-Image of the Dogo:

Viewed from a distance , the Dogo Argentino strides with great pride, a pure white image of regal power. As the Dogo approaches, the rigid posture and snarling face give an air of determination and courage mixed with"barely contained explosive power". From just a few feet away, distinct musculature ripples through the Dogo`s short white hair. This wonderfully muscular physique and slow, loping gait exudes a confidence that is rarely found in the world of dogs. Leaping gracefully up to you, standing eye to eye, the Dogo hisses with apparent contempt, smirks at your human visage, then proceeds to gleefully clean your face with his tongue. This is the paradox of the Dogo Argentino, a dog of both unyielding power and the most gentle and loving friendliness.

The ethics of creating a "supermench" may forever be debated, as mankind settles for the stories of Greek Gods and comic book heroes. In the dog world however, a man is allowed to play God, and thus we have the written breed standards by whitch all dogs are compared. Sometimes the genetic manipulation of man`s best friend has been limited to goals of vanity and appearance. More often, however, a standard calls for practicality and usefulness to man. Before we can understand the Dogo Argentino, we need to know the background of why this fantastic breed was created.



The Dogo Argentino was developed specifically to fight the wild boar that had taken over lage unsettled areas of Argentina. These boars had no natural predators and were propagating at an alarming rate.





The natural reality of our world is the survival of the fittest. Man has been fairly successful (so far) in persisting because he is resourceful in fighting the elements and enemies that surrounds him. Often this resourcefulness extends to the use of others to help his cause. This is where Dogo Argentino (amongst others), came into play. Before we can understand the Dogo, it is very important that we understand the Dogo`s purpose to man. In many areas of the world, man`s desire to live, has been hampered by wild beasts of great strength, speed and size.In South America, as in Europe and other parts of world, the wild boar is also present. It is a mixture of the Russian wild boar and feral pigs that normally weigh between 180 and 270 kgs. Barbed wire or even large electrical fences, was not enough to stop these massive demons from totally damaging the farmer`s crop, but also for taking the lives of lambs, calves, other livestock and also humans. The reason the boar has been able to overpopulate has several reasons. It is able to graze on miles of pampas (rich grasslands), that offers it a natural source of unlimited nourishment. Multiplication is unusually rapid as well, because the subtropical climate allows the sows to have three litters of five to ten pigglets each year. Add the fact that there are no natural predators resident, even the moutain lion and jaguars are no match for a 200 kgs brute, maybe then you can begin to understand the problem Argentinian farmers have had in the twentieth century. The farmers did not use rifles or guns to combat these aggressive boars or other nemeses, such as mountain lion, jaguar and jabali. Instead, they used the "Monteria criolla style", a cultural form of hunting in Argentina, inspired by the gaucho ´s idea that prey should have a "fighting chance" on the hunt, an advantage equal to that of the human hunters. this evolved from the medieval boar hunts of the European aristocracy, where large packs of dogs and mounted nobles armed with spears pursued and killed the boars. The monteria employs a pack of dogs that locate, chase, catch and hold the boar until the men arrive and kill the boar with a large knife. The monteria remains a respected tradition in Argentina. To this day anyone that hunts wild boar with a gun is considered to be a cowardly, second-rate sportsman.

-Wanted: A "superdog"



For the monteria to be successful, the men needed dogs suitable to the task-in fact, capable dogs were crucial not only for a succesful hunt but also for one without human fatality. The dogs needed to have a great sense to locate the boar (either by air scenting or tracking), great speed to chase the unusually fast beast, an insane amount of fearlessness to approach the boar, an inbred power to attack and overwhelm the boar and a relentless tenacity to hold the boar until the hunters arrived. In addition to all these Herculean skills, the dogs had to be fairly intelligent, trainable, focused on the hunt and able to get along with other dogs. This is quite a bit to ask of the everyday Canis familiaris. Originally, the most aggressive, fastest and strongest dogs were assembled for the monteria. These were often crossbreeds and ideally from the lineage of the Cordoba Fighting Dog: A combination of the Mastiff, Bull Terrier and Bulldog. As you can well imagine, very few dogs could be found that were up to the task. Even the ferocious Cordoba Fighting Dog, despite its great courage and strength, was not ideally suited for monteria, mainly because it was nearly impossible for these dogs to work together.



