Presa Tales Page

This is a sojourn through the development, successes, goals and special attributes, which make the Presa Canario such a unique companion and guardian, as told by their proud and loving owners.

Do you have an interesting Presa story? If so, please send it to: presa@showstopperkennels.com and we'll see that it gets published.

Seattle, Washington - Joseph Brown writes touting the successes of his female Presa, Bessie, aka, Pride Rock’s Elizabeth II. She had recently completed seven weeks of Puppy Manners and Basic Obedience. She is an excellent swimmer, enjoys going to dog parks and mountain climbing. Bessie completed 21 weeks of Obedience and started training in Sheep Herding. She is a natural herder, very fast and aggressive, but also controlled and disciplined. I am looking into the CGC class, Therapy dog certification and Agility. Bessie is developing a strong guardian instinct, and is very protective of her home. Just recently, Joe invested in a weight-pulling scooter with harness and started Bessie’s training. I couldn’t be happier owning a Presa.

Newark, New Jersey - Jerry Pervale has been working his Presa S.S, Kojack for the last two years. While Kojack is hard-hitting and aggressive on the sleeve, Jerry always wondered whether his dog would exhibit the same tenaciousness if someone were to break and enter his home. To put any doubts to rest, he arranged for a knowledgeable friend, dressed in protective gear, and who had never met his presa, to attempt to enter his home unannounced. Well, as Jerry tells it, His friend had no sooner begun turning the front door handle when Kojack was up on his feet and at the front door just as his friend stepped through into the house, and in a flash, the presa had the stranger in a full bite, violently shaking his arm to such a degree that he knocked the poor man off balance. Thankfully, Jerry was quick to the rescue. Afterward, he admitted he was now a 110% believer in the Presas ability to protect. This is the same dog that he takes to the local park, where Kojack loves to play tag with all the children.

Stranger than it seems! Bill Thyfault of Guardian Angels Kennel sold a pet quality Presa Canario to a farmer located just 6 miles from his kennel. The other day the farmer called Bill and told him he had observed the strangest sight he’s ever seen. He had a cow grazing out in the fields, with her was a young calf, and when she would leave the calf to go get a drink of water, the presa Bo would go lay down beside the calf. When the cow returned, the presa would get up and leave. This scene was repeated several times that the farmer witnessed. The old farmer told Bill these are truly unique and wonderful dogs.

Anthony & Michelle Ruta write about their 8-month old presa, S.S. Naya. She is a treat to be around and makes us laugh often. She is very strong and began showing Presa traits and characteristics since 6-months of age. We are very pleased! We also believe she scared a burglar from our property, because one night while we were in bed, Naya shot straight up off the ground and started barking loudly. This was the first time we ever saw her do that and it was a sight to behold. The muscles in her chest and legs were pumped and bulging. She was urging to go outside, so we let her go. While on the leash she stayed close, and her eyes and ears were constantly moving with intensity. At that time, we had no idea what had set her off. Later, we learned someone attempted to break into the house next door. We believe that Naya’s actions scared the burglar away and at the very least made him think twice before entering our home.

Ring-a-Ling-a-Ling! What in the world do bell sounds have in common with a Presa Canario? Well, the Presa owners explains, We hired an animal behaviorist to help housebreak our newly acquired Presa pup. The recommendation given was to purchase a parrot bell from the local pet shop and to position it on the door most frequently used by his pet and to be sure the bell was within reach for the dog. Then when the pup is observed making a mess on the floor, take the pup to the accident scene, scruff him lightly and chastise him verbally. Next, take the pup to the bell and ring it with his snout while praising him and commenting what a good boy he is. Believe it or not, the very next day the pup was standing at the door ringing the bell to go out and there hasn’t been an accident in the house since.

Handling the bully! The scene: somewhere in the upper Colorado Rockies. During it’s formative months, a young male Presa called Cedrick, constantly endured the bullying from the local 130 lb. male Rottweiler. The Rottie called Sprocket was notorious for his temperament, and he was the equal to any junkyard dog. Sprocket would constantly charge any dog in the area, growling, snarling and barring his canines in a most aggressive manner. Well, it didn’t take long for Cedrick’s genes to kick in and at the age of 9 months, his confidence was now in place. At the next confrontation with the unruly Rottweiler, Cedrick just grabbed him by the head and began shaking him like a rag doll. With the aid of several of the owner’s friends, they were able to separate the dogs. The last thing the men saw was the subservient Sprocket heading for parts unknown, never to be seen again.

