Cimarrón Uruguayo - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Cimarron Uruguayo was developed from breeds, that were introduced to South America by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers and conquerors, but the exact date of origin or breeds ancestry is unknown. It is believed that the dogs of those explorers crossbred together and the Cimarron Uruguayo was developed by natural selection rather than some intentional breeding process. Probably the main ancestor of the Cimarron is the Alano Espanol.
2) Wild dogs
A lot of those first Cimarron Uruguayo dogs and their ancestors were abandoned dogs that adapted for a wild life in Uruguay. They were doing great and their numbers were raising. In the 18th century, there were some reports about dogs similar to Cimarron Urugayo that attacked livestock, which resulted in the dogs being hunted. There were even bounties for every killed dog paid by the governement. Luckily, not all of them were killed and they survived in good numbers in the highlands of Cerro Largo, where they were tamed by local ranchers.​

3) Versatility
When you see the Cimarron Uruguayo for the first time, you will probably think that this is a guard dog and protector and indeed, their original purpose on ranches was guarding. But this is very versatile breed, and they were also used for herding, rescue jobs or hunting. This breed is very fearless and capable of hunting even very large game. They are known as excellent wild boar hunters.

4) Name
As you already know, that this dog breed was a wild dog in the past. And the name Cimarron can be actually translated to english as wild or untamed. Of course, the word Uruguayo means Uruguayan. This breed is also known under some other names, for example just Cimarron, Maroon dog, Uruguayan Gaucho dog or Cimarron Creole.

5) National dog
This dog breed has the honor to be the national dog of Uruguay and it is the only officially recognized dog breed from Urugay. The Cimarron is also the mascot of National Army of Urugay. Today, this breed is not only recognized in Urugay, but also in the USA by United Kennel Club and also by the FCI, where you can find the breed standard.

6) Temperament
Many people think that Cimarron is dangerous or agressive breed, but especially around its family, the Cimarron Urugayo is absolutely friendly and they should never be agressive without a reason. This is actually a very calm and stable dog. This breed is also known for being very patient and gentle with kids, but you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised.

7) Not for novices
But even though this breed is calm, friendly and stable, this is still not a dog for novices. They are naturally suspicious towards strangers and other animals and they need proper early socialization and good handler who will show them the boundaries. This dog also tend to be pretty independent and dominant. And because this is very strong dog breed, they need to be trained properly, which is only possible with a lot of patience and consistency in the training.

8) Size
This is definitely a large, strong, but also very agile and athletic breed with average height between 55-61 cm which is 22-24 inches and weight is typically between 73-100 pounds, which is 33-45 kgs. Females tend to be slightly smaller than males.

9) Color
The Cimarron Uruguayo has a great looking short, dense and smooth coat, that is commonly in brindle color. But, they can also be in pale yellow color, which is called bayo. The eye color may be any shade of brown although darker eyes are preferred.

10) Health
Great fact is, that this is usually a very healthy dog breed with average lifespan between 10-13 years, which is pretty good for a dog of this size. Of course, just like all dogs, even the Cimarron Uruguayo can suffer from some health issues, for example from hip and elbow dysplasia, bloating or entropion.