Dogo Argentino

Country of origin	Argentina

The Dogo Argentino (also known as the Argentine Dogo or Argentinian Mastiff) is a large, white, muscular dog that was developed inArgentina for the purpose of big-game hunting, primarily wild boar. It was first bred in the 1920s or '30s from the Cordoban Fighting Dog.

Appearance

The Dogo Argentino is a large white short-coated dog with a smooth muscular body that rarely has any markings (any type of marking or spot on the coat is considered a flaw).

Height: From 23.6 to 25.6 inches (60–65 cm), measured at the withers. Weight: From 88.2 ro 99.2 pounds (40–45 kg). The length of the body is just slightly longer than the height, but female dogs may be somewhat longer in body than male 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 has a broad, slightly domed skull and the muzzle is slightly higher at the nose than the stop, when viewed in profile. The tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point. It has been described as being similar to an American Bulldog or a large, solid white American Pit Bull Terrier.

Health

As in the Dalmatian, white Boxer, and the white Bull Terrier, the dogo experiences pigment-related deafness. There is an approximately 10% deafness rate overall with some dogos afflicted unilaterally (one deaf ear) and some dogs bilaterally (deaf in both ears).^{[citation needed]} Studies show the incidence of deafness is drastically decreased when only breeding stock with bilaterally normal hearing is used. Hip dysplasia is also a possibility in this breed.

Temperament

The Dogos Argentinos was specifically bred to be fierce hunters, but then to go home to the hunters families and be gentle with the children.

Dogos are big-game hunters and are sometimes trained for search and rescue, police assistance, and military work. Due to their physical capabilities, they are not common family pets, though they are sometimes kept by experienced dog handlers.

Dogos Argentinos are protective of what they perceive as their territory and will guard it against any intruder. They get along with other dogs as long as they have been properly socialised, but will usually not tolerate another dog trying to assert dominance over them and might not coexist peacefully with another dominant breed of dog. They can develop an aggressive or dominant temperament if not socialised with other dogs at an early age, particularly with other dogs of the same sex. The dog lives 9 to 13 years.

This breed is very energetic and is better suited to a house with a yard than an apartment. The ideal environment would be a house with a yard and kids, kids that could play with the dog everyday and help him use up some of that energy (the kids too!!). If you are living in an apartment with this breed, it would help if you were the type that likes to play with and exercise a dog, maybe with frequent visits to a large park and/or a dog run. Those looking for a calmer type dog, one to sit or lay quietly around the house everyday should try another breed.

Fighting and legality

The Dogo Argentino was bred primarily from the extinct Cordoba Fighting Dog. It was bred to reduce certain aggressive traits inherent in the Cordoban Fighting Dog, specifically its lack of ability to hunt cooperatively in a pack, as the breed was intended to function as a cooperative pack hunter. In particular areas of the world where dog fighting as a bloodsport remains culturally acceptable, Dogos Argentinos have been used for fighting. Dogos of these lines are extremely aggressive and not suited for big game hunting, unlike the original Dogo Argentino breed.

In the United Kingdom it is illegal to own Dogos Argentinos without specific exemption from a court per the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, and dogs of the breed may be seized by the police. The maximum fine for illegal possession of a Dogo Argentino is £5,000 and/or up to six months' imprisonment. Breed-specific legislation varies in the United States, with bans on the breed enacted in Aurora, Colorado and New York City. The Australian government has banned the importation of this dog. The dog is also illegal in New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, and Ukraine. The ban in the UK has received criticism with a spokesperson from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stating that the law must "focus back on the real problem... the owner".

History

In the 1930s, Antonio Nores Martinez attempted to breed a big game hunting dog that would also capable of being a loyal pet and guard dog. Nores Martinez picked the Cordoba Fighting Dog to be the base for the breed.^[18] 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 the Great Dane, Boxer, Spanish Mastiff, Old English Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Great Pyrenees, Pointer, Irish Wolfhound and Dogue de Bordeaux.^[19] Nores Martinez continued to develop the breed viaselective breeding to introduce the desired traits.

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