INTRODUCTION

The Dogue de Bordeaux is a breed of dog of French origin; it is a member of the great family of the Mastiffs. It is a dog of great strength and power, with a firm and determined character which makes it a great watchdog.

THE HISTORY OF THE DOGUE OF BORDEAUX

When the civilisations of the Ancient Near East established the first production economies, they rationalised the use of dogs, among other innovations, to optimise their efficiency in two different functions: protection on the one hand, and hunting on sight on the other. Certain sectors of the dog population have thus lost the intrinsic versatility of the primitive dog. New forms are always the result of progress in functionality.

These early specialised morphotypes were oriented, by empirical selection, in opposite anatomical directions. In the greyhound, proportions became lighter and stretched vertically, to gain speed in the pursuit of fast prey. In the greyhound, a horizontal thickening of the shape, with a notable increase in body and cephalic volume. Morphology becomes more compact and powerful. Combined with morphological selection, the shaping of certain behavioural patterns, in this case an increase in territorial aggressiveness, makes these dogs more effective in protecting herds and properties, but also in hunting large predators. In the Ancient Near East, this hunting was carried out for the purpose of preventive defence, but also for prestige, especially in the case of the lion. The analogy between the lion and the molosser that confronts it is a very ancient iconographic and linguistic figure, established throughout the area of the molosser's appearance, and which will have a fruitful posterity far beyond. The rounded ears, the frightened expression and even the mane constitute a stylistic code that has endured in Western and Eastern art up to the classical period.

The civilisations of ancient Eurasia developed the use of this morphotype and its varieties. The spread of the Molosser may have been facilitated by cultural and commercial exchanges, but when it comes to canine racination, identical functional requirements can lead to the emergence and development of similar forms in various geo-cultural settings: this is adaptive convergence; in the field of agriculture and breeding (as in others), it is the practices that can travel, not necessarily the plants or animals themselves. So while it can be argued that it was in the Ancient Near East that the molosser first appeared, it is unlikely that the models of all later periods are descended solely from the Near Eastern molosser herd.

Ancient authors also cited Greek, Roman and Celtic models. The most famous variety, the ‘molossus’, takes its name from the Molossoi, a people of Epirus (northwestern Greece). Roman iconography shows that the molossoi, with their ears and tails often cropped (sometimes with a protective belly), were used to hunt wild boar. The Romans also used butcher dogs to handle and restrain livestock during slaughter. Fighting dogs, a spectacular version of molossoid functions, are attested in the Roman Empire, but their antecedents may date back to ancient Mesopotamia. On the other hand, the so-called warrior function of the molosser seems to be more legendary than documented; it is probably fragments of ancient myths and folklore of certain Indo-European peoples, in which the warrior is metaphorically assimilated to a fierce dog, which Greco-Roman authors recycled without deciphering its meaning.

In the medieval West, the dog guarding flocks, farms and other properties, in French mâtin or gaignon (from gaigne, cholera), was endowed with more or less strongly molosser features. As a butcher's dog, it was used for spectacular shows against bulls, sometimes bears and even other animals. Although not unique to England, it has been popular there since at least the 12th century. As for the hunting molosser, a member of the manor packs and used to assist the hounds in dangerous hunts (wolf, bear, wild boar), it is relatively light in size for greater speed, while retaining a strong head with a wide jaw for a solid grip on the animals.

The French name for the hunting molosser is alan, which, contrary to what is often believed on the basis of phonetic analogy, probably has nothing to do with the Caucasian people of the Alawites who migrated as far as Gaul and North Africa in the 4th century. It is more likely that alan (also written allan or allant, a spelling that was not very fixed at the time) is simply the gerund of the verb aller, as various later sources allow us to deduce: ‘chien allant c'est à dire qui par chemin détourne les bestes’ (René François, Essay des Merveilles de Nature, 1625); In his Cours d'Agriculture (1781), Abbé Rozier, professor at the Lyon Veterinary School, explains that hunting dogs include the large “allans”, the “trouvans” with a subtle sense of smell, and the “battans” which cover a lot of ground in a short time. The allan is mentioned in the Livre de la chasse of the Count of Foix Gaston ‘Phebus’ (1387); this does not mean that the Count's dogs, because of their geographical location, should necessarily be considered as ancestors of the Dogue de Bordeaux. The historical lineage and the genetic lineage, centuries apart, do not overlap; it is the morphotypes that are perpetuated.

