10 Things You Didn’t Know about The Cordoba Fighting Dog
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The Cordoba Fighting Dog was a dog breed from Argentina. It is extinct. However, the Cordoba Fighting Dog survives in a sense because it was one of the breeds used to create the Dogo Argentino. While this particular breed no longer lives, it’s legacy lives on in the minds of many.
1. Named for Cordoba, Argentina
When a lot of people hear Cordoba, their first thought will be of Cordoba, Spain, which has been one of the most notable cities in the Iberian Peninsula since ancient times. However, it is important to note that the Cordoba Fighting Dog is named for Cordoba, Argentina rather than Corboda, Spain. The Argentinian city is a notable city in its own right, as shown by its status as the second most populous city in the country.
2. Used for Dog Fighting
Dog breeds often have very straightforward names. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that one of the main uses for the Cordoba Fighting Dog was dog fighting. Nowadays, said activity is seen as barbaric for very good reasons, with the result that it is banned in much of the world. However, there was a time when dog fighting as well as other blood sports were much more accepted, so much so that they were responsible for the origins of multiple dog breeds.
3. Used for Guarding
Having said that, the Cordoba Fighting Dog wasn’t just used for dog fighting. One of its other uses was guarding, which makes sense because some of the same characteristics that made it a formidable fighter also made it an intimidating guardian. For that matter, it is believed that the Cordoba Fighting Dog was created from a number of dog breeds that were often put to the same use.
4. Used for Hog Hunting
Speaking of which, Cordoba Fighting Dogs were also used for hog hunting. That might not sound very impressive because we are used to thinking of pigs as food animals and nothing but food animals. However, the fact of the matter is that pigs can be formidable animals, being an impressive combination of strong, tenacious, and bad-tempered. Something that has enabled them to turn into a huge problem for a wide range of countries in a wide range of locations. On top of this, pigs are capable of growing tusks, thus making hunting them that much more dangerous.
5. Reputed to Be Willing to Fight to the Death
Dog fighting took on a wide range of forms and continues to take on a wide range of forms. For example, some dog fights are lethal. In contrast, others are non-lethal. It wasn’t uncommon for Cordoba Fighting Dogs to be entered into fights to the death, meaning that they were often bred to said end. This explains why the dog breed had a reputation for being willing to fight to the death. Moreover, this explains why these animals were also said to have a much higher-than-normal pain tolerance than most dog breeds.
6. Too Aggressive
Often-times, something that can be useful in limited quantities can become unuseful in excess. One could make a decent argument that this was the case for the Cordoba Fighting Dog. After all, the dog breed was said to have been so aggressive towards other dogs that males and females often fought one another rather than breed with one another. Something that contributed to their eventual extinction. Similarly, this aggression hindered them in a number of other ways as well. For instance, while they were useful for hunting pigs, their aggression towards one another meant that they couldn’t be used in packs with one another. It says a lot that some Cordoban Fighting Dogs were reputed to be capable of hunting with one other dog of the opposite sex, though even this was far from being guaranteed for every single member of the breed.
7. Has a Number of Potential Ancestors
Cordoba Fighting Dogs could trace their ancestry to the Iberian Peninsula. However, matters became more confusing beyond that point. It was possible that their ancestors were descended from the Molossus, which was spread far and wide by the Romans. Similarly, it was possible that their ancestors were descended from the Alaunt, which was also spread far and wide by those Alans who went westwards towards the end of the Western Roman Empire. There is even speculation that their ancestors were descended from Mastiffs, which in turn, are descended from British dogs that enjoyed an excellent reputation of their own in the ancient world.
8. Descended from Dogs Brought Over During the Spanish Conquest
There were dogs in the Americas before the Colombian Exchange. However, most of the modern dogs in said continents are descended from Eurasian dog breeds rather than pre-Colombian American dog breeds. Given this, interested individuals might be able to guess that Cordoban Fighting Dogs are descended from dogs brought over by the Spanish during the Spanish Conquest of the Americas. In particular, said animals are said to have seen much use in subjugating the indigenous peoples of the Americas, meaning that their role was quite brutal.
9. Descended from Other European Breeds As Well
Having said that, Cordoba Fighting Dogs are said to have been descended from other European breeds as well. To be exact, these dog breeds included Boxers, Bulldogs, Bull Terriers, and English Mastiffs. It is no coincidence that these dog breeds were often used in blood sports. Indeed, the British are said to have done a great deal to popularize the practice of dog fighting, which in turn, meant a popularization of dog breeds that were used for it.
10. Ancestor to the Dogo Argentino
Cordoba Fighting Dogs no longer exist. However, they are one of the dog breeds that contributed to the Dogo Argentino, with others including but not limited to the Great Dane, the Pointer, and the Bull and Terrier. Said breed is either banned or has ownership restrictions in a number of countries, but on the whole, it is much more capable of getting along with other dogs than the Cordoba Fighting Dogs. This makes sense because the Dogo Argentino was bred to be cooperative hunters.
