The Argentine Dogo

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Argentine Dogo is also known as Dogo Argentino, Argentina Dog or Argentinian Mastiff, and it is a breed that was developed in 1928 for trophy hunting for large animals. That is the reason why the dog needed to be strong and muscular, extremely courageous and with enough fighting abilities to protect his master while hunting or protecting the property. As the name shows, this breed comes from Argentina. Antonio Martinez is the one who tried to create the ideal dog breed and, thus, started new lines by crossing different dog breeds in order to get the traits he wanted for the new breed.

<b>The<i> Argentine Dogo</i></b>

Appearance
It is crucial for a hunting dog to have certain qualities in order to do its job well. The Argentine Dogo has a muscular body, measuring 24 to 27 inches in height and weighing around 90 pounds. These dogs have a wide chest, short thighs and a muscular neck. They need to be fast runners and extremely agile, in order to manage the dense vegetation that sometimes may not be accessible. For this reason, they need endurance and a large pulmonary capacity.

The coat is white and short. Some dogs may have a black spot on the head, but most clubs do not accept any type of markings.

Behavior
The dog breeds that Martinez has chosen to cross were all hunters or fighting dogs. He specifically wanted the aggressive traits of the Cordoba Fighting Dog. He wanted to get the best features for a hunting dog that is sometimes trained for search and rescue activities, or even for military work. Keep in mind that the dog needs to be well trained in order to eliminate those aggressive instincts. However, a well trained Argentine Dogo would make a perfect companion for the entire family, as, even if it was bred to be a fierce dog, it will be extremely gentle with people who are familiar to him. Its protective instincts make it a good guardian against intruders.

Useful information
The Argentine Dogo can live up to 15 years old if it is properly taken care of. The most frequent health problems are deafness and hip dysphasia.

This is an intelligent and extremely energetic dog. It needs to know from the beginning that you are the pack leader, in order to obey your orders. The training is not exceedingly difficult, but you have to start early for better and faster results. Moreover, these dogs need a fixed routine and a lot of activities to keep them entertained and to allow them to consume the extra energy they have.

As any other canine companion, this dog needs to feel loved and must be well taken care of. If you want it as a pet, you should remember the purpose its breed was created for, so you must provide the perfect conditions for it to develop naturally.

Learn as many things as you can about the Argentine Dogo before you take him home, and you will have a wonderful and loyal friend.

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