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History
The Dogue de Bordeaux ( DogueDeBordeaux ) was known in France as early as the
fourteenth century.
The Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as the French Mastiff, French Fighting Dog, or
the Bordeaux Mastiff; and in France, the "National Guard Dog of France," is one
of the most ancient breeds among today's existing purebred dogs.
The Dogue's history is believed to predate the Bullmastiff and the Bulldog. It
is said that the Dogue can be found in the background of the Bullmastiff, and
others claim that the Dogue and Mastiff breeds were both being accomplished at
the same time. Some believe that the Bulldog is the building block of the Dogue,
and again, another group believes that the Bulldog was used in breeding programs
further down the line. Another theory is the Dogue de Bordeaux originates from
the Tibetan Mastiff.
"It is often been said that the common stem of all European dogues was a big dog
coming from the confines of India and China, more than 3000 years ago, and by
stages would have gone from Tibet to Mesopotamia, there, where begins the
history of men; then to Epire, small kingdom of ancient Greece, founded by a
mythological king; Molosse; then to Rome and from there to Gaule. He would have
made this long journey by the side of conquerors, warriors and merchants. It is
possible that this prestigious connection is in part true, but let us not forget
the fact, maybe preponderant that archeologists have found in the land that
would become France, bones of dogs dating from prehistory, bones that were those
of a Dogue."
This notion ties in with the debate that the Dogue comes from the Alano Dog, a
dog of smaller size from Spain. The Alano, also known as the Black Dogue, is a
non-FCI recognized dog that exists sparsely today, while others insist that the
breed is extinct and fanciers are "rebuilding" the breed. A theory is that the
Dogue was brought to Europe by the Alans, an Oriental tribe that settled north
of the Gironde estuary. The Alano is described in a quote (roughly translated)
from Martinez del Espinar, year 1644, as having a "wide and lifted forehead,
sunken and bloodshot eyes, an expansive look, and a neck short and wide. The
Alano weighs between 35-45 kg and stands 62-63 cm for males and 57-60 cm for
females. It has triangular ears, small vanilla colored eyes, a head shaped like
two cubes, and a short, wide muscular neck, with loose skin to protect it
against the razor teeth of its enemies. The Alano also has wide round ribs to
hold its powerful heart and lungs. To see the Alano, one would notice that the
Alano looks strikingly similar to the Dogue de Bordeaux.
It is also said that the Dogue is related to the GrecoRoman mollosoids used for
war, as there was a breed similar to the Dogue de Bordeaux in Rome at the time
of Emperor Julius Caesar's reign. This would make the Dogue de Bordeaux a cousin
of the Neapolitan Mastiff.
Another theory suggests that the Dogue de Bordeaux is a descendent of a breed
which existed in France a long time ago. "In the mid 19th century, these French
dogues had disappeared from almost everywhere, with the exception of Aquitaine,
where at all times, they had been numerous and famous. From Avnis and from
Saintongue to the Pyrenees, these dogues from Aquitaine were not all naturally
similar. The Dogues were bred depending on the region and the jobs they were
required to do. The general appearance and prognathism were inconsistent. The
Dogue had various coat colors and varieties They had scissors bites in some
regions, underbites in others, but they had a general type similar to today's
Dogues. "These were the dogues and doguins of Aquitaine, probable descendants of
the 'Asans,' known since the 14th century by the "Book of Hunting" of Gaston
Phoebus, Count of Foix-Bearn."
Another article goes further into this history:
"As early as the fourteenth century, Gaston Phoebus, Comte de Foix," a French
writer, "described the great French Molossus, or Alant, doubtless the ancestor
of the modern Dogue de Bordeaux, and in the distinction he drew between the
Alant Gentil and Alant de Bourcherie may be recognized the difference we draw
today between the large fighting dog of the South of France and the smaller kind
with shorter muzzle known as the Bouledogue du Midi...Even then, stress was laid
upon points we now ask for in the French Dogue —the wrinkles, the light, small
eye, the liver colored nose, the absence of dark shadings on the face, and the
red mask which is so much preferred...indicating Mastiff blood."
The best summary on all the various origins of the Dogue de Bordeaux could be
credited to Dr. Carl Semencic, Ph.D., in his article "The Dogue de Bordeaux."
