Dogue De Bordeaux

The brawny, muscular, active and powerful Dogue De Bordeaux, is a primitive breed of French dogs with a hazel or tan to dark orange-brown complexion with a wrinkled face, short muzzle, broad head, wide nose, hanging and overlapping upper lip and occasionally studded with white markings on chest and toe-tips.

Dogue De Bordeaux Pictures

History

Known to the Frenchmen since the 14^th century, this breed was used to guard castles and forts of the European elites, and were used as hunter dogs for pulling carts and hauling heavy objects and fight back bears jaguars, wolves, bulls and hunt down wild boars, protect the cattle, businesses, homes of the masters and has even been depicted in many forms of art and sculptures.

Temperament and Behavior

With a calm, peace-loving and modest disposition, the devoted dogue de bordeaux is good with children, family members and other pets is socialized from puppyhood, although confrontational to strangers, making them a good guard and protector dog. They are sensitive to temperature extremes and inactive indoors or inside apartments, but comfortable outdoors and would even live in comfortable kennels.

Care

• Exercise

• Grooming

• Health Problems

These heavy, muscular dogs needs lot of exercise, around 60-80 minutes daily in the form of walks, jogging and playing around in an enclosed yard, without which the puppies would likely develop behavioral issues when adult. Although they develop quickly, it would continue to be a ‘puppy’ at age 6 months. Extra strain on puppies might give them future bone and joint problems.

Despite being huge, it needs nominal grooming including brushing the coat several times weekly to keep it fine and glossy, trimming nails a times, bathing no more than twice to thrice a year, brushing teeth regularly and cleaning the eyes every day with a moist cloth to keep away infections.

This generally-healthy breed, having a weak gene pool and inbreeding are vulnerable to common dog diseases like hip dysplasia (being the major one), with other issues like cardiac problems, hyperkeratosis, epilepsy, brachycephalic head, bacterial eye diseases, conjunctivitis, hyperkeratosis and skeletal problem.

Training

The independent Dogue De Bordeaux doesn’t tend obeying its master, and needs obedience training from a strict but skilled trainer. Define rules clearly as the leader of its ‘pack’ and higher in order than the pet dog, since they are dominant. Such trainings would make the dog-and-master relationship a success.

Feeding

Feed them with lots of meat and bones, and if you choose for dry kibbles, divide the same into two equal meals, however, not to be fed immediately after exercising to prevent bloating. Dogue De Bordeaux loves eating, and they also need healthy diet, with the adult dog needing to consume 2%-3% of their total weight. Better if the meal is soaked in water for some time before served. They tend to overeat, resulting in skeletal hazards.

Mixes

The popular mixes of the Dogue De Bordeaux are:

1. Bully Bordeaux (cross between the Bullmastiff and the Dogue de Bordeaux),
2. American Bull Dogue de Bordeaux (cross between American Bulldog / Dogue de Bordeaux),
3. Muscle Mastiff (cross between Dogue de Bordeaux and Mastiff mix),
4. Dogue de bordeaux and Pitbull mix

Interesting Facts

• In 1989, Beasley, a Dogue De Bordeaux, starred alongside Tom Hanks in the then comedy ‘Turner and Hooch’, and stole almost all scenes it appeared in, was its first and final movie.
• This breed, unlike most other dog breeds, can especially go well with cats, if trained from a very young age.
• The Bordeaux has a very strong prey drive and would probably chase all animals and humans, intruding inside its ‘property’.
• This is one of the rarest breeds which needs at least 60 to 80 minutes of robust, vigourous exercise schedules everyday to stay fit, well and healthy.