dog in another room. I also don’t want another puppy, really want to rescue. Not another lab either. Back to the drawing board.

The rescue owner 'considers himself an authority'? That sounds like a massive red flag. The six year old child in this scenario needs to take priority. That dog is (literally) a huge risk.

I wouldn't bring this dog into the family. When I was a teen my family rescued two presa puppies, we lived in the Canaries and they are everywhere. They were really cute and fun but grew really quickly! And were always getting into trouble in the house, they would chase and fight with each other alot and it was quite scary how vicious they were with each other. Not us, only if we stepped in to break them up.
I don't remember how long we had them, a few months maybe, but the fights got more frequent and one day they started at each other and they basically killed each other.
My dad tried to separate them with a broomstick and he just couldn't get them to stop. They tore at each other, it was horrendous. We took them to the vet afterwards and she had to put them down.
It was really upsetting and awful. The vet said she suspected that they were inbred or something like that for them to go so crazy but they are still powerful dogs even as puppies.
I love big dogs but I'd go for a big stupid dog not one of these!

You sound completely irresponsible to be considering rescuing this type of dog with a 6 Yr old child. So much so I'm wondering if this is a wind up. WTF are you thinking? And there is no way any reputable rescue centre would allow this dog to be rehomed with a small child in the house.

OP if your friend's dog was like mine, you wouldn't have to imagine! Visitors to our place often get sat on! (With their permission - I do divert/remove DDog otherwise!). DDog is VERY VERY cuddly.

Temperament and family suitability aside, you may well find him difficult to insure. Any pre-existing conditions will be excluded but I have also experienced some insurance companies refusing to insure presa canarios purely because of the breed.

@CameraCoffeeCrochet
That sounds horrific! The photo is very cute- they all are when small I guess. So sad.

Someone posted about a toddler being ripped to shreds- it was a cane from a house of horrors with ten dogs in it! Awful, but very extreme situation.

Anyway- update. I rung the owner of the rescue to update him on our position and he thought I’d said sixteen year old child not 6. He said they will consider children aged 14 plus in some cases. He reiterated this dog has shown no aggression whatsoever and has been well trained and that training will be required every day.
The good news is someone else is going to see the dog, so hopefully he will have a good, responsible home.

@Fenella123 😂I can’t get passed head strokes, too bony! Goes right through me lol

@tb4122 I don’t bother with insurance passed a certain age, they hardly cover anything and have to jump through hoops. We just pay as we go.

@Sisisimone Calm your waters- no it’s not a wind up. I was posting for advice, which I’ve taken on board from people who have owned them, rather than making a sweeping generalisation. You could say all dogs are dangerous to some degree, I’ve been bitten before by smaller breeds. A neighbour had a very aggressive Labrador that bit a child (years ago).. Never been bitten by our large breeds and none have ever shown aggression. DH has owned Rottweilers and Malinois. Imo it’s the owner, not the dog. You can’t train a dog to fight, abuse it and then expect it to morph into a family pet. Not all large breeds are aggressive, that’s nonsense.

Thank you to those who were helpful. Point taken.

Not all large breeds are aggressive, that’s nonsense
Where has anyone said that all large breeds are aggressive? And you talk about sweeping generalisations? The only person doing that is you. I don't know anyone that would consider bringing a dog of that type of breed in to a house with their young child from a rescue, with no idea whatsoever of its breeding lines and knowing it has been mistreated previously. We were looking for a rescue for a few years before getting our pup and it was virtually impossible to get one with a young family and there's a reason for that. One things for sure your daughter would have a far better outcome from a bite from your mums bichon frise than if a presa turned on her. The comparison is laughable.

Poor boy won’t be much use for guarding if he’s deaf.
Poor dog indeed. But in these situations, you need to set your empathy for the dog to one side and think about what you can realistically offer, and how the dog is likely to fit into your family structure.

It sounds to me that he needs an adult home with breed experience. Fingers crossed that he finds one.

Also, how old is he? Adult character isn't usually set in the large breeds until the dog is about 3. Most large breed dogs are still playful when they turn two. That's no guarantee of what they will be like at 3.

Ooh I'm glad to read your update as I was also in the hell the fuck no camp as one pp put it!
Hope he finds a great home - elsewhere!

If the rescue owner claims he is a behaviourist then check he is one. Far too many charlatans are out there and it includes some rescues. I would be very careful what you are told.

God that's horrific @CameraCoffeeCrochet

It was @Clymene , and obviously a rare case, the vet was shocked. Just thought I'd share as I didn't really know they were a breed that people had heard of, I thought they were just farmers dogs in Lanzarote.

@Sisisimone yes, I was reading this thinking ‘it’s a wind up’.

all the posters saying this was a potentially very dangerous dog.
OP ‘ah, well, I’ll want him if I see him’ almost as if she’s baiting people to prompt her to consider her child……..

overall, it’s either a wind up or a parent who should have their child removed from the home immediately!

This. He sounds a sweetie but the risk is too great especially if he has had a bad start. You couldn't possibly know if he has any triggers...and with a small child, not worth it.

Right, so basically all you need to know about this breed is readily available on the net. If this rescue allows this presa with a history of abuse to a house with a 6 year old I would be absolutely astounded. If you as parents can't risk assess which you really can't as you actually are giving this idea serious thought....then all i can do is think, may God help your child.

It didn’t have a history of abuse @Lalosalamanca it’s ears had been cropped. At least read the whole thread before commenting. @Pugfostermum ALL dogs are potentially dangerous if untrained or sick. I wasn’t baiting anyone and my OP asks if anyone has one, it’s not asking you to Google and come and tell me what you’ve found. DH has malinois and Rotti experience, we’ve both owned large breeds before.
@Sisisimone I almost lost my eye to a JRT, looked like I had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson. I would never trust a small dog.

I posted because I wanted to know if anyone owned one, wanted to know what they were really like. I could only find two Presa attacks on the web- and they were extreme cases and historic. There are way more attacks carried out by other breeds. Not sure why you commented after I already updated to say we wouldn’t be going to see him and you have no useful knowledge.

@EdithStourton He is around 18 months old, so no not an adult and I agree he could change. I knew he would be a lot to take on, but we work from home and would be committed to training him. We back on to a wood, he would be exercised. I wouldn’t have just said, oooh cute let’s have him, if I hadn’t have trusted him. He would’ve been a much loved pet. I would’ve had him assessed by my vet too and asked his opinion on breed- I just wouldn’t want to waste his time with a general enquiry.

@Idunnowhyibother No, I agree. He’s only young, surprisingly not that big either. He is fine with other dogs and cats too. I don’t tarnish all dogs with the same rep, I had googled of course but there wasn’t much about Presa attacks that I could find. Any dog is a risk, any dog can bite.

Soz...
So this dog....born in the UK?
With cropped ears? Tells me alot. What does it tell u? So have a little think about that....
And then think again and think a lot longer about that child at home.

This is not the actual dog, as it would out the rescue but he is very similar looking to this and very bouncy in his videos.

It tells me people are a**holes. Yes born in the U.K. butchered ears courtesy of the greeder. He is a lovely looking dog. They still dock tails and ears for appearance- they do it to lots of breeds.

You're missing the point.
Which confirms what I thought about you.
You shouldn't get the dog.

Any dog is a risk, yes. But some are more survivable than others. A small dog can injure. A dog like this can kill. Bringing something that powerful into a six year old's home is an abhorrent idea.