It is incredible how much of a dog breed has to do with their expression. Like, I know that I am mostly familiar with a head breed (Collie), but it is just so understated how crucial expression is to me. Let me find some images to illustrate because I have been thinking about this a lot.
Okay when I was making this post I was actually mostly thinking about how to me the real breathtaking quality of the Dogo is their expression.
Unfortunately not many good pictures to be had from Google Images since most "Dogos" on there are pit mixes or poorly bred.
But it's that self-assured, confident, stoic expression that really makes a Dogo a Dogo to me. There are a lot of characteristics that contribute to this expression - the shape of the eyes and the space between them, the shape and size of the mouth, the length of the muzzle, the width of the cheeks, the crop of the ears (a natural-eared Dogo should also have this expression - I just couldn't find any pictures, since most well-bred Dogos in the US are cropped).
This is a case where eye colour is hugely important. When you see a Dogo with light eyes, that difference in expression is immediately discernable. While the standard states that hazelnut is acceptable, it contradicts substantially from this expression of hardness, of self-assuredness. The importance of the colour of the eyes is vastly understated in a lot of breeds, imo, because the colour of the eyes is intrinsic to the expression.
Take, for instance, the Collie. In the US, the standard for the Rough and Smooth Collie is identical re:the head. Collies are a head breed and their expression is perhaps the most important aspect. This kind, sweet, compassionate expression has a lot of contributing factors - the colour of the eyes being one. A blue-eyed or yellow/light brown-eyed Collie has a distinctly different expression from a dark-eyed Collie when the eyes are correct (and not teensy-tiny deep-set eyes). The ears are critical in the case of the Collie - prick or "airplane" ears don't contribute to this sweet expression in the same way. Imo, European Collies don't have the same expression.
With Beaucerons I think it's a bit difficult to say because they're still so varied in expression - every Beauceron has a distinctly different expression. I know I prefer a sharper expression, with sharper eyes and a wedge-shaped head to the more showy heads with a very definite stop and neutral expression. Most of the European dogs I see are closer to my ideal, a lot of the American dogs are too big in the head for my taste. 🤷♂️
ANYWAY I am not a judge or a breeder I'm just a guy these are just my thoughts etc. I'd love to hear about others' opinions on their breeds' expressions. :p
