Dogue de Bordeaux

A native Molossian breed of France, the Dogue de Bordeaux has rose to popularity in the last decade. A very near cousin to Neapolitan Mastiff (Italy), the Dogue is a gifted guard dog and an affectionate member of the family.

Essentials of the Breed:

The ideal height of a Dogue is 60-68cm with a body weight of around 50kg, bitches around 58-66cm with a weight of around 45kgs. A black mask is slight spread out and the nose pigmentation is also black. The coloured mask has two varieties, the brown mask and the red masked Dogue de Bordeaux.

History:

The Dogue e Bordeaux is the oldest known breed inside France.We can find writing on the Dogue’s origin from Gaston Phebus, the Count of Foix, when he wrote in the 14th century of “alans vatres” the ancestors of Dogue e Bordeaux.

From the 15th to the turn of 20th century, Dogues were employed to carry on the duties that required strength. They were used to pull carts, assist butchers in slaughter houses and engaged in the infamous dog fighting.It is interesting to note that the Dogue holds to this day a standard undershot bite so as his another distant cousin from the Molossian family, the Boxer. Both breeds played similar roles in their countries of origin, and if we carefully study the paintings and drawings of the renaissance period, both breeds looked almost alike in type.

In 1896, a study was conducted an publish by an editor of the French magazine “eleveur” (the breeder) named Pierre Megnin. Later in 1910 the first standard was drafted by Professor Kunstler, who taught at the Boreaux Natural History Museum.

Character:

The Dogue e Bordeaux is a gifted guard dog. He is known for his stable temperament and is not easily provoked. Lots of praise, encouragement and time are essential for this breed as he wants to remain by his owner’s side all day long.He is a dominant dog by nature and it is advisable not to provide him such opportunities to test his strength on other animals. The breed is very calm with submissive pets but can be really harsh if an opponent of equal strength is faced. As like other Molossers, he barks only when it is required.

Choosing Dogue de Bordeaux Puppies:

1. Assess the overall condition of the litter. In highly line bred Dogues, the uniformity in the siblings is quite visible.Try to see both parents if possible, the puppies shall possess the qualities passed by their parents. A very eye-catching puppy, with poor ancestors, is often a flash in the pan, and never reproduces in accordance with his phenotype.

2. Check the bite. The standard calls for an undershot bite. Do not be tempted to choose a pup that shows excessive lower jaw as Dogue puppies are not born with an undershot but a level bite. Selecting overly undershot puppy develops excessively in his lower jaw when he reaches maturity.In adult dogs, if the lower incisors are constantly visible when the dog has his mouth shut, it denotes a serious fault.

3. Feel the puppies’ tail in your hands.A knot or twist in the tail is a disqualifying fault.

4. A white mark on the head or the body other than the occasional patch on the chest is a disqualifying fault, so look out for white marks in a puppy.