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Martnez gave when presenting the breed. It was pronounced after a formal fight t
ook place between "A", an extraordinary specimen of Dogo Argentino, and "Pepe Jos S
talin", a 7-year old great boar stallion kept by the Nores in a corral Dogo Arge
ntino
ainst loneliness. All breeds have a common trait, though: fidelity towards man,
the worst tyrant nature has ever created".
"More than 20 years ago, using the qualities of the canine race, I proposed to m
yself selecting a new breed with the adequate conditions for big-game hunting as
it is done in our country".
"Our hunting modalities are not like the ones we find in Europe, and for that re
ason the breeds selected in that continent have proven to be inadequate here. In
Argentina we hunt in endless woods without natural limits, very thick and intri
cate, in many cases without trails or paths. In these conditions, the boar, puma
and peccary, after hearing the dogs, could easily dissapear in terrains coverin
g thousands of hectares, if they weren't attacked and forced to stop so the dogs
can have the possibility of finding them".
"Without a prey dog capable of catching the quarry, every hunting intent would b
e futile".
"That being said...what qualities should a prey dog have in order to be capable
of fighting against pumas and boars?"
"In first place, he must folow the scent in silence, because if not the prey wou
ld run away. He needs a good nose, but has to scent the wind and not the trail,
so as not to get disoriented with old scents".
"He must be agile, but more proficient in combat than in sheer speed, because an
y dog that is not excessively heavy can outrun the boar, puma, or peccary".
"Lastly, his COURAGE must predominate over all the other qualities. If he finds
himself in front of the boar or the puma, he should be able to stop any of them
by himself, even if wounded, until the other dogs or the hunter reach to help hi
m. And if both the latter don't show up in time, he should be able to kill the a
nimal by himself".
"I believe that COURAGE and BRAVENESS should be the fundamental qualities of the
breed, because in the thickest of our native woods, a dog which limits himself
to finding the prey is of no use if the latter has the possibility of running aw
ay. It is imperative that the dog attacks it, and catches it".
"Regarding size, and bearing in mind the type of vegetation commonly found in ou
r woods, it's preferably the medium one. However, it is better to use the larges
t animals in the selection process, because the hard outdoors work and poor feed
ing, typical of a working dog, tend to reduce the animal's size".
"COURAGE is also the indispensable quality for the guard dog, which is the alter
native function for the Dogo Argentino. In general terms, people believe that a
guard dog is the one who barks and even bites a stranger if need be. According t
o this definition, all dogs of all breeds would be good guard dogs. In my belief
, a guard dog is something more: He must be willing to die defending his home an
d his master".
"I have no use for a guard dog who attacks an intruder and backs off after the f
irst hit or knife stab. In my opinion, this animal is undeserving of his master'
s trust, and also undeserving of being called a "guard dog".
"I have mentioned the fundamental qualities that I tried to obtain in the Dogo A
rgentino; facts will tell if my efforts have been successful or not. Being a par
t of the process, I cannot pronounce myself on that".
"However, we must remember that, precisely because of the canine race's ability
to adapt, we must always consider, for selection purposes, both the morfologial
aspects and the education aspects, the latter oriented to fulfill the objectives
of the breed. We could say that, to achieve the constant betterment of a breed,
we should apply the following formula: F x M + E, which means: Father x Mother
+ Education. In genetical language we could say that heritage + education + envi
ronment (that is, genotype + phenotype) conform the indispensable conditions to
mantain and further enhance one breed's characteristics".
"It is indispensable that we pay attention to these aspects, sirs, for a sheer b
iological principle: In biology, evolution is life, and inertia is death. Specie
s and breeds which don't get better, get worse; those who do not evolve, involut
ionate, which means a regression, the abandoning of the path followed for genera
tions; they degenerate, losing the qualities formerly obtained for the desired o
bjectives".
"To conclude, sirs, I present my excuses if I have emphasized my words with too
much passion, but I want to remind you that the person who dedicates his life to
an idea needs to be proud of it, because passion is the engine, the force behin
d the ideas; ideas born without passion are born dead. That's why the history of
mankind is the history of human passion; the biography of the great people is a
lso the apology of their great passions".
"I have finished"