How to Identify a Dogue de Bordeaux

Look at the general appearance of the Dogue de Bordeaux. This is an ancient French breed and is a typical molossoid type. The Dogue de Bordeaux is a powerful dog and has a muscular body. It is built close to the ground and has a massive head but with proper proportions. Its serious expression coupled with its stocky, athletic build make this breed quite imposing. Females have similar characteristics, but they are less prominent.

Note the size and proportion of the body. The body, as measured from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks is greater than the height measurement at the withers. The males are 23 ½ to 27 inches at the withers and females are 23 to 26 inches at the withers. The males weigh at least 110 pounds and the females weigh at least 99 pounds.

Look at the large, angular head. It is a broad, but rather short, head. The eyes are oval and set wide apart. The eyes are hazel to dark brown in a dog with a black mask. They may be a bit lighter in a dog with a brown mask or no mask. The ears are small when compared to the skull and are a bit darker in color than the coat. The ears should fall back, but should not hang limply. The tip is a bit rounded. The ears are set high—toward the upper line of the skull, and emphasize the width of the skull. The perimeter of the skull is nearly the same measurement as the height at the withers. The head has wrinkles on each side of the median grove. The broad muzzle is powerful, thick and short. The broad nose has well-opened nostrils and is set back from the front of the muzzle. The nose is colored to match the mask.

Make sure the neck is strong and muscular. It should be almost cylindrical. The supple skin is loose. The circumference of the neck is almost that of the head. There is a well-defined dewlap that starts at the level of the throat and forms folds down to the chest. The powerful chest is long, deep and broad and is lower than the elbows. Though the chest’s circumference measures almost a foot more than the height at the withers, this breed does not have a barrel appearance. The tail is very thick at the base, and the tip should reach the hock. It is carried low when the dog is at rest but carried level with the back or even slightly above when the dog is in motion. It should not curve over the back.

Look at the strong bone structure of this breed, coupled with muscular legs. The elbows are in-line with the body and, while not close to the chest, are not turned out. The strong feet lead to well-developed pads and a dog that is well up on tight toes. The well-angulated rear legs are powerful and have a strong bone structure. The rear is not as broad as the front of this breed. The well-developed thigh has visible muscles. There are no dewclaws in the rear. The rear feet are a bit longer than the front feet and the toes are tight.

Feel the short, soft coat. The skin is rather thick and is loose-fitting. The coat may be any shade of fawn—from a dark red to a light fawn. The Dogue de Bordeaux may have some white patches on the chest or on the limbs. There should be no white at the tip of the tail. The mask is spread out but should not reach into the cranial region. There may be some black shading on the skull, back, ears and neck. The nose is black. In dogs with no mask, the coat is fawn and the skin appears to be red, and the nose is reddish or pink.