[4] The origins of the Lobito Herreño are unknown; it is suggested that it derives from dogs brought to the archipelago in or after the eighteenth century.

[1][5]: 433  In 2013 the Real Sociedad Canina de España included it on its list of grupos étnicos caninos,[6] which the society defines as a regional dog population with consistent form and function evolved through functional selection;[3] in the same year it published a draft breed standard.

[7][8][9] The Lobito is not the only breed for which recognition is being sought in the Canaries; others are the Podenco Enano, also of El Hierro, and the Ratonero Palmero of La Palma.

It is of medium size, with a height at the withers of some 52–54 cm and weight in the range 18–22 kg according to the draft breed standard.

[1] Like other pastoral dogs, it was traditionally used to assist the shepherd with the movement and management of the flock, and was suspicious of strangers but faithful to its master.