1941                    1937  
 
         
 
              Perro viejo de pelea    cordobes  
       
        Dogo skull      
 

STANDARD

THE CANINE BODY

In general it can be distinguished dogs in which the length is predominant, called longliners or dolico-morphs, or those breviliners or brachi-morphs , and finally those which maintain the harmony in their proportions called meso-morphs or normo-types.

According to the size, they can be micro-talics or small size dogs, meso-talics or medium size dogs and makro-talic or large size dogs.

On my part, I am convinced that the dog of prey as the athlete, has to keep a canon, that from the morphological point of view is harmony in proportion, and from the functional point is eurythmy, that in the normal organic correlation, which is translated in a major capacity of strength, I have tried that the Dogo Argentino be a meso-morph or normo-type and a makro-talic, giving preference to those of big size, that is to say, a heavy dog between those of the race of prey, in a way that the light combat dogs are defeated with its weight and those dogs of a bigger size are defeated with quality, because the individual bio-type can be represented with two concentric circles.

 

The inner circle or genotype which is given by inheritance and the para-type or outer circle which is given through education and environment, that in the Dogo Argentino race the genotype is Prey; keeping in mind the races in which it is rooted and assembled from: Bull-dog, Bull-terrier, Great Dane, Boxer, Mastiff, etc. and the paratype is also the result or synthesis of many generations educated for combat and fight, thus complying the enounced formula by Dr. Agustín Nores Martinez, in his article “ Ancestral inheritance and functional gymnastics in the dogs” ( Diana Magazine November 1944) as base for canine race improvement, formula which is expressed as follows: (F + M) x E, it is to say, Father plus Mother multiplied by Education or Functional Gym, formula which is valid for all species, because is a genetic law, that the result is: Inheritance plus Education.

 

STANDARDS FOR THE DOGO ARGENTINO:

 SKULL

Solid, convex in the ante-posterior sense and transverse by the relieves of the masticatory muscles and nape.

 

 

FACE

Of the same length as the skull, that is to say that the line which connects both orbitarian apophyges of the frontal bone are at the same distance from the occipital and the alveolar edge of the upper jaw bone.

EYES

Dark, wrapped up in the eyelids (of dark or light colored edges) the separation between them has to be big, it has to have a vivacious and intelligent look, but with a pronounced hardness at the same time.

JAWBONES

Well adapted, without pragmatism, strong, with good dental implantation.

NOSE

Strongly pigmented in black, with a slight stop at the tip, wide nostrils.

EARS

At the top of the head, erect or semi-erect, triangular shaped, they always have to be cut off.

LIPS

Well rolled up, taut, free of black pigment lips.The short lip is required, so that when the dog is holding the catch, allows it to breath through the posterior corner of the mouth, because if the lip is “pendulum” although the jaw bone quite long, is somewhat a valve in the isnpiration and closes the corner of the mouth keeping the animal from making a supple Tory breathing through mouth while holding the prey, forcing it to let the piece go due to asphyxia as it happens to the Mastiff.

OCCIPITAL

It must not make relief, because the potent muscles of the nape will erase it completely, being the insertion of the head and neck as an arch.

NECK

Thick, arched, slim, with a very thick throat skin, making wrinkles as in the Mastiff but not so taut as those in the Bull–Terrier. This elasticity of the neck’s skin is due to the cellular tissue of this part is very lax allowing the skin to slip over the superficial aponeurosis , in this way the adversary’s fang or claw , only hurts the skin and if it were another dog which attempts to get hold of it neck, as the skin is very elastic and stretches a lot it lets it to hold the other dog at the same time it is being held.

 HEIGHT

60 to 65 cm. (23 to 26 inches)

WEIGHT

40 to 45 kg. (88 to 100 Pounds)  

CHEST

Wide and deep, with the sensation of having a great lung. Seen from the front the sternum or breast bone has to surpass below the elbows.

BACK

 Height, very strong, with great muscular relieves.

 THORAX

 Wide, side view the lower edge passes the elbows.

COLUMN

Higher in the back, with a slight slope towards the haunch; in adult animals, when the muscular development of the back and kidneys is good, from the side view it looks like an armchair and presents the medium channel all the length of the column, given by the relief of the spinal muscles.

HANDS

Rights, well planted, with short toes and well joined.

KIDNEY

Erased by the muscles of the back.

LEGS

Of muscular thighs, with a short heel and closed fingers, without aberrant fingers.