The French name for the hunting mastiff is alan, which, contrary to popular belief based on phonetic analogy, probably has nothing to do with the Caucasian Alans who migrated to Gaul and North Africa in the 4th century. It is more likely that alan (also written allan or allant, a spelling that was not very fixed at the time) is simply the gerund of the verb aller, as various later sources allow us to deduce: ‘chien allant c'est à dire qui par chemin détourne les bestes’ (René François, Essay des Merveilles de Nature, 1625); Abbé Rozier, professor at the Lyon Veterinary School, in his Cours d'Agriculture (1781), explains that hunting dogs include the large “allans”, the “trouvans” with a subtle sense of smell, and the “battans” which cover a lot of ground in a short time. The allan is mentioned in the Livre de la chasse of the Count of Foix Gaston ‘Phebus’ (1387); this does not mean that the Count's dogs, because of their geographical location, should necessarily be considered as ancestors of the Dogue de Bordeaux. The historical lineage and the genetic lineage, centuries apart, do not overlap; it is the morphotypes that are perpetuated.

The word dog was introduced into French at the end of the 14th century, spelled dogue, during the Hundred Years' War. In English, it probably refers to mastiffs, as it comes from taka, a word from Old Norse, the language of the Viking conquerors of England, meaning to take (hence the English verb to take). It is, therefore, dogs that ‘take’. The word eclipsed the old English word for dog, hound, which was only used for the hounds of the social elite. In France, the word was imported along with the dogs to which it referred. In 1478, for example, the accounts of Louis XI's Hôtel du roi de France mention ‘grans dougues venuz d'Angleterre’, a priori for hunting. England's particular taste for dog and bull fighting undoubtedly led to their selection. In 1690, the dictionary of the Académie Française stated that the Great Dane was ‘a mastiff used for guarding houses, or for fighting bulls and other beasts’. The beautiful mastiffs came from England.

Classical authors and naturalists differentiate between the mastiff, which is large and used to guard houses and flocks in regions where there are still many wolves, the ‘strong-bred’ Great Dane, which is also large, and the medium-sized Dane, ‘of great corpulence, the body square, rather short than long’, the chest broad, the neck ‘short and fat’, the head so large that it seems ‘the largest part of the body’ (Louis Ligier, La Nouvelle Maison Rustique, 1777). They are also known as ‘barnyard dogs’ because they are tied up in barnyards and let loose at night to scare off thieves and predators; according to their function, they must be ‘especially vigilant and good guardians’. Abbé Rozier describes the mastiff, which has fewer legs than the mastiff, with ‘an almost round head, a flattened nose and hanging lips’. It is the largest, the strongest and the bravest of all dogs (...) (...) They are often trained for fighting, and then they become extremely ferocious’.

In the 18th century, animal fighting took off in France. In the 1770s, an arena was set up in the Rue de Sèvres in Paris for festivals. Then, in 1778, an arena with a capacity of 20,000 spectators was built on the corner of rue de Meaux, on the Pantin road, and the place was renamed barrière or place du Combat (later place du Colonel-Fabien). On Sundays and holidays, the Great Danes fought bulls, bears, wolves, wild boars, donkeys and other dogs; Spanish-style bullfights were also practised. The establishment breeds its own dogs. These shows were held there until 1833. Although the local breeds of Great Danes were developed in France, English dogs were probably imported on several occasions to provide food for the bullfights. In the 19th century, the bulldog was a fixture on the Parisian dog scene, associated with butchers and chevillards (wholesale butchers), for whom it remained a working, companion and fighting dog.

Dog magazines and books of the late 19th century, as well as dog shows, featured mastiffs of various types, origins and functions, some of which were fighting dogs, but the south-west seemed to be an important anchorage region - due to geographical proximity, it is likely that these dogs shared kinship links with their Spanish counterparts. In Bordeaux, bullfighting and dog shows had been established since the mid-18th century, later diversifying into dog fights against other animals or canine companions. In 1781, Antonio Franconi, a pioneer of bullfighting and the equestrian circus in France, organised these shows.

