Mahorero ( Spanish: perro majorero ) - an ancient little-studied dog breed bred on the island of Fuerteventura of the Canary Archipelago (Spain) and almost unknown outside it; living symbol of Fuerteventura, culture and island history. For centuries it has been used to protect livestock . Depicted on the family coat of arms of the French navigator Jean de Betancourt [1] [2] .
| Mahorero | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Other name | verdinos, bardino, magorero canario | ||||
| Origin | |||||
| A place |  Canary Islands | ||||
| Height |
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| The weight |
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| Other | |||||
| Using | shepherd, guard dog | ||||
Content
- 1 Breed History
- 2 Appearance
- 3 Temperament
- 4 Comments
- 5 notes
It is the ancestor of the Canary Mastiff , which inherited from it strength, endurance and a peculiar color of the color of volcanic lava - black with olivine veins - characteristic of only these two rocks [1] . International Cynological Federation is not recognized [3] .
Breed History
The name of the breed comes from the name of the area on the island of Fuerteventura, however in Tenerife it is often called verdinos , which means “greenish” [1] .
Dogs of this breed were first described by the ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder from the words of the Moors who arrived in the Canary Islands at the beginning of our era and discovered them in the Guanches . They were described as huge and very ferocious dogs with smooth feline movements. As a sign of diplomatic relations, the Moors were presented with several puppies of the mahorero [1] .
In 1979, the first exhibition of these dogs was held in Tuinej , and the Spanish Dog Club (Real Sociedad Canina de España) officially approved the breed standard, which in 1994 was also recognized as indigenous [to 1] [2] [5] .
An increase in the flow of tourists to the islands since the 1970s caused the mahorero, previously isolated from the outside world, to be crossed with other breeds, including foreign ones, which entailed the danger of extinction, and therefore the Conservation Society was founded in Fuerteventura in 2007 Mahorero (Asociación para la Conservación del Perro Majorero) with branches in Gran Canaria and Tenerife [2] [6] .
Appearance
Dog of medium size, almost square format, croup slightly higher than the withers. The skull is wide, the transition from the forehead to the muzzle is pronounced. The length of the muzzle is slightly less than the length of the skull, the nose is black. Jaws are powerful, scissor bite, but straight is allowed. Eyes are light brown or almond in color, or shades from yellow to dark brown. Ears, depending on the situation, can be laid aside with the tips down or pressed to the head and almost invisible when viewed from the front or in profile [3] .
The neck is massive, muscular, without a suspension, it looks somewhat disproportionate to the head. The chest is wide and deep. The limbs are strong, straight, slightly less than the height of the body, because of which the dog has a slightly stretched format, the fingertips are well developed. The tail is thick, it is customary to stop it by 2-3 centimeters [2] [3] .
Coat of medium length, dense, but soft to the touch. The color is black with veins that can either be clearly visible or poorly visible and have a color from greenish to beige, with different tones. White marks in the form of a uniform or star-shaped spot on the neck, chest or lower limbs are allowed [1] [3] .
The height at the withers of the males is 57–63 cm, the females are 55–61 cm, the weight of the males is from 30 to 45 kg, the females are from 25 to 35 kg [3] .
Temperament
Mahoreros are calm, loyal, disposed towards a person, they are excellent watchmen and guards, while not having a predisposition to aggressive behavior. They are fully focused on their master and with open behavior with a guest, they will never show anger. Suitable as a family dog, however, they need a certain space and long walks. They belong to dogs of late maturity; they have a highly developed flocking instinct, which is why they try to stick together [1] [2] .
These dogs are physically hardy, very brave, for them the size and strength of the enemy does not matter, whether it is a person or an animal, from which they must protect what is entrusted to them. They work well with cattle without harming them, and for this reason they are very valued on all the islands of the Canary archipelago. Mahorero is incredulous and keeps a distance to strangers, ready for decisive actions, regardless of whether they are on a leash or not [3] [7] .
Comments
- ↑ The Spanish Club of Dog Breeding breed is assigned to the group of shepherd and cattle dogs [4] .
- ↑ Mahorero with an uncropped tail is weaker and more likely to be affected by disease [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mahorero . Planet of dogs . My planet. Date of treatment June 26, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Schulz S. Der Perro Majorero: Hüter der Geschichte Fuerteventuras (German) // Lanzarote 37 °: Journal.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Majorero RSCE Standard Nº 402 (Not Accepted FCI ) . Real Sociedad Canina de España. Date of treatment June 29, 2017.
- ↑ Las Razas Españolas (Spanish) . Real Sociedad Canina de España. Date of treatment July 6, 2017.
- ↑ Perro Majorero Canario // Las razas caninas españolas : [ Spanish ] / Mariano Púa Morente, Susana Delgado Mayordomo, Marta Martínez García. - Madrid: Real Sociedad Canina de España. - P. 43. - 320 p.
- ↑ Asociación para la Conservación del Perro Majorero (Spanish) . Date of treatment June 29, 2017.
- ↑ Breve repaso a la historia de esta Raza (Spanish) . Club Español del dogo Canario. Date of treatment July 4, 2017.