DOG ARGENTINA

Brief description of the breed

Breed advantages

Heroes of this article - the first and only breed bred in Argentina and recognized by the Kennel Federation of the country in 1964. Today, dogs of this breed do an excellent job of guarding, help in hunting, and often successfully participate in battles with other breeds. Often, the Dogo Argentino is turned on as a strong and confident family friend. The main distinguishing features of the character of the Argentine mastiff - endurance, he never gives in to an opponent who even exceeds him in size and weight (fights with wild boars).

dogo argentino -big dogs, whose growth reaches 62-68 cm in males and 60-65 cm in females. Dogo Argentino's weight is also impressive - 45-65 kg in males, 40-55 cm in females.

Despite the fact that Dogo Argentino gained popularity only in the second half of the 20th century, the history of their creation is quite long and complicated. One of the very first progenitors of the modern Dogo Argentino were mastiffs that appeared in South America in the 16th century. Their main goal was to serve the conquering conquistadors against the local population.

Massive and ready to fight to the end, mastiffs were gradually crossed with other breeds. - bulldogs, boxers. Puppies from such unions, which are called the white dog of Cordoba (white - thanks to the shade of the coat of puppies, Cordoba - due to its wide distribution in the region of the same name in Argentina) possessed cruel character traits, great physical strength and endurance.

In Argentina in general, and in Cordoba in particular, dog fights were extremely popular and spectacular, visitors to such fights - simple peasants rooted for the dogs so fiercely that they forgot all the hardships and the overwhelming burden of hard physical labor. The main purpose of such dogs until the beginning of the 20th century was participation in battles, until Professor A.N. became interested in the breed. Martinez, who later became the "father" of Dogo Argentino. The main idea pursued by Martinez was the creation of a dog, bold and strong, able to hunt big game and predators (peccaries, cougars, etc.). But hunting dogs were not supposed to be as bloodthirsty as the white dog of Cordoba.

To create the perfect hunting dog, which could also be an assistant in everyday life, Martinez crossed breeds such as: boxer, German and dogue de bordeaux, bull terrier, bulldog, Pointer, Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Spanish Mastiff, Irish Wolfhound. For a long time, puppies born had certain traits that would not allow them to become truly self-possessed and cold-blooded. For 3 decades, Professor Martinez brought his brainchild to perfection, until, finally, the Dogo Argentino dog breed was created.

In 1928, the first Standard was approved breeds, and 36 years later, after the death of A.N. Martinez, the Cynological Federation of Argentina officially recognized her. For a long time, Dogo Argentino were the property of the country, but did not have much popularity in Europe. Only in the 70s, Dogo Argentino began to attract the attention of dog breeders in Holland and Germany, and then in Austria, Spain, and Italy. In our country, dogs of this breed appeared for the first time in the early 90s. But the real homeland of these dogs - Argentina, where these animals are the hallmark of the country.

The training of the Argentine baby should begin literally from the first days of his stay in the house. These dogs are savvy and cunning enough to understand that the owner, who once gave up slack, allows himself to be twisted into ropes. You should not allow the little dog what will later be prohibited. Not later than 2 months, the puppy should begin to teach simple commands (“Come to me!”, “Fu!, etc.), then encourage if the baby has done everything correctly. While the puppy is small (especially if he will always live in an apartment), you should teach him how to walk as needed in a place strictly designated for this.

Always - both at home and on the street, the dog must listen to the owner, and for this to be the case, the animal should be raised from an early age. From six months you can think about dog training under the guidance of an instructor (especially when the dog will not only guard the house, but will also participate in the hunt), who will correctly point out the gaps in education and help correct them, explain all the subtleties of training dogs of this particular breed. By the time of training under the supervision of a specialist, the dog should have one person of his master in his authority, who taught him the basics of training and instilled good manners.

These dogs are highly trainable and receptive. They quickly pick up the commands of the owner, but long training sessions can quickly bore them. The owner must clearly, gently and persistently show that the dog should listen to him. But physical strength and screaming are excluded, since such an approach will completely kill all the dog's interest in training.