Dogo argentino (Argentine dogo, Argentinian mastiff, Argentine dog)

Dogo Argentino
(Argentine Dogo, Argentin dogo, Argentina dog, Argentinian Mastiff)

Antonio Nores Martinez faced the following requirements for his ideal dog breed:
The first challenge consisted in creating a dog that would be tenacious, courageous and tireless, displaying excellent "fighting" abilities either on the hunting scene, or as a guardian on the property, while eliminating the fighting instinct oriented towards other dogs, in order to make the dog suitable for pack hunting.

With these requirements in mind Antonio created his first line of dogo's called the "Familia Araucana" . The foundation dogs of this line were a male fighting dog (a bulldog of unprecise origin) and a female Bull Terrier (which, at that time, very much ressembled the present-day dogo).

Secondly, the dogo would have to be capable of moving and reacting in absolute silence to conform to the specific hunting conditions and traditions in Argentina where hunts are held in strict silence by both dogs and hunters.

Bulldog Information 2003-2006 © All rights reserved. Photos on this page courtesy of Debonair Dogos, (San Diego,Ca USA), W-A. Van Rooyen, Kennel De Los Porteños (Holland), Stéphane Lepecuchel, Kennel Le Lagon des Grands Blancs (France),

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Sources

Cover of the original italian version (also exists in Spanish)
One of my preferred books about the Dogo Argentino
Bying info for the Spanish version

by C. Marien - de Luca

At the thirteenth generation he tought he had created the perfect fighting dog (physically similar to the present-day pit bull terrier). This dog however appeared to be too aggressive to be able to hunt in pack. Moreover, it appeared to be too heavy with respect to its height and lacked sens of smell.

Bull Terrier of the turn of the 19-20th C. Gully the Great

Early dogo argentino

At each generation Antoñio selected the best specimens and bred them together.

Antoñio decided to start a new line called "Familia Guaranì". That's where he introduced pointer blood into the Araucana line, using Zugg and Xaintip, two dogs imported from France. He infused again Bull Terrier blood to fix the white coat.

To improve the hardiness of the breed and add gentleness to the character he used Cadete, a Pyrenean mastiff. Ney, a harlequin great dane bred by his uncle Rogelio and another Pyrenean mastiff helped to get more bulk and mental stability, and fix the white coat.

In the thirties Antonio's brother Augustìn started a breeding line of his own called "Familia del Chubut" using a female out of the same Ney (the harlequin great dane) and a Cordoba fighting dog. To further improve their lines Augustìn and Antonio used a cross between a wolfhound and Great Dane called Nahuel. In the following years the two brothers regularly exchanged dogs to avoid to much inbreeding and continued improving their lines. read more (dogo standard, morphological traits, temperament)

El Nuevo Libro
del Dogo argentino
by Maria José Nogueira Tola
Ed. Tikal

Dog historically bred for the hunting of dangerous game or
for use as property guards, war and fighting dogs

Dogo Argentino Bloodlines and Foundation Dogs

"Diego", 2 years
Debonair Dogos, San Diego,US

Finally, the particularly dense vegetation of the argentinian hunting scenes required a dog that could not only run fast (but a lot of breeds can), but more importantly a dog that was sufficiently agile to follow even the smallest game through the dense, unaccessible vegetation.

Therefore, it would also have to possess a remarkable endurance and a large pulmonary capacity.

Branco-Santos de los Porteños
Kennel de los Porteños, Holland

Dogo breed standard and temperament