{{short description|Spanish breed of dog}} {{use dmy dates|date=May 2026}} {{use list-defined references|date=May 2026}} {{use British English|date=May 2026}} {{infobox dog breed | name = Presa Canario | image = Presacanarionaturalears.jpg | image_size = 300px | image_alt = a heavy-jawed dog with brindle fawn coat | image_caption = Brindled bitch | image2 = Javé (cropped).jpg | image_size2 = 300px | image_alt2 = | image_caption2 = Brindle dog | altname = {{ubl|Dogo Canario|Perro de Presa Canario|Canary Mastiff|Canary Catch Dog|Canarian Dogo}} | country = Spain | distribution = Canary Islands | weight = | maleweight = {{right|{{cvt|45|–|57|kg|round=5}}{{r|fci5}}}} | femaleweight = {{right|{{cvt|40|–|50|kg|round=5}}{{r|fci5}}}} | height = | maleheight = {{right|{{cvt|61|–|66|cm|0}}{{r|fci5}}}} | femaleheight = {{right|{{cvt|57|–|62|cm|0}}{{r|fci5}}}} | coat = | colour = fawn, brindle, or black | litter_size = | kc_name = Real Sociedad Canina de España | kc_std = https://www.rsce.es/images/rsce/RREE/Standard_Presa_Canario-ingles.pdf | kc2_name = | kc2_std = | fcistd = https://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/346g02-en.pdf | notrecognised = | extinct = | note = }}
The '''Presa Canario''' is a Spanish breed of large dog of mastiff or catch dog type. It originates in the Spanish autonomous community of the Canary Islands, and is found mostly in the islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife.{{r|guia|p=587}} It was formerly known as the '''Dogo Canario'''. It was traditionally used as a guard dog, as a herding dog for both sheep and cattle, and for dog-fighting, which was legal in Spain until 1936 and may have continued clandestinely thereafter.{{r|guia|p=587}}
== History ==
The Presa Canario derives from the Bardino Majorero, which was formerly distributed throughout the Canary Islands. Dogs of this type were cross-bred with various dogs of molossoid type introduced to the islands at different times during the colonial period. The Presa Canario was particularly influenced by dogs brought from the British Isles with the large influx of British residents in the late nineteenth century.{{r|guia|p=587}}
By the 1960s it was close to extinction. A breed society, the {{langr|es|Club Español del Presa Canario}}, was formed in 1982, and drew up a provisional breed standard, which was published by the government of the islands. The standard was approved by the {{langr|es|Real Sociedad Canina de España}} in 1989.{{r|guia|p=588}} In 1991 the dog was included in an official list of animal and plant symbols of the Canary Islands as a symbol of the island of Gran Canaria.{{r|boc|p=2610}} It was officially recognised by the Spanish national government in 2001.{{r|boe}}
The breed was provisionally accepted by the Federation Cynologique Internationale in 2001 under the name Dogo Canario,{{r|fci3}} and was definitively accepted in 2011.{{r|fci}} In December 2018, at the request of the Real Sociedad Canina de España, the name was changed to Presa Canario.{{r|fci4}} It was included in the Foundation Stock Service of the American Kennel Club in 1996.{{r|akc}}
Importation and sale of the dogs is prohibited in Australia{{r|aus}} and New Zealand.{{r|nz}}
== Characteristics ==
The Presa Canario is a large dog with a robust muscular body.{{r|rsce|fci2}} According to the revised international standard published in 2023, dogs should stand {{val|61|–|66|u=cm}} at the withers and weigh some {{val|45|–|57|u=kg}}; bitches stand about {{val|57|–|62|u=cm}}, with weights in the range {{val|40|–|50|u=kg}}.{{r|fci5}} The previous standard, dated 2018, specified heavier weights, particularly for dogs ({{val|50|–|65|u=kg}}), and slightly lower minimum heights.{{r|fci2}}
The head is broad, massive, square, and powerful brachycephalic shape. If cropped, the ears stand erect. In countries where ear-cropping is banned, the ears are close fitting to the head; they hang down and should be pendant or "rose"-shaped. The upper lip is pendulous, although not excessively so. Seen from the front, the upper and lower lips come together to form an inverted v. The flews are slightly divergent. The inside of the lips is a dark colour.{{r|fci2}}
A study of dogs in the United Kingdom found a median longevity for the breed of 7.7 years, markedly lower than the median of 12.5 for all dogs.{{r|sr}}
== Use ==
