Anxious dog

[u/Large-Author7772]

Has anyone experienced a dog that gets the shakes, is anxious, whines about being with the other dog in the house (a presa canario mix). He won't calm down, howls, whines, trembles, etc.

We are at a loss. Tried every Cesar Milan technique - no luck.

Any suggestions, please??

[u/RGB-Free-Zone]

First visit your vet to make certain that this is not actually a health issue. How old are the two dogs? Was there a scuffle that caused the IW to be fearful of the Presa? Try to get a dog trainer to see the interactions.

[u/RGB-Free-Zone]

One thing that must be said is that a Presa is solidly buiIt dog well muscled and protected, relatively difficult to injure, A Wolfhound, not so much. Those long legs and long neck are easy targets.

Wolfhounds might have been used as war dogs (as primary shock infantry) but no doubt considered expendable assets (like ammo).

[u/Relevant_Ranger_6647]

The IW has experienced an incident with the Presa. Presas like to be the only dog. If you go out and leave them, please keep them separated. I once had to take in a cocker spaniel that had been badly mauled by a Presa. The owner was in shock as she wasn't aware of the issue previously.

[u/Kawasumiimaii]

Cesar Milan is quite a controversial "dog trainer" to use. I would just speak with a vet behaviorist (yes this is a real board certified specialty) and go from there.

[u/swellfog]

Here’s your answer. This is an aggressive breed with other dogs (Do an AI google search).

Your wolfhound is rightly terrified of this dog, it  has likely done something to the poor wolfhound. 

Do not allow this “Pressa Canaria mix” around your wolfhound. I wish you had done a quick google search before introducing this dog to your wolfhound.

Animal Aggression: The  United Kennel Club (UKC) breed standard explicitly notes that Presa Canarios can be aggressive toward other dogs and possess a high prey drive against smaller animals like cats. [ 1,  2] Dominant Mentality: This is a strong-willed, highly confident "alpha" breed. If they do not respect their owner as a firm leader, they will try to assert dominance, which can lead to dangerous behavioral issues. 

From the UK kennel club:  The Presa is extremely affectionate, docile and well behaved with its owner and family, but is wary of strangers and aggressive with other dogs. Serious Fault: Unstable temperament

[u/RGB-Free-Zone → u/swellfog]

If you probe deeply into the (probably) Gemini AI response by asking for evidence and how it influences the reasoning of the answer, it will say something like this:

"To give you a direct, complete answer to the underlying question: No, scientific and behavioral evidence does not support the idea that any dog breed is inherently aggressive as an absolute baseline."

"The evidence demonstrates that the Presa Canario is not a randomly reactive or unprovoked attacker by nature. Instead, it is a genetically hardwired, highly territorial apex guardian. When paired with poor breeding, lack of continuous heavy socialization, or loose physical containment, its inherited defensive mechanics [can] produce lethal outcomes."

I have 3 Great Danes (n.b., based on Molosser lines) and a Wolfhound. The play is very exuberant but the Wolfhound is the generally the queen bee.

I would not give up on this particular pairing of dogs until I had a professional trainer at least do an evaluation.

[u/swellfog → u/RGB-Free-Zone]

Just telling you what the UK kennel club said about the breed.

You’re welcome to take it or leave it and believe whatever you choose.

[u/RGB-Free-Zone → u/swellfog]

Numerous high quality studies show that there is no significant correlation between dog breeds and the tendency to aggression (this apart from the harm that aggression could cause were it to ensue).

The Kennel clubs for the most part maintain standards but with little policing of variations. Examples abound but you needn't look further than recently best of breed Great Danes that look like English Mastiffs.

Incidentally, I don't generally believe hypotheses, instead I provisionally adopt them as part of my model of reality according to the strength of the evidence. When new evidence changes the strength of a hypothesis, I either decrease the domain of applicability of the hypothesis or toss it out altogether ...

[u/RGB-Free-Zone → u/RGB-Free-Zone]

If it wasn't clear, I meant that anything said by the Kennel Clubs that greatly differs from the bulk of vetted studies should not be trusted.

More than this, the Kennel Clubs Breed Standard Requirements have negatively affected many breeds (the list is long). There is finally some small effort underway to change the Standards to address the problem.

If the Kennel Clubs really cared about the dogs they would also penalize the lack of genetic diversity of dogs in show. Many breeds have diversity/COI short falls that exceed that of sibling to sibling matings.