Dogue De Bordeaux

dogue de bordeaux standard
GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Dogue de Bordeaux is a well-balanced, massive, powerfully-built dog with a very muscular body and a short coat. The Dogue is somewhat low in stature with a huge head, furrowed by wrinkles, topped with small, pendant ears. The tail is thick at the base and tapering to the tip and is set and carried low. The breed is presented in a completely natural condition and should be evaluated equally for correct conformation, temperament, gait, and structural soundness. Disqualifications: Any identifiable, disabling defect.

CHARACTERISTICS:Careful breeding has modified the formerly aggressive temperament of this breed. Today, the Dogue de Bordeaux is a natural guardian, vigilant and courageous without being aggressive. The Dogue de Bordeaux is very affectionate, devoted to its master, and excellent with children. Faults: Overly aggressive; timid. Disqualifications: Viciousness, marked shyness or cowardliness.

HEAD:The massive head of the Dogue de Bordeaux is an essential breed characteristic. In males, the circumference of the skull taken at the widest point is roughly equal to the dog's height at the withers. In females, the circumference may be slightly less. Viewed from the front, the head forms a trapezoid. The longer topline of the skull and the shorter line of the underjaw form the parallel sides of the trapezoid. Faults: Short, round head; "Bulldog" head, i.e., flat skull & muzzle shorter than one-quarter of the head length. Disqualification: Long, narrow head with insufficiently pronounced stop.

SKULL:The skull is large, slightly domed, and broad between the ears. Viewed from the top, the skull appears square. The volume and shape of the skull result from the very important development of the temporal bones, the supraorbital ridges, the zygomatic arches, and the spacing of the mandibles. There is a deep median furrow that diminishes in depth from the stop to the occiput. The stop is very deep and abrupt, almost at a right angle with the muzzle. Despite the depth of the stop, the forehead is wider than it is high.

MUZZLE:The muzzle is broad, thick, and short with moderately obvious folds. There is almost no taper to the muzzle. It is square when viewed from above and the circumference of the muzzle is equal to two-thirds the circumference of the skull. The top line of the muzzle rises slightly from the stop to the nose, forming a very obtuse angle with the line of the forehead. The maximum length of the muzzle is equal to one-third the total length of the head; the minimum length of the muzzle is one-quarter of the length of the head. The ideal is between these two extremes. When the head is held horizontally, the end of the muzzle extends beyond a vertical line drawn from the tip of the nose. The jaws are very broad and powerful. Lips are thick and moderately pendulous. When the mouth is closed, the upper lip hangs over side of the lower jaw. The chin is well defined and must neither overlap the upper lip nor be covered by it. Disqualifications: Muzzle longer than one-third head length; muzzle parallel to top line of the skull or downfaced.

TEETH:The Dogue de Bordeaux has a complete set of large, evenly spaced, white teeth. The incisors are well-aligned, particularly the lower incisors which form an apparently straight line. An undershot bite is characteristic of the breed with the inside of the lower incisors extending in front of the upper incisors at least 2 inch and no more than three-quarters inch. Teeth are not visible when the mouth is closed. Faults: Incisors always visible when mouth is closed. Disqualifications: Wry mouth; mouth not undershot. Canines always visible when mouth is closed. Tongue always protruding when mouth is closed.

NOSE:Nose colour is black on black-masked dogs; brown on brown-masked dogs; or reddish pink on unmasked dogs. The nose is broad and well-pigmented with well-opened nostrils. An upturned nose is permissible but the tip of the nose must not be set back deeply between the eyes like an English Bulldog.

EYES:The eyes are large but not protruding, oval, and set well apart-at least twice the length of the eye opening. Colour ranges from hazel to dark brown. Lighter eye colours are acceptable but not preferred in dogs without a mask or dogs with red masks. Haw is not visible. Pigment of eye rims matches nose pigment. Faults: Protruding eyes.

EARS:The ears are pendant and relatively small. They are set high, level with the upper line of the skull, accentuating the skull's width. At the base, the ear is just slightly raised in front and then hangs along the cheek. The tip is slightly rounded. When pulled toward the eye, the ear should not extend past the inside corner of the eye. The coat on the ears is slightly darker than the body coat.

NECK:The neck is thick, muscular, and almost cylindrical with very little taper from the shoulder to the head. The neck is slightly arched at the crest and blends smoothly into well-laid-back shoulders. There is a slight transverse furrow separating the neck from the head. The average circumference of the neck is almost equal to the circumference of the skull. The well-defined dewlap starts at the level of the throat and forms folds down to the chest. Faults: Excessive dewlap.

FOREQUARTERS:The shoulders are powerful and heavily muscled. The shoulder blade is well laid back and forms, with the upper arm, an angle just slightly greater than 90E. The forelegs are heavily boned and very muscular. The elbows are set on a plane parallel to the body, neither close to the body nor turned out. Viewed from the front, the forelegs are perpendicular to the ground or may, especially in a dog with a very broad chest, incline slightly inward. The pasterns are short, powerful, and slightly sloping when viewed in profile. Viewed from the front, the pasterns are either straight or may turn slightly outward in compensation where the foreleg inclines inward around a wide chest. Faults: Toeing inward; extreme toeing outward; fiddle front

Piczo