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Dogue de Bordeaux

The breeds · working

AKC Working · UKC Guardian · FCI standard 116

Dogue de Bordeaux.

FCI 116: UTILIZATION 'Guard, defence and dissuasion'; Group 2, Section 2.1 Molossoid breeds; 'Without working trial'. History: 'In the middle of the 19th century these ancient dogues... were used for hunting large game such as boar, for fighting (often codified), for the guarding of houses and cattle and in the service of butchers.' UKC states the same list for Aquitaine and says the breed 'is used today almost exclusively as a family companion and house guardian'. RKC: probably in France from the 14th century as a guard dog in vineyards and farms; 'the breed was also used as a hunting dog and as a haulage dog'; used in the fighting pits, 'often against bull or bear'. Wikipedia: pulled carts and transported heavy objects, guarded flocks, was bred as a war dog and then used for hunting and guarding French estates; a sculpture shows wolf-baiting (as captioned). AKC standard: 'gifted for guarding' with vigilance and courage but without aggressiveness..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

11.1YRMedian lifespan10.6 to 11.7, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
99–150LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 110 to 150 lb; breed bitches 99 to 120 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRKC: exercise 'up to 1 hour per day'. AKC page: energy level 3 of 5. Wikipedia: a laid-back, lazier breed that enjoys walks, play and lounging.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23 to 27 in · bitches 22 to 26 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Span covers AKC standard, UKC, FCI and Wikipedia. No single ideal printed, so center is blank.

Weight

dogs 110 to 150 lb · bitches 99 to 120 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2021

Standards print minimums only; the 120 lb upper figure is Wikipedia's.

Coat

FCI 116: fine, short, soft; self-coloured in all shades of fawn, mahogany to isabella; limited white on forechest and extremities; black or brown mask or none. AKC standard: fine, short, soft; self-colored fawn, dark red fawn to light fawn; white patch on forechest, throat patch allowed not preferred, white on toes; white elsewhere disqualifies. UKC: short, fine, soft; any shade of fawn mahogany to isabella; white on the head or body disqualifies.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 116, 2008

Shedding

Shedding 4 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · FCI 116: hair fine, short and soft to the touch; skin thick and loosely fitting. AKC standard and UKC: coat short, fine, soft. FCI and AKC describe a brachycephalic molossoid skull; Wikipedia says some Dogues may be intolerant of heat or exercise because of the head shape; FCI lists excessive shortness of breath and raspy breathing as a severe fault.

DerivedFCI-Standard N° 116, 2008

Derived: a short single coat would score 4; the brachycephalic skull and the sources' breathing comments pull it to 3. No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

11.1 years (10.6 to 11.7)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Large UK sample but the 11.1 median sits far from the 5 to 8 year AKC band and the 5 to 6 year society survey; the sources disagree and both stand. Possible causes (UK population, survey method) are not established by any source read.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: exercise 'up to 1 hour per day'. AKC page: energy level 3 of 5. Wikipedia: a laid-back, lazier breed that enjoys walks, play and lounging.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to 60 minutes.

Exercise need

AKC page bands: energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 4 of 5, playfulness 3 of 5, trainability 4 of 5. RKC: up to 1 hour per day, large house, large garden, 'country'. Wikipedia: calm with age; rambunctious as puppies.

Breed clubAKC

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

2 of 5 · RKC grooming band: once a week.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped to 2 (weekly brush).

Grooming

AKC page bands: coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding level 4 of 5, drooling level 5 of 5. RKC: grooming once a week, sheds. Coat fine, short and soft to the touch (AKC standard, FCI 116, UKC).

Breed clubAKC

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 116: UTILIZATION 'Guard, defence and dissuasion'; Group 2, Section 2.1 Molossoid breeds; 'Without working trial'. History: 'In the middle of the 19th century these ancient dogues... were used for hunting large game such as boar, for fighting (often codified), for the guarding of houses and cattle and in the service of butchers.' UKC states the same list for Aquitaine and says the breed 'is used today almost exclusively as a family companion and house guardian'. RKC: probably in France from the 14th century as a guard dog in vineyards and farms; 'the breed was also used as a hunting dog and as a haulage dog'; used in the fighting pits, 'often against bull or bear'. Wikipedia: pulled carts and transported heavy objects, guarded flocks, was bred as a war dog and then used for hunting and guarding French estates; a sculpture shows wolf-baiting (as captioned). AKC standard: 'gifted for guarding' with vigilance and courage but without aggressiveness.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 116, 2008

Hunting, baiting and fighting are historical in every source. The 'bull or bear' wording is RKC's; FCI and UKC say 'fighting' only. Wikipedia's work lines (carts, flocks) carry a citation-needed tag.

Primary game

FCI 116 and UKC: large game such as boar (mid-19th-century use in Aquitaine). RKC: 'a hunting dog', no game named. Wikipedia: no game named.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 116, 2008

Historical only; no source describes present-day hunting.

Also used on

FCI 116 and UKC (mid-19th century): fighting, guarding homes and cattle, butchers' service. RKC: vineyard and farm guard, haulage, fighting pits against bull or bear. Wikipedia: carts, heavy loads, flocks, war dog. Today per UKC: family companion and house guardian.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Field trial standard

FCI 116: 'Without working trial'. No hunting test or work title named in AKC, UKC or RKC text read.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 116, 2008

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

57.1% · 1,015 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 57.1% dysplastic (mild 27.6, moderate 23.1, severe 6.5), 39.9% normal. Hips rank 5 of the OFA table, among the highest dysplasia rates of any breed.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock (owners who test and submit), so normal results are over-represented and the real population rate is likely higher. Hips rank 5 in the OFA table (rank 1 = highest dysplasia).

Elbow dysplasia

26.1% · 828 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 26.1% abnormal (grade 1 16.8, grade 2 7.0, grade 3 2.3), 73.6% normal.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock (owners who test and submit), so normal results are over-represented and the real population rate is likely higher. Elbows rank 14.

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: brachycephalic breathing problems (stenotic nares), ectropion, aortic stenosis (one study suggests high predisposition; most affected dogs died before one year), dilated cardiomyopathy, footpad hyperkeratosis (an estimated 5%), hip dysplasia in more than 50% of dogs in the OFA database and elbow dysplasia in over 21%, retinal dysplasia (about 3%), patella luxation (about 2%); a high stillborn rate (14.2%) and early neonatal mortality (10.4%) in Norwegian Kennel Club data, and 27.8% (5 of 18) of litters by caesarean in UK KC data. Under the UK Kennel Club's Breed Watch the breed is Category 3 (Wikipedia). FCI 116 treats excessive shortness of breath and raspy breathing as a severe fault. OFA: see the hip and elbow rows.

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial; Wikipedia's figures cite sources (Bell 2012, Norwegian and UK Kennel Club data) not opened here.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 4; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 5; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Bordeaux Mastiff, French Mastiff, Bordeauxdog

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