Albuquerque, New Mexico. A Presa owner reports of an incident that took place on his fenced-in property located in the suburbs, in the wee hours of the morning. It seems the metal of his twenty-month old male Presa Kohie was truly tested when he took out a resisting intruder who had invaded his owner’s premises. Would you believe it, the perpetrator called the owner later that day complaining his dog had bitten him and just what was he going to do about it? The Presa owner told him the bite was deserved and he was presently rewarding Kohie for doing an outstanding job! He also suggested calling the local authorities should he persist in pursuing the dog bite incident.

Newsflash! A Presa owner reportedly has house broken or should say trained her pup to be obedient. It seems the pup would defecate on the floor everyday, whereupon the owner would scruff the dog and then throw it out the window. After four or five incidents and the prescribed treatments, the pup now runs in, does his business on the floor and immediately jumps out the window!

We’ve all heard the nursery rhyme 'This Little Piggy Goes To Market', well, sometime the piggy ends up in his Presa Canario’s mouth. A Presa onwer began training or should we say, he began polishing one of the natural characteristics of his female Presa, at the young age of three months to hunt wild boar. At one year old, she was a proven veteran who truly loves to track and hunt the local wild boar. Part of owner’s training consisted of using a small bag of sand with a pig ear attached. He taught her that biting the sand bag body tasted yuckey, but grabbing the pig's ear was yummy! It didn’t take the dog long to learn the association.

Catch dogs for Tibetan Mastiffs. Would you believe a Presa Canario being used as a catch dog to fetch Tibetan Mastiffs to their owners? It’s true. The owners of Chang Ku kennel and breeders of some of the top TM’s in the country, proclaimed the mastery of their seven month old Presa female, S.S. Bad to the Bone, known affectionately as Booger,as a great catch dog. If you are not familiar with the Tibetan breed please understand they can be rather stand offish, yes, aloof! Their kennel property consists of one acre fenced land and at the rear portion of the property is where all the TM’s hang out. So when the owners call out to their dogs from the house deck, the mastiffs just stand their ground ignoring their plea- full calls to come. The Presa responded immediately, but after seeing the TM’s remaining unmoved, she then charges down upon command and grabs hold of a 28 male by the scruff of the neck and proceeds pulling him back to the house. She then continues the exercise to gather the rest of the mastiffs with the same diligence and enthusiasm. The Tibetans learned to team up and capture Booger to restrain her. This tactic failed shortly once the Presa gained her stature, then she capably over powered them all.

For those who have ever questioned the Presa Canario temperament study this quote from Presa owner Jim McNairy. My male Kylo has proven to be one of the genuinely nicest dog I have ever been around. So nice in fact, that at times I began to wonder if called upon to protect, would he adequately defend himself or me. Well, a few week ago my girlfriend was walking Kylo around our neighborhood when a very large Great Dane ( that I had often seen off leash in the area ) charged, snarling at my girlfriend. Kylo was not frantic or withdrawn in any way. Rather, he purposefully placed himself between my girlfriend and the oncoming dog. Even as the Dane circled he began uttering a low growl while standing at attention facing the threat. My girlfriend was able to shoo the dog away lucky for the Great Dane because I have always instructed her that if she believed that a large dog was about to attack her or Kylo that she let Kylo off leash, apparently she was moments away from doing just that. Anyway, I was relieved to see that at the first encounter, Kylo’s genes kicked into the protective/dog aggressive mode.

Be careful about who might be coming for dinner! Sidney Scott Wiggins went fishing recently along with a good friend and his faithful female presa S.S. Victoria Cross. Reportedly, they were having a very successful day catching fish on the Shenandoah River. As soon as a fish was caught, it was cleaned and placed into the frying pan for a great morning breakfast. Suddenly, Sidney’s companion Presa Vicky, who never leaves his side, bolted off without warning towards the woods. When they looked up, trying to call her back, they saw her in hot pursuit of a large black bear who had been moving towards the smell of cooking fish. They quickly followed the sounds of incessant barking, finding Vicky leaning against a large tree, growling and looking up towards the now cowering bear. As Sidney says, Victoria displayed absolute gameness as she defended us, and her territory. I never saw a look on a bears face like that in my life claims Sidney. I guess the moral of the story is, don’t go fishing without your favorite Presa, especially if your in Black Bear country and your cooking a great fish breakfast.