The Presa Canario was traditionally used as a guard dog, as a herding dog for cattle, and for dog-fighting, which was legal in Spain until 1936 and may have continued clandestinely thereafter.{{r|guia|p=587}}
== References== {{commonscat}} {{reflist|45em|refs=
<ref name=akc>[https://web.archive.org/web/20241217195844/https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/presa-canario/ Presa Canario]. American Kennel Club. Archived 17 December 2024.</ref>
<ref name=aus>[https://web.archive.org/web/20251128091047/https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_reg/cir1956432/sch1.html Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulation 1956 – Schedule 1: Goods the importation of which is prohibited absolutely]. Australasian Legal Information Institute: Commonwealth Consolidated Regulations. Archived 28 November 2025.</ref>
<ref name=boc>Lorenzo Olarte Cullen (30 April 1991). [http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/boc/1991/061/boc-1991-061-001.pdf Disposiciones Generales - Presidencia del Gobierno: 577 - LEY 7/1991, de 30 de abril, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias] (in Spanish). ''Boletín Oficial de Canarias''. '''61''' (10 May 1991): 2610–2611.</ref>
<ref name=boe>[Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación] (25 May 2001). [https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/2001/05/25/558/dof/spa/pdf Real Decreto 558/2001, de 25 de mayo, por el que se regula el reconocimiento oficial de las organizaciones o asociaciones de criadores de perros de raza pura] (in Spanish). ''Boletín Oficial del Estado'' '''142''' (14 June 2001): 21156–21182. Reference: BOE-A-2001-11347.</ref>
<ref name=fci>[http://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/PRESA-CANARIO-346.html FCI breeds nomenclature: Presa Canario]. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed February 2021.</ref>
<ref name=fci2>Brígida Nestler, Miguel Ángel Martínez (24 December 2018). [https://web.archive.org/web/20230329055222/http://www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/346g02-en.pdf FCI-Standard N° 346 Presa Canario]. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Archived 29 March 2023.</ref>
<ref name=fci3>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020206125310/http://www.fci.be/standards/rap.htm#r10 Nomenclature des races: Races acceptées provisoirement]. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Archived 6 February 2002.</ref>
<ref name=fci4>Y. De Clercq (6 December 2018). [http://www.fci.be/en/New-name-for-Dogo-Canario-346-3455.html New name for Dogo Canario (346)]. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Accessed February 2021.</ref>
<ref name=fci5>Brígida Nestler, Miguel Ángel Martínez, Jorge Nallem (5 October 2023). [https://web.archive.org/web/20240629225619/http://www.fci.be/nomenclature/Standards/346g02-en.pdf FCI-Standard N° 346 Presa Canario]. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Archived 29 June 2024.</ref>
<ref name=guia>Miguel Fernández Rodríguez, Mariano Gómez Fernández, Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo, Silvia Adán Belmonte, Miguel Jiménez Cabras (editors) (2009). ''Guía de campo de las razas autóctonas españolas'' (in Spanish). Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino. {{isbn|9788449109461}}.</ref>
<ref name=nz>[s.n.] (23 July 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110613224416/http://tvnz.co.nz/content/1929232/423466.xhtml Another dog added to banned list]. Television New Zealand Limited. Archived 13 June 2011.</ref>
<ref name=rsce>[https://web.archive.org/web/20250216225349/https://www.rsce.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Razas-espanolas-Presa-Canario.pdf Presa Canario]. Real Sociedad Canina de España. Archived 16 February 2025.</ref>
<ref name=sr>Kirsten M. McMillan, Jon Bielby, Carys L. Williams, Melissa M. Upjohn, Rachel A. Casey, Robert M. Christley (2024). [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50458-w Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death]. ''Scientific Reports''. '''14''', article 531. {{doi|10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w}}.</ref>
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{{Spanish dogs}} {{Mastiffs}} {{bots|deny=Citation bot}} Category:Catch dogs Category:Dog breeds originating in the Canary Islands Category:Dog breeds originating in Spain Category:Dog fighting breeds Category:FCI breeds Category:Mastiffs Category:Rare dog breeds