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Argentine Dogo

Dogo Argentino

Argentine Dogo

 

Dogo Argentino

Argentine Dogo Breed Standard

The Argentine Dogo (also known as the Dogo Argentino or Argentinian Mastiff) is a large, white, game-bred, muscular dog that was developed in Argentina for big game hunting.

History

In the 1920s in Argentina, Antonio Nores Martinez started breeding a dog intended to not only be a pet and family guardian, but also a hunting dog capable of taking on big game such as wild boar and cougars.

Martinez picked the Cordoba Fighting Dog to be the base for the breed. This breed is extinct today but was described as a large and ferocious dog that was both a great hunter and fighter. He crossed it with Great Dane, Boxer, Spanish Mastiff, Old English Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Great Pyrenees, Pointer, Irish Wolfhound and Dogue de Bordeaux. Martinez kept improving the resulting breed via selective breeding to introduce the desired traits. The first standard for the Dogo Argentino was written in 1928.

Appearance (UKC) -

The Dogo Argentino is a large, white, short-coated dog with a smooth, muscular body, displaying both power and athletic ability. The minimum height for the male is 62 cm (24.3 inches) at the withers, for the female 60 cm (23.5 inches). Maximum height is 68.5 cm (27 inches). The length of body is just slightly longer than tall, but bitches may be somewhat longer in body than dogs. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog's height at the withers. The head is powerful with a broad, slightly domed skull and a powerful muzzle that is slightly higher at the nose than the stop, when viewed in profile. Ears may be cropped, or hang naturally, close to the skull. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point. The Dogo Argentino should be evaluated as a hunting dog, and exaggerations or faults should be penalized in proportion to how much they interfere with the dog's ability to work.

Dogo Argentino

Breed Standard
Temperament

Dogos are known for being extremely loyal and affectionate with their families and crave attention from their owners. They are excessively tolerant of children due to their high pain tolerance, derived from selective breeding to be a big game hunter. They are protective of what they perceive as their territory and will guard it without fear against any intruder. They get along with other dogs as long as they have been properly socialized, but will usually not tolerate another dog trying to assert dominance over them and might not coexist peacefully with another dominant breed of dog. However, dog aggression is not desirable in the Dogo Argentino, as it is at odds with its intended purpose as a pack hunter.

Dogo Argentinos are accomplished hunters, and are widely used today and in a variety of ways from tracking, Search and Rescue, Schutzhund training, general police work including narcotics detection, military, to family dog. They are even occasionally used as a guide dog.

Bulldog Types

Hunting

Dogos are used to hunt wild boar, also called jabali. These wild boar can weigh anywhere between 400 and 450 lbs., but can reach weights of 600 lbs. The boars are problematic because they destroy crops and orchards, kill livestock (such as calves and lamb), and are so aggressive that they often kill farmers and peasants. Not only are they extremely aggressive, they are also very fast and powerful, making them extremely difficult to hunt and kill. In Argentina, large packs of Argentine Dogos are used to track, take down, and kill wild boars. This traditional style of hunting, called “monteria criolla,” originated in the time of the European aristocracy and involves the Dogos tacking, chasing and catching the boar followed by the hunters killing the boar with a large knife.