-One man`s mission



The monteria was a valiant and ideal style of defending the land against savage boar and other beasts. Unfortunately, without the the ideal dogs, it was not a very successfull endeavour. Determined to establish man`s ideal partner in monteria was one young man by the name of Antonio Nores Martinez. In the 1920s, at the tender age of 18 years, Antonio (later Dr.Martinez) set out to create the super dog so badly needed for hunting down wild boars. He, with the help of his brother Augustin, started out with the Cordoba Fighting Dog as a base. This fearless and aggressive crossbreed had a proven record in the dog pits, where it routinely fought to the death. Such tenacity was necessary when up against a 270kgs pig. However, Antonio was experienced in using these dogs in hunting excursions, and knew that they would rather fight each other than chase the boar. He also wanted a dog that would be a honourable family companion and guardian, and so another breed had to be mixed into his self-appointed task. One by one, different breeds were added into the programme as the brothers Martinez sought to achieve the ideal super dog. Beginning with the CORDOBA FIGHTING DOG, Antonio and Augustin developed a formula. First, to add in the POINTER, known for its keen sense of smell, the most baic element for tracking down the wild boar and other game. Next, the BOXER (the old style BullenBeiser), giving both the needed vivacity and dexterity for the hunt, and the desired gentleness and docility Antonio expected of a family companion. Next, the GREAT DANE and the BULL TERRIER to instill fearlessness, agility and aggression. The old style (nothing like today`s show dog) would add important personality traits such as boldness, obedience and tenacity, as well as physical traits, including its ample, broad chest and high pressure jaws. The IRISH WOLFHOUND was well known for being an instinctive hunter of wild game, and thus would make an ideal contribution. The DOGUE de BORDEAUX would contribute powerful, relentlessjaw strength. The PYRENEAN MOUNTAIN DOG would be added for its vigour and dense white coat. Finally, the SPANISH MASTIFF would give the dog raw power, a menacing scowl and the long, loose lips necesarry for allowing breathing out the sides of the mouth while holding the pray.











































 

While attending school, the brothers began their breeding programme in 1925 in Cordoba, Argentina with ten Cordoban bitches and barely enough income to keep them fed. Their father helped by hiring a kennel man to care for the dogs while the boys were in school. Family friends donated food to the dogs. First, Pointer studs were introduced until early offspring showed promise toward the direction of Antonio`s goal. Then each of the other breeds was brought in trough careful steps. Antonio had a very distinct vision of what he wanted, and wrote the ideal standard for the breed in 1928. Many years passedin the painstaking programme to achieve the nearly impossible goal of creating the super dog of Argentina. Tragically, Antonio did not live to see his super dog; he was killed by a thief during a boar hunt in 1956.

Younger brother Augustin took over the programme, continuing to add new blood to the breed following the ORIGINAL FORMULA and with the same conviction and precision as his brother. He moved the breeding headquarters to Esquel in Patagonia(Southern Argentina), and continued to pursue his brother`s dream while employed as the Argentine Ambasador to Canada. This profession turned out to be ideal for the breed, as it required overseas travel and thus provided an opportunity for Augustin to spread the Dogo Argentino throughout the world. Already the big game hunters all over South America were using the Dogos for boar and mountain lion hunts. Soon the legend of the super dog was spreading to North America and Europe. Finally, in 1964, the Cinologic Federation of Argentina and the Argentina Rural Society recognised the Dogo Argentino as a specific dog breed. Almost ten years later (July 31,1973, to be exact), the Argentina Kennel Club, a member of Federation Cynologique International (FCI), recognised the Dogo Argentino.