Future basketball star with plenty of dog knowledge and also a Gemini very capable of handling myself lefty and ambidextrous. Nobody like me. Anyway, so I’m looking at the Presa Canario (just like me). I think it would be the perfect dog. What can you tell me? I want a male puppy black brindle? What do you advise regarding feeding training etc.
– Qa’ron Djordan (Providence RI)
Dear Qa’ron,
“Plenty of dog knowledge” or not let’s pretend for a bit, that I am more or less to the “dog game” as you see yourself to the basketball game. 🙂 So, please consider heeding my advice.
Remember that the cheapest part of any dog is the purchase price. If you don’t want to make a mistake and endure an expensive lesson, the first step is to do your homework. Even a basketball star has to work at getting the best results. In this case, your first task is doing some research on your opponents. In this case, your first opponent is the number of breeders producing bush-league Presa Canarios.
Most dog breeders can talk the talk but few can walk the walk. You won’t be able to tell the talk from the walk without first doing your homework. Don’t walk onto that court without doing your pre-game preparation. You will get eaten alive and if you aren’t thoroughly prepared, you won’t even know it.
So, read the articles I’ve written and linked to below, to get an idea of how many people thought they knew what they were doing and found out otherwise. After you’ve done that, and still believe a Presa Canario is the dog for you, – read my inexpensive ebook about socialization BEFORE YOU GET A DOG.
This short book will help you tell the all-star breeders, from the all-talk, no-walk breeders (the majority), and get the most bang for your buck. It will also help you learn how you form a temperament in your dog, so he fulfills his genetic and social potential, both on and off the court (home and on outings) so that he is a stellar representation of what the Presa Canario has to offer.
You will very much be this dog’s coach for the first three years of his life. Be forewarned; like many high-end athletes, a Presa Canario is not an easy dog to own. Do this wrong and they will own you. They are not mini-vans. They are Ferraris. And, just as when you get that pro-basketball first contract and send to me out of sheer appreciation for my guidance that high-end sports car if I don’t learn how a Ferrari runs, how to maintain one and learn how to drive one in the way they were intended to operate I’ll significantly increase the chances that I’ll roll your gift; perhaps hurting, myself, someone else and the Ferrari.
Sometimes the best decision you can make about this level of dog is to put off getting one until the time is right. They are not pets. They are hobbies.
In the right hands (someone who has loads of free time) they are great. In the wrong hands, (perhaps, someone who is on the cusp of becoming a basketball superstar, and is planning on taking seriously the time commitment and responsibilities associated with that level of play, PLUS time required for family, PLUS all the relationship opportunities available to a pro basketball superstar, PLUS a social life and PLUS appearances on TMZ Live for hopefully wonderful contributions to society) – they can become guns with brains and at the very least very unhappy players wishing they could be traded to a team that can better utilize what they have to offer. So give this some very serious thought before you negatively impact your life and the life of another being.
2 thoughts on “How To Buy The Best Possible Presa Canario”
Hello Wade, my name is DeEtte, I was granted the honor of owning a very fine Presa Canario as a pup and have fell in love with them, although not as much as I have for my working German Shepherds, but very close.
I happened to come across my pup by luck and free, I did DNA her and she us 100% Presa. My Girl’s name is Kara-Boo, 17 months, rich red fawn, laid back, calm demeanor, accepts other dogs of all sizes, non aggressive, unless needed. She has been socialized since we brought her home, lives with 8 other mixed sexed, unaltered and altered, various aged, smaller dogs. She will protect each one, unquestionable!
I have raised my German Sheperds and set the foundation for them to be service multi tasked animals by enriching canine behavior, and raised each of my dogs with the ability to be as protective as needed yet sweet enough to care for the life of others. I don’t teach them, I represent to them what they need to do. Kara-Boo loves children, I do not allow children to play around her but are allowed to calmly play with her.
My intention for getting a dog was to protect me while riding my horse in coyote, cougar, and badger territory, but respect unless threatened. In other words, just because you see them doesn’t mean you attach, but if we are threatened, please alert me and be prepared to defend if needed. She has proven with 1 warning for rattle snake while fishing at a lake and 4 bull snake finds.
Frankly, the only problem I have with her is courage to go with me on a ride. She isn’t scared of the horses, respect our Standard Jack, but turns back to camp after less than 1/4 mile. Other than that, she is an amazing breed of dog. Any tips? And yes, I have an extremely large tendency to research any breed of dog but I find nothing helpful specific to skills needed for her breed.
Sincerely,
DeEtte L. Wood
Hi DeEtte,
Do the other dogs go on these rides and stick around?
See what happens if you use a lunge line (or two lunge lines tied together) and detach after at least twice as much distance. I don’t know enough about what might be behind this so I would highly recommend spending quite a few days with the lunge lines just riding around the immediate property to desensitize her to the lines as you don’t want to attach possible additional stressor to the activity you wish to expose her to later. Make it fun, toss treats behind or something she likes and you should be quite animated yourself. When 3 consecutive days go by (might take 30 days to get 3 consecutive days) and you see absolute not apprehension, start the experiment. Let me know how it goes and send pictures of her if you have the time.
John ‘Ask The Dog Guy’ Wade