The Character.

People are always looking for the ideal dog. Obvious one is very impatience and less willing to make a compromise as they do when it is just a thing among people.It seems that the common people tends to call individual qualities or even getting some trainingcertificates as typical for the breed.

It is clear that if one wants to know about the breed it is essential that one studies the dogs history.In this way you learn what the interests of this dogs are and what they like to do and what their capabillities are.
The Dogo Argentino is, as told before, a child of an old fightingbreed. In these days these dogs had to be tough and game, a gladiator. They only breeded with these dogs if they had these fighting qualities.

Later on Antonio Nores Martinez had refined or detoured the fighting- skill; not anymore another dog was his opponent but the big game; the wild boar and the puma.It is a thin line from fighting to hunting, as it is to guarding and defense.
By this way the creator of the breed wanted to picture the Dogo Argentino as a dog with a variety of qualities, such as a hunter, a guardian etc. Not every Dogo shows these qualities from the beginning. A Dogo don't dislike people. He doesn't see a natural enemy in a human being, so he will not try to overwin his fear by sharp behaviour, because a Dogo Argentino is very steady (well balanced)of character,he is very sure of himself.

It is very easy to learn him how to guard/defense. Much easier than to make him a very good hunter, if wanted so. The huntinginstinct is a very important quality for a dog and in nature (the wilderness) a matter of life and death. For hunting a dog needs:a fit body, stamina, good
hearing, good eyes and nose, gameness, the will to win or in short:everything to make the hunt succesfull.This includes feeling no pain. With this the circle closes with the fighting dog.

Feeling no pain is an important quality of all fighting dogs. The Dogo Argentino must have this very dominant, this is in his genes. The softness of the Dogo Argentino against his boss and family doesn't say that he doesn't have that other quality. His real nature is only showed when the situation askes for it; in critical situations he showes his true character!! A Dogo who gives up in the fight doesn't deserve the name of the breed.

It is important to know that a Dogo Argentino has a long Youth-fase. His character is completed about 2 or 3 years. The Dogo Argentino is a quiet and selfassured dog with very high tolerance,especially towards children. It is important that you pay attention towards his high tolerance; this level may not be passed or exceeded, because then his old nature shows his face with all it's strenght! So it is very important to AVOID this ALWAYS!

A Dogo Argentino demands a boss with a high level of responsebility and knowledge of dogs in common,so a Dogo Argentino is not a dog for a beginner. Hereby I want to express my concern to the people who have already a Dogo or wants one in future, that the responsibility fo the owner of a Dogo Argentino is essential for the life of the Dogo Argentino in our community nowadays. I hope that all the breeders of this noble breed look really hard to find the right persons for this breed, so that in the future the Dogo Argentino still can be our companion and our best friend. This is our main GOAL and with the effort of all this must be no problem with such a excellent dog as the Dogo Argentino. Unfortunately it are always the people itself that bring damage to all
kinds of things,how good these things may be..........................

More often and more a reflection of his main interest is the test with the wild boar which is still actual in several places in the world , but most of all in his land of origin. (But less as it used to be).
The testarena is oval, round or square(with no edges) and with feces of 1.2 mtrs high.In this arena there are only two persons; the judge and the owner of the dog. Originally the let a young Dogo in first, at the age of 9-10 month to look for his natural reaction against his old enemy the wild boar. Is the young Dogo not attacking the boar they pull him out and let him look when experienced Dogos attack the boar immediately. Is the Youg Dogo still showing no agression they put him in the arena with an experienced Dogo.

In the test for experienced Dogos they let them fight as long as the wild boar is defending himself with all his strenght. To seperate the two animals they lift them up by the hindlegs. When the boar is too big the use a rope (lasso) around his neck and then do the same.

On the hunting itself, they normally use two or four Dogos at the same time, and often suffer severe lossescaused by 200kg. heavy wild boars. When they don't smell people they are tremendous fighters. Also the Pecari is feared because of his sharp teeth .

The wild boars are one of the most difficult prey,if not the most couragious in the wild and very difficult wounded. A strong male boar fights immediatly every dog, definately when he doesn't smell people around. By instinctively hitting with his heads, he tries to eliminate his attacker with his fangs. .

Back to Mainpage