by Igor Mandic, 2006

Argentum Dogos, one of the most progressive kennels in Argentina today. In 2005, this kennel captured attention by showing two outstanding young dogs: Azahar de Argentum, ranked #1 Female Puppy Dogo Argentino 2005 FCA, and Baco de Argentum, son of Bombon de Don Ata ranked #5 in puppies FCA 2005 with only 45 days of shows.

The owner of Argentum Dogos is Daniel Cosentino, an accountant by profession with an MBA from Thunderbird in Arizona who lived, worked and traveled overseas for over a decade, living in the South Western United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela and travelling all over the Americas, Asia and Europe.

:Argentum Dogos web site

IM: Dogo Argentino is gaining popularity all over the world. What are the treats of the breed that make dogo attractive to a growing number of people? What is the best way to preserve and improve those traits?

DC: Hunting, protection and strength with tenderness are the traits that make Dogo Argentino so popular.

Hunting is the "raison d'etre" of the Dogo Argentino, to combat farm predators as the wild boar and the puma. The wild boars (jabali) of Argentina are a mixture of European boars with local wild pigs that are of much greater size. The puma is a South American leopard. Monteria is the way to hunt with the Dogo Argentino in my native Argentina, and is done with knives and four dogs with no gunfire allowed except as a life saving last resort.

Protection is clearly achieved with a Dogo in the house, as no person in his right mind will ever intrude such a home. The Dogo is a silent guard that will become extremely ferocious with any intruder.

Strength with tenderness is what I and many other people see in the breed. The Dogo Argentino is rough but very affectionate without being all over the owner. He is repectful of the deisre of the owner to be quiet and by himself, without constant demands for attention. He acts much like a feline does in the house. I know of no other breed that better represents strength and loyalty.

IM: Argentum belongs to the new wave of successful argentinian kennels. Would you please tell us more about your vision of future for Argentum?

DC: My intent is to place Argentum among the top three breeders on a world wide basis. This will be achieved with time and dedication and will take several years. Results in championships all over the world where our dogs compete will allow this over the long haul. We will continue providing honest replies and excellent service to customers outside of Argentina to further the popularity and respect for the Dogo Argentino and our position as a valid reference for them in the country of origin of the breed.

IM: What are your plans for future breedings, and if you can comment on why dogs you will use have advantages (in your opinion) over others?

DC: My future breedings are posted on my web site. I have already tested the results of Quina de los Quilmes with Juncal de los Medanos and will be "repeating" this breeding with Quebracho de los Medanos, a litter brother of Juncal that is a dog with a stronger bone structure but smaller chest. Azahar will again be bred with Bunker de Don Ata, since litter C results were phenomenal in my opinion, and Bunker was ranked # 1 in 2005. Azahar's sister Alhue will be bred with a champion to be selected by mid year.

IM: Can we expect some new tendencies in Argentum?

DC: I will always try to combine the certainty provided by the position in the rankings of sires, together with my own knowledge and females to produce good pups. I look for excellent heads, perfect white colour, solid bone structure and even character. I strive to produce Dogos that people will love to have at their homes as well as hunt with them.

IM: Argentinian breeders set quidelines for the breed. Are there new tendencies in Dogo Argentino breeding, in general, in its native country? Can you please comment and give us your opinion?

DC: The final setting of a consensus breed standard would be excellent. The current one fixes certain issues that were lacking in the original one (such as exact height limits) but made certain other modifications that are questioned by others (such as the allowed spot that now needs to be around the eye only). It will be difficult to achieve consensus among breeders and club members, but it would help. I cannot isolate a trend but would add that in many cases results awarded by all rounder judges are different than those of specialists.

This article was taken from:Dogocentral.com