These shows were banned by the Bordeaux town council in 1791, then authorised again in 1793, as they were urgently requested by the city's inhabitants. A poster in 10 Floréal An II (29 April 1794) announces a ‘great animal fight’ in the former riding school of Laquerrière (rue Rougier), organised by the citizen Fleurichaud, ‘driver of ferocious beasts’, with ‘the great battery of mastiffs who will fight mouth to mouth’, followed by fights between the dogs and a wolf, a donkey, a Pyrenean bear, a Polish bear and a bull which ‘will make the mastiffs fly up to 6 metres high’. In 1834, for example, the local press announced a fight between two dogs, ‘the invincible Caesar’ and another, ‘the strongest dog in Bordeaux’.

In the 19th century, the inhabitants of south-west France referred to the mastiffs of Toulouse, Aquitaine, Midi, Gascony or Bordeaux. According to the authors, there were two main types - among an areopagus of which the iconographic evidence of the time shows the great diversity: a large Great Dane, weighing over 50 kg, and a smaller, stocky, bulldog-type, flat-faced dog, weighing 30 to 40 kg; the model with the longer muzzle and less prognathic jaws is sometimes cited as that of the Great Dane toulousain.

The name Dogue de Bordeaux was made official at the first French dog show in 1863, where the male Magenta, owned by Mr. Radigué, won first prize; the other specimen was Toto, owned by Mr. Geudin; according to the judges' report, this Magenta, “of the great Bordeaux breed”, 70 cm at the withers, fawn, without a black mask, was the only interesting dog of all the breeds present. The entry for the 1865 Tuileries show mentions the Dogue de Bordeaux, ‘of large size, well known’, with a white, black and white, fawn brindle or fawn coat, the preferred colour. The winner was Bataille, 67 cm, owned by Mr Fontan, a Parisian from the Bordeaux region, one of the first breeders of the breed in the canine era, who also owned Bataille's grandfather, Mina, who became famous as a fighting dog in the southwest. The breed was first bred by Pouy, Carré, Schmalzer, Oblan, Blanchet, Deland, Vaurez and the Jardin d'Acclimatation kennel. The fighting dog Caporal (62 cm, 54 kg), owned by Mr. Delant, is an important stud dog.

In his first monograph on the breed (Le Dogue de Bordeaux, 1896), the veterinarian and founder of the magazine L'Éleveur Pierre Mégnin accused Fontan and other breeders, Oblan and Guayraud, of having introduced English Mastiffs into their herd. A debate that was to occupy breeders during the construction phase of the breed was, therefore, the admission or the prohibition of the black mastiff. Within the Réunion des amateurs des chiens d'utilité français, a committee of the Dogue de Bordeaux was set up, which drew up a short standard prohibiting the black mask, published by Pierre Mégnin in his opuscule.

Other points, even more important to distinguish the breed from English and Spanish mastiffs, were hotly debated at the beginning of the 20th century among breeders and between two breed clubs, one founded in Paris and the other in Bordeaux: size, length of muzzle and prognathism.

This approach is at the heart of the cynophile's work, representing a decisive culmination of the categorisation process: by dividing the canine heritage into separate production units, the modern breeds, certain characteristics were retained within each and others were discarded, based on both functional imperatives and aesthetic choices. As is often the case with a breed under construction, retaining certain traits and discarding others is a matter of debate; in the case of the Bordelais, the controversy has been fierce. The model that finally emerged was intended to be a mastiff representing something like an intermediate between a bulldog and a mastiff.

In 1910, Joseph KUNSTLER, professor of zoology at the University of Bordeaux and curator of the Bordeaux Museum of Natural History, breeder and judge, published a monograph with a new standard (including the black mask, of which he was an advocate), which would guide the selection. It should be noted that between 1898 and 1921, Kunstler assembled a collection of 70 naturalised dogs of various breeds at the Museum, taxidermically mounted under his direction; five Bordeaux Mastiffs were included in this collection. The Société des Amateurs de Dogue de Bordeaux was founded in 1930, recognised by the SCC, and led by the leading breeders of the time: Barès, its president, Kunstler, de Luze, de Saint Affrique, Favereau, Roullet, Jagourt and Barthe. The breed suffered greatly during the Second World War, but some breeders in the southwest were able to maintain a small herd from which selection was restarted and a Belgian stallion, V'Patch, was imported.

