AKC MEET THE
BREEDS®: Dogue de Bordeaux
A powerful and
muscular French breed, the Dogue de
Bordeaux is a molossoid
(mastiff-type dog), "dogue" meaning
Mastiff in French. A massive head
and stocky body are trademarks of
the breed. Americans became aware of
the Dogue de Bordeaux when he
appeared as drooling, messy "Hooch"
in the 1989 Tom Hanks’ film,
Turner and Hooch. The breed’s
short, fine coat is fawn-colored,
ranging from a dark red to a light
fawn.
A Look
Back
The Dogue de Bordeaux’s history is a
mystery – different theories link
him to the Bullmastiff, Bulldog,
Tibetan Mastiff, and the ancient
Dogues de Bordeuax of Aquitaine. In
any case, the Dogue de Bordeaux has
been used as a guardian, hunter and
fighter. They were trained to bait
bulls, bears, and jaguars, hunt
boars, herd cattle, and protect the
homes and businesses of their
masters.
Right
Breed for You?
The Dogue de Bordeaux possesses an
instinct for guarding, which he does
with vigilance and courage, but
without aggressiveness. He is an
excellent companion – affectionate
and attached to his family – with a
patient, calm temperament. Their
short coat is easy to care for and
they require moderate daily
exercise. New owners should be
prepared to deal with drool!
If you are
considering purchasing a
Dogue de Bordeaux puppy,
learn more here.
- Working
Group; AKC recognized in 2008.
- Ranging in
size from 23 to 27 inches tall
at the shoulder and at least 99
pounds.
- Guardian;
hunter.
© The American
Kennel Club, Inc.
Dogue de
Bordeaux Breed Standard
General
Appearance
The Dogue de Bordeaux is one of the
most ancient French breeds. He is a
typical brachycephalic molossoid
type. He is a very powerful dog,
with a very muscular body yet
retaining a harmonious general
outline. Built rather close to the
ground, the distance from the
deepest point of the chest to the
ground is slightly less than the
depth of the chest. A massive head
with proper proportions and features
is an important characteristic of
the breed. His serious expression,
stocky and athletic build, and self
assurance make him very imposing.
Bitches have identical
characteristics, but less prominent.
Size,
Proportion, Substance
The length of the body, measured
from the point of the shoulder to
the point of the buttock, is greater
than the height at the withers, in
the proportion of 11/10. The depth
of the chest is more than half the
height at the withers. Size: Dogs:
23.5-27 inches at the withers -
Bitches: 23-26 inches at the
withers. Weight: Dogs at least 110
lbs. - Bitches at least 99 lbs.
Head
The head is large, angular, broad,
and rather short. It is trapezium
shaped when viewed from above and in
front. Eyes-Oval
and set wide apart. The space
between the eyes is equal to about
twice the length of the eye (eye
opening). Frank expression. The haw
should not be visible. Color: hazel
to dark brown for a dog with a black
mask, lighter color tolerated but
not sought after in dogs with either
a brown mask or without a mask.
Fault: Protruding eyes.
Ears-The ear is
small in proportion to the skull and
of a slightly darker color than the
coat. The front of the ears’ base is
slightly raised. They should fall
back, but not hang limply. The front
edge of the ear is close to the
cheek when the dog is attentive. The
tip is slightly rounded, and should
not reach beyond the eye. Set rather
high, at the level of the upper line
of the skull, thus emphasizing the
skull width even more.
Skull-Back Skull in
the male: The perimeter of the skull
measured at the point of its
greatest width corresponds roughly
to the height at the withers. In
bitches it may be slightly less. Its
volume and shape are the result of
the spacing of the lower jaw bones,
and the very well developed temporal
area, upper-orbital area, and
zygomatic arches. The cheeks are
prominent due to the very strong
development of the muscles. The
skull is slightly rounded from one
side to the other. The frontal
groove is deep. The forehead,
characterized by well developed
eyebrows, dominates the face.
However the skull is still wider
than high. The head is furrowed with
symmetrical wrinkles on each side of
the median groove. These deep ropes
of wrinkle are mobile depending on
whether the dog is attentive or not.
Stop-The
stop is very pronounced, almost
forming a right angle with the
muzzle (95 to 100 degrees).
Fault: Extreme characteristics
such as a very short muzzle, flat
skull and a swollen fold behind the
nose. Muzzle-Powerful,
broad, thick, and rather short.
Should not be fleshy below the eyes.
When viewed in profile, the foreface
is very slightly concave with
moderately obvious folds. Its width
decreases only slightly from the
root of the muzzle to the tip. When
viewed from above it has the general
shape of a square. When viewed from
the side, the top lines of the skull
and muzzle form an angle that
converges at, or near the end of the
muzzle. When the head is held
horizontally, the end of the muzzle,
which is truncated, thick and broad
at the base, is in front of a
vertical tangent to the front of the
nose (The nose is slightly set back
from the front of the muzzle.). Its
perimeter is almost two thirds of
that of the head. Its length varies
between one third and one quarter of
the total length of the head,
measured from the nose to the
occipital crest. The ideal length of
the muzzle is between these two
extremes. Nose-Broad,
with well opened nostrils. Self
colored according to the color of
the mask. Slightly upturned
permissible. Upper lip-Thick,
moderately pendulous yet retractile.
When viewed in profile it shows a
rounded lower line and covers the
lower jaw on the sides. When viewed
from the front, the edge of the
upper lip is in contact with the
lower lip, and drops on either side
thus forming an inverse, wide V.
