Dogue de Bordeaux

Other names	Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff, Bordeauxdog
Country of origin	France
[hide]Traits Weight Male 150 lb (68 kg)+ Female 125 lb (57 kg)+ Height Male 23.5–27 in (60–69 cm) Female 23–26 in (58–66 cm) Coat Fine, short and soft to the touch Color 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 Litter size Avg. 8 pups Life span Avg. 5-6 years
Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Dogue de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff or Bordeauxdog is a large French Mastiff breed—and one of the most ancient French dog breeds. A typical brachycephalic molossoid type breed, the Bordeaux is a very powerful dog, with a very muscular body. This brawny breed has been put to work in many different capacities, from pulling carts and hauling heavy objects, to guarding flocks and, historically, the castles of the European elite.

The Dogue de Bordeaux was known in France as early as the fourteenth century, particularly in southern France in the region around Bordeaux. Hence, the city lent its name to this large dog. A uniform breed type of the Bordeaux Dog did not exist before about 1920.^[1]

The French placed emphasis on keeping the old breeding line pure. Black masks were considered an indication of the crossing in of the English Mastiff. As an important indication of purity of the breed, attention was paid to the self colored (pink) nose, lighter eye color (dark amber), and red mask. They were originally bred with huge heads; a pioneer for the breed in Germany, Werner Preugschat once wrote:

What am I supposed to do with a dog that has a monstrous skull and is at most able to carry it from the food dish to its bed?