After the war, important breeders emerged: Maurice Van Cappel (from Fénelon), who introduced a mastiff into his line, Mme Martinet (from Cerbère), Mme de Permangle (from Fon de Cé), Mme Langlais (from Récollets du Lude), M. Averlant (from Démons Noirs), Melle Fourcade, M. Brégeot (from Little Pady), M. Pouit (from Goise). At the beginning of the 1950s, between 60 and 80 LOFs were registered each year, then the numbers dropped: in the early 1960s there were only about twenty registrations per year.

Raymond Triquet (of La Maison des Arbres), professor of English at the University of Lille, future member of the zootechnical commission of the SCC and future president of the FCI standards commission, was to be the main architect of the renaissance. He was followed by Mrs Everaerts (from Lupango d'Ostrevent), Mr Forest, Mr Létendart (from Domaine des Sources), Mr and Mrs Bèbe (from Moulin de Laparra), Mr Guignard (from Berse du Loup) and Mr Amet (from Fontaine aux Amours). In 1971, Mr. Triquet drafted a new standard (revised in 1995 and 2007), and took over the presidency of the club in 1972; he later wrote a detailed monograph (La saga du Dogue de Bordeaux, 1997). Breeding stock was imported from Germany and in 1975, 97 dogs were registered in the LOF, rising to 143 in 1976. From then on, the breed continued to develop, slowly but surely. In the 2000s, it was boosted by the public's love of molossers. By 2007, the number of LOF registrations had passed the 1,000 mark. The Dogue de Bordeaux is now well established in many dog-loving countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, the USA and the UK, where it was introduced in the late 19th century.

Two world wars caused the breed to virtually disappear in the 20th century. In the 1950s an attempt was made to breed the Dogue de Bordeaux again with the remaining animals. This was a success and in 1954 the breed was officially recognised by the FCI. Since then, it has been classified under standard number 116 in FCI group 2 (Pinscher and Schnauzer type dogs - Molossoid - Mountain type dogs and Swiss Cattle Dogs). In the 1960's, the breed finally experienced its heyday also outside France. This powerful pug, with its characteristic wrinkled face, reached its peak of popularity in 1989, when he shared the lead role with Tom Hanks in the film Partners and Hounds. However, it was not until 2008 that the breed gained full recognition with the American Kennel Club.

WHAT IS THE DOGUE OF BORDEAUX LIKE?

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Typical brachycephalic molosser with concave lines. The Dogue de Bordeaux is a very strong dog with a very muscular body, while maintaining an overall harmonious line. His build is rather close to the ground, the distance sternum - ground being somewhat less than the depth of chest. Stocky, athletic and imposing, his appearance is very deterrent.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:

• The length of the body measured from the point of shoulder to the point of the ischium is greater than the height at the withers by a ratio of 11 / 10.
• The depth of chest is greater than half the height at withers.
• The maximum length of muzzle is equal to one third of the length of the head.
• The minimum length of muzzle is equal to one quarter of the length of the head.
• In males, the perimeter of the skull corresponds more or less to the height at the withers.

HEAD: Voluminous, angular, broad, rather short, trapezoid when viewed from above and from the front. The longitudinal axes of the skull and the bridge of the nose are convergent (towards the front). The head is covered with wrinkles, on both sides of the central furrow. These deep ropes of wrinkles are mobile depending on whether the dog is attentive or not. The crease from the inner corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth is typical. If present, the crease running from the outer corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth or dewlap should be inconspicuous.

CRANIAL REGION:

CRANIAL:

• MALES: The perimeter of the skull measured at its maximum width corresponds approximately to the height at the withers.
  
  
• FEMALES: May be smaller. Its volume and shape are the consequence of a very important development of the temporal, supra orbital arches, zygomatic arches and the spaces of the lower jaw. The upper region of the skull is slightly convex from one side to the other. The frontal furrow is deep, tapering towards the posterior end of the head. The foreface dominates the head, but does not surpass it. In any case, it is wider than high.

STOP: Very pronounced, almost forming a right angle to the muzzle (95º - 100º).

FACIAL REGION:

NECK: Wide, nostrils well open, well pigmented according to the colour of the mask. A nose sloping upwards is permissible but not if it is set back towards the eyes.

