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MEMBER
since 1997
Dogo Canario Club
of America
Pennsylvania Hip
Improvement Project
Presa Rescue Volunteers
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Majorero Canarios
 In
2001, we were privileged to obtain two Majoreros from Senor Augustin Lopez Melo,
of Anchor Warrior kennels (presas) on Gran Canaria. We wanted an example of this
much discussed breed, so that we could better understand where our favored breed
came from, and what influences the Majorero truly had on the Presa Canario
formation.
We have found these dogs to truly be a different breed, not just a shaggier
version of a Presa. Although there are similarities between dogs of the two
breeds, such as vocality, fierceness, and attitude, the Majoreros are a much
more active breed, and took some getting used to.
We believe our socialization of these particular dogs have allowed them to
become very attached to our family, but they still retain the intense wariness
in public that you find in a livestock protection breed. This breed was used to
protect the goat herds in the Canary Islands. The dogs were put out with the
goats as puppies, and bonded too them like family. They would protect them from
predators. While my dogs have no goats to protect, they do still have that
fierce attitude to take on anything. The female, Uga, is the only one who won't
back down from my dominant female presa, Malice, when threatened.
Recently, a Spanish visitor to the 2007 American Monographica related to us
the story of his family's Majorero's. They had a group of Majorero's that
guarded their property, which was surrounded by a 4 ft rock wall.
Strangers could come up to the wall without a probelm, but should they make the
mistake of reaching over the wall, they would get bit. The family had
about 6 Majorero's, each of which had it's own section of the property to guard.
They were not as dog aggressive as the presa, but neither were they a close knit
"family".
Some recent theories in the presa community attribute all sorts of outlandish
things to the Majorero influence in the presa. The most idiotic of these
declares that the Majorero has larger then average teeth for a canine. As
shown in the above picture, you can see that is not so. While the Majorero
is generally thought to have given the Presa it's "verdino" coat (greenish
tinge) and fierce nature, overly large teeth were not part of the package.
Teno
(Male)
DOB: 2001
UGA (female)
DOB: 2001
For more information, please feel
free to contact us at:
Hooligan Acres
or
by phone:
804-633-2841 evenings 7p-11p EST
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