Lively, vivacious, a hard worker, and a fighter, the Dogo Argentino can even give its life to defend its master. It is a great pet and companion. This article provides more information about this dog.
History
In the 1920s in Argentina, Antonio Norez Martinez and his brother Agustin had the dream to come up with a breed of dog that would have excellent fighting skills, lasting endurance, and the love and loyalty to make it an animal fit to guard a home. At the time, in Argentina, there was a fighting dog breed named the Dog of Cordoba. It was bred for one purpose–to kill other dogs in the fighting ring. This breed was considered extremely ferocious and vicious. Nevertheless, Antonio got several females of this breed (about 10), and started a breeding program in an effort to make the perfect dog.
He used the Pointer for its excellent tracking abilities while out working in the field, the Great Dane for its appropriate size, the Bull Terrier for its fearlessness, the Bulldog for its staying power, the Irish Wolf hound for its good performance while on the hunt, the Dogue de Bordeaux for the necessary head and jaw size to hunt big game, the Great Pyrenees for its color, the Spanish Mastiff for its strength, and the Boxer for its gentleness. This is how the Dogo Argentino was born. However, Antonio did not live long enough to see his dream come true, it was his brother Agustin who perfected the breed.
This dog was bred to be able to hunt and hold big game such as wild boar and pumas. It was specifically bred not to be aggressive towards other dogs. It had to be able to hunt in packs and bring down the wild game together. Sadly, because of this breed’s abilities, it became a favorite of those that organized illegal dog fights. These people have given the breed a bad reputation by breeding animals with bad and aggressive personalities and then fighting them. As a result, this dog has been banned from some countries, which is a shame because that was never its purpose.
Appearance and Grooming
The average height of males is between 24 to 26 inches (60 to 68 cm) and that of females is between 24 to 25 inches (60 to 65 cm). The weight should be between 40 to 54 kg. This dog is slightly longer that it’s tall, with females being longer than males. The coat is always solid-white. There is no undercoat. The head is wide, and the ears are high-set. They may be cropped. The tail is thick, long, and low. The nose is black. Eyes can be light-brown, dark-brown, or hazel, with black or pink rims. The dog is generally quite muscular.
It is a mild shedder, and does not need a lot of grooming. The coat is very easy to take care of. Its nails need to be clipped regularly.
Nature
This is an excellent guard dog that will protect your home with everything it has. It is playful and gets along well with children. It is very intelligent, but can be very stubborn. It needs an owner who has some experience with dogs, and who can be consistently assertive and let the dog know who is boss. Dogs like these have pack mentalities, and a weak-willed owner will have a lot of trouble controlling the dog.
This is an active breed that is not suitable for indoor living. It needs a medium-sized yard to move around. It also needs daily long walks or jogs. This dog needs mental and physical stimulation to keep it from getting bored.
Health
As this dog has a white pigment, it can be affected by pigment-related deafness that is also found in the Dalmatian and the White Bulldog. Along with this, hip dysplasia is also commonly found in this breed. Its life expectancy is 12 to 14 years.
The Dogo Argentino is everything that constitutes a perfect pet. It is fiercely loyal and protective, and equally loving and playful, making it a wonderful canine family member.
