The creators stated that the correct Dogo temperament should reflect their rare contrast between extraordinary courage and incredible kindness of character. The creators went on to say, “The Dogo is the most docile and mild of the hunting dogs and without a doubt not even lap dogs have the kindness and patience to withstand the teasing that he can take from children.”

Good breeders consider each breeding carefully, with the goal that from birth, each pup would have the potential to win in the ring and have the drive, and abilities for hunting. Breeders must consider this from the beginning, to enhance the basic sound temperament as well as correct conformation and natural hunting ability, to be bred into the pup. The pups must be handled gently, kept warm, fed well and socialized continually, beginning at a very young age. In addition to all this, good breeders do all they can to insure that the homes their pups go to, will be prepared and qualified for the unique responsibility of owning a large breed dog. Unfortunately pups bred for profit may not have this kind of care because it takes time and effort to give this special attention.

The Puppy should be taught basic obedience. This teaches them their “manners,” because in the not too distant future, this puppy will be a LARGE dog, which could unintentionally injure someone if they were not taught basic manners. Puppy classes are also an excellent way to bond with your puppy. You can follow that up with several levels of obedience classes, and possibly attain their CGC (Canine Good Citizen Certificate) which is always an excellent certification to attain for your large breed dog. In addition to this, you may wish to look into temperament testing. For more information on this or to find a testing site in your area, you may wish to go to the American Temperament Test Society’s web site. http://www.atts.org

Persons contact rescues all the time wanting to surrender their dogs which have become unruly, or aggressive. Such dogs are not suitable for rescue situations. Often times these dogs have these temperament problems because their well-meaning masters didn’t properly socialize them, train them, or discipline them. Just like human children, canines NEED attention, guidance and discipline to grow into good responsible, stable adults.

We HIGHLY recommend the Nothing in Life is Free program, click here to learn more about NILF.

Training and Support:

We hope to provide you with a list of Training sites on this page in the near future, until then, please consult your local phone book for Canine Obedience trainers in your area.

“I have seen my old Kob of the pampas, hunter of many wild boars, who had fought many times with adult pumas in the mountains, his head and body bearing the scars of his struggles, and several times at the point of death, endure patiently the most irritating teasing of children, without showing anger, snarling, or the least intent to bite.”
- Agustin Nores Martinez, Translated from “The Argentine Dogo”

The Dogo craves close physical contact with his people; a Dogo never lays at your feet, he lays on your feet. He is a reliable family guardian, interested in all activities and enjoying guests along with his family. Should the Dogo discern a direct threat to any member of his family, he will act to protect that person. Dogos love children with a passion. At the sight of a child, a Dogo will light-up like a child on Christmas morning. They are as gentle and loving with their children and family as they are tenacious with their prey.

A warm body and soft couch will keep an adult Dogo quiet for hours. They are clean house dogs that need little coat care.

Obedience training is fun for the Dogo. They are natural heelers and respond wonderfully to positive reinforcement and motivation training. They enjoy working and pleasing their owners. On the other hand, Dogos don’t seem to understand force training and will sometimes appear stubborn in response to a force training method, or a forceful attitude. They have a very steady temperament and seem to adjust themselves quickly to different situations. In working with Dogos in obedience, you must always keep in mind that the Dogo is a hound. Like other hounds, you are constantly working to keep their attention on you and not the exciting smells around them. They will air and ground scent and this can be very distracting to the dog when working. Therefore, you must teach them that there is a time to work and a time to hunt, which can be a test of patience to both handler and dog.

The Dogo is also a very sensitive dog and rarely needs physical corrections. A heavy handed or harsh owner would quickly ruin a Dogo. This sensitivity makes it possible for an experienced dog owner to moderate or channel the strong hunting instinct into other outlets more appropriate to suburban life. Gentle corrections consistently applied are far more successful than harsh physical corrections. Usually a stern tone of voice is enough to get the message across.
The Dogo is highly intelligent and in training this is a double edged sword. The Dogo is easily trained and learns quickly using positive motivation, but the Dogo is also easily bored by overwork and repetition.

Dogos make good watchdogs. Dogos are very alert, and with proper socialization have a good sense of judgment. However, being a hunting dog, they are not the type of dog you could put on the front porch and expect them to stay there.

All in all, it is plain to see that the Dogo is not the dog for everyone. Their extreme hunting drive and tenacity coupled with a high energy level and intelligence result in a dog that is too much for the average dog owner to handle.