The Dogo Argentino Standard. The first thing you need to know as you contemplate the Dogo Argentino is that the history of this breed is different from any other. Most other recognized breeds are created through a selection process with different criteria, depending on the function the dog will perform and the geographic area in which he finds himself. After the breed has been established, those physical traits that are essential to type are officially determined, through study and the drafting of a standard. But in the Dogo Argentino, that process was reversed.
At the beginning of the last century, Dr. Nores Martines of Argentina imagined a breed suited to the work of helping in the hunt of big game. He developed a standard, and only later began to really work to create the Dogo Argentino. In the end, Dr. Martines crossed nine breeds to obtain a final product that came as close as possible to his dream dog, idealized so many years before. As a result, the description in the standard written by the Dogo Argentino Breeds founder should be appreciated with a particular eye and attention, compared to other standards. The Dogo must be exactly as his creator imagined him decades ago, and any attempt to change him should be seen as a serious attack on the original spirit of the breed.
Years after the original Dogo Argentino standard was written, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) decided to reformat the standards of different countries to make them more uniform, more modern and easier to read, and to leave less room for personal interpretation.
To accomplish this FCI goal of unifying the standards, the Federación Cinológica Argentina (FCA) was formally asked to provide a version of the Dogo Argentino standard following the
new format. In February 1997, after fierce battles between the Argentine kennel club and the
breed’s parent club, the new Dogo standard was sent to FCI. But this proposed standard was not yet definitive, as FCI sent it back to the kennel club for revisions, and it was not until January 1999 that the new Dogo Argentino standard was definitively approved and put into force.
Because of its new format and various questionable details, this new standard has modified the original spirit of the Dogo Argentino standard. So, with respect to the current and official
document that all we judges must refer to when we judge, anyone who seriously wants to deepen
his or her understanding of the breed must carefully read and study the original standard. That
is the only document that contains what were and should be the true principles for understanding and judging the Dogo correctly.
The Dogo Argentino is a lighter and more muscular Molosser. He must not tend toward a heavier, brachymorphic type, nor should he be of a racier, Sighthoundy form, with light bone and long legs. Instead, he falls in the center, without tipping to one side or the other of these two different extremes of body type. The first impression a Dogo should give is one of “substance.” As a result, he must have good bone paired with an explosive, defined musculature, and as little body fat as possible. A Dogo Argentino without this substance will never have the basic characteristics of type to be considered a good representative of the breed. The Dogo Argentino is a rustic dog, but he maintains a general impression of pride and nobility.
Correct proportions are another characteristic of type. The muzzle of the Dogo Argentino Standard is almost as long as the skull; one can accept only a slight shortening. The thorax must descend almost to the elbow, although a dog with a deep chest that finishes slightly below the elbow is preferred. A deep chest is indicative of great lung capacity. The length of body should be slightly longer than the height at the withers, a rectangular outline.
An expression of marked hardness is essential. The upper eyelid is very thick, and because it is slightly heavy it tends to form an angle with the upper eye rim. The lower eye rim should be as tight as possible. As a result, the eye shape is triangular, leaving the eye well protected and the white not visible. It is preferred that the eye rims be black, because without it comes eventual depigmentation, which should be strongly penalized. The eye is positioned semi-laterally, and the orbital bone beneath appears heavy, because the muzzle joins well below the eyes. Eye color is as dark as possible, and a blue eye is not allowed, although this color may appear in puppies.
A perfect intersection of the canines is more important than the overall bite itself, which
can be scissors or level. (In exceptional cases we can also accept a reverse scissors bite, if
the following requirements are met). The lower canines must be positioned perfectly inside the
space between the two upper canines, and be flanked by the first incisor. A holding dog must
have canines that intersect perfectly. The teeth must be large and healthy, all the better if all the
premolars are present.
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