12/20/2025
I’d love for everyone to post a side-profile photo of what you think the ideal Dogo Argentino head looks like based on the breed standard. As the photos come in, take a moment to scroll through and notice the differences. You’ll quickly see that owners—and even longtime breeders—don’t always agree on correct head type. With so many different interpretations around the world, it really makes you wonder: how are judges supposed to know what the proper head type is when breeders themselves see it differently?
Head: Head - Powerful and balanced. The ratio of cranial length is equal to cranial width. The length from the brow bone to the tip of the nose is the same length as the distance from the brow bone to the
occiput.
Skull - Solid and convex, both length and widthwise, due to the relief created by the insertion of the powerful biting and nape muscles. The occiput is covered by the nape. The cheeks and masseter muscles are large, well defined, and covered with tight skin. The stop is slightly defined, as a transition from the convex skull to the slightly concave foreface. When viewed in profile, the stop appears more defined due to the prominence of the supraorbital ridges (brow).
Expression - Alert and intelligent, with a
marked hardness.
Eyes - Medium size, almond shaped, dark or hazelnut in color, protected by thick eyelids with black or flesh-colored rims (black preferred). Sub-frontal position, set wide apart. Blue eye(s) or any blue in the eyes is a disqualification. Ears - Set at the highest points of the sides of the skull. Customarily, the ears are cropped, erect or semi-erect, and triangular in shape. Length does no exceed 50 percent of the front edge of the auricle of the ear. Without being cropped, they are of medium
length, broad, thick, flat and rounded at the tip. Covered with smooth hair which is slightly shorter than on the rest of the body; they can have small dark spots, not to be penalized. In uncropped position they
hang down covering the back of the cheeks. When the dog is alert they may be carried semi-erect.
Muzzle and Nose - The muzzle is strong, a bit longer than deep, well developed in width, with the sides slightly converging. The top of the muzzle is slightly concave when viewed in profile. The nose is
completely black and has large nostrils. Noses that are only partially pigmented in adult specimens are to be severely penalized. Noses other than black are a disqualification. Bite and Jaw Structure - The jawPage bones are well-developed, strong, and fit together correctly, not being over or undershot. The power of the Dogo’s bite comes from the angulation on the bottom jaw. Scissor bite is preferred, but pincer bite is acceptable. Full dentition is recommended. Teeth should be healthy and large. Broken teeth are not to be penalized on hunting dogs. Overshot or undershot dogs are to be disqualified. Lips - The lips are very tight fitting (black pigment is preferred); never pendulous. Very short lips are preferred so that when the
dog is holding prey in his mouth, he can still breathe through the commisure at the back corner of his mouth. Disqualification - The top lip extending below the bottom jaw.