Jaws-Very
powerful, and broad. Undershot so
that there is no contact between the
upper and lower incisors. The lower
jaw curves upwards. The chin is very
pronounced and should neither
overlap the upper lip exaggeratedly
nor be covered by it.
Disqualification: Mouth not
undershot; wry jaw.
Bite-Undershot.
Fault: Incisors constantly
visible when the mouth is closed.
Severe Fault: Canines
constantly visible when the mouth is
closed. Teeth-Strong,
particularly the canines. Lower,
canines set wide apart and slightly
curved. Incisors well aligned
especially in the lower jaw where
they form a straight line.
Severe Fault: Long narrow head
with insufficiently pronounced stop,
with a muzzle measuring more than a
third of the total length of the
head (lack of type in head).
Neck,
Topline and Body
Neck-Very
strong and muscular, almost
cylindrical. The skin is supple,
ample and loose. The average
circumference almost equals that of
the head. There is a noticeable,
slightly convex, furrow at the
junction of the head and neck. The
well-defined dewlap starts at the
level of the throat forming folds
down to the chest, without hanging
exaggeratedly. The neck is very
broad at its base, merging smoothly
with the shoulders.
Topline-Solid with a
broad and muscular back, withers
well marked, broad loin, rather
short and solid. Chest-Powerful,
long, deep, broad, and let down
lower than the elbows. The forechest
is broad and powerful with a lower
line that is convex towards the
bottom. The ribcage is deep and well
sprung, but not barrel shaped. The
circumference of the chest should be
between 10 and 12 inches greater
than the height at the withers.
Underline-Curved,
from the deep brisket to the firm
abdomen. Slight to moderate tuck-up.
Should be neither pendulous nor
extreme. Croup-Moderately
sloping down to the root of the
tail. Tail-Very
thick at the base. The tip
preferably reaches the hock but not
below. Carried low, it is neither
broken nor kinked but supple.
Hanging when the dog is in repose;
generally carried level with the
back or slightly above the level of
the back when the dog is in action,
without curving over the back or
being curled. Fault: Fused
vertebrae but not kinked.
Disqualification: An atrophied tail
or a tail that is knotted and
laterally deviated or twisted.
Forequarters
Strong bone structure, legs very
muscular. Shoulders-Powerful,
prominent muscles. Slant of
shoulder-blade is medium (about 45
degrees to the horizontal), with the
angle of the scapular-humeral
articulation being a little more
than 90 degrees. Arms-Very
muscular. Elbows-In
line with the body. Should be
neither too close to the chest nor
turned out. Forearms-When
viewed from the front, straight or
inclining slightly inwards,
especially in dogs with a very broad
chest. When viewed in profile,
vertical. Pasterns-Powerful.
Slightly sloping when viewed in
profile. When viewed from the front,
may bend slightly outwards, thus
compensating for the slight
inclination of the forearm inwards.
Feet-Strong.
Toes should be tight, nails curved
and strong, and pads well developed
and supple; the Dogue is well up on
his toes despite his weight.
Hindquarters
Powerful legs with strong bone
structure; well angulated. When
viewed from behind, the hindquarters
are parallel and vertical thus
giving an impression of power. The
hindquarters are not quite as broad
as the forequarters.
Thigh-Well developed
and thick with visible muscles.
Stifle-In
a parallel plane to the median plane
or slightly out. Second
Thigh-Relatively
short, well muscled.
Hock Joint-Short and
sinewy, with the angle of the hock
joint moderately open.
Hock-Strong, no
dewclaws. Hind feet-Slightly
longer than the front feet, toes
should be tight.
Coat
Fine, short and soft to the touch.
Skin-Thick
and sufficiently loose fitting.
Color
Coat-Self-colored,
in all shades of fawn, from a dark
red fawn to a light fawn. A rich
coat color is considered desirable.
Limited white patches are
permissible on the chest and the
extremities of the limbs. Fault:
White on the tip of the tail, or on
the front part of the forelegs above
the carpus and the tarsus.
Disqualification: White on the head
or body, or any coat color other
than shades of fawn. Black
Mask: The mask is often only
slightly spread out and should not
invade the cranial region. There may
be slight black shading on the
skull, ears, neck and back.
Pigmentation of the nose will be
black. Brown Mask: Pigmentation of
the nose and eye rims will also be
brown. No Mask: The coat is fawn:
the skin appears red (also formerly
called "red mask"). The nose is then
reddish or pink.
Gait
The gait is quite supple for a
molossoid. In open walking the
movement is free, supple, close to
the ground. Good drive from the
hindquarters, good extension of the
forelegs, especially at the trot,
which is the preferred gait. As the
trot quickens, the head tends to
drop, the topline inclines towards
the front, and the front feet get
closer to the median plane while
striding out with a long reaching
movement. Vertical movement while in
a short gallop is rather important.
He is capable of great speed over
short distances by bolting along
close to the ground.
Temperament
Dogue de Bordeaux is gifted for
guarding, which he assumes with
vigilance and great courage but
without aggressiveness. He is a very
good companion, being attached to
and affectionate toward his master.
He is calm and balanced with a high
stimulus threshold. The male
normally has a dominant character.
The foregoing
is a description of the ideal Dogue
de Bordeaux. Any deviation should be
penalized in direct proportion to
the extent of that deviation.
Extreme deviation in any part should
be penalized to the extent that the
dog is effectively eliminated from
competition.
Disqualifications
- Mouth not undershot; wry jaw.
- An atrophied tail or a tail that
is knotted and laterally deviated or
twisted.
- White on the head or body, or any
coat color other than shades of
fawn.
Approved
October 9, 2007