Enough is Enough! So proves Reuven Leshen’s Presa S.S. Zoro II and his proven intolerance of an aggressive dog. It seems that while Zoro was growing up, his neighbors rather large German shepherd, would continuously harass and bite Zoro all over. As Reuven explained, At times his muzzle had so many punctures that when he drank he looked like a watering can. He couldn’t believe the pain tolerance of his Presa, never a cry or anything. Well, just a few months later, he received a call from his distraught neighbor while at an emergency vet hospital, telling Reuven how his Presa had inflicted several severe wounds on his German shepherd requiring several hundred stitches, and just what was he planning to do with his dog now? Mr. Leshen calmly reminded the shepherds owner of the earlier days and the injuries his dog had inflicted on Zoro and that it is very apparent his Presa had decided, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

DO PRESAS HAVE GOOD PREY DRIVE? Perhaps too good according to what Brian McReynolds of Detroit, tells us: While excercising his Schutzhund trained Presa S.S. Razor in some open fields, Brian stumbled upon a live skunk. Needless to say, he quickly headed off away in the opposite direction to avoid any confrontation with the odorous wonder. As he was running away he noticed Razor’s nose to the ground, heading in the direction of the skunk. Suddenly! A commotion erupted in the brush. Next he saw the critter clamoring into a small tree with Razor in hot pursuit. What happened next was so fast, he can hardly recall the details, other than when Razor tried to reach up for the skunk he immediately went airborne. In a flash, he was out-running his already fast moving owner. As Brian says, Oh well! I guess there are vermin not even a Presa can handle, at least not a smart one.

Holy Moses! A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around looking for valuables, and when he picked up a CD player to place in his sack, a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, Jesus is watching you. He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head and promised himself a long vacation after his next big score, then he clicked his flashlight back on and began searching for more valuables. Just as he pulled the stereo out, clear as bell he heard, Jesus is watching you. Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically looking for the source of the voice. Finally in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot. Did you say that? He hissed at the bird. Yep the parrot confessed, then he squawked, I’m just trying to warn you. The burglar relaxed. Warn me, huh? Who the heck are you? Moses, the bird replied. Moses? the burglar laughed. What kind of people would name a parrot Moses?. The bird promptly answered, Probably the same kind of people that would name a 125 lb. Presa Canario Jesus.

Is there any doubt that Presas are protective guardians? Bill Thyfault, of Guardian Angels Kennel sold a Presa to a female probation officer, whose area of responsibility required her to travel into some questionable zones of St. Louis. Bill had assured this client the Presa would be both companion and guardian. It wasn’t long before he heard back from the officer. She told Bill, that on two separate occasions, Pit Bulls were let loose on her and her Presa. Her dog performed exactly as Bill had predicted. As you can imagine, there were no further such incidents upon her or her Presa. In fact, the general populace gives her and her protector a wide berth, especially since the Presa walks alongside her, OFF LEASH!

The case of the missing tie! Alan Harawitz of Brooklyn, brought his three year old male Presa S.S. Cool Hand Luke, aka: Obi, to the 1999, Cherry Blossom Classic held in Washington, D.C. Alan’s visit was in truth not to show his Presa, but rather to sightsee the Capital and observe the rare breed dog show. Realizing his dog would not be allowed into most of the cultural buildings within the city, he left Obi in his hotel room to act as guardian. Upon his return to the hotel several hours later, he was met by the hotel manager who remarked, several guests were complaining about a barking dog. The manager then sent his assistant to investigate. The assistant reported back to the manager that when he entered the room, he was set upon by a rather large dog, but had the presence of mind to quickly retreat out the door. Alan asked if the man was hurt? No, the manager replied, but if you could recover his necktie he would be most appreciative. THANK GOD for SNAP-ON TIES!

IS IT A WONDER DOG? No it’s just a big Presa named S.S. Big Kahuna, aka: Goliath, owned by Michelle and Kevin Pollard, who report they just added another tittle to his list of accomplishments, (he earned his confirmation championship, passed his certified Temperament Test, received his AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate ). Now graduating from his novice agility training, he received recognition for being #2 overall in a class of seventeen dogs, and finished #1 fastest performance dog, while being the only Presa Canario in the class. Goliath did so well, the school invited him to continue training in the intermediate group. Also! He was one of two dogs invited to visit with children confined at the Coopers Hospital, in Camden, New Jersey. During this 3-day invitational, he uplifted the spirits of many children with his warm affection and long licking kisses. It was just a short time afterwards during a heat spell of 90 degree days that Michelle was hosing down her Presa, while the local children (ages 4 to 6) would come and play jump rope with Goliath using the hose as the rope. A local New Jersey State Trooper driving by was so impressed by this 130 lb. dog playing with these children that he had to stop and inquire about this breed. The Trooper left, but it wasn’t long before he returned from his barracks bringing along the troops command K-9 trainer, who then put Goliath through a series of tests (stress, pressure and obedience). The trainers parting comments to the owner were, We’re certainly going to consider getting some of these dogs. They’re truly unique.