TAIL

Long, straightened in arch, with a wide curve upwards. During combat they keep it lifted and in constant side motion, as when the animal receives its master. The length must be shortened to improve harmony as a whole, for which preferential treatment should be given to those that have the tail reaching no farther than the heel.

MANTLE

Totally white, some dark or black stains can only be tolerated in the eyes or front edge of the ear , Any other stain in whichever part of the body it may be located might rule the animal out as a sign of atavic character. The white specimens with a very black pigmented skin, has to be considered as not fit for breeding due to the recessive character which is shown and that might become predominant in the offspring, if it mates with another specimen sharing the same potential defect.

MOTIVE  FOR DISQUALIFICATION

Sarco eyes, deafness, stains in the body, long hair, white nose, pragmatism, pendulum lip and any other body disproportion.

 

  COMMENTS

 As for the issue of height and weight there are great debates and discussions in the world of Dogo. The creator of the breed, would have never guessed the trouble the it would be in the future, had he not specified precisely the limits for its disqualification as a Dogo.

But he did do it in all his lectures (see history). Spite of this, there are still those who propitiate gigantism, holding on to what the creator had said: ”that between two adult animals one has to choose the one which is bigger in size, since in the argentine country, bad feeding reduces it”

In our time this does not happen like that, since most of all the specimen are not raised in the country and are very well fed. And is this commercial urge that has led to desvirtuate the race, where some known breeders have committed the unforgivable act of adulterating the breed by crossbreeding it with a Great Dane, in order to provide it with a higher height.

We consider, that there is not much to analyze about it, since with common sense, is logical that a specimen with more height and weight, can not penetrate into the mounts, nor be able to offer combat to a wild boar

 
           

The History of the Dogo Argentino

The history of the Dogo Argentino and the two brothers who created the breed is as colorful and passionate as the history of Argentina itself. Antonio Nores Martinez was not quite 18 years old and Agustin a year younger in 1925 when Antonio first conceived and took the first step in his vision of a big game hound created specifically for the varied and rugged Argentine countryside.

"I still remember as if it were yesterday... the day when my brother Antonio told me for the first time his idea of creating a new breed of dog for big game, for which he was going to take advantage of the extraordinary braveness of the Fighting Dog of Cordoba. Mixing them with other breeds which would give them height, a good sense of smell, speed, hunting instinct and, more than anything else deprive them of that fighting eagerness against other dogs, which made them useless for pack hunting. A mix that would turn them into sociable dogs, capable of living in freedom, in families and on estates, keeping the great courage of the primitive breed, but applied to a useful and noble end; sport hunting and vermin control."

Agustin Nores Martinez, History Of The Dogo Argentino

It is important to point out that the Fighting Dog of Cordoba, a breed established in that area consisting of Mastiff, English Bulldog, Bull Terrier, and Boxer is now extinct. Much of the early work on the new breed was devoted to eliminating the fighting eagerness and developing the hunting instinct. An effort that was essential and highly successful.

The formula Antonio started was:

  • 1) the Fighting Dog of Cordoba, to which he added blood from
  • 2) the Pointer to give him a keen sense of smell which would be essential for the hunt.
  • 3) The Boxer added vivacity and gentleness;
  • 4) the Great Dane it's size;
  • 5) the Bull Terrier, fearlessness;
  • 6) the Bulldog gave it an ample chest and boldness;
  • 7) the Irish Wolfhound brought it's instinct as a hunter of wild game;
  • 8) the Dogue de Bordeaux contributed it's powerful jaws;
  • 9) the Great Pyrenees it's white coat and
  • 10) the Spanish Mastiff gave it's quota of power.

The brothers gathered ten Cordoban bitches as their nucleus and began bringing in the first of the contributing breeds as studs until the early offspring showed promise in the desired direction. At a certain point in the program they had as many as thirty bitches in their care. This undertaking would not have been possible for two young men still in school had it not been for the help given them by their family and friends of their father. The senior Martinez hired a kennel man to care for the dogs while Antonio and Agustin were in school and the brothers spent all their pocket money on food for the dogs. They were also helped by food donations given by their father's friends. Such help was gladly accepted by the brothers in those early years but the dream and the plan on how to make it a reality was Antonio's. His was the genius that guided the program and Agustin was always at his side. Later in life when Antonio became a respected surgeon, his medical knowledge improved and refined his dream. He wrote the first standard for the new breed in 1928. Sadly Antonio never lived to see his dream become reality. He was killed by a man who intended to rob him during a boar hunt in 1956. Agustin then took over the dream, working on the new breed, bringing it back from near devastation and moving the headquarters for the breed from Cordoba to Esquel, located in Patagonia in southern Argentina. Agustin Nores Martinez was the Argentine Ambassador to Canada and he used this opportunity of travel to spread Dogos throughout the world. Big game hunters in Argentina and it's neighboring countries were using the Dogo on boar and puma. The Dogo Argentino was fast becoming a legend.