EAR: Strong, broad, thick, but not fleshy under the eyes, rather short, upper profile somewhat concave with moderately visible folds. Its width decreases slightly towards the tip; seen from above it has an overall square appearance. In relation to the top of the skull the line of the muzzle forms a very obtuse upward angle.

When the head is held horizontally, the tip of the muzzle, truncated and thick at the base, is opposite a vertical tangent to the anterior face of the nose. Its circumference is usually two thirds that of the head. Its length varies between one third and at least one quarter of the total length of the head, from the nose to the occipital crest. The established limits (maximum one third and minimum one quarter of the total length of the head) are permissible, but not sought after, the ideal length of muzzle should be between these two extremes.

JAWS: Jaws strong and broad. Prognathism (prognathism is a characteristic of the breed). The back of the lower incisors are in front of and not in contact with the front of the upper incisors. The lower jaw curves upwards. The chin is well marked and should never overhang or be covered by the upper lip.

TEETH: Strong, particularly the canines. Lower canines set wide apart and slightly curved. Incisors well aligned, especially in the lower jaw where they form an apparently straight line.

LIPS: Upper lip thick, moderately pendulous, retractile. Seen in profile shows a rounded lower line. Covering the lower jaw at the sides. In front the edge of the upper lip is in contact with the lower lip, then falls to either side forming an inverted, broad V.

CHEEKS: Prominent due to the very strong development of the muscles.

EYES: Oval in shape, set wide apart. The space between the two inner corners of the eyelids is equal to twice the length of the eye (eye opening). Frank expression. The third eyelid must not be visible.

• COLOUR: Hazelnut to dark brown for a dog with black mask, a lighter colour is tolerated, but not sought after in dogs with brown mask or no mask.

EARS: Relatively small, somewhat darker in colour than the coat. Set on, the front of the base of the ear is slightly raised. They should be drooping, but not hanging down, the front edge close to the cheeks when the dog is attentive. Ear rims slightly rounded; should not reach below the eye. Set on rather high, level with the top line of the skull, which further accentuates its width.

NECK: Very strong and muscular, almost cylindrical. The skin is fine, supple, abundant and loose. Its average circumference is almost equal to that of the head. It is separated from the head by a slightly accentuated, slightly curved transverse fold. The upper edge is slightly convex. The well defined dewlap starts at the level of the throat forming folds towards the chest, without hanging down exaggeratedly. The neck, very broad at the base, merges smoothly into the shoulders.

BODY:

UPPER LINE: Well supported.

CROSS: Well defined.

BACK: Broad and muscular.

LOIN: Broad. Rather short and solid.

Croup: Moderately sloping towards the base of the tail.

CHEST: Strong, long, deep, broad, dropping below the level of the elbows. Broad, strong forechest with convex underline (inter-axillary) towards the end. Ribs well let down and well sprung, but not barrel shaped. Circumference of chest should be 25 to 35 cm more than height at withers.

BOTTOM LINE AND ABDOMEN: Curved from deep brisket to a somewhat tucked up and firm abdomen. Should never be pendulous or too tucked up.

TAIL: Very thick at the base. The tip preferably reaching to the level of the hock and not below. Low set, never broken or curved, but flexible. Hanging when the dog is calm, generally rising 90° to 120° from that position when the dog is in action without curling over the back or curling up.

LIMBS:

FOREQUARTERS: Strong bone structure, very muscular limbs.

Shoulders: Strong, prominent muscles. Shoulder blade inclination medium (approx. 45° to the horizontal), angle of the scapula-humeral joint slightly more than 90°.

ARM: Very muscular.

ELBOW: In the axis of the body, never too close to the chest or leaning outwards.

Forearm: Seen from the front, straight or slightly sloping inwards towards the median plane, especially in dogs with a very broad chest. Viewed in profile vertical.

Pastern: Strong. Seen from the side, slightly sloping. Seen from the front, sometimes slightly outward compensating for the slight inward slope of the forearm. Forefeet: Strong. Toes closed, nails curved and strong, pads well developed and elastic: the Dogue de Bordeaux stands well on his toes in spite of his weight.

HINDQUARTERS: Robust limbs with strong bone structure. Well angulated. Seen from behind the hindquarters are parallel and vertical giving the impression of strength, although the back is not as broad as the front.