From Russia with love! So writes Sergey, who owns a rather large Presa ( 137 lbs. and 26.4 ), named Colonial. Sergey, who resides on the 16th floor of an apartment house, say he conditioned his Presa by climbing the stairs after each successful run. The results are: his Presa can clear a 6`5 height from a running start and jump over a 3 ½ foot obstacle from the sitting position. Sergey reports of meeting an American Presa import, a female called S.S. Cassiopia. During the past few years she had three litters and his dog was from her first litter. From her second Russian litter comes a female who is recognized as one of the best dogs in Open ring sport. After the first tests of this bitch, it became necessary to redesign a new special armored coat for the testing figurants, because of her unusual mighty sting (bite) never experienced in Moscow before.

Johnny the Bear chaser! Author Tim Cross of, Harveys Lake, was quietly sitting at home with his wife Sandra, their two young boys along with two Presas (Baby & Johnny) and their newest addition, a Jack Russel terrier. As Tim recalls, he started getting numerous phone calls from neighbors who had observed a Black Bear rummaging through the local properties. While on the phone, Tim noticed his male Presa ( S.S. Big Bad John) becoming highly agitated, standing at the door, begging to go out. No sooner did Tim open the door, Johnny was out, across the deck and over the railing. It was then he saw the bear rear up as the Presa charged and then it suddenly beat a hasty retreat up a 30-foot evergreen. Thinking back to the moment, Tim says, that bear climbed the tree as good as and as quick as a northern lumberjack. He estimates the bear stood 6-foot tall and dreaded to think of what the outcome would have been in a face to face confrontation.

Detroit, Michigan: Presa Canario owner Brian McReynolds anticipated the need to have his male Razor thoroughly trained, especially to respond to the out command when needed. He sent his dog out for three months of extensive training. At the conclusion of the schooling, the trainer returned with the Presa, spending 5- days with family, orientating everyone to the verbal commands and proper hand signals. The trainer’s comments about Razor were absolutely commendable, he had never seen such a responsive and obedient dog. Well, it wasn’t long before Razor was put to the test. Brian and his girlfriend were walking along the street when they came upon a group of young children with their mothers. Razor loves children and loves to have them pet him and hug him. All this while; their activity was being observed, by some undesirables, who immediately approached Brian and his girlfriend. Instinctively Brian gave Razor the command to sit and stay. One of the individuals exited the car and approached them shouting disparaging remarks and making threatening motions. When the ensuing situation escalated to an uncomfortable situation for Brian’s girlfriend, he gave the Presa the command to protect. The scenario ended with the provoker left sitting atop of a parked van, being held at bay until the authorities arrived. All the while the local inhabitants were standing around applauding Razor’s finesse.

Are Presas real protectors? A Presa owner reports: I have just returned home from walking my two year old Presa Canario male. I have never trained this dog in any form of Protection Training when I was headed for home, two persons of opposite sex approached me, I smelled their breath of alcohol as they stopped and asked what kind of breed I had? I answered and turned away to go in the other direction so I could leave them, as their company wasn’t of the nicest one. Turning away I felt a hand on my shoulder from the man, he asked me a stupid question like, why do you own a dog like that? I saw my dog was not happy of the hand placed on my shoulder, so he started to growl, I asked them politely to leave, as my dog wasn’t happy with their presence. Instead of leaving, they began an argument about dogs like this should be destroyed, etc., etc. Next thing I knew the man takes his umbrella and attempted to hit me on the head. At this instant I became startled as I have never seen my dog react this way, he flew into the air taking the umbrella in his mouth before it could touch my head and shook it violently, in the next second he decided to go for the man. As I was afraid that my dog would bite him I pulled him back just in time. I have never seen my Presa like this, one moment he was a calm dog and the next instant he became a devil!! He was totally unafraid of the shouting, the umbrella or the man. I don’t know else to say as I am still in shock. The one thing I know is I love the Presa Canario breed.

