Dogue De Bordeaux Breeders
We cannot find out who were the first Dogue De Bordeaux breeders, since the breed is very ancient. Molosser dogs brought to the territory of modern France by the Greek and Romans could be the ancestors of the breed. According to several other theories, these dogs came from mastiffs brought by the Alans, from the dogs of Aquitaine, from Tibetan mastiffs, or from Spanish dogs from Burgos.
The uniform type of the ancient breed appeared in the 1920s when devoted Dogue De Bordeaux breeders decided to preserve the unique appearance and personality of the breed by keeping the old breeding line pure. Breeders started to pay attention to indicators of purity of the breed: huge anatomically incorrect head, self-colored nose, light eyes, lack of black mask, but a red mask. Since that time, the Dogue De Bordeaux is no longer crossbred with the English Mastiff and other breeds.
According to the present-day breed standard, the height of Dogue De Bordeaux males should vary from 23.5 to 26.5 inches at the withers; females stand from 22.5 to 25.5 inches at the withers. Males should weight over 110 pounds; the minimal weight for females is 99 pounds. The characteristic feature of the breed is a massive head. The Dogue De Bordeaux has the largest head compared to other dog breeds. In best representatives of the breed, the head circumference is equal to the shoulder height. Because of a large head of a puppy, females often face problems during the pregnancy and labor. Cesarean section is usually needed. Dogue De Bordeaux breeders has to spend much on vet services to produce healthy puppies, consequently, purebred Dogue De Bordeaux puppies cannot be cheap.
Calm, intelligent, and generally healthy, the Dogue De Bordeaux is a low maintenance breed. It should be kept indoors, if there is enough room for a large dog in the house. These dogs are not suited for outdoor living, as they cannot stand cold and cannot be left alone for a long time. Early socialization and training are necessary for every puppy of this breed, even if it was obtained from responsible Dogue De Bordeaux breeders.
