The Original Shogun Kennels

The Presa Canario origins stem from the Canary Islands. There are comments made concerning these large "prey" dogs that date as far back as the 1500's. There are even some theories that claim it is from these dogs that the Canary Islands get their name. While its exact ancestry is still widely unknown, most enthusiasts believe that an already established farm dog from the Canary Islands by the name of El Perro de Granado Majorero was crossed with the Mastiffs and Old-Style bulldogs that were brought from Europe to the Islands, creating the modern Presa Canario. With the introduction of dog fighting to the island, breeders would cross their indigenous dogs with other breeds in an effort to create a better fighter. However like many fighting dogs, the breed became nearly extinct after dog fighting was outlawed in the 1940's, but it was revived in the 1970's. It is sometimes referred to as a Dogo Canario or El Perro de Presa Canario.

The above pictures are courtesy of ElPresa.com. They show old presa canarios prior to the modern era, circa 1980. Despite the exceptional quality of some of the old presas, some would make the argument that they possess to much white coloring or perhaps they can not be true examples of the breed if they have black coats. Instead of debating this and many other quarrels that exist in the presa community, we at O.S.K. have decided to choose dogs to be used in our breeding program that focus on what the true essence of the breed is. While we adhere to and follow closely the FCI standard, we look for presas that contain not only show quality but equally, if not even more important, the functionality that these wonderful canines should display. For more info and articles on the history of Presa Canarios please visit http://www.elpresa.com .

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