Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Caitlin Beaumont

 Quote: Will Rambeau

One of the major problem that you'll run into looking at for a Dogo is that it's a "flavor of the month" dog, and that's going to attract a lot of shady ( or at the very least ignorant about the breed ) breeders.
The breed is not well known here in the U.S. and the experience level of breeders of this breed are *low*, most will have bred at the most a few litters and their real experience with the breed will be only a few years, at the most.

I lived in Georgia for 20ish years and all the gansta wannabes wanted these type of dogs, hence the area is saturated with bad breeders and bad dogs. The Presa Canario, the Boreboel, the one of any of the many "pit" based bulldog breeds, all of them had some fly-by-night breeder that knew zero about the breed ( except that is was wanted on the street ) cranking out litters of fear-biting bully breeds for some idiot to walk down the street on a chain.
Georgia is not the State to be looking for these types of dogs, if you want a good one.

Really, you can do better!

I've been a PPD vendor for *decades* and I've tested or trained almost any breed that you can think of - any of the mastiff based breeds are a 2nd rate choice if you need a true PPD.

Actually there are alot of good breeders in the USA, Working and show. Deboniar Dogos are not very good, I always hear complaints from people and they pop out a ton of litters. There are not any Dogo breeders in GA, bad or good that I know of. I have yet to see any "gangster" Dogo breeders but maybe that's because I am avoiding the areas online where you would see their adds posted up. I don't search only by state, I will buy anywhere in the world if the Breeder has a good rep and I have a good feeling about them. He might be able to hunt once a year if I can find a group. As long as I can meet a couple Dogos and learn about their lines and interact with them I will be good. Have you ever seen a dogo do protection? I know they are used as military dogs down there but I have seen a couple do it. That Dogo on Dogs 101 is personal protection trained.

Caitlin, I'm really glad, and I mean this in a totally non-confrontational way, that you have a couple of years to learn. "I have yet to see any "gangster" Dogo breeders" falls in with never having actually seen a Dogo in person. I'm glad you intend to spend a couple of years learning about a breed and actually meeting/seeing the dogs before even considering acquiring one.

This is sadly true: "The Presa Canario, the Boreboel, the one of any of the many "pit" based bulldog breeds, all of them had some fly-by-night breeder that knew zero about the breed," and a good thing to learn right away.

You are in for an interesting and very useful education.


"Have you ever seen a dogo do protection? "

Will, who is a very well-known PPD expert with many years' experience posted this:
".... any of the mastiff based breeds are a 2nd rate choice if you need a true PPD."

 Quote: Ken Easterling

Take what Mr. Rambeau to heart, he's been around A LOT of dogs and breeds all over the world. If he says they are not sound for what you want to do, best to listen.

By the way how old are you if you don't mind me asking?

I too would like to ask, if it's not too rude, how old you are? (No, you won't be jumped on it if you're a teenager. In fact, you'll probably get more detailed info with no preconceived assumptions about life experience.)

I know no one if trying to come off as confronational. They are saying there are other breeds. But I can tell you that not many breeds, nonetheless the ones they are mentioning that are not my cup of tea. I have already looked over every popular and rare breed there is and I like the Dogo the best. I know no matter what breed I choose whether a Yorkie or a Mastiff it is the smart to visit as many Dogo's as you can. It would be silly to spend thousands on a dog then realize you don't mesh very well with it. Yes I am a teenager, you probably caught into it by the horrible typing skills I have. I'm 17. I love to hear any stories or tips but I do not like it when I am told to pick another breed simply becasue of my age.

"I love to hear any stories or tips but I do not like it when I am told to pick another breed simply becasue of my age."


No one knew your age. Make no mistake; you received the same responses anyone would have received.

At any age, " I like the Dogo the best." before ever even seeing one (and, in fact, MANY) is an inexperienced statement.

Inexperience is not bad; we've all had it!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

"I love to hear any stories or tips but I do not like it when I am told to pick another breed simply becasue of my age."


No one knew your age. Make no mistake; you received the same responses anyone would have received.

At any age, " I like the Dogo the best." before ever even seeing one (and, in fact, MANY) is an inexperienced statement.

Inexperience is not bad; we've all had it!

Thanks . I was talking about once people knew my age. Of course I am inexperienced but I know I want nothing like my current dog. And I am willing to visit places and people and learn as much as possible.

Oh I wanted everyone to know I have emailed all of my breeders ,that did not say or show any HD scores, that I am interested in. I got a reply very quickly from one breeder but it was just them telling me to use a translator Lol. If I don't get a reply from some, or any, in a week I already know the answer to my question.

 Quote:

One of the major problem that you'll run into looking at for a Dogo is that it's a "flavor of the month" dog, and that's going to attract a lot of shady ( or at the very least ignorant about the breed ) breeders.
The breed is not well known here in the U.S. and the experience level of breeders of this breed are *low*, most will have bred at the most a few litters and their real experience with the breed will be only a few years, at the most.

Caitlin, don't overlook how important this part of Will's post is.I'll add a little of my opinions on it. You're linking breeders from Brazil, Argentina, and even Poland. The odds of you getting a good dog without you having personnal contacts in those countries, someone you know you can depend on,not just an online contact, are not very good.

A local problem for you with breeds like this, is that people breeding them really don't know what they are breeding. When you look at a Shepherd or a Mal, or a Rott, you can meet people that have years of experience with the dogs in the pedigree. They know what the dogs did, their temperaments, what they've produced. All the things you're paying for with a pure bred dog.

