Criadero La Cocha - Criadero de Dogo Argentino de la Familia del Dr. Antonio Nores Martínez

Standard

The canine body

In general it can be distinguished dogs in which the length is predominant, called longliners or dolico-morphs, or those breviliners or brachi-morphs, and finally those which maintain the harmony in their proportions called meso-morphs or normo-types.

According to the size, they can be micro-talics or small size dogs, meso-talics or medium size dogs and makro-talic or large size dogs.

On my part, I am convinced that the dog of prey as the athlete, has to keep a canon, that from the morphological point of view is harmony in proportion, and from the functional point is eurythmy, that in the normal organic correlation, which is translated in a major capacity of strength, I have tried that the Dogo Argentino be a meso-morph or normo-type and a makro-talic, giving preference to those of big size, that is to say, a heavy dog between those of the race of prey, in a way that the light combat dogs are defeated with its weight and those dogs of a bigger size are defeated with quality, because the individual bio-type can be represented with two concentric circles.

The inner circle or genotype which is given by inheritance and the para-type or outer circle which is given through education and environment, that in the Dogo Argentino race the genotype is Prey; keeping in mind the races in which it is rooted and assembled from: Bull-dog, Bull-terrier, Great Dane, Boxer, Mastif, etc. and the paratype is also the result or synthesis of many generations educated for combat and fight, thus complying the enounced formula by Dr. Agustín Nores Martinez, in his article " Ancestral inheritance and functional gymnastics in the dogs" ( Diana Magazine November 1944) as base for canine race improvement, formula which is expressed as follows: (F + M) x E, it is to say, Father plus Mother multiplied by Education or Functional Gym, formula which is valid for all species, because is a genetic law, that the result is: Inheritance plus Education.

Standards for the Dogo Argentino:

SKULL. Solid, convex in the ante-posterior sense and transverse by the relieves of
the masticatory muscles and nape.
FACE. Of the same length as the skull, that is to say that the line which connects both orbitarian apophyses of the frontal bone are at the same distance from the occiput and the alveolar edge of the upper jaw bone.
EYES. Dark, wrapped up in the eyelids (of dark or light colored edges) the separation between them has to be big, it has to have a vivacious and intelligent look, but with a pronounced hardness at the same time.
JAWBONES. Well adapted, without prognathism, strong, with good dental implantation.
NOSE. Strongly pigmented in black, with a slight stop at the tip, wide nostrils.
EARS. At the top of the head, erect or semi-erect, triangular shaped, they always have to be cut off.
LIPS. Well rolled up, taut, free of black pigment lips.The short lip is required, so that when the dog is holding the catch, allows it to breath through the posterior corner of the mouth, because if the lip is "pendulum" although the jaw bone quite long, is somewhat a valve in the isnpiration and closes the corner of the mouth keeping the animal from making a suppletory breathing through mouth while holding the prey, forcing it to let the piece go due to asphyxia as it happens to the Mastif.
OCCIPUT. It must not make relief, because the potent muscles of the nape will erase it completely, being the insertion of the head and neck as an arch.
NECK. Thick, arched, slim, with a very thick throat skin, making wrinkles as in the Mastif but not so taut as those in the Bull-Terrier. This elasticity of the neck's skin is due to the cellular tissue of this part is very lax allowing the skin to slip over the superficial aponeurosis , in this way the adversary's fang or claw , only hurts the skin and if it were another dog which attempts to get hold of it neck, as the skin is very elastic and strectches a lot it lets it to hold the other dog at the same time it is beeing held.
HEIGHT. 60 to 65 cm. (23 to 26 inches)
WEIGHT. 40 to 45 kg. (88 to 100 Pounds)
CHEST. Wide and deep, with the sensation of having a great lung. Seen from the front the sternum or breast bone has to surpass below the elbows.
BACK. Height, very strong, with great muscular relieves.
THORAX. Wide, side view the lower edge passes the elbows.
COLUMN. Higher in the back, with a slight slope towards the haunch; in adult animals, when the muscular development of the back and kidneys is good, from the sideview it looks like an armchair and presents the medium channel all the length of the column, given by the relief of the spinal muscles.
HANDS. Rights, well planted, with short toes and well joined.
KIDNEY. Erased by the muscles of the back.
LEGS. Of muscular thighs, with a short heel and closed fingers, without aberrant fingers.
TAIL. Long, straightened in arch, with a wide curve upwards. During combat they keep it lifted and in constant side motion, as when the animal receives its master. The length must be shortened to improve harmony as a whole, for which preferential treatment should be given to those that have the tail reaching no farther than the heel.
MANTLE. Totally white, some dark or black stains can only be tolerated in the eyes or front edge of the ear , Any other stain in whichever part of the body it may be located might rule the animal out as a sign of atavic character. The white specimens with a very black pigmented skin, has to be considered as not fit for breeding due to the recessive character which is shown and that might become predominant in the offspring, if it mates with another specimen sharing the same potential defect.
MOTIVE FOR DISQUALIFICATION. Sarco eyes, deafness, stains in the body, long hair, white nose, prognathism, pendulum lip and any other body disproportion.

COMMENTS

As for the issue of height and weight there are great debates and discussions in the world of Dogo. The creator of the breed, would have never guessed the trouble the it would be in the future, had he not specified precisely the limits for its disqualification as a Dogo.

But he did do it in all his lectures (see history). Spite of this, there are still those who propitiate gigantism, holding on to what the creator had said:"that between two adult animals one has to choose the one which is bigger in size, since in the argentine country, bad feeding reduces it"

In our time this does not happen like that, since most of all the specimen are not raised in the country and are very well fed. And is this commercial urge that has led to desvirtuate the race, where some known breeders have committed the unforgivable act of adulterating the breed by crossbreeding it with a Great Dane, in order to provide it with a higher height.

We consider, that there is not much to analyze about it, since with common sense, is logical that a specimen with more height and weight, can not penetrate into the mounts, nor be able to offer combat to a wild boar.