Argentine DogoThe Argentine Dogo (also known as the Dogo Argentino or Argentinian Mastiff) is a large, white, game-bred, muscular dog that was developed in Argentina for big-game hunting.

Appearance
The Dogo Argentino is a large, white, short-coated dog with a smooth, muscular body, displaying both power and athletic ability. The minimum height for the male is 62 cm (24.3 inches) at the withers, for the female 60 cm (23.5 inches). Maximum height is 68.5 cm (27 inches). The length of body is just slightly longer than tall, but female doges may be somewhat longer in body than male dogs. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog's height at the withers. The head is powerful with a broad, slightly domed skull and a powerful muzzle that is slightly higher at the nose than the stop, when viewed in profile. Ears may be cropped, or hang naturally, close to the skull. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point.

Temperment
Dogos are known for being extremely loyal and affectionate with their families and crave attention from their owners. They are excessively tolerant of children due to their high pain tolerance, derived from selective breeding to be a big game hunter. They are protective of what they perceive as their territory and will guard it against any intruder. They get along with other dogs as long as they have been properly socialized, but will usually not tolerate another dog trying to assert dominance over them and might not coexist peacefully with another dominant breed of dog. However, dog aggression is not desirable in the Dogo Argentino, as it is at odds with its intended purpose as a pack hunter.

Dogo Argentinos are accomplished big-game hunters, and are still widely used today in a variety of ways from tracking, search and rescue, Schutzhund training, general police work including narcotics detection, military, and family dog. They are even occasionally used as guide dogs, or as service animals.

Fighting
The Dogo Argentino was bred specifically to avoid the dog aggression problems inherent in the Cordoba Fighting Dog when applied to hunting, specifically its lack of ability to hunt in a pack. The creators of the breed took great care to prevent this undesirable trait from manifesting in the Dogo Argentino, as the breed was always intended to be a pack hunter.

Dogos can develop an aggressive or dominant temperament if not socialized with other dogs at an early age, particularly with other dogs of the same sex, but can be trained by an experienced handler. However, some Dogos are bred by unscrupulous people for dog fighting. Dogos of these lines are extremely aggressive and not suited for big game hunting, unlike the original Dogo Argentino. These Dogos are somewhat smaller than the ones used for big-game hunting weighting between 75 and 90 lb. In some rare cases, they are cross-bred with the American Pit Bull Terrier. In the United Kingdom it is illegal to own Argentine Dogos without specific exemption from a court per the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. They are also banned in Australia.

History
In the 1920s in Argentina, Antonio Nores Martinez set out to breed the ultimate big game hunting dog, a dog not only capable of taking on dangerous game such as wild boar and cougars, but a dog also capable of being a loyal pet and family guardian.

Martinez picked the Cordoba Fighting Dog to be the base for the breed. This breed is extinct today but was described as a large and ferocious dog that was both a great hunter and fighter. He crossed it with Great Dane, Boxer, Spanish Mastiff, Old English Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Great Pyrenees, Pointer, Irish Wolfhound and Dogue de Bordeaux. Martinez kept improving the resulting breed via selective breeding to introduce the desired traits. The first standard for the Dogo Argentino was written in 1928. The Dogo Argentino was introduced to the United States by Dr. Raúl Zeballos and family in the early 1970s.