Hi all! I'd first like to thank you for all the information I've gotten off of this forum. It's been an education, and I would appreciate your insight on some questions I have about our new puppy.
So we did the thing you are never, ever supposed to do, and fell in love with a puppy at a rescue over Thanksgiving. Neither my fianc* nor I have ever had such a strong reaction to a puppy before -- she was calm, intelligent, and very focused on us. The rescue told us that she and her brother were taken from a "breeder" because at almost four months they were too old to sell. Not sure I buy that, but okay. They said she was a "smaller-type mastiff" who would reach 100 pounds and I thought, okay, mastiffs are quiet. We live in an apartment, but we are right beside a park, and in an area with many walkable streets and dog-friendly parks. We are close to forests and the beach. I've had a very dominant 100+ pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and I do not have an issue with exercising large dogs. Suffice to say, we quickly made the decision to take her home.
However, you know where this is going. When they brought out her paperwork it said "Perra de Presa Canario" on the sleeve, and that set off some alarms. Naturally, we went ahead with it anyway.
She is now five months old and 42 pounds. Happily, she remains precisely the pup we thought we were getting. She meets new people and dogs daily on our walk, and seems to become more friendly and outgoing to everyone daily. She learns incredibly quickly, is affectionate and easy to handle. Right now, she is exactly what I want in a dog.
I'm doing everything I can to educate myself about successfully handling this sort of dog. Her training started the moment she came in the door, and we are more or less practicing NILIF (though hugs are free!). We are aware of the need to carefully select a kennel and dog walker if they are ever needed, and about how to instruct guests to deal with her as an adult, etc.
But from my internet perusing I still have some concerns. Essentially, we want to have children in a few years, and we are living in a populated area. It would not be in anyone's best interest to have an aggressive or reactive dog. Because we did not meet her parents, we have no idea of her predisposition. Like I said -- stupid. I want a dog we can take out with us, and to the beach and hiking, without constantly being worried that she may go "off."
We will continue heavy socialization (it is almost impossible not to here) and we are careful to prevent bad experiences. Despite that, I know there may still be issues. I can already tell that dominant adult females do not think she is the cat's pajamas. I expect guarding behavior to increase -- she has already shown some signs, but we are careful to give her direction that we have things under control. She has shown no aggressive behavior, and I have no problem bringing the wrath of god down on her if she ever growls or snaps.
So, in your experience, how good an indicator of adult Presa temperament is the puppy experience? I've been around a lot of puppies and large adult dogs, and feel like I have pretty good judgment and instincts. Is that experience with sporting dogs likely to carry over in this scenario, or is her temperament likely to drastically change in adolescence and adulthood?
Another concern is that I'm female and because I work at home I am her "master". My fianc*, who loves her dearly, only has experience with smaller dogs and has not been a primary handler before. He tends to be softer with her than I am. Will this discord in the "pack" create issues with her going forward? She clearly views him as in charge when we walk together, but she responds much better to commands with me.
Any advice or input you have would be greatly appreciated. I'm eager to hear from those of you who have watched a puppy grow into adulthood and have seen its personality change. If this isn't a good fit I would rather help her find the right home now, and much as we would hate to lose her, than to deal with much larger issues later. I'd love to keep my "silly" Presa silly!
A little bragging: She already knows sit, down, up, stand, paw, nose, speak, heel, wait and probably a few others I am forgetting. We are still working on "come."
Here is the miscreant in question:
So we did the thing you are never, ever supposed to do, and fell in love with a puppy at a rescue over Thanksgiving. Neither my fianc* nor I have ever had such a strong reaction to a puppy before -- she was calm, intelligent, and very focused on us. The rescue told us that she and her brother were taken from a "breeder" because at almost four months they were too old to sell. Not sure I buy that, but okay. They said she was a "smaller-type mastiff" who would reach 100 pounds and I thought, okay, mastiffs are quiet. We live in an apartment, but we are right beside a park, and in an area with many walkable streets and dog-friendly parks. We are close to forests and the beach. I've had a very dominant 100+ pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and I do not have an issue with exercising large dogs. Suffice to say, we quickly made the decision to take her home.
However, you know where this is going. When they brought out her paperwork it said "Perra de Presa Canario" on the sleeve, and that set off some alarms. Naturally, we went ahead with it anyway.
She is now five months old and 42 pounds. Happily, she remains precisely the pup we thought we were getting. She meets new people and dogs daily on our walk, and seems to become more friendly and outgoing to everyone daily. She learns incredibly quickly, is affectionate and easy to handle. Right now, she is exactly what I want in a dog.
I'm doing everything I can to educate myself about successfully handling this sort of dog. Her training started the moment she came in the door, and we are more or less practicing NILIF (though hugs are free!). We are aware of the need to carefully select a kennel and dog walker if they are ever needed, and about how to instruct guests to deal with her as an adult, etc.
But from my internet perusing I still have some concerns. Essentially, we want to have children in a few years, and we are living in a populated area. It would not be in anyone's best interest to have an aggressive or reactive dog. Because we did not meet her parents, we have no idea of her predisposition. Like I said -- stupid. I want a dog we can take out with us, and to the beach and hiking, without constantly being worried that she may go "off."
We will continue heavy socialization (it is almost impossible not to here) and we are careful to prevent bad experiences. Despite that, I know there may still be issues. I can already tell that dominant adult females do not think she is the cat's pajamas. I expect guarding behavior to increase -- she has already shown some signs, but we are careful to give her direction that we have things under control. She has shown no aggressive behavior, and I have no problem bringing the wrath of god down on her if she ever growls or snaps.
So, in your experience, how good an indicator of adult Presa temperament is the puppy experience? I've been around a lot of puppies and large adult dogs, and feel like I have pretty good judgment and instincts. Is that experience with sporting dogs likely to carry over in this scenario, or is her temperament likely to drastically change in adolescence and adulthood?
Another concern is that I'm female and because I work at home I am her "master". My fianc*, who loves her dearly, only has experience with smaller dogs and has not been a primary handler before. He tends to be softer with her than I am. Will this discord in the "pack" create issues with her going forward? She clearly views him as in charge when we walk together, but she responds much better to commands with me.
Any advice or input you have would be greatly appreciated. I'm eager to hear from those of you who have watched a puppy grow into adulthood and have seen its personality change. If this isn't a good fit I would rather help her find the right home now, and much as we would hate to lose her, than to deal with much larger issues later. I'd love to keep my "silly" Presa silly!
A little bragging: She already knows sit, down, up, stand, paw, nose, speak, heel, wait and probably a few others I am forgetting. We are still working on "come."
Here is the miscreant in question:
