The dogue de Bordeaux is one of the most ancient French breeds, probably a descendant of the

Alans and, in particular, the alan vautre of which Gaston Phebus (or Febus), Count of Foix, wrote in the 14th century, in his book of hunting that “he holds his bite stronger than three sighthounds”. The

word “dogue” appeared at the end of the 14th century.

 

In the middle of the 19th century these ancient dogues were hardly renowned outside the region of Aquitaine. They were used for hunting large game such as boar, for fighting (often codi

fied), for the guarding of houses and cattle and in the service of butchers. 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 the origin of today’s Dogue.

 

The breed, which had suffered greatly during the two world wars, to

the point of being threat ened with extinction after the second world

war, got off to a fresh start in the 1960’s.

 

1st standard (“Caractère des vrais dogues”) in Pierre Megnin, Le Dogue de Bordeaux, 1896.

 

2nd standard in J. Kunstler, Etude critique du Dogue de Bordeaux,1910.

 

3rd standard by Raymond Triquet, with the collaboration of Vet.Dr Maurice Luquet, 1971.

 

4th standard reformulated according to Jerusalem model (FCI) by Raymond Triquet, with the collaboration of Philippe Serouil, President of the French Dogue de Bordeaux Club and its Committee,

1993.

 

Precisions were added in 2007 by Raymond Triquet (Honorary President of the SADB), Sylviane Tompousky (President of the SADB) and Philippe Sérouil (committee member of the SADB).