CDAB: What is the opinion of Argentinians about European breeders?

    Birgitte and Peter: We have heard many different opinions. We have heard

   words as:

   - The Europeans can not breed a functional and typical dogo, because of the

   lack of hunting possibilities.

   - The Europeans are more serious regarding health.

   - Some Argentine judges/breeders have commented the exterior of the dogo

   on shows here, saying that the dogs were very correct  build all over with

   excellent movements.

     Some Argentine judges/breeders also have commented,  that the character

   of some dogos at the shows in the south of Europe were aggressive to

   humans, and that they do not like to see.

    CDAB: What you think – who are your dogos who were underrated by the

    judges?  What is your highest achievement as a breeder?

    CDAB: List of your favorite kennels Europe in the moment please.

    Birgitte and Peter: We will not desire to make a list, due to the risk of

   forgetting people that we might not even know ourselves. The kennels we

   like, they know, and that is for us most important.

    CDAB: Bombon de Los Medanos or Indio del Litoral?

    Birgitte and Peter: A mix : )

    CDAB: Some of the unwrited regulations for every dogueros who go to

    exhibition? Grooming - yes or not?

    Birgitte and Peter: Grooming yes, in small numbers, .a show is a show.

   A good judge will see.

   Using anabolic. NO – NO – NO, this is a serous point of concern. More tests

   should be done at shows.

   People with aggressive dogs should stay home, do not benefit anything at all.

   Only makes the people with the wrong motivation interested in the breed.

    CDAB: “The hunting of boar with Dogo” – I know you are tired to answer at

    this question but I will ask you again to talk about this. You hunted in

    America, Russia ... is hunt permited with dogo in Denmark?

    Birgitte and Peter: We have no wild boar in Denmark. The dogo is not

   allowed as a catch dog, but you can use your dogo for  hunting deer/birds as

   well as other hunting breeds. In Denmark you can use all breeds for hunting.

    CDAB: Do you think that ever the hunting with Dogo will be permuted

    oficially?

    Birgitte and Peter: We hope positively.

   When we are talking about countries that have wild boar, it is important to

   understand the hunting environment. It is highly important to show hunters

   the good skill in tracking wounded game with dogo, so they get introduced to

   the breed slowly to better understand the character.

   We hope and pray that the number of boars will go mad, so they need catch

   dogs to protect the hunters during the hunts, if a shot failed.

   We have already seen many accidents with Laikas and softer breeds on hunts,

   they do not protect the hunter, in fact many do not go near enough to the

   boar, so it get a dangerous situation for the shooter, since the boar often

   escapes in last second with the hunter very near, .some even attacks the

   hunter…

   With a dogo with you in a leash until the boar is bayed up, you have extra

   safety. That is the way we can introduce the dogo. But with the hunting

   tradition in Europe it is very difficult to penetrate – and get  a new breed 

   accepted.

    CDAB: Do you pay attention to the hunt quality of your dogs in your

    selection?

    Birgitte and Peter: Yes, among other important aspects. Every breeding is a

   melting pot, so many things needs to cover and fit into each other.

    CDAB: Did the dogo have a future like a hunting dog with the often atacs

    from the law of nature?

    fast and escapes – he is a free animal again. IF NOT, the dogo catch it and

   holds it until the hunter comes – who can decide if he want to kill or let go, if

   fx. it is a sow – to maintain the population.

     On the other hand you have the hunting with guns, where they often shoot

   the wrong specimen, and sometimes the boar escapes wounded, this is more

   suffering for the animal.

    CDAB: What is your opinion for the moving the dogo from II group, to the

    hunting group where it was before?

    Birgitte and Peter: We support that. He belongs there.

    CDAB: What you thing for the size of the dogo? Did it become too large dog?

    Birgitte and Peter: Now the size have become standard again, mid 90íes

   there were a lot of high dog.

   What is a too big dog? If you are on a show a dog more than 68 is too big

   regarding the standard. If you are a hunter with a dogo of 71 cm and the dog

   is hunting effective, then the dog is not too big for him.

     We have seen dogos hunting in Argentina in the low and open areas, where

   the boars are very fast and they preferred the higher dogs with more speed.

   Depends how you hunt, if you hunt with Cur dogs you do not need a high

   dogo with high speed. Depends on your hunting pack and methods.

    CDAB: You put tons from passion to the breeding dogo. Does it deserve that?

    What you gain like a human? What are the more - the positive or the

    negative things?

    Birgitte and Peter: The Dogos first and foremost - every joy you have with

   them make you go on and on, even in the hardest times of your life.

   To have the same passion in our relationship is precious.

     The positive things...

   ...are for sure building up wonderful friendship after our trips all over the world

   through the years. We have seen many parts of the world, getting more and

   more experience that way. Created contact to people we never would have got

   contact with, without doing the travelling. The relationship with our dogs

   owners is precious too, they are feed back to our work.

     Negative things...

   ...very hard work, lack of time with  the family. The frustration:  Watching too

   many people with the wrong motivation in the breed coming up. Watching

   some of them are putting themselves up as breed experts on the net, before

   even raising a litter of puppies at all before.   

    CDAB: Here in Bulgaria hunters think that dogo is not suitable dog for

    hunting because it is trying to make a contact with the pig and very often

    was hurt or killed by the boar. The fact it not barks is its minus. Do you think

    it has to be learn how to attack? Definitely the test is not good lesson

    because the pig is pressed to the wall and the dogs must to attack from the

    front and that is very bad lesson. What is your point of view?

