Presa Canario in Poland

    It’s not an easy topick to talk about Polish dogs. But when writing about presas it is necessary to write about the beginning of presa history in my country.   

    When the first presa’s came to Poland little was known about them (or rather nothing was known). And first presas came to Poland in 1997. Not many people knew how they should look or behave. The best breeding lines also wasn’t known well. First imports came to Artur Tomaszczyk from Gliwice – this where imports from Slovakia. The first litter was born in 12.07.1998 in “Przystań Abelarda” kennel with belonged to Krzysztof Mrozowski from Serock, parents of this litter were dogs brought from Slovakia: Yeyo de Maxorata (Don de Maxorata x Luna) and Bety Hamigo (Sabio x Biasa). In short time came first imports from Spain and Canary Islands. The first dogs with Spanish/Canary origin came to kennels: Presa Awangarda belonging to Paweł Kasprzak, Xanti Land belonging to Agata Olejnik, Merkator belonging to Barbara Pałka, Dolina Rosy belonging to Wojciech Rosa and Validus. This dogs were: Ch.Pl. World Winner Esa de Irema Curtó after Grey de Irema Curtó and Bari de Irema Curtó, Ch.Pl. Club Winner Yaisa de Casa del Presa  after Ch.E. Barón II and Arona, Ch.Pl. E’00 winner, youth Tenerife Winner Arico de Irema Curtó after Grey de Irema Curtó and Dama de Irema Curtó Ch.Pl. Puntal de Vega Lagunera after Ch.E. Tamaran (de Mayantigot) and Bamba Universum/Samzara, sisters Ch.Pl. Irbi and Ch.Pl. Tuna (de Casa del Presa) after Tafur and Azoca de Canchas Ibbaken, Ch.Pl. Kunta Kinte de Alacant Bull after Ch.E. Argual de Alacant Bull and Tinerfa, Ch.Pl. Doramas de Adjemeto after Dique de Canchas Mahan and Ch.E. Kima (Kyma), sisters Ch.Pl. Tuerca and Ch.Pl. Negra after Tafur and Linda, Ch.Pl. Samzara de Taguluche after Canelo and Bora de Haridian del Valle, Ch.Pl. Xuta Irema Curtó after Tigre de Irema Curtó and Tibia de Irema Curtó, Car de Irema Curtó after Carpo de Irema Curtó and Vena de Irema Curtó and few more.

    Tooday we have few well known breeders and we can watch dogs that came from this kennels. This kennels are: Campeon, Medok, Tajemnica Mistrza, Rivulus, Bocianowa Sfora, Titiliar, Vet Grand, Kwintylion, Koziołkowa Dolina, Las Vegas S.J. Of course there are more kennels but their breeding work isn’t known very well and time will show what dogs have they produced. I won’t write here with of the kennels that I’ve mentioned before are the best or have the best dogs – this issue I live to you. The more important thing is that because of many imports from the country of origin we can say that in Poland we have many really great dogs with for shore can concur with dogs top Spanish dogs.

    Of course not everything is good. Polish kennels breed to often depending only on look of dog. They forgot about the most important thing about presas – their character and temperament. It’s clear that presa should be a beautiful and distrustful looking dog, and also it should be rather big dog – but without exaggerate – presa is not an English Mastiff or Mastino Napolitano... presa should be a dog of medium size. When breeder considers only look of the dog with short period of time he can lost characteristic behavior and temperament of the breed. But luckily we can see slow changes in breeding process and some breeders see also importance of character in this breed. How it’ll be? The time will show...

    Another thing is displasia. Nobody says a world about it. And only few x-rays their dogs hips. We don’t know how big this problem is because without hip tests it’s hard to say anything. One thing is sure – presa is a breed that can carry displasia. We can only have hope that this will change soon and we’ll have written proofs that our dogs are not only beautiful but also healthy.

    The breeding program in polish kennels is in most cases good. Like in Spain we have dogs that where great in their time and now are giving place to their children and grandchildren. In Spain there was Urco – he was winning everything on dog shows but with time his children and grandchildren took his place, and finally his daughter Uga won with him on monographic. And so is here in Poland – and we must remember that presa is rather a new addiction to our cynology. Unfortunately Polish Kennel Club is member of FCI with when registering the breed not only changed name from perro de presa canario to dogo canario also changed the standard. The change was little – the didn’t gave the maximum weight. So what? So now there is open way to breeding big dogs and what is more horrific there is open way for breeding enormous dogs weighting 70kg and more! Yes I know – FCI is rather organization concentrated on dog shows not on functionality of breeds. And on dog shows people like big, showy dogs, and so like this they also like big, showy presas – no matter if they fit the standard or no. If things are going (what is likely) to move in that way (big, show dogs) with short period of time we’re going to loose for ever the old perro de presa canario and what it was in the past.

    In Poland we have sizeable number of presas. I think that at this moment there are about 400 or 500 specimen’s. Maybe there are more becouse we don’t know about dogs breed by BYB’s (back yard breeders). BYB is a complete misunderstanding and have no excuse. When having so many dogs we unfortunately still can’t say anything about their health... living in times when in all countries people are testing their dogs hips to eliminate displasia we’re rather looking not to good. Maybe if we future breeders and owners of presa would ask for proofs of health of dogs that we would like to choose for breeding or thus that we would like to have as parents of our pup this situation will change.

    One year after another presa canario have more and more fanciers. And still from time to time we have new imports – mostly from Spain. The majority of dogs are related in some degree. In one point of view inbreed is advisable because breed is young but one should be careful. When inbreed is made by a good breeder, who knows pedigrees and dogs from this pedigrees (with their good and bad sites and diseases that they carried) and have some experience it can be good, but if breeder won’t think carefully inbreed can make a big harm to the breed. So I think that so close correlations in some pedigrees will be one of the future problems that would have to be solved in the close future. Of course not all dogs are correlated but we should remember about this issue.

    Breeding is going in good direction and maybe in dozen of years we’re going to have one of the best presas. But this is going to happen if all god directions will be continued. And I think that is going to happen. This depends on us: breeders, future breeder, owners, and future owners of this magnificent breed – presa canario. It depends on us if presa canario will still be the same magnificent dog in all aspects or maybe it’s become nothing more but a show dog.

author:

Ewa Ziemska

"Rey Gladiador"

2005

Mollosoid Breeds Club Show 2005 - Open Males

from left:

Great Ovaction Koziołkowa Dolina (Vanpo de Casa del Presa x Fuerta Xanti Land - daughter of Puntal and Yaisa)

Burbul Xanti Land (Vanpo de Casa del Presa x Yaisa de Casa del Presa)

Norbi Mercator (Cuco Xanti Land - con of Puntal and Yaisa x Koka Mercator)

Harry Poter Medok (Luco de Casa del Presa x Fiera Xanti Land - daughter of Puntal and Yaisa)