Dogo Argentino

A healthy Dogo from screened lines typically lives 10-15 years, with 12 a common figure. The wide range reflects the conditions that shorten it: untreated hypothyroidism, joint disease from hip or elbow dysplasia, and bloat, which can kill a dog in hours. None of these is mysterious. A BAER-tested, hip-evaluated, healthy-weight Dogo on measured meals and real exercise sits at the top of that range; the bottom belongs to overweight, unscreened, under-exercised dogs.

About 26% of Dogos have some hearing loss — roughly 20% in one ear, 5% in both — because the white piebald coat that defines the breed is genetically linked to congenital deafness. You cannot tell by watching a puppy; a bilaterally deaf one often seems normal in a litter. The only protection is a BAER test, which objectively measures each ear. Buy only a BAER-tested puppy from BAER-tested parents, and favor the small permitted eye patch — patched dogs are statistically less likely to be deaf.

Not everywhere. The Dogo is banned outright in the UK and restricted or banned in parts of Australia, several other countries, and numerous US municipalities, and many home and liability insurers will not cover the breed. This is the single most expensive mistake owners make: buying the puppy before checking the law and their insurance. Confirm legality at country, state, county, and rental-agreement level, and confirm you can get liability coverage, before you commit — not after.

With the right owner, yes — they are genuinely affectionate, people-soft, and bonded to their family, and the breed standard explicitly selected against human aggression. But this is a large, powerful, high-prey-drive working dog that can be assertive toward other dogs and needs an experienced handler, early socialization, firm reward-based structure, and serious daily exercise. They can be excellent with children they are raised with, but their size and strength mean supervision and training are not optional, and they are not a starter breed.

More than many profiles claim. This is a stamina-built pack hunter, not a low-energy guardian: plan on 60-90 minutes of real daily exercise — secure off-lead running, structured walks, drag or scent work — plus mental enrichment. Under-exercised Dogos become destructive and harder to manage, which is a leading reason they end up in rescue. If you cannot commit that time most days for a decade, this is the wrong breed; the exercise requirement is the breed, not an add-on.

Three at minimum, in writing: an OFA BAER hearing test (covering both the puppy and its parents where possible), an OFA hip evaluation on the parents, and an OFA thyroid panel. Bloat risk and elbow dysplasia are also breed-relevant. A breeder who cannot or will not produce a BAER certificate is the single biggest red flag in this breed, because deafness is common, invisible in young puppies, and lifelong. No certificates means walk away.