Dogo Argentino - Bred to be a Killer

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     In Argentina in the 1920's, the two Martinez brothers decided to breed a dog which would be equally skilled at hunting and killing wild boar, puma and mountain lions, and also defending the owner and his family, his property and his flocks. This dog was the Dogo Argentino.

They took as their starting point the Cordoba fighting dog, then the most prized hunting dog in Argentina - the Cordoba was a cross between the Spanish mastiff and the fighting bulldog. The brothers identified which characteristics they wanted in their dog, and then over two decades bred in these attributes from 10 different breeds.

These breeds included the wolfhound, the boxer, the British bulldog and bullterrier, the pointer, the Spanish mastiff, the Great Pyrenees and others, and each was chosen for a particular attribute - strength, power, powerful jaws, scenting ability, speed, white coat, endurance etc etc.

The Dogo is a natural hunter. It has the inbred instinct to hunt down and kill wild boar and mountain lions single-handedly. As a natural hunter, the Dogo regards other animals ' including humans ' as prey, just like the wolf does. In their native Argentina, many owners will simply allow the Dogo to share the prey they catch.

These dogs have a fierce loyalty to their owners and his family, and will defend them even to the death. This can obviously be a problem when the dog is owned by an undesirable or unscrupulous person.

Training such a strong and potentially fierce animal can present particular problems. The Dogo needs a master who will treat it firmly and in a consistent manner, avoiding any heavy-handed approach.

If the Dogo is to be a working dog, or a hunting or guard dog, then the puppy should be imprinted at a very early stage to regard humans, and other animals, as natural prey.

Even if they are not imprinted, they will still show natural aggression towards humans as towards any other animal when they perceive a potential threat to their dominance,territory or food. So if you own a Dogo, never let him run free in public, or you could have real problems with other animals - or humans!

A wonderful animal, bred to perfection to hunt and kill wild and dangerous prey. So next time you come across a Dogo Argentino, before you get too close, remember that he probably sees you as prey.