The Argentine Dogo is extremely intelligent, good natured and friendly.  This dog is Argentina's only native pure bred large-game hunting dog. It was developed to hunt wild boar and mountain lion (puma).  The wild boar of Argentina can weigh as much as 400 pounds, so it is easy to imagine that this is a large and powerful canine, and with such size and strength comes owner responsibility.  These dogs have been used in other countries as guide and police dogs, in the military, for tracking purposes, Search and Rescue, and in Schutzhund training with great success.  The Dogo must be trained with consistency, persistence, and patience.  This is an adult's dog.  Dogos are wonderful with children, but if they are taunted, teased, or tormented the dog may attack. Any type of dog is likely to resent such treatment.  Leaving a child unsupervised with a dog is unwise. The actions of very young children tend to be fast, they scream and cry, essentially they resemble the actions of prey.  When the prey drive in a dog is as highly tuned as in the Dogo, the child could be in danger.
     Dogos are not aggressive dogs, they do not go looking for trouble.  But if someone else starts something, the Dogo will be the one who has the last word.  If the dog perceives that his owner is in danger, the Dogo will place himself between his owner and the source of danger; if the danger continues the Dogo will curl his lip, bare his teeth, and growl.  The next act is the physical force involved in stopping the perceived danger.  Some people get a kick out of having a dog that does this with no real training at all, it comes naturally to a Dogo.  However, the danger is that the owner may, or may not, have control.  The dog will behave the way it is trained. If you are disappointed in your dog's behavior, you have no one to blame but yourself.  The difference between aggression and protection is that the act of protection is a controlled behavior. Do you as the owner want to have control, or do you wish to let the dog have control?  If the owner allows the dog to have control, than the owner should not bemoan the fact that someday his dogs may have to be put down, and he will be involved in some very serious litigation.
     The Argentine Dogo loves to be close, very close to his people.  It is said that, "a Dogo never lays at your feet, he lays on your feet".  He is interested in being a part of all of the family activities, and enjoys the family's guests.  They are a clean house dog in that they are easily house trained, and their coat only needs to be maintained on a weekly basis.  The Dogo can enjoy a nice soft couch, and cuddle up to their favorite person and be content for hours. They do need regular exercise and training.
     The Dogo Argentino Club of America has as part of their standard a height minimum as measured to the withers.  The male Dogo, at one year of age, should measure 25 inches at the shoulder.  The female Dogo, also at one year of age, should measure 23-1/2 inches at the shoulder.  There is no maximum to the size of either gender, however, the Dogo should be balanced and in good condition.  An important note should be added here, in that the Dogo is expected to be capable of hunting the mountain lion and wild boar.  Too small a size it would not be capable of doing this, although the giant size, or tall gangly type is not desired either.  The standard is strictly regarded as a guide, not a limitation to intelligent, well versed breeders.
     The Dogo, both male and female, mature at a slow rate which is normal for large sized breeds.  The male matures in about three years, and the female usually takes about two years.  The Dogo possesses a white coat and it has a satin-like feel to it.  The Dogo can sunburn, so it will need shade available if it is outside for long periods of time.  Both sexes are inquisitive about their environment and will investigate everything around them.  These dogs are not hyperactive, but simply are very curious about their surroundings and will keep busy checking things out.
     It is important that the owner of an Argentine Dogo remember that this is a member of the hound group, not the working group.  There is a different style used in training a hound versus training a working dog.  The working dog has certain instincts that make it easier to train than a hound.  A hound will be excited by all the scents that are in the air, their attention will not always be on you and you, the trainer, have to keep reminding them to pay attention.  Patience will be tested time and again, both on the part of the dog and on that of the trainer.  Remember this is canine that was bred to be a superb hunting dog.

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