History

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 Thibet 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."1

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.2 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."3 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.4 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."5 The Dogues were bred depending on the region and the jobs they were required to do. The general appearance and prognathism6 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 doguins7 of Aquitaine, probable descendants of the 'Asans,' known since the 14th century by the "Book of Hunting" of Gaston Phoebus, Count of Foix-Bearn."8

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."9

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."10

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 186311 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.12

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"13 which is their phenotypes14, but they are actually breeding true to what they carry, the genotypes15. 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"16 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.17 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."18 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.19

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."20 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."21 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.22 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.23 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"24

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.29 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).30 The result of this was a larger Tosa with a massive head.