Hey! What kind of dog is that? A first time owner of Presa Canarios was taking his two five-month old pups to a local park. Within the park is a large pond, divided in the middle by a bridge, where a group of geese are commonly gathered. At first the pups appeared not to be paying attention to the geese, just every once in awhile they would casually glance over at them. Then, my male pup Gringo started sneaking up behind one that was sunning itself on the bank, it quickly flew into the pond and swam away. He then charged a second goose forcing it into the water. At this point, he was running out of geese on the pond’s bank. However, he decided to try it once more. He charged the last goose. Only this time he wasn’t going to be stopped, by any water. He dove head first into the pond and started swimming after this goose. I had heard that Presas were good swimmers, but he was hunting for geese in the water like a crocodile. The female-Madre was soon on her way into the water, but I was able to grab her just in time. After a few minutes, Gringo came back to the car. Thank goodness I had some towels handy.

Later that day, I took Madre to the vet to get her rabies shot. She loves car rides and willingly jumped in ready to go. When we arrived at the vets, she stepped out and walked around to the back of the car. About fifteen feet away was parked a white SUV with tinted windows, one of which was rolled halfway down. You can imagine my surprise when two Rottweilers attempted to climb out through the window. Both seemed determined to get me but couldn’t quite fit through the window. One Rotti was hanging out the window, frothing at the mouth, front paws and head all the way out. Little Madre wasted no time stepping in front and positioning herself, between me, and the threat. At 5 months old and 57 lbs., she jerked the leash out of my hand and ran towards the SUV. She then jumped up and gave the one Rotti a nasty bite on his right paw, driving him back into the safety of the vehicle. Once I had recovered hold of the leash, I pulled her towards the office, although she was struggling to get back to that Rott. The owner of the truck and dogs came running out of the vet’s office, having observed the incident through the glass door. What the hell knd of dog is that? were her words. I was too baffled to respond but replied, She was a Presa Canario. The woman said she would look it up. Fierce and tenacious doesn’t begin to describe what I’ve seen in the Presa breed so far. Everybody should have at least one of these magnificent animals. Forever a Presa fan.

NEUTERED PRESA! A Presa owner living in an area where other dog owners would allow their pets to roam free had been forced to alter his male because every time a female was in full blown heat, Primo, being the typical male that he is, would wonder off seeking his pleasure. What concerned the owner was whether the neutering would affect his Presas defensive protection with him and his family. As the owner tells us, not to worry. One night, as he walked his presa on a leash, they were confronted, by two dogs on the loose. The larger of the two came forward in a threatening motion. The Presa immediately positioned himself between the two dogs and his owner, sounding a low growl, warning the dogs. Apparently, his posture and confidence were enough to intimidate the two dogs causing them to turn and leave. The owner and his Presa continued on their leasurely walk, with him feeling much better knowing he had not interfered with the Presas protection drive.

The Uncanny Guardian. Red Bluff, California. On September 5th, about 4am, at a local horse farm, there was a terrible commotion in the corral area, much noise, barking dogs, the Presa sounding the alarm. The owner and his dad went to investigate and found a section of corral fencing down with one horse escaping. They were able to quickly gather the rest of the horses and place back in the now damaged corral, but with the opening unsecured they couldn’t stay with the unrestrained horses and attempt to recover the missing horse. Now they pondered what to do? NO PROBLEM! Strange as it sounds, the Presa automatically positioned himself at the corral opening and as the horses tried to break free, the Presa would jump for the horses muzzle, forcing the horse to retreat back into the corral. What’s truly uncanny is this Presa was never trained to herd, or catch horses. Could it be this Presa was exhibiting some of his catch dog gentic background?

Why don’t dogs live as long as people? This is about a ten year old Presa named Buster who had cancer. The vet told this story after going to the family’s home to put the dog to sleep and out of its misery. The parents thought their four-year old son John should witness the experience of the family pet’s death. After the euthanasia procedure, the vet wrote the following, We sat together for a while after Buster’s death wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are so much shorter than humans. Little Johnny, who had been listening quietly, suddenly piped up and said, I KNOW WHY! Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth stunned everyone. We had never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, Everybody is born so they can learn how to live a good life like loving everyone and protecting each other and being nice, right? Well, he said Buster already knew how to do that, so he didn’t have to stay as long.