All too often someone sees a Dogo, maybe meets it in person, they fall madly in love and thus begins their search for a Dogo of their very own. But in this search, many people forget that the Dogo is a hunting breed, and that it can be a heard headed breed, and they may not realize that the Dogo they met, didn’t just “Naturally” become so well behaved. No dog, of ANY breed is a “Great dog, just add water and food.” It takes work, and a lot of it, to have a well-behaved and mentally and physically stable dog.

Dogos require a special master, one that understands the breed, understands “pack mentality,” and is fully able to insure that there is “pack order” from day one. Dogos are NOT for the novice dog owner. There are so many things that a person who is “Madly in love with the Dogo,” may not consider while they are in search of a Dogo puppy…and many are able to find Dogo pups, and they are in pure BLISS with their Cuddly Wuddly lil Dogo Puppy…all that silky white fur and “rolly polly pudgy puppiness,”. And then PUPPY transforms into ADULT, and that’s when people quickly realize that perhaps they were vastly unprepared to handle an adult Dogo.

Ask any Rescue worker how many times they receive owner surrendered Dogos at 1 and a half to 2 years of age, when the dog has reached sexual maturity, and suddenly their master is looking to give away/re-home their Dogo, because they just came to realize that Dogos are FAR too much dog for them…

Part of the problem starts with the breeder. Breeders SHOULD take the time to check out the potential “puppy person.” The breeder needs to ask questions to insure that the puppy is going to a GOOD and KNOWLEDGEABLE home. Good breeders do NOT just say, “Oh you want a puppy, sure, I have X amount of males and X amount of females they cost $X, when would you like to come pick one out?” If they don’t ask you questions, if they don’t find out your “Dog experience level,” then they are setting you & the puppy up for some rough times ahead! And sadly, there are many “breeders” out there that’ll gladly take your money, and offload a pup on you, and then you are on your own…and guess what…Puppies grow up….QUICKLY. And if you don’t establish rules and boundaries, and establish pack order from early on, you’ll have to work double time to catch up later, and that’s IF you are capable of and have the time to devote to this “project.”

So since some “Breeders” cannot be depended upon to insure YOU are a good Dogo owner, it’s up to you to figure it out…and we’re going to try to help you with that process.

Questions to ask yourself.

Are you prepared for a LARGE BREED Dog? How tall are your fences? How strong are your fences? Do you have time to walk your dog? Have you ever owned a Large breed dog before?

Are you aware that the Dogo Argentino is a hunting breed, specifically bred to hunt down and engage Wild Boar and Puma. Because they are a hunting breed, they often have a natural prey drive and generally cannot be walked in the woods or parks off lead, because their prey drive or nose or both, made lead them on the trail of a wild animal, and your average pet owner is not going to know how to handle this situation. Are you aware that hunting dogs are happiest if they have a task/job, which stimulates their mind as well as their body. Hunting is of course the best task for this hunting breed. ~ A Bored Dogo is a destructive force…good bye lawn furniture, good bye garden…they will find ways to entertain themselves, that you are sure not to like, if you don’t or can’t find ways to stimulate their minds and drives.

Are you prepared for larger vet bills? Because Dogos are larger, when you see the vet for minor or serious illnesses, the medication doses are larger, and cost more, so does the Heartworm, flea and tick preventives. Are you aware of the health issues that sometimes plague this breed?

Are you prepared for the special requirements of owning a large breed dog? ~They can reach the counter tops without even trying, they can leap over most fences, they NEED exercise, and room to play.

Are you aware of, and know how to establish pack order? (And “the pack,” includes the HUMANS in your family as well as any and all other “pets”)

Do you understand that upon sexual maturity, adult dogs may challenge the “pack order,” and you have to be prepared for this, and know how to handle it. ~think of a wolf pack... What happens when a lower ranking wolf, becomes aware of a weakness in the higher-ranking wolf? It challenges the higher-ranking wolf, in the hopes of becoming the NEW PACK LEADER. Now convert this to a large breed dog and yourself…if you are a weak owner, or don’t establish pack order properly, the large breed dog very well might test you for dominance. This would be VERY unpleasant!

If you don’t know how to establish pack order and you don’t know how to establish that you, and all human members of your family as alphas in the pack, then the dogo is NOT for you.

Are you prepared to provide for the needs of a large and headstrong breed? Exercise, bedding, properly fitting collars, strong leashes, LOTS of food, and since so many Dogos have allergies, you may have to purchase a costly brand, or feed raw…

Are you prepared for the reaction of the public? Some people will see your dog, and automatically think, “GIANT PIT-BULL,” and you will be unwelcome in some places as a result. Homeowners associations have been known to be problematic with Dogos. Dog parks are not a good idea for Dogos either…because even if your dog is as docile as a kitten, a little small toy breed, may approach your dog, and do as toy breeds often do, and start a fight…but because of the LOOKS of your dog, you and your dog will be the “villains” regardless of which dog started the altercation, even if all he or she did was defend itself.

Are you physically prepared to restrain a large breed dog? Do you know how to prevent and/or break up a dog fight if one occurs?

Guess what…While Dogos may have fairly short coats; they still shed, A LOT! You will have to sweep more, vacuum more, and buy stock in lint brushes…prepare your self for white hair on all dark garments…because Dogo hair WILL be everywhere.

And that brings us to Human allergies. Dogos are NOT “hypoallergenic” you or members of your family MAY be allergic to Dogo fur, or dander…so I suggest spending some time with a Dogo, at least an hour or so, pet the dog, notice how the fur flies, etc, and watch for a reaction either immediately, or later that day.

If you have doubts about your ability to handle or adapt to even ONE of the above mentioned points, you may want to seriously reconsider your decision to get a Dogo. You might be much happier with a less driven, less hard headed, dog…or you too may someday be contacting a member of a Dogo Rescue, looking to surrender your dog because once it became an adult, YOU realized that the Dogo is just TOO MUCH dog for you.