Dogue de Bordeaux

The Dogue de Bordeaux, also called the French Mastiff or Bordeaux Mastiff, is a large mastiff breed from France. It is a very powerful, heavily muscled dog with the short muzzle typical of mastiffs.

History

The breed was known in France as early as the 14th century, above all in the south around Bordeaux, the city that gave it its name. Where it came from before that is unsettled.

Dogues were shown at the first French dog show, held in Paris in 1863, where a female named Magenta won the class. In the 1960s a group of French breeders led by Raymond Triquet rebuilt the breed’s foundation. A new standard followed in 1971, and the American Kennel Club standard of 2005 is based on it.

The first British record dates from 1897, and The Kennel Club gave the breed championship status in 2016. In 1982 about 600 dogs were left in the world. The 1989 film Turner & Hooch made the breed much better known, and its numbers in the United States have grown since.

Appearance

The Dogue de Bordeaux is massive, thick-set and balanced, and stands lower to the ground than the English Mastiff. Males should stand 24 to 27 inches (61 to 69 cm) and females 23 to 26 inches (58 to 66 cm). The standards set a minimum weight of 110 pounds (50 kg) for males and 99 pounds (45 kg) for females, with no stated maximum.

The head is the mark of the breed and is claimed to be the largest of any dog in proportion to the body. The muzzle is a quarter to a third of the length of the head, the jaw is undershot and strong, and the thick upper lip hangs over the lower jaw. The skin of the neck is loose, and the ears are small and hang down.

The coat is short, fine and soft. It ranges from light fawn to dark mahogany red, with a black, brown or red mask. White is allowed only on the chest and the tips of the toes.

Temperament

Like other mastiffs, the Dogue de Bordeaux tends to have a strong personality and a stubborn streak. In a dog this strong, firm training has to begin young. That includes socialization, so the dog does not become aggressive toward strangers or other dogs.

Care and health

A 2024 study in the United Kingdom found a life expectancy of 11.1 years, below the average for purebred dogs.

The short muzzle narrows the upper airway and can obstruct breathing. Affected dogs cope poorly with heat, because they cannot cool themselves well by panting, and face more risk under anesthesia. Heart conditions reported in the breed include aortic and subaortic stenosis and tricuspid valve dysplasia. The breed is predisposed to hip dysplasia, found in a quarter to nearly half of dogs depending on the country.

Litters average about eight puppies, but stillbirths and deaths in the first week are much more frequent than in most breeds.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.