FCI-Standard No 292
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIGUE INTERNATIONALE
Standard: Dogo Argentino
Country of Origin: Argentine
Skull
Solid. convex from back to front and transversely due to the
relief of the mastication
muscles and the nape.
Head
Of the same length as the skull, i.e. the line connecting both
orbital apophyses of the frontal bone is at the same distance of
the occiput and the alveolar edge of the upper maxillary.
We have separated skull and face, however both form the
"Head" of the Dogo, which is typical and, as explained
in this work, is of the mesocephalic. type and must have a
convex-concave profile, that is, a convex skull due to the relief
of the insertion of the masticating muscles, typical in prey
dogs, of the "masticating' type, and the face and snout
slightly concave upwards, typical of dogs with good olfaction.
that is, having a skull for mastication and a face for olfaction
as long as it implies a functional interaction: high sniffing..
zygomatic arches well separated from the skull, with an ample
temporal cavity to comfortably insert the temporal muscle, one of
the main masticators.)
Eyes
Dark or nutbrown. With black or flesh colored eyelid rims, the
separation between them must be large, vivacious and smart look
and markedly stern at the same time. Light eyes or red brows are
reasons to deduct points. Disparity of color is a reason for
disqualification.)
Jaws
Well matched, without prognathism, strong with large and well
placed teeth. (The number of molars does not matter while the
most important thing is the homogeneity of the dental arches, the
lack of cavities, no upper or lower prognathism, and especially,
that all four fangs, large and clean. match perfectly while
pressing to seize the prey.)
Nose
Intensely pigmented in black, with a slight stop on Its tip, with
ample nostrils. (A white nose or white stained nose deducts
points. A divided nose or harelip are reasons for
disqualification.)
Ears
On top of the head, erect or semierect. Of triangular shape,
must always be cut. (The judge must not fudge a Dogo with long
ears, and must remove it from the ring. Somewhat longer cut ears
can be accepted in females like in Great Danes. The male is
preferred with slightly shorter ears. The Dogo Argentino is a
prey dog that is, a fighting dog, and long ears can be easily
grabbed and very painful during fights Moreover, aesthetical
reasons make it necessary to cut the ears.)
Lips
Must be well turned upwards, stretched, with free rims and
pigmented in black. (Lips must be short for the dog to be able to
breath through the side lip commissure while seizing the prey. If
the lip is pendant, even if the maxillary is long, it works as a
valve during inhalation, closing the lip commissure which impedes
the animal to perform supplemental respiration though the lip
commissures during the seize, having to release due to asphyxia.
as it happens with breeds with hanging lips.)
Occiput
Must not show any relief since it is completely concealed by the
powerful muscles of the nape, forming an archshaped linkage
between the head and the neck. (It is concealed by the curved
line of the convexity of the skull.)
Neck
Thick, arched, well built, with a very thick skin by the throat,
forming the wrinkles like those of the Mastiff, the Dogue de
Bordeaux, the Bulldog, and not stretched, like in the
Bullterrier. (Such elasticity of the neck skin is due to the
cellular tissue being very slack in this region, allowing the
neck skin to slide over the superficial aponeurosis, such that
the fang or the paw of the contender only hurts the skin. In the
case of a cougar, for example, which will try to seize it by the
neck, since the skin is elastic and stretches a lot, it allows to
seize the prey as well.)
Chest
Ample, deep. giving the sensation of having a large lung. When
seen from the front, the breastbone must overpass the elbows.
(Being the Dogo Argentlno, a dog for work and for fight, it is
obvious the importance of an ample and deep chest due to the
importance of breathing for the dog.)
Back
Tall. Very strong. With large muscular relief's.
Thorax
Ample; when seen sideways, its lower edge overpasses the elbows.
Topline
Taller on the back, inclined toward the croup in a smooth slope.
(In adult animals, when the development of back muscles and the
kidney is adequate, when seen sideways they show a median channel
along the spinal muscles.)
Forelegs
Straight, well set, with short and closed toes. The length of the
toes must keep proportion with the foot and have fleshy pads,
with thick skin and very rough, with callousness and allow the
animal to run a lot through rough and stony terrain, without
hurting.)
Kidney
Concealed by the muscles in the dorsum.
Legs
Good muscles in the thighs, with short nails and tightly closed
toes, with no dew claws. Must show good angulation, always having
in mind that they are the drivers for speed and the support for
close fighting so that the thigh muscle must always be
emphasized. The dew claw, though very easy to get rid of during
the first few months, is a reason to deduct points by being a
recessive feature toward the Great Pyrenees, but is not a reason
for disqualification.)
Tail
Long and thick, held hanging naturally, but without overpassing
the hocks. It must be kept raised during the fight, with a
continuous lateral motion, like when fawning with the master. (It
must be kept in mind that the tail is very helpful, whether
acting as a helm to change course during runs, as a compensatory
support during the fight acting in combination with the rear
quarters.)
Weight
40 to 45 kilos.
Height
60 to 65 centimeters. (With both the height and the weight, the
judge must be inflexible, since being the Dogo a fighting dog
among big game breeds, a smaller size decreases its efficiency..
Any adult Dogo, male or female, must be disqualified if less then
60 centimeters tall. Among many good candidates, the tallest must
be preferred. The developer of this breed has expressed that the
Dogo Argentino is a norm type, that is, it must keep harmonious
proportions, or organic eurythmy, which translates into a larger
force capacity. This is why the selected specimen must be that
with larger height and weight, without being gigantic.)
Coat
Completely white. Spots of any color are a disqualifier due to
its atavistic nature. White specimens with skin heavily pigmented
in black must be deemed as not good for breeding, due to the
recessive nature that represents, which can turn predominant in
its descendants when mated with other specimens having this
latent defect. Small spot on the head are not a reason for
disqualification, however, between two similar specimens, the
completely white must be preferred. On the other hand, any spot
on the body is a reason for disqualification.)
Disqualification
Blue, light blue or eyes of inappropriate color, deafness, body
spots, long hair, white or heavily white stained nose,
prognathism (whether lower or upper). pendent lip, houndlike
head, long ears (with no cutting). size shorter than 60
centimeters, more than one spot an the face and any physical
disproportion. The dew claw deducts points, but does not
disqualify it.