Dr. Semencic states that although there are these differences in option over the
"specific origin of the dog, it is clear that the breed is one expression of the
ancient Mastiff type and this breed's specific physical characteristics are as
typical of the pure Western Mastiff from those of any of toady's Mastiff.
We do know that the Dogue de Bordeaux was used as a guardian, a hunter, and a
fighter. They were trained to bait bulls, bears, and jaguars, hunt boars, heard
cattle, and protect the homes, butchershops, and vineyards of their masters. The
Dogue de Bordeaux was prized as protectors and were often found in the homes of
the noble and wealthy of France. A set back in the breed may have come in 1789,
during the French Revolution, when many of the Dogues may have perished with
their wealthy masters during the uprising of the French against the wealthy and
nobility. But the Dogues of the common man must have thrived. These became the
champions in the arena, and were powerful dogs bred to do their jobs and do them
well.
It was in 1863 when we see the first reference to the Dogue that is the basis of
our modern Dogue. The first canine exhibition was held at the "Jardin
d'Acclimatation" in Paris, France. It was more like an inventory of the types of
breeds living in France at the time than a conformation competition. The winner
was a bitch named Magentas who won 150 francs. The Dogue de Bordeaux was then
given the name of the capital of their region of origin. This marked the day and
showed the superiority over the other French dogs.
There is no other known reference to the Dogue de Bordeaux until the year 1883.
There was a diverse difference in the breed at the time, which created much
controversy. Dogues still varied as having big heads, small heads, their bodies
were exceptionally large, while others were very small. Some breeders preferred
an underbite, others a level scissors bite. Also, the mask color was a subject
of many debates and discussions; red mask, black mask, or without. There were
also three different types of Dogue de Bordeaux adding to the controversy. There
were the Toulouse, the Paris, and the Bordeaux. Our modern day Dogue de Bordeaux
is a mixture of these different types, but the breed is primarily Bordeaux. The
Toulouse was a Dogue that had almost every color in its coat, like a fawnish
tiger color (light brindle perhaps) with a longer body and smaller bones. The
bite was the biggest controversy of the time. Dogues in Paris had a scissors
bite, while others had an undershot bite of almost one inch, until a group of
breeders came to a mid point and agreed on a bite type, the undershot, which is
the bite we see in today's Dogue. These Dogues also had cropped ears, where the
current Dogues have ears in their natural state.
Today we can be surprised by a Dogue that comes up every now and then that is
different from other Dogues in a very unique way. When breeding, we need to
remember that there were these other types in the Dogue's background, and they
are very defined and strong. These dogs are said "not to breed true to how they
look like which is their phenotypes, but they are actually breeding true to what
they carry, the genotypes. The genotype is what we cannot see, but is carried in
the genes and will appear occasionally. This is from the various backgrounds of
the Dogue, the Paris, the Toulouse, and the Bordeaux.
In 1895, a few well known Bulldog breeders tried to establish the Dogue de
Bordeaux in England. Also that year, John Proctor of Antwerp, who had judged the
Dogue de Bordeaux at a show, published an account of his experiences with the
"fighting dogs of the South of France" in the magazine The Stock Keeper. This
sparked the quest of Sam Woodiwiss and H.C. Brooke to search France for
specimens of the Dogue de Bordeaux. Mr. Woodiwiss obtained a dog that had won
first prize in Brodeau, "a warrior renowned in the arena, whose forequarters
were one mass of scars received from dogs he had fought with or from bears he
had baited." He also brought home a bitch named Cora; Mr. Brooke purchased a red
bitch, Dragonne, later known as Amazone de Bordeaux (who later died from blood
poisoning from a wasp sting), and a black masked dog called Tristan. Brooke went
on to own many Dogues such as Sans-Peur, Diane, Bart, and Brutus. Mr. Brooke
wanted to own a dog from a real fighting strain. So he imported a young fawn
colored dog, Matador du Midi, from gladiatorial lineage. Among his ancestors was
Caporal, Megere, and Hercules. Caporal was the champion of the Pyrenees for
seven years. He weighed 108 pounds, stood 25 inches at the shoulder, and had a
skull circumference of 26 inches. Megere was pitted against hyena, wolf and bear
and Hercules was killed by a jaguar in a battle in San Francisco. Brooke pitted
Matador du Midi against a large, older Russian bear when the Dogue was 18 months
old. Brooke noted: "The dog showed great science in keeping his body as much
sideways as possible, to avoid the bear's hug, and threw the bear fairly and
squarely on the grass three times." Today, we see this in our Dogues when they
are at play with their littermates or companions, and when they are engaged in a
fight.
