Both Braque du Bourbonnais and Dogue De Bordeaux are originated from France. Braque du Bourbonnais may grow 10 cm / 3 inches shorter than Dogue De Bordeaux. Braque du Bourbonnais may weigh 40 kg / 88 pounds lesser than Dogue De Bordeaux. Both Braque du Bourbonnais and Dogue De Bordeaux has almost same life span. Both Braque du Bourbonnais and Dogue De Bordeaux has almost same litter size. Both Braque du Bourbonnais and Dogue De Bordeaux requires Low Maintenance.
The Braque du Bourbonnais is an ancient breed, seen in the 15th century in France in the province of Bourbonnais. He became extremely popular with hunters by the 1800’s as a good pointer. He has become very popular in the United States and all of North America. There are often more puppies born in the U.S. than in France. The British call this breed the Bourbonnais Pointing Dog.
As with so many European hunting and working dogs, the Braque du Bourbonnais almost disappeared following World War I but was saved by the first breed club, established in 1925. Then following World War II, they were again in danger as the club dissolved and birth rates among the breed decreased drastically.
Actually, there were no dogs at all in the French registry between 1963 and 1973. This was attributed to the fact that the registry put more emphasis on the secondary characteristics such as color, length of tail) instead of the hunting characteristics. Because of this some hunter-breeders vowed to bring the real Braque du Bourbonnais back.
Michel Comte took on this task in 1970 but could not find any dogs with pure Bourbonnais blood. So, he took missed breed with characteristics like the Bourbonnais and inbred several litters until he had a dog he was satisfied with. He registered this dog with the LOF in 1973-75. Seeing this several other breeders got into the act and they successfully brought the breed back.
Michel became president of the new Club du Braque du Bourbonnais in 1981 and remained so until 2001. During this time the breed excelled at field trials and was first sent to the U.S. in 1988. The breed is now thriving in both Europe and North America.
The Dogue de Bordeaux is an ancient French dog breed and his history goes so far back that it is difficult to have accurate records of his origin.
During the 1700s he was used as a guard dog, with theories suggesting that several Mastiff type breeds were the closest ancestors.
For centuries the Bordeaux Mastiff, also referred to as the Bordeaux Bulldog, came in two size varieties, with the larger version being the Dogue de Bordeaux. It is this large dog which made its appearance in the Hollywood movie ‘Turner & Hooch’, shooting him into more recognition and interest.
This is an elegant breed with a medium sized, muscular bod and a round head. The nose will be the color of the coat and the muzzle is cone shaped with a wide base. He has large dark or hazel eyes, again depending on the color of the coat. The ears can drop below the throat and the neck is very muscular. He has a deep, wide chest and straight, muscular legs. The coat can come in two colors – liver and fawn – and ticked or spotted. They have a typical short pointer type tail.
The Dogue de Bordeaux is a large molosser type dog with a large head, standing at 60 – 67cm and weighing anything between 54 and 65kg. His weight comes more from his muscular, powerful build rather than his height.
He is a powerful looking dog and his short coat is loose-fitting and is an attractive rich reddish brown color. There are wrinkles around the face with the nose being somewhat pinkish-orange as opposed to black.
The eyes are wide apart and are hazel. He has short to medium length floppy ears and where once the thick tail was docked, giving him a powerful, distinctive look, it is mostly left long today.
He is a confident, self-assured, territorial dog who will require training and socialization if he is to know his place in the home. He is a powerful mastiff-type dog, who without training can be stubborn, arrogant and somewhat aggressive towards strangers.
His looks and his territorial nature make him an excellent watchdog. He is no push-over and isn’t a good choice for the first time dog owner.
Without a strong, firm owner, he could prove difficult to handle. He is calm and laid back with children in the home and he can get along well with other pets if he has been brought up with them since puppy-hood.
The Dogue de Bordeaux isn’t a big, boisterous kind of dog but is rather calm and relaxed. As a watchdog however, he can surprise you and become quite active, showing agility for such a hulk.
He can adapt to life in the city or the country but even though he appears lazy, he will need moderate daily exercise.
He loves his human family and wants to be constantly with them. He is stubborn but will do well with training and socialization.
Calm and easy-going and with his easy-to-maintain short, soft coat, be prepared for some drooling and snoring from this loving, devoted large pet of yours.
The Dogue De Bordeaux doesn’t have as long a lifespan as many other dogs, but with good care, can go to 7 – 10 years of age.
Because he is a brachycephalic breed – a short-nosed dog such as the Boxer, Pug and Bulldog – he may well have the same number of teeth as other dogs, but the teeth are crowded, putting dogs like this at higher risk of getting dental disease.
His teeth will need to be brushed 2 or 3 times a week to prevent plaque and tartar getting trapped.
Brachycephalic Syndrome is also something to watch out for with your Dogue de Bordeaux. It’s an upper respiratory disorder which can bring on difficulty with breathing because of the crowding of tissue and narrower airways.
This breed is prone to weight gain and obesity. Be careful not to overfeed them. Don’t free feed them but give them 2-3 smaller meals per day.
Entropion - both of these are issues with eyelashes turning inward or outward and both can
Pulmonic Stenosis of the heart- minor will have no symptoms but eventually the heart will not be able to function efficiently and could lead to congestive heart failure.
The Braque du Bourbonnais needs at least a minimum amount of exercise daily , especially if he is not used for hunting. A fenced backyard for playtime would be perfect but long walks will work. He likes to learn tricks, play ball or hide and seek. Outside activities could include hiking, swimming, agility, retrieving, rally and obedience trials, along with the usual field trials.
He isn’t the most active dog and he is inclined to snooze quite a bit throughout the day. It will nonetheless be a good idea to include him in your daily walks and allow him to take part in a ball game now and again.
The Dogue de Bordeaux needs to be fed a high-quality dog food in keeping with his large size and age.
This dog is known for drooling, and because of his wrinkled face, you’ll need to be watching the facial area that it is kept clean and dry to avoid skin infections. Check his ears at the same time to ensure they are free from dirt and wax.
The short coat does shed throughout the year, and you will need to be brushing him down twice a week to remove all those loose hairs.