The Dogue de Bordeaux (Dogue, like Rogue, Bordeaux like Bordo) is an ancient French breed that dates back thousands of years. It’s exact origins are unknown.
They drool, often after playing, begging, drinking, exercising. Sometimes even leaving slingers on the ceiling, windows, ceiling fan or even you. The longer the jowls, the more they tend to drool. If they drool excessively, with little reason (meaning not drinking, not begging, not playing), get them checked for heart disease as sometimes, this can be the first sign.
They may be a short coated breed, but they tend to blow coat almost all year. They blow coat in the spring, summer, fall and winter.
They were used for many purposes, such as courtyard dogs (guard dogs) for nobility, ratters to keep vineyards and fields clear of rodents, draft dogs for pulling carts, plowing fields. Unfortunately, they were also used as fighting dogs and were pitted against bear, boar, lions and other animals. Some still have these animal aggressive tendencies.
Dogues ONLY come in shades of FAWN (also called “red”, isabella (light fawn) to mahogany and they can have no mask (pink nose/eye rims), brown mask (liver colored nose/eye rims) or black mask (black nose/eye rims). Limited white is permitted on the chest and toes. If they are any other color such as brindle, they are NOT a pure bred dogue.
Dogue de Bordeaux have been in the puppy mills since the late 1990’s in the USA and if you find one in a pet store, it is from a puppy mill as no reputable breeder would ever sell to a pet store, we want to know where our pups are.
Dogues are a “medium sized” Mastiff, females should be at least 99 pounds, males at least 110 pounds. These minimum weights used to be the average weights, but now, a typical ddb female is around 105-120, a typical male is now 130-160, some being larger and what Professor Triquet calls “monsters”, ddb approaching the 200 pound mark and loaded with neo type wrinkle. People often think bigger is better and in the ddb, it’s not.
They are often same sex aggressive at maturity and this has been the top reason that DDB’s are turned into rescue in the USA.
Dogues MUST be undershot. This is not a birth defect, they have a short muzzle and are considered brachycephalic.
There have been Dogues de Bordeaux in several movies and TV shows in addition to Turner and Hooch such as: The Italian Job, Payback, Sex in the City, Bones and others.
The number one genetic killer of the breed is heart disease. The number one overall killer of the breed is cancer ( T-cell lymphoma, hemangiocarcinoma and osteosarcoma). The life expectancy used to be 10-12 in the early 2000’s, last survey published by the DDBSA is 5-8, but there is new info that is being compiled that we will publish soon. There ARE good breeders that are trying to increase this life expectancy.
The price you pay for a well bred dogue de bordeaux is often the same or even less than one from a not so reputable breeder or a puppy mill. It truly pays to do your research and get a well bred, quality dog, even if you just want a pet.
In the 1950’s/1960’s, St. Bernard was mixed into the breed so occasionally, there will be one born with long hair (and these should not be bred from).
in 1959, a ddb bitch, Fidelle de Fenelon, was imported into the United States and registered as a Mastiff. She was owned by Merle Campbell of Portland Oregon and is in the pedigree of most Mastiff’s throughout the world today.
Dogues are stubborn, they can be dog aggressive (usually same sex) and they can be dominant or pushy if not brought up with discipline, love and consistency. But, they can also be extremely smart (or dumb as a box of rocks!) and have such a drive to please that they will do anything for you.