In 1896, Pierre Meguin, a veterinarian and chief editor of the journal "L'Eleveur"
(The Breeder) put together a synthesis of the best Dogue de Bordeaux shown and
known from 1863-1895. He published a book, "Le Dogue de Bordeaux" that features
a description and characteristics to the true Dogue. This effort, put forward by
Mr. Brooke, Mr. Meguin, Dr. Wiart and a group of other authorities in France,
was the first standard for the Dogue de Bordeaux. This is the basis of our
standard today. In 1897, Henry de Bylandt's work "The Breeds of Dogs" introduced
the breed standard to the world of cynophilia J. Kunstler, Professor of
Comparative Anatomy of the Science Facility of Bordeaux, studied the Dogues in
1907 and in 1910 published "A Critique Etude du Dogue de Bordeaux" (A Critical
Study of the Dogue de Bordeaux) with a precise standard of the Dogue.
The popularly of the Dogue de Bordeaux in England came to an abrupt end when the
Kennel Club put in place their anti-cropping rule. "A Dogue de Bordeaux with his
natural ears is not to be admired." Turc, Cora and Amazone were dead, Mr. Brooke
and Mr.Woodiwiss sold their remaining dogs to a Canadian man, "So ended the
history of the Dogue de Bordeaux in England." The Dogue de Bordeaux suffered
greatly with the onset of World War I and II, to the point of almost being
extinct. Dogue historians tell us that Adolf Hitler ordered that all Dogue de
Bordeaux be killed on sight because of their guarding devotion to their
families, and that there were three breeding pairs left after World War II.
In France, the region of Aquitaine was were a majority of the Dogue de Bordeaux
could now be found. Here is where we can attribute the actual type of the Dogue
de Bordeaux, the work of two breeders, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Deland. They worked to
produce and keep toady's classic Dogue de Bordeaux head, a head that is not too
bull-doggy, at the same time not being long, without losing the macro-morfous
characteristic of the cranial region. During the 1960's, Dr. Raymond Triquet
headed the rebuilding of the breed, and in 1970, Dr. Triquet wrote the new
standard for the Dogue de Bordeaux. Dr. Triquet wrote in "A Word from the
President" from The Society of Amateurs of the Dogues de Bordeaux, dated
February 4, 1980: "When writing in 1970 the new standard of the Dogue de
Bordeaux, I wanted, describing an archetype, to give a working tool to our
breeders, very few of them existing at that time. I have tried, while staying
faithful to the works of two illustrious amateurs of the Dogue de Bordeaux:
Professor Kunstler and Veterinarian Pierre Meguin, to establish a text
sufficiently scientific and a the same time clear enough for all amateurs. I
know in my profession, the importance of the proverb: A standard poorly
expressed and badly drafted can lead to grave errors and to the creation of
teratological creatures. I have thus used caution to avoid certain dangerous
formulae, in this, that they propose exaggerated forms as models...We were a
handful of amateurs, we are now 500 members, and the year 1979 has seen the
births of approximately 240 Dogues de Bordeaux.
The Dogue is also credited to taking part in the breeding programs of two other
mastiffs, the Argentine Dogo and the Tosa. Dr. Martinez, who bred "The Fighting
Dogs of Cordoba" now known as the Argentine Dogo, used a menagerie of breeds to
produce the Dogo. He used the Harlequin Great Dane for height and coloring, the
Pyrenean Mastiff for size, the English Pointer for the sense of smell, and the
Dogue de Bordeaux to increase the head size and to accentuate the Dogos overall
courage, strength and jaw strength. During the 1930's, Japanese fighting
enthusiasts were importing Dogue de Bordeaux stock from France to cross with the
Tosa (The fighting dog of Japan). The result of this was a larger Tosa with a
massive head.
In the middle of the 19th these ancient dogues were hardly renowned out side the
region of Aquitaine. They were used for hunting large animals such as boar, for
fighting (often codified), for the guarding houses of cattle and in the service
of butchers.
