The words Dog Breed Info with the letter D inside of a black paw print

Cordoba Fighting Dog

Information and Pictures

A side view drawing of a white, muscular dog with a large head and small cropped ears, a long tail a dark nose and dark eyes standing and looking to the left.

The extinct Cordoba Fighting Dog breed

Other Names
  • Argentine Fighting Dog
  • Cordoban Fighting Dog
  • Cordobese dog
  • Dog of Cordoba
  • Fighting Dog of Cordoba
  • Perro de Presa de Cordoba
  • Perro de Pelea Cordobés
Description

The Cordoba Fighting Dog was lean and muscled with a short coat that was known to be white with the occasional small brown markings. This breed also came in fawn, brindle, and other various colors although the white fighting dogs were the most popular among the sport scene. They were known to look like a cross between a Boxer and a Mastiff. They had a broad strong chest, muscled jaws, and thick skin. Their ears were usually cropped to ensure that they wouldn’t be ripped in a fight and they had a medium sized snout, not too long but not squished either. All of these qualities together made the perfect dog to train for fighting other dogs or hunting wild animals.

Temperament

These dogs were bred and trained to fight to the death. They were known to be extremely aggressive in any situation, even against their owner and pack. The Cordoba Fighting Dog was known to fight rather than mate and was known to resort back to its aggressive behavior at any moment.

Height, Weight

Height: Around 25 inches tall

Weight: 55-90 pounds (25-41 kg)

Weight: 90-130 pounds (41-59 kg)

Health Problems

The Cordoba Fighting Dog was inbred too many times, resulting in many health issues. They were especially known to have skin diseases, rashes, and deafness.

Living Conditions

Since these dogs were bred for fighting and hunting alone, they were mostly kept in a kennel due to safety reasons. They were not trusted to roam free due to their taught aggressive behavior.

Exercise

Like any other Molosser breed, the Cordoba Fighting Dog would have needed to go on regular walks and would have needed an outdoor space to run and explore. Unfortunately, this specific breed was mostly kept in kennels due to their fighting behavior that they were all taught.

Life Expectancy

About 11–14 years

Litter Size

About 4 to 8 puppies

Grooming

With short coats, there was only need to groom this dog occasionally and bathe when needed.

Origin

The Cordoba Fighting Dog originated in Argentina during their colonial period when they used and bred many fighting dogs for war. The Spanish most commonly used the Alano dogs as war dogs which were not known as a specific breed at the time but instead as a type of dog. The Alano’s were also related to the Alaunt breed, the Molossus dog of Rome, and the British Mastiff. These dogs were known to be fierce and muscular, perfect for the war, hunting, and use as cattle dogs.

During the 19th century, as Argentina grew to become one of the largest agriculture suppliers for Britain, dog fighting became extremely popular throughout England. With Parliament outlawing bear-baiting (a fight between a dog and a bear to the death) and bull-baiting (a fight between a dog and a bull to the death), dog fighting was the new popular sport.

Before the use of the Cordoba Fighting Dog, mixes between Bulldogs and Terriers were the most used including dogs such as the Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier being the most popular. These dogs were brought on ships and used as entertainment while traveling to other countries. This made the new dog fighting sport grow throughout the world and new breeds were eventually developed for these fighting purposes. Modern dogs that can be linked to these breeds are the American Staffordshire Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Bully Kuta, and the Gull Terr. Dog fighting eventually spread to Argentina and became the most popular sport in the city of Cordoba.

From the Bully breeds and the Terrier breeds that were brought over from Britain, the Argentinians began to breed their own dogs in order to perfect the breed for fighting purposes. The dog they bred was known as the Perro de Presa de Cordoba which means the Cordoba Fighting Dog. Dog breeds that were said to be used to develop the Cordoba Fighting Dog include the Fila Brasileiro, Perro de Presa Canario, English Mastiff, English Bulldog, Bullenbeiser, Boxer, and the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The Cordoba Fighting Dog could be bred to be a variety of colors although the most popular among the dog fighting sport was pure white.

This breed was known and trained to be the toughest dog in the ring, never submitting or backing away from a fight. They were inbred so much for the quality of dog aggressiveness that it was difficult to breed thereafter because males and females would rather fight than mate.

Other than fighting other dogs, this breed was used for hunting large game such as boar which was a major food source in Argentina. Boar were often difficult to hunt as they were large, dangerous, and determined not to be killed. The Cordoba Fighting Dog was one breed that was strong headed enough to kill the boar easily. Most of the time, the Cordoba Fighting Dog could not hunt in packs or else the dogs would end up fighting each other. They could sometimes hunt with one dog of the opposite sex but it was always a risk whether they would fight each other or not.

Because of this dogs extremely aggressive qualities, Antonio Nores Martinez and Agustin, his younger brother, decided to breed the Cordoba Fighting Dog with more relaxed breeds in 1925. Their breeding developed a dog known as the Dogo Argentino by mixing dogs such as the Great Pyrenees, the Pointer, and Dogue de Bordeaux with the Cordoba Fighting Dog.

The Dogo Argentino eventually completely replaced the Cordoba Fighting dog because it was less aggressive and had more skills such as being able to hunt in packs with the same fighting skills as the previous Cordoba Fighting Dog. As the economy changed, Argentinians could not afford to spend money on the breeding of fighting dogs which resulted in the end of the Cordoba Fighting Dog.

Group

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Recognition
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Front view drawing of a brown and tan dog with a wide chest, large head, small cropped ears, a large black nose and dark eyes sitting down.

The extinct Cordoba Fighting Dog breed