THIGH: Very well developed, thick with visible musculature.

KNEE: In plane parallel to the median plane or slightly outwards.

LEG: Relatively short, muscular, let down.

Hock: Short, sinewy, its angle moderately open.

METATARSUS: Strong, without dewclaws. HIND FEET: Slightly longer than the front feet, tight toes.

GAIT / MOVEMENT: Springy for a molosser. When walking the movement is free and springy, close to the ground. Good drive from the hindquarters, good extension of the forelegs especially at the trot which is the preferred movement. When the trot is accelerated the head tends to lower, the topline leans to the front and the forefeet are brought together more towards the median plane giving outward strides with a long reaching movement of the forelegs. The canter with a quite important vertical movement. Capable of great speed over short distances close to the ground.

SKIN: Thick, sufficiently loose, without excessive folds.

COAT: Fine, short and soft to the touch.

COLOUR: All shades of fawn from mahogany to isabella. Good pigmentation is desirable. Delimited white patches on the forechest and on the extremities of the limbs are permitted.

MASK:

• BLACK MASK: The mask is usually only slightly extended and should not encroach on the cranial region. There may be slight black shading on the skull, ears, neck and upper body. The nose is black.
  
  
• BROWN MASK: (Usually called red or bistre). The nose is brown, the pigmentation of the eyelids and the rim of the lips brown. There may be non-invasive brown shading; each hair should have a fawn or sandy area and a brown area. In this case the sloping parts of the body are lighter in colour.
  
  
• WITHOUT MASK: The coat is fawn: the skin appears red (formerly called ‘red mask’). The nose may be reddish.
  
  

SIZE AND WEIGHT: The height should correspond more or less to the circumference of the skull.

HEIGHT AT WITHERS:

• MALES: 60 - 68 cm.
• FEMALES: 58 - 66 cm.

1 cm below or 2 cm above these limits is tolerated.

WEIGHT:

• MALES: Minimum 50 Kg.
• FEMALES: Minimum 45 kg.
  
  

FAULTS: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

SERIOUS FAULTS:

• Disproportionate head (too small or too bulky).
• BULLDOG HYPERTYPE: Flat skull, muzzle measuring less than a quarter of the total length of the head, bulging folds (rolls) at the back of the nose.)
• Important folds around the head.
• Significant lateral deviation of the lower jaw.
• Incisors permanently visible when the mouth is closed. Incisors very small, unevenly placed.
• Arched back (convex).
• Tail vertebrae fused, but not deviated.
• Forefeet turned in (even slightly).
• Forefeet sloping too much outwards.
• Thighs flat.
• Angle of hock too open (straight angulation).
• Angle of hock too tight, dog standing under himself in the hindquarters.
• Cow hocks or bent hocks.
• Forced movement or severe undulating movement of the hindquarters.
• Excessively short breathing, throat clearing.
• White on the tip of the tail or on the front of the forelegs, on the carpus (wrist) and tarsus (hock) or unbroken white on the front of the body from the forechest to the throat.
  
  

DISQUALIFYING FAULTS:

• Aggressiveness or extreme shyness.
• Any dog showing clear signs of physical or behavioural abnormalities.
• Long, narrow head with insufficiently pronounced stop, with muzzle measuring more than one third of the total length of the head (lack of typicality of head).
• Muzzle parallel to the top line of the skull or convex.
• Roman nose.
• Crooked jaw.
• Mouth not prognathic.
• Canines constantly visible when the mouth is closed.
• Tongue constantly visible when the mouth is closed.
• Blue eyes.
• Protruding eyes.
• Tail knotted and deviated to the sides, twisted (curled, broken tail).
• Atrophied tail.
• Fiddle front and short tarsi.
• Angle of hock open backwards (inverted hock).
• White on head or body, any coat colour other than fawn (shaded or not) and in a particular brindle or solid brown called ‘chocolate’ (every hair entirely brown).
• Identifiable faults of invalidity
  
  

N.B.:

• Males should have two apparently normal appearing testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation, should be used for breeding.
  
  

HEALTH OF THE DOGUE DE BORDEAUX

The following diseases are typical in the Dogue de Bordeaux and are prevented by correct lifestyle and typical pre-breeding health testing.

