Dogo Argentino

Loyal and brave, with strong drive; watchful of strangers.
A Dogo Argentino
Photo: joseltr
Adult male
40–45 kg
88–99 lb
Adult female
40–43 kg
88–95 lb
Lifespan
9–15 yrs
Class · Watchdog
also Field

What it's like

In character the breed is loyal and brave, attached to its family and watchful with strangers. Its standard describes a cheerful, friendly dog, yet its hunting background gives it strong drive and considerable strength. It was also meant to hunt silently rather than bay at its quarry.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Quiet
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Dogo Argentino right for you?
Take the breed matcher

Living with one

It has a short coat. It sheds through the year rather than in big seasonal moults. Plan on a brush once a week. It needs a moderate amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Dogo Argentino is a large dog, about the weight of a grown Rottweiler. Males and females end up much the same size. It is one of the heaviest large breeds.

The result is a muscular, athletic dog with a broad, strong head, a thick neck and a short, smooth coat that is entirely white. A single dark patch on the head is tolerated but not sought, and the nose is black. In Argentina the ears are often cropped, a practice banned in the UK.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Dogo Argentinos reach half their adult weight at about 5 months. They grow fastest between 4 and 5 months old. They keep growing past their first birthday, longer than a Beagle does. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
13 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight5
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
02040602m4m6m9m12m18m
02040602m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
7.0–7.8 kg 15.4–17.2 lb
7.0–7.5 kg 15.4–16.5 lb
3 months
11.2–12.6 kg 24.7–27.8 lb
11.2–12.0 kg 24.7–26.5 lb
4 months
16.6–18.7 kg 36.6–41.2 lb
16.6–17.8 kg 36.6–39.2 lb
5 months
22.5–25.3 kg 49.6–55.8 lb
22.5–24.2 kg 49.6–53.4 lb
6 months
27.9–31.4 kg 61.5–69.2 lb
27.9–30.0 kg 61.5–66.1 lb
7 months
32.2–36.2 kg 71.0–79.8 lb
32.2–34.6 kg 71.0–76.3 lb
8 months
35.1–39.5 kg 77.4–87.1 lb
35.1–37.8 kg 77.4–83.3 lb
9 months
37.0–41.7 kg 81.6–91.9 lb
37.0–39.8 kg 81.6–87.7 lb
10 months
38.2–43.0 kg 84.2–94.8 lb
38.2–41.1 kg 84.2–90.6 lb
11 months
39.0–43.8 kg 86.0–96.6 lb
39.0–41.9 kg 86.0–92.4 lb
12 months
39.4–44.3 kg 86.9–97.7 lb
39.4–42.4 kg 86.9–93.5 lb
15 months
39.9–44.8 kg 88.0–98.8 lb
39.9–42.8 kg 88.0–94.4 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Dogo Argentinos live yet. The 9–15 years shown is a general figure without a published source.

Where it comes from

The Dogo Argentino was created in Córdoba province by the surgeon Antonio Nores Martínez to hunt wild boar, peccary and puma. He crossed the local Old Fighting Dog of Cordoba with breeds including the Bull Terrier, Great Dane, Boxer and Pointer, keeping only white dogs, and its standard was presented in 1947. In the UK it is one of the types of dog it is "against the law to own".4,7

The Dogo Argentino took its present form over several decades of selective breeding. After Antonio Nores Martínez, its creator, died in the mid-twentieth century, his brother Agustín carried on the work and promoted the breed at home and abroad. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale recognised it in the nineteen-seventies, and it is often described as the only Argentine breed with full recognition from that body. It was bred to hunt in packs across rough country. The dogs would find the quarry by scent, run it down and hold it until the hunters arrived, work that called for stamina, courage and a powerful grip.

Breed standard

The Dogo Argentino is judged against standard no. 292, in group 2, Pinscher and Schnauzer, Molossoid and Swiss Mountain Dogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Dogo Argentino figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

Fila Brasileiro
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Rottweiler
Pinschers & molossoids · Giant
Bernese Mountain Dog
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Giant Schnauzer
Pinschers & molossoids · Large
Or compare the Dogo Argentino with any breed you choose
Track your own Dogo Argentino
Log a minute a day and watch them sit on these curves. Free.

Sources

Uncited on this page: Lifespan — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
Something wrong on this page?
Parts of this page were written by AI ·