The Dogo Argentino is an endurance hound much like his Irish Wolfhound ancestor. He is expected to track the wild boar across vast pampas, corner the animal and attack and hold it for the hunters. He is capable of dazzling bursts of speed for short distances, but his forte is covering long distances at a gallop (hence the arched loins to give impetus at the gallop). Having cornered the boar, he must have enough strength in reserve to attack and hold a wild boar weighing up to 400 pounds. In a traditional boar hunt the hunter will jump on the boar and kill it with a knife thrust to the heart while the Dogos are locked on with a death grip.

History of the Argentinean Bulldog, by Agustin Nores Martinez :

"I feel as a conscience imperative to make absolutely clear, which is the bulldog's background, the breeds that took part, what is what we intended to do, and which are the requirements or conditions that a bulldog must meet to be a typical example of the breed. This present extension, is a ratification of what was written in my first book. The fears I point to in the prologue to the four editions are confirmed a lot of times, when we see young people who ten years ago had never seen a bulldog, taking the part of "judges" in exhibitions, and who seemed to dream with "an own bulldog" awarding specimens which are far away indeed from what a good bulldog must be, as my brother Antonio and I intended in fifty long years of work and achievements.

To the enthusiasts and honest judges, who really want to know what the bulldog must be like is dedicated this knew (sic) book containing the objective history, step by step about how the bulldog was achieved and the extensive glossary of the standard that I make in chapter XV of this book. To the others, those who mix the bulldog with the Bullterrier to make them of lower height and weight, fighters against their own kind is not this book addressed, but a piece of advice: To devote themselves to the breeding of the Bullterrier in any of it's two varieties - White and Color Bullterrier, or the Staffordterrier (sic) - breeds which were created for fights, really noble animals, by the way, of extraordinary courage to fight against on another and with those dogs, let their low instincts loose if that is what they want, but, for God's sake!, do not spoil a breed which was made, after great sacrifices to be useful for mankind.

Since 1937 - more than forty years ago - a group of enthusiasts have been developing in Patagonia, with real sacrifice, the hunting instinct of the bulldog and trying to take away from them the ancestral fighting eagerness."

On the other hand, a few generations of bulldogs fighting between them will have make (sic) it involutionate, and we have painfully confirmed it already, to the useless Cordovan fight dog, insociable with it's own kind, harmful for domestic animals an (sic) useless as hunters or watching dogs. Happily there is, both in the country and abroad, a group of judges and enthusiasts, who know what it is and what it must be a good bulldog, and they use them for big game or they train them as watch - dogs, with which each generation will gradually improve and coming nearer and nearer to the goal we intended more than half a century ago."

The Dogo Argentino was recognized by the Cinologic Federation of Argentina and the Argentina Rural Society in 1964. The Argentina Kennel Club, a member of the Federation Cynologique International (FCI) recognized the breed on July 31, 1973.

The Dogo craves close physical contact with his people, a Dogo never lays at your feet, he lays on your feet. He is a reliable family guardian, interested in all activities and enjoying guests along with his family. Should the Dogo discern a direct threat to any member of his family, he will act to protect that person.

The Dogo Argentino is the realization of a dream that began almost 75 years ago. To use the word primitive in any context when describing the Dogo Argentino would be doing the breed a grave disservice. The Dogo is a consummate hunter, a superb companion, a wise and elegant guardian, he is complete.

"The Dogo Argentino is bred in his native Argentina to hunt big game, primarily, boar and mountain lion. He hunts great distances over rugged terrain and engages the game until the hunter kills it. He is one breed developed from ten. The many attributes from the parent breeds are a masterful blend resulting in a large, powerful dog with great endurance. The Dogo should give the appearance of an elegant, smoothly muscled, well - balanced dog capable of stepping out of the ring and into the hunt. Judges are asked by the club sponsoring the breed to keep this fact uppermost in their mind when evaluating the merits of the dog."