Dogue de Bordeaux AKC Breed Standard

Official Standard of the Dogue de Bordeaux

General Appearance: The Dogue de Bordeaux is one of the most ancient French breeds. He is a

typical brachycephalic molossoid type. The Dogue de Bordeaux is a concave lined breed. He is a

very powerful dog, with a very muscular body yet retaining a harmonious general outline. Built

rather close to the ground, the distance from the deepest point of the chest to the ground is

slightly less than the depth of the chest. A massive head with proper proportions and features is

an important characteristic of the breed. His serious expression, stocky and athletic build and

self-assurance make him very imposing. Bitches have identical characteristics, but less

prominent.

Size, Proportion, Substance: The length of the body, measured from the point of the shoulder to

the point of the buttock, is greater than the height at the withers, in the proportion of 11/10. The

depth of the chest is more than half the height at the withers. Size – Dogs: 23½ to 27 inches at the

withers. Bitches: 23 to 26 inches at the withers. Weight – Dogs at least 110 pounds. Bitches at

least 99 pounds.

Head: The head is large, angular, broad, and rather short. It is trapezium shaped when viewed

from above and in front. Eyes – Oval and set wide apart. The space between the eyes is equal to

about twice the length of the eye (eye opening). Frank expression. The haw should not be visible.

Color – hazel to dark brown for a dog with a black mask, lighter color tolerated but not sought

after in dogs with either a brown mask or without a mask. Fault – Protruding eyes. Ears – The ear

is small in proportion to the skull and of a slightly darker color than the coat. The front of the

ears’ base is slightly raised. They should fall back, but not hang limply. The front edge of the ear

is close to the cheek when the dog is attentive. The tip is slightly rounded and should not reach

beyond the eye. Set rather high, at the level of the upper line of the skull, thus emphasizing the

skull width even more. Skull – Back Skull in the male: The perimeter of the skull measured at

the point of its greatest width corresponds roughly to the height at the withers. In bitches it may

be slightly less. Its volume and shape are the result of the spacing of the lower jaw bones,

and the very well-developed temporal area, upper-orbital area, and zygomatic arches. The

cheeks are prominent due to the very strong development of the muscles. The skull is slightly

rounded from one side to the other. The frontal groove is deep. The forehead, characterized by

well-developed eyebrows, dominates the face but does not overhang it. However, the skull is still

wider than high. The head is furrowed with symmetrical wrinkles on each side of the median

groove. These deep ropes of wrinkle are mobile depending on whether the dog is attentive or not.

The wrinkle which runs from the inner corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth is typical. If

present, the wrinkle running from the outer corner of the eye to either corner of the mouth or

dewlap should be discreet. Stop – The stop is very pronounced, almost forming a right angle with

the muzzle (95 to 100 degrees). Fault – Extreme characteristics such as a very short muzzle, flat

skull, a swollen fold behind the nose that protrudes over it and a prominent fold that extends

across the head without a break or definition between the eyes. Muzzle – Powerful, broad, thick,

and rather short. Should not be fleshy below the eyes. When viewed in profile, the foreface is

very slightly concave with moderately obvious folds. Its width decreases only slightly from the

root of the muzzle to the tip. When viewed from above it has the general shape of a square.

When viewed from the side, the top lines of the skull and muzzle form an angle that converges

at, or near the end of the muzzle. When the head is held horizontally, the end of the muzzle,

which is truncated, thick and broad at the base, is in front of a vertical tangent to the front of the

nose (The nose is slightly set back from the front of the muzzle.). Its perimeter is almost two

thirds of that of the head. Its length varies between one third and one quarter of the total length of

the head, measured from the nose to the occipital crest. The ideal length of the muzzle is between

these two extremes. Nose – Broad, with well opened nostrils. Self-colored according to the color

of the mask. Slightly upturned permissible. Upper lip – Thick, moderately pendulous yet

retractile. When viewed in profile it shows a rounded lower line and covers the lower jaw on the

sides. When viewed from the front, the edge of the upper lip is in contact with the lower lip, and

drops on either side thus forming an inverse, wide V. Jaws – Very powerful, and broad.

Undershot so that there is no contact between the upper and lower incisors. The lower jaw curves

upwards. The chin is very pronounced and should neither overlap the upper lip exaggeratedly nor

be covered by it. Disqualification – Mouth not undershot; wry jaw. Bite – Undershot. Fault –

Incisors constantly visible when the mouth is closed or very small incisors unevenly set. Severe

Fault – Canines or tongue constantly visible when the mouth is closed. Teeth – Strong,

particularly the canines. Lower, canines set wide apart and slightly curved. Incisors well aligned

especially in the lower jaw where they form a straight line. Fault – Disproportioned head (too

small or exaggeratedly voluminous). Severe Fault – Long narrow head with insufficiently

pronounced stop, with a muzzle measuring more than a third of the total length of the head (lack

of type in head).

