Dogue De Bordeaux vs Africanis - Breed Comparison

Africanis is one of the original African breeds. This breed was not shaped by humans, but they went through the process of natural selection. Humans did not affect this breed by standard breeding practices. Through the history, this breed became stronger and stronger because only the strongest of the breed survived. Africanis descent is the early dog that is originally from ancient Egypt. Approximately 4500 BC was the period of first data about this breed.

As time passes through, Africanis became more and more popular through the whole continent. This breed migrated with people for thousands of years, and now, a modern Africanis is similar to Greyhound dog. The original Africanis can be found in tribes and more traditional people. One of the oldest breeds in the world is one of the lasts that has been recognized by Kennel Union of Southern Africa.

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.

Africanis origins from South Africa. The average Africanis weights 25-45 kg, with a height of 50-60cm, while females are slightly smaller. They are medium sized dogs who are friendly, but also independent and territorial. They can are good pets for training, but it requires persistent work.

The lifespan of Africans is 10-12 years, but lifespan always depends on health, genetics, and care of the dog. Therefore, if they are healthy and well cared they can live longer than average.

Litter Size variates a lot, so female can have 2-8 puppies.

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.

Temperament:

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.

Africanis is a very good and healthy breed. They are very intelligent and friendly breed. They are not an aggressive breed, but they tend to protect the master. Africanis is a natural guard dog. This breed is used to being alone because for the centuries they migrated close to humans, but they also have been independent.

Training Africanis is not very hard. They tend to learn very quickly. Positive training with awards is the best way to train your Africanis. The old-fashioned way of training dogs with punishment is not recommendable for Africanis. They are intelligent breed who requires patience and constancy.

They are very good with other animals too, but they need proper socialization. Africanis requires daily exercise so if you keep your dog in the apartment it should have few daily walks. Africanis can live in the apartments though.

Overall, they are very healthy breed, so with regular vet checks and proper care, they are perfect pets for the whole family since they are great and gentle with small children and kids.

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 great thing about Africanis is that this breed is very healthy. Thousands of years of evolution made this breed one of the toughest breeds in the world. They can survive very tough conditions. Africanis has a very healthy immune system too. It evolves so strong that there are no internal or external parasites that can harm the dog.

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.

Feeding the Africanis

Africanis has used to eat everything, so this breed does not require any special treatments. 2-2.5 cups of dry high-quality food would be more than enough to have healthy and well feed the dog. But have in mind that feeding the dog depends on daily activity and size. If the dog is more active, an extra cup wouldn’t be a problem for a dog to eat.

Feeding Africanis puppy

Africanis puppy should eat more times per day than an adult dog. 3-5 meals per day of quality dry food are good measure to feed your puppy Africanis.

Grooming Africanis

Since Africanis has short hair they are very easy to groom and care. Few brushes on a weekly basis with occasional bathing would be more than enough to have a clean and healthy dog.

Exercise:

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.

Diet:

The Dogue de Bordeaux needs to be fed a high-quality dog food in keeping with his large size and age.

Grooming:

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.