Our Breeding Philosophy
We had a long, hard think before we eventually decided to actually breed and make Dogo puppies (and older Dogos) available to selected buyers.
Questions that needed answering was:
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Why do we want to breed ?
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Do we sell pups and to who and what sort of criteria would apply ?
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How often would we breed ?
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Would we be breeding for the sake of breeding, or did we think we could/want to actually contribute something the the Dogo Argentino breed ?
These and many other things had to be considered....time, cost, space, facilities etc. If we wanted to breed, we had to do it for the right reasons and we had to do the right things right.
So, in short, we breed Dogo Argentinos for the following reasons and on the following principles:
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It has been the breed of my dreams for more than 25 years. If I could add any of the experience that I've gained in order to either improve the quality of Dogo Argentinos available in Southern Africa, or play a part in maintaining the almost mystic image of the Dogo, I wanted to do it.
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ShaTranj is a working Dogo kennel. Our Dogos are like children in the house, but they still work. In order for us to be able to have Dogos available to work in anti poaching, search and rescue and other scenarios, we need to be able to rotate dogs (letting some rest or recuperate from injuries). We also need to have young replacement Dogos for when an older Dogo retires or passes away.
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We do not breed in order to sell pups. After our internal selections have been done, pups are made available on a very strict application, background and home check principle. If you are successful, you are placed on the waiting list for as and when pups become available.
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All our breeding stock are selected as pups and carefully monitored over the next two years to see how they develop. Only after two years, if we are happy with what we are seeing, will a Dogo be placed into our breeding program. It is therefore a slow process, both for us and for those waiting for a ShaTranj Dogo.
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All matings are run through computer software to check Inbreeding coefficient as well as Relationship coefficient. Any coefficient higher than 5% is unacceptable, unless a specific line breeding was done to reach a specific outcome.
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All pups are BAER tested, as well as checked for any other lingering genetic defects (hips, joints, cancer etc.).
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The Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) is done on all pups.
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The American Temperament Test Society Test (ATTS) is done on all our Dogos at 18 months old (Breeding stock or trained young dogs).
ShaTranj Males
Boesman (Shatrann Busan)
Boesman is our primary male used for both breeding and work purposes. Initially registered as Bùsan, the name quickly evolved to Boesman, which is easier for Afrikaans speakers to pronounce.
An expert tracker, Boesman gets plenty of working time, either in the bush tracking and hunting, whether wounded animals or poachers, and he excels at pointing.
He is a very athletic Dogo, very agile, extreme stamina, insatiable work drive, highly intelligent and trainable.
Boesman has been the poster boy for ShaTranj…he is always there, always travelling, excelling at every task that is set before him, trustworthy under any and all situations and conditions…and loved by all...
You know when you get to a farm and your Dogo gets greeted before you do…that's the one !
Shatrann Guapo
Big medicine comes in small packages !
Guapo is one of our bundles of muscle, 5cm short of the standard, but 200% over the expectations !
With an incredible pain threshold and never ending stamina, he brings his own party wherever he goes !
With tremendous focus and determination, he'll fit in anywhere, as long as there's no backchat. No matter how hard you try to leave him at home, he'll jump from the 2nd storey, climb the fence and jump the wall to follow.
We don't hold that against him, because he shows the same determination when following wounded game, pigs or poachers !
Shatrann TranQuilo
"Tran"Quilo, meaning "calm" in Spanish, was named after his very laid back disposition as a pup. Little did we know…
One day Quilo decided he is now a working Dogo…and he didn't look back !
Active in Search & Rescue missions, darted game tracking and anti poaching, Quilo has an extraordinary capacity to use his nose. Although Dogos are not known "cold track" tracking dogs, he will pick up any trail, of any kind, that I put him on.
His current record stands on 17,1kms tracked, on GPS, through the heat of day, from the point of poacher entry, to the point where he drank his last beer...
Shatrann Zulu
All our Dogos end up with a specific name linking to some or other character or personality trait.
Zulu's story had a slight twist...he was named "Azul" (Spanish for blue) due to his extremely blue eyes when a pup, as well as his firm ranking of litter favourite...the native African tongue would/could not say "Azul"...but it sounded very much like "Zulu" !....and so, by the time he was registered, the name stuck !
Zulu is turning into an amazing tracking Dogo with unbelievable intelligence...easy to train, quick to pick up questions, tracks and body language; we are really looking forward to his future in our kennel, both as working and as breeding Dogo.
Shatrann Pablo
Sometimes things are just meant to be...
Pablo is a young Dogo with extremely heavy bone structure, laid thick with muscle. Not bred by Shatranj, we were facilitating a new home for him...until we met him !