With a Dogo, I think you're most likely to find someone who thinks they have a great dog and there was a really big male close enough to breed to. At best, they took the dog out and tried some ob or maybe weight pulling, maybe a sibling is a good catch dog, or one could do a minor amount of bitework like the video. Those are few and far between and the breeder is really not going to know the difference.

I'm not trying to change your mind about wanting one, just want you to understand how much work you have in front of you. And by the way, my first Rott was going on 13 and my current one is 8 1/2.

 Quote: steve strom

 Quote:

One of the major problem that you'll run into looking at for a Dogo is that it's a "flavor of the month" dog, and that's going to attract a lot of shady ( or at the very least ignorant about the breed ) breeders.
The breed is not well known here in the U.S. and the experience level of breeders of this breed are *low*, most will have bred at the most a few litters and their real experience with the breed will be only a few years, at the most.

Caitlin, don't overlook how important this part of Will's post is. I'll add a little of my opinions on it. You're linking breeders from Brazil, Argentina, and even Poland. The odds of you getting a good dog without you having personnal contacts in those countries, someone you know you can depend on,not just an online contact, are not very good.

A local problem for you with breeds like this, is that people breeding them really don't know what they are breeding. When you look at a Shepherd or a Mal, or a Rott, you can meet people that have years of experience with the dogs in the pedigree. They know what the dogs did, their temperaments, what they've produced. All the things you're paying for with a pure bred dog.

With a Dogo, I think you're most likely to find someone who thinks they have a great dog and there was a really big male close enough to breed to. At best, they took the dog out and tried some ob or maybe weight pulling, maybe a sibling is a good catch dog, or one could do a minor amount of bitework like the video. Those are few and far between and the breeder is really not going to know the difference.

I'm not trying to change your mind about wanting one, just want you to understand how much work you have in front of you. And by the way, my first Rott was going on 13 and my current one is 8 1/2.

That is really old for a big dog! Gunner won't live to be that old I can tell you that. Since you are a Rott ownwer what is up with a lot of them getting Cancer? There was an article that talked about the percentages of what Rotts died from and I think Cancer was the first or second thing. It also said that neutered males had a much higher risk of Osteosarcoma, like 15% to 45% if the dog was neutered. I don't buy locally just because a Dogo is close. If they are not a good kennel I don't buy from them period. If it means that I have to buy a puppy overseas or all the way in California then I will. Any dog is a lot of work and I know the Dogo is NO exception. Thankfully I have gotten help from a breeder and another owner so far.

 Quote: Caitlin Beaumont

Since you are a Rott ownwer what is up with a lot of them getting Cancer? There was an article that talked about the percentages of what Rotts died from and I think Cancer was the first or second thing.

This is true of most large breeds, and, taking all breeds as one group, it's now the leading cause of illness-death, period.

From 1984 to 2004 (the most recent lengthy period compiled), the Vet Med Database reported that Goldens and Boxers had the highest rates of cancer, but that cancer was the leading illness cause of canine death in general, taken as a whole.

Some toy breeds, of course, top out with trauma, but I'm talking illness. Bloat and heart failure, the old top two, have both been superseded by cancer.




eta
I repeat illness a couple of times mainly to exclude from the equation the huge numbers from shelter euthanasia.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (03/10/2012 01:06 PM)
Edit reason: eta

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

 Quote: Caitlin Beaumont

Since you are a Rott ownwer what is up with a lot of them getting Cancer? There was an article that talked about the percentages of what Rotts died from and I think Cancer was the first or second thing.

This is true of most large breeds, and, taking all breeds as one group, it's now the leading cause of illness-death, period.

From 1984 to 2004 (the most recent lengthy period compiled), the Vet Med Database reported that Goldens and Boxers had the highest rates of cancer, but that cancer was the leading illness cause of canine death in general, taken as a whole.

Some toy breeds, of course, top out with trauma, but I'm talking illness. Bloat and heart failure, the old top two, have both been superseded by cancer.




eta
I repeat illness a couple of times mainly to exclude from the equation the huge numbers from shelter euthanasia.

That is horrible. Expecially becaue it is not an easy thing to fix if not caught early, plus expensive and hard on the dog. i think the ehart failure ahs something to do with the fact that we are suppsoed to brush our dogs teeth. If you don't all that plaque and tarter builds up and causes disease. That makes since, since most dogs have gingivitis or some sort of dental issues by the ge of 5 or something, I read this somewhere else also.

Well, in humans, those with periodontal disease are almost 2x as likely to have coronary artery disease.

Dogs, of course, don't have what we call "heart attacks" because they don't have the kind of coronary artery disease we have (which adds to the reasons why dietary cholesterol is a human problem rather than a canine problem).

CHF in dogs is something different from "heart attacks" (where the heart muscle is damaged) in people; it's a heart valve problem. By far the most common type is when the chambers of the heart enlarge and the wall muscles stretch thin (dilated cardiomyopathy). (Much more rare is when the walls thicken.) Damage to the valves causes failure of the appropriate flow of blood (very oversimplified, of course).

Still, gingivitis (leading to periodontal disease) is a source of serious organ (such as kidney and lung) damage in dogs, and dental care is crucial, IMO, even if pain and infection were not reason enough.

However, if we want to continue a discussion of any of these issues, I should move the thread or a new one should be started, because we are in the Dysplasia forum.

Caitlin, have you registered on any Dogo forums? be lots of brains to pick on a breed specific site, with people who will have bred them before, and can recommend reputable breeders hopefully near you, and maybe one or two would be willing to let you meet their adult dog/s to give you an idea what matured Dogos are all about with your own eyes, good and bad, warts and all!