Dogue de Bordeaux

When you've been around as long as my breed has, you pick up a lot of names. I've been called the French Mastiff because my ancestors came from there (originating with crosses of the Roman Molossus, the Spanish Mastiff, and others) And once I was the Dogue d'Aquitaine, so we must have been in that region, and for many years I was the Butcher's Dog because we guarded the homes and premises of butchers. The Turk Dog refers to our Asian ancestors (actually the Tibetan Mastiff, a long ways from Turkey) and there's probably some Bullmastiff and Bulldog in our gene pool, too. So now we're associated with another French wine region, Bordeaux, a lovely place for a big (23-27 inches at the shoulder, 99-110 pound) dog to guard.

• Affectionate, devoted, loyal family friend
• Aloof and proud
• Calm as a clam
• Confident and self-assured
• Courageous canine
• Easygoing
• Even-tempered, good-natured
• Intelligent and ready to learn
• Loves kids and vice versa
• Pleased to please
• Willing watchdog

• Never aggressive
• One owner-oriented
• Caters to country, tolerates town
• Socialization and training should start early
• Steadfast and strong
• Training must be firm but gentle

Please be aware of two things -- not really negatives, just cautionary things -- about my otherwise wonderful breed that protects without being too aggressive and will love your family like my own. First, we hate to be left alone too long. And we drool. When we're bored and confined, we can get destructive. When you finally come home, what's left won't be worth protecting. And it will be covered with slobber. But if you give me moderate exercise -- canine sports activities, informal games with the gang, nice long walks -- we'll get along fine.

Possible hip dysplasia as well as skin and heart disorders.