Neck, Topline and Body: Neck – Very strong and muscular, almost cylindrical. The skin is

supple, ample and loose. The average circumference almost equals that of the head. There is a

noticeable, slightly convex, furrow at the junction of the head and neck. The well-defined dewlap

starts at the level of the throat forming folds down to the chest, without hanging exaggeratedly.

The neck is very broad at its base, merging smoothly with the shoulders. Topline – The topline

should be as level as possible with a slight dip behind the well-marked withers. The back is solid

and broad when viewed from above. The loin is broad, rather short and solid. Fault – Arched

back (convex). Chest – Powerful, long, deep, broad, and let down lower than the elbows. The

forechest is broad and powerful with a lower line that is convex towards the bottom. The ribcage

is deep and well sprung, but not barrel shaped. The circumference of the chest should be between

10 and 14 inches greater than the height at the withers. Underline – Curved, from the deep brisket

to the firm abdomen. Slight to moderate tuck-up. Should be neither pendulous nor extreme.

Croup – Moderately sloping down to the root of the tail. Tail – Very thick at the base. The tip

preferably reaches the hock but not below. Carried low, it is neither broken nor kinked but

supple. Hanging when the dog is at rest; generally carried level with the back or slightly above

the level of the back when the dog is in action, without curving over the back or being curled.

Fault – Fused vertebrae but not kinked. Disqualification – An atrophied tail or a tail that is

knotted and laterally deviated or twisted.

Forequarters – Strong bone structure, legs very muscular. Shoulders – Powerful, prominent

muscles. Slant of shoulder – blade is medium (about 45 degrees to the horizontal), with the angle

of the scapular-humeral articulation being a little more than 90 degrees. Upper Arms – Very

muscular. Elbows – In line with the body. Should be neither too close to the chest nor turned out.

Forearms – When viewed from the front, straight or inclining slightly inwards, especially in dogs

with a very broad chest. When viewed in profile, vertical. Pasterns – Powerful. Slightly sloping

when viewed in profile. When viewed from the front, may bend slightly outwards, thus

compensating for the slight inclination of the forearm inwards. Feet – Strong. Toes should be

tight, nails curved and strong, and pads are well developed and supple; the Dogue is well up on

his toes despite his weight.

Hindquarters – Powerful legs with strong bone structure; well angulated. When viewed from

behind, the hindquarters are parallel and vertical thus giving an impression of power. The

hindquarters are not quite as broad as the forequarters. Upper Thigh – Well developed and thick

with visible muscles. Stifle – In a parallel plane to the median plane or very slightly out. Second

Thigh – Relatively short, well-muscled. Hock Joint – Short and sinewy, with the angle of the

hock joint moderately open. Hock – Strong, no dewclaws. Hind feet – Slightly longer than the

front feet, toes should be tight.

Coat: Fine, short and soft to the touch. Skin – Thick and sufficiently loose fitting without

excessive wrinkles.

Color: Coat – Self-colored, in all shades of fawn, from a dark red fawn to a light fawn. A rich

coat color is considered desirable. Individual patches of white on the forechest, a secondary

patch of white on the throat is allowed but not preferred, white on the toes (not above the carpus

or tarsus) and backs of pasterns is acceptable. Disqualification – White in any location other than

what is listed above or any coat color other than shades of fawn on the head or body or any coat

color other than shades of fawn. Black Mask – The mask is often only slightly spread out and

should not invade the cranial region. There may be slight black shading on the skull, ears, neck

and back. Pigmentation of the nose will be black. Brown Mask – Pigmentation of the nose, edge

of lips and eye rims will also be brown. There may be non-invasive brown shading. No Mask –

The coat is fawn: the skin appears red (also formerly called “red mask”). The nose is then

reddish.

Gait: The gait is free and supple, for a molossoid. In open walking the movement is free, supple,

close to the ground. Good drive from the hindquarters, good extension of the forelegs, especially

at the trot, which is the preferred gait. As the trot quickens, the head tends to drop, the topline

inclines towards the front, and the front feet get closer to the median plane while striding out

with a long reaching movement. Vertical movement while in a short gallop is rather important.

He is capable of great speed over short distances by bolting along close to the ground.

Temperament: Dogue de Bordeaux is gifted for guarding, which he assumes with vigilance and

great courage but without aggressiveness. He is a very good companion, being attached to and

affectionate toward his master. He is calm and balanced with a high stimulus threshold. The male

normally has a dominant character.

The foregoing is a description of the ideal Dogue de Bordeaux. Any deviation should be

penalized in direct proportion to the extent of that deviation. Extreme deviation in any part

should be penalized to the extent that the dog is effectively eliminated from competition.

Disqualifications:

Mouth not undershot; wry jaw.

An atrophied tail or a tail that is knotted and laterally deviated or twisted.

White in any other location other than what is listed above or any coat color other than shades of

fawn on the head or body, or any coat color other than shades of fawn.

Approved April 12, 2021

Effective June 9, 2021