• HIP DYSPLASIA: Hip dysplasia is a multigenic and osteoarticular disease which can be hereditary and degenerative. Therefore, there may be different factors with which to try to predict whether the disease can be developed or not. It is necessary to bear in mind that, although it may be a hereditary disease, it does not always have to develop as it is possible that the dog does not transmit it to its descendants.
  
  
• ELBOW DYSPLASIA: Canine elbow dysplasia is a condition consisting of multiple abnormalities of the elbow joint. The elbow joint is a complex joint made up of three bones (the radius, ulna and humerus). If these three bones do not fit together perfectly as a result of growth disturbances, an abnormal distribution of weight on different areas of the joint occurs, which causes pain, lameness and leads to the development of arthritis. Elbow dysplasia is a disease comprising several disorders grouped into medial space disease (fragmentation of the coronoid process, osteochondrosis, elbow incongruity and elbow anomalies) and nonunion of the anconeal process. The cause of canine elbow dysplasia is unclear.
  
  
• HYPOTHYROIDISM: Hypothyroidism is a common hormonal imbalance in dogs and is usually caused by swelling or shrinkage of the thyroid gland. This progressive destruction of the gland leads to decreased thyroid function and insufficient levels of thyroid hormones. Hypothyroidism is typically seen in middle-aged to older dogs, and occurs most commonly in medium to large breeds.
  
  
• BRAchycephalic Syndrome: Major clinical signs and symptoms include; labored breathing, dyspnoea, exercise intolerance, elongated soft palate, reflux, coughing, sneezing, snoring or stridor, syncope, cyanosis and signs that increase with high environmental temperatures, exercise or excitement. Shortness of breath and snoring after moderate exercise in humid environments and/or climates are the first clinical signs of this syndrome, followed by syncope and episodes of cyanosis after exercise or with stress. This disease is prevented by appropriate health testing and BOAS before breeding.
  
  
• CARDIOMEGALIA: Cardiomegaly is when a dog's heart becomes enlarged. It is not a disease per se but is the consequence of a number of health problems, such as hypertension, heart worms, valvular heart disease and other diseases that affect the structure of the heart itself.
  There are broadly two types of cardiomegaly, that caused by dilatation, i.e. the heart becomes enlarged or enlarged, and that caused by ventricular hypertrophy in which the heart grows due to increased blood pumping.
  Both are serious for the health of the dog and can lead to heart failure.
  Symptoms to look out for to suspect cardiomegaly in your dog are fatigue, shortness of breath after exercise, dizziness, irregular heartbeat and murmurs.
  
  
• STOMACH TORSION: This is an acute distension of the stomach, which causes it to twist on itself. This twisting prevents vascularisation of the organ.
  It occurs in large adult dogs, usually after large meals followed by physical exertion such as running or jumping.
  The stomach, full of food, produces little peristalsis due to overfilling and begins to fill with gas.
  The amount of gas continues to increase, the ligaments that join the stomach to the musculature are not able to withstand this pressure and give way, causing the stomach to twist on its axis.
  When dilatation and subsequent twisting occur, the stomach is unable to empty its contents. In addition, the vessels supplying the stomach are strangled by the torsion and the organ is no longer supplied with blood.
  
  

THE PERSONALITY OF THE DOGUE OF BORDEAUX

This dog is not so easily upset. The Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as the Bordeaux or French Mastiff, is literally a gentle giant. It is calm, gentle and affectionate. He thoroughly enjoys the company of his family and is an obedient and peaceful companion. He has a high threshold of tolerance and excitement and is not usually upset by screaming children. He loves all members of the family, young and old, and is happy when they are all together.

Anyone who wants to own a Dogue de Bordeaux should know a little about dog training and show poise. After all, apart from its many positive traits, this breed also has an innate protective and guarding instinct, which must be harnessed with the right training. With mutual trust, consistency and plenty of positive reinforcement, training and coexistence are usually easy and harmonious. Naturally, he will retain the need to guard his property and protect his family.

CONCLUSION

The Dogue de Bordeaux is an extremely calm dog that is content with a little exercise. Therefore, if you are looking for physical challenges to overcome with your dog, it is best to look for a more athletic breed. Because of its bulk, the Dogue de Bordeaux is not suitable for running or cycling.