    Birgitte and Peter: The dogos is perfect with baying dogs, we agree that in

   the European way of hunting: It can be a minus that the dogo is silent, but 

   you can not bark and have the mouth full of boar at the same time : )

     As soon as the pig is bayed you release the dogos. But the dogos must be

   prepared well – prepared means tested in pen gradually with a bigger boar.

    CDAB: Some dogo’s fans were staying late at night to read the dispute of

    Peter and Marcelo. Tell us what’s happened? There they were written some

    too hard words ...

    Birgitte and Peter: Well, we simply got tired of all the lies on the net.

   And when we see,  that we got called puppy millers and low moral people, we

   got enough and revealed the knowledge we have had since 2000 – we might

   should have done it before.

   Closing his board was his own decision.

   We are so tired of commerce in this breed. This board was only a marketing

   spot for his new” merge partner.”.

   We see more and more homepages that do not tell the truth about the

   experience behind the owner of the kennel, it is a difficult world for a new

   owner to enter in, it is full of  “tourist information “.

   This is very frustrating to be witness to.

   Therefore it is so important that people go and see kennels, visit the

   breeders talk to them, see documents to be able to judge themselves.

   We never recommend people to import from kennels they have not visited.

    CDAB: The blood glory of the dogo attract many people who we would like to

    keep away from our breed. It is pity that this is inevitably. What reputation

    you want to make for the breed?

    Birgitte and Peter: It is the breeders and owners who are responsible.

   ONLY breed the numbers of dogs you can find the good owners for.

   The dogos reputations should be first and foremost a hunting dog for large

   game, who are usefull for rescue search on prey and humans  and can at the

   same time be a great companion for active people.

    CDAB: Is the dogo a good dog for a dog fights?

    Birgitte and Peter: NO !!. He is NOT game as the pit.

   And also NOT desired for it, we do not want the dogo to fight, useless for

   hunting then and useless for our civilization.

   The Dogo Argentino is NOT BRED TO BE A FIGHTING DOG.

    CDAB: What is the place of the character in the breeding and how have to

    observe his preservation? Do you think Paolo Vianini is right?

    Birgitte and Peter: A very high rating !!  You can not defend breeding weak

   dogs or aggressive dogs, breeders are regarding temperament VERY

   responsible for the future of the Dogo Argentino here. Therefore we do not

   rate health/temperament under or over each other, they are just as much

   important.

     NO, We do not think Paolo Vianini is right…BUT he say something, that can

   be TRUE in FUTURE if  breeders around Europe will continue breeding dogos

   only on exterior. We need HEALTH and CHARACTER to be put highest in the

   next 10 years.

     We see too many dogos now with problems, it is very difficult for us to go

   out and find a dog from abroad with test results required for breeding and

   that is worrying. Most worrying is that the breeder does not take an effort in

   making those tests before breeding. But it seems that people are more willing

   to put the money on shows instead of getting the health tested on their stock

   first.

     No, Paolo is NOT right, we do not need a white pit-bull, that would NEVER

   make a better social hunting dog and a dog approved in our society.

    CDAB: How you think the breed will develop in future? What you expect from

    the new guidance of Argentinian club? What should to be changed?

    Birgitte and Peter: We are members of the Dogo Argentino Club in Argentina

   We only hear talks about intentions they have, but nothing really done yet.

   We want to see it before believing that these guidelines for breeding dogos

   are taken serious.

     We talked to breeders who now in Argentina start to admit the problems of

   health and are aware of some problems in the breed needed to be taken

   really serious, and we HOPE and PRAY that it will make the Club of the Dogo

   Argentino  require health screening in Argentina before giving out breeding

   permission.

   CDAB: How the breed with develop in the future?

   We hope the Dogo will develop into a more healthy dog, who have a lot of

   breeders who are acting responsible towards the breed.

   We hope that breeders all over the world will be more open and honest about

   their breedings.

     What we think is another thing….

   We believe that some breeders will realise that health testing is benefiting

   our breed and then the rest will continue closing their eyes for reality and

   breed without selection...

    CDAB: Some recomendations and wishes to Bulgarian dogueros.

   Greetings to the Bulgarian Dogueros.

   First of all it is very nice to see that Bulgaria have come up with our breed,

   and we also feel that Bulgarian owners are standing together, KEEP it that

   way, it is needed.

   Some advices:

 
   Create events that are not only Shows, to make interest in the dogo as a

   working dog. This will help to avoid that the Dogo gets commercial, and will

   only be seen as a show dog. Training obedience together, tracking, maybe

   cursing, is really fun with dogos, if you have greyhound tracks in Bulgaria try

   to rent them, or create one yourself. This bond people together better than

   shows – and also show what people are only in for commercial motivations.

   The motivation should be improving the breed. We would love to see the

   Bulgarian Dogo Argentino club to be next club who make breed restrictions.

     We hope all owners of our dear breed, will be aware of the responsibility

   they have as breeders and owners.

     We hope for the Bulgarian Dogueros that they all will see all the sides the

   Dogo Argentino Character have.

   Hopefully we meet at a event in Bulgaria soon !

   Birgitte and Peter.

   Perro Pelea Cordobes

   www.dogoargentinokennel.com

   e-mail: splidholm-hundepension@post.tele.dk