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Dogo Argentino

History

This breed has its origin in the province of Cordoba, in the central (Mediterranean) region of the Republic of Argentina. Its creator was Dr. Antonio Nores Martinez, a (renowned) doctor and member of a traditional local family. In 1928, his passion for dogs, perhaps a family legacy, led him to set the bases and a standard for a new dog breed which he named : Dogo Argentino. His work was based upon the methodical crossbreeding of several pure breeds with the « old fighting dog from Cordoba », a dog which was very strong and vigorous but lacked psychic and genetic stability. This local breed had been the product of the crossbreeding among Mastiffs, Bulldogs and Bull Terriers and was widely known and appreciated by fervent dog-fight fans, a very popular activity at the time which embraced all social classes. After a thorough and minute character study and selection, through different generations, Dr. Nores Martinez accomplished his purpose, obtaining the first « family ». At the beginning it was generally considered a dog for fighting but Dr. Nores Martinez’s liking for hunting led him to take the dog to one of his habitual hunting trips, where the new breed demonstrated its skills, thus becoming a key figure in all his trips. Thus it became quickly an excellent « big-game hunting dog ». With the passing of time, this adaptating capacity has made this dog very versatile as regards functions; it has proved to be a noble companion and a loyal and insurmountable protector of those it loves. Its strength, tenacity, sharp sense of smell and bravery make it the best dog among those used for hunting wild boars, peccaries, pumas and other country predators which can be found in the vast and heterogeneous areas of the Argentinean territory. Its harmony, balance and its excellent athletic muscles are ideal characteristics for enduring long trips in any weather conditions and then fighting fiercely with the pursued prey.
On May 21st 1964, this breed was acknowledged by the Federación Cinológica Argentina and by the Argentinean Rural Society, which opened their studbook to initiate registry.It was not until July 31st 1973 that the breed was accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as the first and only Argentinean breed, thanks to the great passion, work and effort of Dr. Augustin Nores Martinez, its creator’s brother and successor.

Original standard

Skull Solid, convex from back to front and transversely due to the relief of the mastication muscles and the nape. Face
Same lengh of the skull. We have separated skull and face, however both form the "Head" of the Dogo, which is typical and, as explained in this work, is of the mesocephalic type and must have a convex-concave profile, that is, a convex skull due to the relief of the insertion of the masticating muscles, typical in prey dogs, of the "masticating' type, and the face and snout slightly concave upwards, typical of dogs with good olfaction. that is, having a skull for mastication and a face for olfaction as long as it implies a functional interaction: high sniffing.. zygomatic arches well separated from the skull, with an ample temporal cavity to comfortably insert the temporal muscle, one of the main masticators.)

Eyes Dark or nutbrown. With black or flesh colored eyelid rims, the separation between them must be large, vivacious and smart look and markedly stern at the same time. Light eyes or red brows are reasons to deduct points. Disparity of color is a reason for disqualification.) Jaws Well matched, without prognathism, strong with large and well placed teeth. (The number of molars does not matter while the most important thing is the homogeneity of the dental arches, the lack of cavities, no upper or lower prognathism, and especially, that all four fangs, large and clean. match perfectly while pressing to seize the prey.)

Nose Intensely pigmented in black, with a slight stop on Its tip, with ample nostrils. (A white nose or white stained nose deducts points. A divided nose or harelip are reasons for disqualification.)

Ears On top of the head, erect or semierect. Of triangular shape, must always be cut. (The judge must not fudge a Dogo with long ears, and must remove it from the ring. Somewhat longer cut ears can be accepted in females like in Great Danes. The male is preferred with slightly shorter ears. The Dogo Argentino is a prey dog that is, a fighting dog, and long ears can be easily grabbed and very painful during fights Moreover, aesthetical reasons make it necessary to cut the ears.) Lips Must be well turned upwards, stretched, with free rims and pigmented in black. (Lips must be short for the dog to be able to breath through the side lip commissure while seizing the prey. If the lip is pendant, even if the maxillary is long, it works as a valve during inhalation, closing the lip commissure which impedes the animal to perform supplemental respiration though the lip commissures during the seize, having to release due to asphyxia. as it happens with breeds with hanging lips.

Occiput Must not show any relief since it is completely concealed by the powerful muscles of the nape, forming an archshaped linkage between the head and the neck. (It is concealed by the curved line of the convexity of the skull.) Neck
Thick, arched, well built, with a very thick skin by the throat, forming the wrinkles like those of the Mastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Bulldog, and not stretched, like in the Bullterrier. (Such elasticity of the neck skin is due to the cellular tissue being very slack in this region, allowing the neck skin to slide over the superficial aponeurosis, such that the fang or the paw of the contender only hurts the skin. In the case of a cougar, for example, which will try to seize it by the neck, since the skin is elastic and stretches a lot, it allows to seize the prey as well.

Chest Ample, deep. giving the sensation of having a large lung. When seen from the front, the breastbone must overpass the elbows. (Being the Dogo Argentlno, a dog for work and for fight, it is obvious the importance of an ample and deep chest due to the importance of breathing for the dog.)Back* Tall. Very strong. With large muscular relief's. Thorax * Ample; when seen sideways, its lower edge overpasses the elbows. Topline*on the back, inclined toward the croup in a smooth slope. (In adult animals, when the development of back muscles and the kidney is adequate, when seen sideways they show a median channel along the spinal muscles.) Forelegs* Straight, well set, with short and closed toes. The length of the toes must keep proportion with the foot and have fleshy pads, with thick skin and very rough, with callousness and allow the animal to run a lot through rough and stony terrain, without hurting.) Kidney* Concealed by the muscles in the dorsum. Legs* Good muscles in the thighs, with short nails and tightly closed toes, with no dew claws. Must show good angulation, always having in mind that they are the drivers for speed and the support for close fighting so that the thigh muscle must always be emphasized. The dew claw, though very easy to get rid of during the first few months, is a reason to deduct points by being a recessive feature toward the Great Pyrenees, but is not a reason for disqualification.

Tail Long and thick, held hanging naturally, but without overpassing the hocks. It must be kept raised during the fight, with a continuous lateral motion, like when fawning with the master. (It must be kept in mind that the tail is very helpful, whether acting as a helm to change course during runs, as a compensatory support during the fight acting in combination with the rear quarters.)

Weight* 40 to 45 kilos Height * 60 to 65 centimeters. (With both the height and the weight, the judge must be inflexible, since being the Dogo a fighting dog among big game breeds, a smaller size decreases its efficiency.. Any adult Dogo, male or female, must be disqualified if less then 60 centimeters tall. Among many good candidates, the tallest must be preferred. The developer of this breed has expressed that the Dogo Argentino is a norm type, that is, it must keep harmonious proportions, or organic eurythmy, which translates into a larger force capacity. This is why the selected specimen must be that with larger height and weight, without being gigantic.

Coat Completely white. Spots of any color are a disqualifier due to its atavistic nature. White specimens with skin heavily pigmented in black must be deemed as not good for breeding, due to the recessive nature that represents, which can turn predominant in its descendants when mated with other specimens having this latent defect. Small spot on the head are not a reason for disqualification, however, between two similar specimens, the completely white must be preferred. On the other hand, any spot on the body is a reason for disqualification.) Disqualification * Blue, light blue or eyes of inappropriate color, deafness, body spots, long hair, white or heavily white stained nose, prognathism (whether lower or upper). pendent lip, houndlike head, long ears (with no cutting). size shorter than 60 centimeters, more than one spot an the face and any physical disproportion. The dew claw deducts points, but does not disqualify it.

Faults Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note *** Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.