Dog fighting was popular in the nineteenth century, particularly in southern
France in the region around Bordeaux. Hence, the city lent its name to these
large fighting dogs.
A uniform breed type of the Bordeaux Dog did not exist before about 1920. The
French placed emphasis on keeping the old breeding line pure. Black masks were
considered an indication of the crossing in of the Mastiff. As an important
indication of purity of the breed, attention was paid to the leather-colored
nose, light eyes, and red mask. Originally bred with huge anatomically incorrect
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."
The Dogue de Bordeaux comes in two varieties, Dogues and Doguins, the former
being a considerably larger dog than the latter. Breeding of the Doguins has
been seriously neglected in recent years and the variety has dwindled to near
nonexistence.
New initiatives will soon be required if the Bordeaux Dog can hope to flourish
again both inside and outside of France. It is hoped that the few remaining
survivors of this interesting old breed will be sufficient for its recovery.
In 1863 the first French dog show took place in Paris in the Jardin
d'Acclimatation. The dogues de Bordeaux were entered under their present name.
There have been different types:
The Toulouse type, the Paris type and the Bordeaux type, which is origin of
today's dogue. The breed, which had suffered greatly during the two world wars,
to the point of being threatened with extinction after the second world war, got
off to a fresh start in the 1960's.
1st standard (caractere des vrais dogues) in Perre Megnin, Le Dogue de Bordeaux,
1869.
2nd standard in J.Kunstler, Etude critiqe du Bordeaux, 1910.
3rd standard by Raymond Triquet, with the collaboration of Vet. Dr. Maurice,
1971.
4th standard reformulated according to the Jerusalem model (F.C.I.) by Raymond
Triquet, with the collaboration of Philippe Serouil, President of the French
Dogue de Bordeaux Club and it's club and its committee, 1993.
Dogues de Bordeaux or French Mastiffs can vary in color from a deep mahogany to
a light fawn. They are thick, stocky dogs with large heads and heavy jowls.
Males have been known to weigh up to 150 pounds and reach 30 inches at the
shoulder. Certainly males well over 100 pounds is the rule, not the exception.
They are said to descend from the giant war hounds that accompanied Roman armies
through the Gaul (modern-day France), but today's Dogues are decidedly gentler
and of a much kinder disposition than their forerunners. They are still fairly
uncommon pets, and this fact combined with their impressive size and striking
physical features ensures that these beautiful animals will turn heads wherever
they go.
Dogue de Bordeaux is the original descendant of numerous Dogue breeds that were
the ancient residents in France. By the middle of 19th century these ancient
residents breeds of French Dogues suddenly died away except for the province
Alvitanny, where they were particularly numerous and esteemed. The French Dogues
did not appear in identical forms in al French provinces. They served their
breeders depending on a province or on assignment in different ways, namely for
hunting big game, for dog fights, in war, for looking after cattle and to help
butchers in slaughter-houses. These dogs were described as early as 14th
century. The European Dogues are the descendants of big dogs that came to Europe
from the area between India and China across Tibet, Mezopotamy to Epirus, the
small kingdom in ancient Greece 3000 years ago. From there they came to Rome and
eventually to Galley. During this long voyage they were used in conquests, wars
and slave trade. By the middle of 19th century these Dogues found themselves in
a completely new situation. The principles of spiritual, scientific and
industrial revolutions came into being, the new ways of life and thinking in the
full bloom of science which resulted in the beginning of cynology. The first
exhibition of dogs took place in the Botanical garden of Paris in 1863. This was
war about the review of the breeds existing in France at the time than the
competition of the best specimen of specific breeds. The Dogue de Bordeaux,
named after the capital of the province it originates from, showed quite clearly
in those days its precedence and superiority over other French breeds
They are known by many names or terms like bordeauxdog, bordeauxdogge, bordeaux
dogue, bordeaux, dogo de burdoes, dogue, dogues bordeauxs, french mastiff ,molosser,
dogue de bordeaux, french mastiffs, dogue de bordeauxs, doguedebordeauxs,etc.
DogueDeBordeaux Puppies Planned in 2010
Wikipedia Dogue de
Bordeaux
Dog Breed Info
Dogue de Bordeaux
Some Great Articles Listed by Cher & Gary (Algarde Kennels)
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