The Dogo Argentino is the only
pure breed dog developed in Argentina in the late
1920s by doctors Antonio and Agustin Nores Martinez,
dog enthusiasts and avid hunters.
The Dogo was primarily intended
to be used as a hunting dog, guardian and all
around family dog. As a family dog, Dr. Nores
Martinez intended the dog to be loyal and docile.
As a guard dog, the Dogo was expected not only
to bark a warning at strangers and stop intruders,
but to do so with all the power and characteristics
of the breed. With such determination as to fight
an intruder to the death, if needed, without being
distracted by any injury inflicted to itself during
the course of the battle.
In the words of Dr. Antonio Nores
Martinez A dog which attacks an intruder and
then at the first threat of injury abandons its
prisoners is worth nothing as a guardian. But
it was hunting for which the Dogo was originally
created, and the kind of hunting that the breed
was to specialize in was the most difficult and
dangerous in all the Americas.
The Dogos specialty was the hunting
of wild boar and large cats of America such as
mountain lions and jaguars; also the Dogo can
be used in many other hunting tasks such as birds
and other small animals. For such a game the Nores
Martinez brothers saw the need to develop a hunting
dog with exceptionally sharp senses, which was
very fast, very courageous, phenomenally powerful,
and completely enthusiastic about the hunt.
With this in consideration they
needed a dog that was able to track, locate and
hold their prey, dominating it until the hunter
arrives. To obtain this goal they used 10 different
breeds: They used the Old Cordoba Fighting Dog
as the basis. This dog was the product of the
cross breeding among Mastiffs, Bulldogs and Bull
Terriers bought to America by the colonists (and
is now extinct). To this they added Boxer, English
Pointer, Bull Terrier, Old English Bulldog, Mastiff,
Dogue De Bordeaux, Harlequin Great Dane, Pyrenean
Mastiff and Irish Wolfhound.
It is to be said before ending,
that the different breed specimens they used to
shape the Dogo Argentino were purebreds all of
them with pedigrees and many of them descendants
of champions from the best bloodlines in the world.
General Features and Characteristics
Excellent dog for game hunting, friendly towards
people, especially children. Very good guardians,
faithful and docile, it makes an excellent guiding
dog for the blind. The Dogo is a silent hunter,
so it does not frighten its prey, has a good sense
of smell (scenting the air), its agile, brave
and strong.
Its general appearance is of great
strength, force and energy with a compact figure
and robust muscular development that highly contrasts
with its mild and gentle expression. Its body
is perfectly balanced; with straight front legs
and well arched robust hindquarters, curved for
the long run; strong and muscular neck, the tail
thick, gradually coming to a point and naturally
falling towards the hock joint. All in all it
must represent power, resistance and a great physical
strength, but also an agile and good running dog.
Its a large breed, well proportioned
without reaching gigantism. The judge must pay
particular attention to the height and the broadness
of the chest.
Height ranges from 62-68cm at the
withers in males and 60-65cm at the withers in
females.
In the breed creators last book
he made it clear that In requiring the breed
to be recognized I gave 68 cm at the withers as
a maximum height, so as to give an idea of its
size. An adult male with less than 62 cm at the
withers must be disqualified as well as a female
less than 60 cm at the withers. While selecting
from a group of good specimens the judge must
incline itself towards the tallest dog, provided
its conformation and over all size and weight
is proportioned (Historia Del Dogo Argentino
1978 page 149-150).
Utility
Working dog: used for big game hunting, guardian,
guide dog for the blind, field work, obedience,
French Ring Sport, Schutzhund, agility, tracking,
drug detection, support dogs, police dogs, therapy
dogs, search & rescue, bomb detection etc.
Due to its very stable and reliable
temperament the Dogo Argentino is a very versatile
dog and makes an excellent family dog. The Dogo
is very fond of humans specifically children,
to which it is very patient and tolerant.
Temperament
The Dogo Argentino possesses extremely strong
hunting instincts, incredible determination and
legendary courage. Very alert and jovial, it possesses
uncanny intelligence and a keen wit. This is a
very people oriented dog that is extremely friendly
and outgoing. Its self confidence makes it very
trusting of humans with whom it is patient and
communicative. While being incredibly obedient
and willing to please it is extremely sensitive
to its handler and doesnt require forceful training
methods. This versatile animal is capable of intense
concentration, learns rapidly and retains what
is learned almost indefinitely; however; it is
easily bored by over work and repetition. A good
watchdog, the Dogo Argentino is calm around the
house, yet it is alert and ready at a moments
notice.
The Dogo Argentino is not a barking
dog, although it is endowed with a thunderous
bark, modulated, rhythmic and constant when it
wants to call attention to something it deems
important. It is a family dog that needs close
contact with the members of its family and is
unhappy when separated from them, it is also noticeably
gentle and extremely patient with children.
The Dogo should be socialized with
domestic animals and other dogs at an early age
to curtail any subsequent aggression towards them.
Males and females are very stable and remarkably
sweet while being tough to the core. They are
more like a force of nature then a mere animal