No special requests to keep him was needed, being a pirate with an extremely affable nature, he climbed into the bakkie with me and wouldn't let anybody else come close !
We are excited to see him develop, both in spirit and body, as another great Dogo Argentino !
Shatrann Imvubu
ShaTranj has finally become the "Home of the Pirate" !!
Imvubu, a Zulu word meaning "hippo", is one of our 3rd Generation males. Like is our way, Imvubu got his name not only being huge and thickly muscled like a hippo...but also from his aquatic habits....like a hippo, he will submerge himself in the dam with just eyes and nostrils sticking out !
Amazingly agile for his size, intelligent and as strong as his namesake....Imvubu is not a Dogo for the beginner, but he fits in perfectly in the ShaTranj pack !
Shatrann Tsotsi
My veterinarian's 1st description of Tsotsi was.."you definitely breed serious overachievers..." ! He was 5 weeks old and was having an operation to remove a piece of foam rubber from his thin intestine...
I bred him, I paid full price for him at 5 weeks old to keep him alive, so I pretty much figured that meant that he was supposed to stay !
Needless to say, It's a full time job keeping him alive, because there ain't no brakes ! Tsotsi is either all in or all out...never seen him being "out" before, so you get the picture...
Extremely intelligent, extremely agile and with a work drive that is just unstoppable...his tracking abilities has already reached the point where I cannot throw him off a laid track...he simply will not give in...when the track is lost, he circles back to the last point firmly ingrained in his memory and work it again, and again, and again....and every time he's better.
ShaTranj Females
Majublanca Taka of Shatrann R.I.P.
Taka was not only like a child in the house, but daughter to parents imported from Argentina, she had the genetic make-up, character and build of the ideal Dogo female.
Small, agile and verocious, she had an excellent nose, good hunting instincts and a tremendous drive to please.
Taka saved my life in 2021, when she fearlessly stormed pass me into the Letaba river, straight into a crocodile waiting in ambush. Had she not done that, it would have been me stepping into his jaws.
Taka has been buried in the shade of an age old mopane tree on the farm, from where she watches over us...
Majublanca Zigi of Shatrann
Zigi is a littermate to Taka and currently our matriarch female.
Sharing the same imported blood as her sister, she has a tremendous working drive, excellent nose and is extremely intelligent and problem solving.
We are fortunate to include her in our breeding, hunting and tracking programs at ShaTranj.
Zigi has filled a great gap and is a K9 partner to my wife, a friend, a trustee, a pillow, a bed warmer and her most loyal protector when I am not at home.
Of note, she is also an excellent mother, giving birth without hassle, caring for her pups gently and with plenty of attention and milk…the ideal of what any breeder would want in a breeding female. She has had three litters, which is all that a breeder should ever need…a first litter to establish compatibility of breeding partner, a second to confirm that the results were not accidental and a third to make a selection for future breeding stock.
Shatrann Luna
Luna is one of our biggest females at a lean, working fit 41 kg.
Deemed as our "flower child", her personality seems to smile in the face of danger.
She is showing an immense working drive, extremely good nose and way above average hearing.
A working day with Luna is more of a negotiation…if you can convince her of your cause…you're sure to be a winner…if not…smile and wave buddy !
Shatrann Cara-Mi
Cara-Mi is one of our most protective females, being the lead of my mother's security team, she does not let her out of her sight.
Part of our breeding program, she is F2 generation and showing lots of potential.
Lean and extremely athletic, she has immense working drive and will not stop for anything.
Cara will be used in our future breeding programs in our quest to breed working Dogo Argentinos.
Shatrann Tabitha
Tabitha is another young F1 generation female that is destined to be used in our breeding program.
Showing a lot of traits from her mother, she is also verging on 40kg and extremely active and intelligent.
Also a very agile female showing good nose and working drive.
Shatrann Panda
Panda is one of our 3rd Generation females and is bringing something else to the breeding plan...colour.
In a show Dogo a double eye patch like this would be a disqualification.
It does not hinder her work drive, intelligence or excellent nose however.
What we do hope, is that the recessive gene for colour that she is expressing so strongly will aid in our future generations of pirates.
Shatrann Nova Blue
Nova is a big strong female with an extremely high work drive. Her tracking work has only just begun, but she is showing an immense interest and an uncanny ability to stay on a track, no matter what it is...most probably driven by her curiosity, she quickly realized that there's always something at the end of the track !
Nova brings a stronger female head into our breeding program, adding strong bone structure in general, while still maintaining the good characteristics that we are looking for.