Husband wants dogo argentino

[pelegrinus]

@sizing Incorrect. They rarely get the opportunity to kill a huge boar because they are extremely hard to kill. They will kill the smaller ones routinely. It’s a catch dog. It bites and twists. They will absolutely kill if they can.

 

[sizing]

@pelegrinus I figured. That’s why I prefaced it with the fact I just read it somewhere. I know the base breed was the Córdoba fighting dog and I was having trouble understanding how you get a dog that doesn’t kill from that

 

[icetonez]

@sizing If they get a mountain lion they actively kill. They do not actively kill an adult boar because few animals actually can kill a boar. Look at their anatomy: Boar carry the head very low, their throat points to the ground, sharp tusks in the way if it's a male boar. Their leather is so thick that a knife gets dull after skinning one single boar; and while a sharp knife might puncture their thick skin, the rather dull teeth of a dog rarely do.

So, your not wrong, they do pin instead of kill, but not for a lack of hunting and killing drive, but rather because especially wild boar are hard to kill by any dog.

I still wouldnt call dogos aggressive. That's like calling a cat aggressive when it hunts mouse. Aggression and prey drive aren't the same. Aggression is more like, intraspecific and especially against human. And I don't see that in dogos; though I am not a dogo expert.

 

[sizing]

@icetonez Yeah that would make more sense. I guess that’s the problem with people like me trying to understand a breed purely on paper. First hand experience would be a good way to see how these desirable genetic traits express themselves. For the record I’ve wanted a Dogo for long time but I had to get honest with myself and understand I don’t have a need for a working breed and I don’t have the time to train

 

[icetonez]

@sizing To be fair, I read my comment again and I have no idea why I went into the brutal details. I have a stressfull day and am distracting myself a bit with reddit. Sorry.

I am same: I like the idea of having a dogo, but am better off with my hound. I know people who own dogos as pets and one group in Spain who own them for hunting. The Spanish dogs are... Something else. But the way they are kept is more like, tools. Not companions or friends. Meanwhile, my hound sleeps in my bed.

Btw, my hound is also from boar lines - but those were truly bred to NOT bite. They stand and bay if they have prey - my dog took immensely long to even play tug with me since she is so avoidant of biting something.

So, breed definitely plays a role. In hunting, in per ownership, in everything. It's just often not easy to say which behavior is bred vs learnt, and how strongly those behaviours are genetically fixed. Like e.g. the breed of hound o have? They never bite/latch onto a boar. The dogos? Always. That points to genetic behavior

 

[sizing]

@icetonez No need to apologize. Thank you for sharing your knowledge

 

[anth987]

@sizing I remember they were bred for dog fighting. And also one of the reasons they got extinct is they lost popularity after banning dog fights.

 

[icetonez]

@anth987 Yes, they were indeed bred for dog fighting! However, that is more than 100years past. Selective breeding changes traits so fast that we shouldn't claim a breed still has the exactly same traits as it had 100years before - look at the German shepherd for example.

Still you are right that this has to be taken into consideration, and they are certainly more dangerous towards other dogs than e.g. hounds, which were bred since always to be very tolerant towards other dogs

 

[pelegrinus]

@icetonez It’s still pretty prevalent in South America. One of the brothers that developed the breed actively fought his dogs.

 

[pelegrinus]

@anth987 This is correct. You are referring to the Cordoba fighting dog a now extinct breed of mastiff. Though the females were just as likely to attack the males to prevent a mating. Really the breed was just so damn dog aggressive it became extremely hard to breed them. Eventually the increase in popularity of boar and cougar hunting along with the Dogos sad success as a fighting dog as well replaced its niche in the working dog world.

While Dogos can be used in packs as Running Catch Dogs fights are still pretty common along with organized fighting and the nature of the work means they are typically expected to be replaced fairly frequency as their life expectancy is inevitably short so there are some health issues that a lot of people don’t realize are fairly prevalent. Throw in the crazy high energy they have and they’re a crazy hard breed to own. Don’t do it OP. You are not in the position in life to accommodate an animal like that. Even if you were it’s a major headache. Get him a Bordeaux or something if he wants a guard dog. Much easier going and low maintenance animal. A slobber rag is easier to deal with than a lawsuit.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@anth987 Are you talking about the Córdoba fighting dog? They didn't necessarily kill the females after mating, but they did go extinct because they all got killed by each other....

I don't think any of them went into creating the Dogo Argentino? but the creator of the Dogo breed wanted to mimic the Córdoba fighting dog... but make it BIGGER AND STRONGER.

So take a dog breed that is extinct because they are so dog aggressive they all killed each other... make them bigger and stronger... and you have the Dogo Argentino....

 

[extremecheese]

@anth987 No, this is very incorrect.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@sizing That’s not quite true. With proper exercise and playtime they do just fine. If you keep it created for eight hours a day that’s where you get a problem. Quite honestly, I think they’re temperament is better than a pitbull.

 

[cabldog]

@sizing You’re absolutely right I had to change my entire life over one animal which you know I’m not complaining now, but it’s a big responsibility. I literally trained my dog as if she hunts and I am a stay at home mom I live in the sticks we don’t hunt but we drive her like we do bc her energy she escapes otherwise looking for things to find tracking smells she needs a task daily she patrols our yard and out of all my dogs is the number one guardian of my three-year-old. You don’t even look at her wrong.

 

[sergeant98]

@ombowstring1 OP I have been working with dogs for over 20 years and completely agree with you here. Nothing against any dog breed, but dogos, presas, cane corsos, etc tend to be a popular choice for certain types of men (they want a “tough” looking mastiff and then don’t bother doing the type of training and socializing these dogs require)

I’ve been training dogs for two decades and would not get one of these dogs (not just because I used to work with one years ago who had to be euthanized at two years old for mauling the owners toddler) but because they are headstrong and HUGE. I am fully confident in my ability to train one of these dogs, but I am also aware that I am not big or strong enough to restrain one if it decided something was prey.

Your husband frankly doesn’t seem to know much about dogs at all. There are all kinds of dogs that are different from other types of dogs. If he insists on a Dogo because it’s “just like any other dog” then why not a Pomeranian or a Schnauzer? Just like any other dog, no?

I live in a heavily populated area and so there are thousands of dogs in just my neighborhood alone. I worked at a dog daycare here too and in those few years we had to ban a number of dogs for being aggressively toward other dogs—a couple pitbulls (out of hundreds, they are the most populous breed in the shelters here), and all but one mastiff type dog—who eventually was banned for attacking an employee.

If you can’t agree on a dog then do not introduce a new one into your home.

 

[medicus]

@ombowstring1 No dog is a blank slate. Dogs bred for certain activities are hardwired for certain characteristics and trying to train against type will be frustrating and setting up the dog for failure.

 

[schir]

@medicus This 100%. I’ve owned two Argentinian dogos; they are great dogs and incredibly smart. That being said, they are a handful to say the least. Lots and lots of consistent training, we were lucky enough that during that time I had a very “liberal” work schedule.

 

[romans122]

@schir Weren’t they bred to protect herds from pumas? I’ve heard they are very loyal dogs

 

[schir]

@romans122 The two brothers that originated the breed wanted a big game hunter, flock protector, and a family dog. I had mine in the late 90’s and their dad was from Argentina.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@romans122 They are loyal to the core. The key is training them at a very young age. If you feel here then, yes, it’s possible for you to get a aggressive dog.