Dogue De Bordeaux Care

The Dogue de Bordeaux (DDB): big, muscular, docile, and very protective. This Mastiff-type beast is affectionate and calm with its family, and often suspicious of everybody else--and owners love these dogs in return, possibly because Dogue de Bordeaux care doesn't take a lot of work overall. (In fact, more time might be spent cleaning up a DDB's excessive drooling than anything else!) Below are lots of details about Dogue de Bordeaux puppy development, exercise needs, diet and nutrition, and much more. To learn all you need to know about raising a Dogue de Bordeaux, read on!

As a large, muscular, athletic breed, Dogue de Bordeaux exercise is extremely important in keeping these dogs happy and healthy. DDBs will need exercises that both condition their bodies (like walking, swimming, and fetch) and work out their considerable muscles (cart- and weight-pulling are two great activities).

And specifically how much exercise does a Dogue de Bordeaux need? Adult DDBs, depending on their age and overall activity level, will need about an hour of proper physical activity each day. You can begin exercising a DDB pup at three months old by taking it on very short (5- to 10-minute) leashed walks, then increasing the walks' duration as the puppy grows. Breed experts recommend giving these puppies five minutes of exercise for every month of age; a six-month-old DDB pup will need 30 minutes, a nine-month-old 45, and so on until 12 months of age.

Some things to keep in mind when exercising your Dogue de Bordeaux: first, puppies younger than 12 months old shouldn't participate in activities that include a lot of jumping, running, or navigating of stairs, as doing so can injure their still-developing bones and joints. And regardless of your DDB's age, a leash will be required when you're in public. These dogs may be aggressive towards strangers and other dogs, so they'll need to be carefully controlled when you're out and about. A further note about leash training, particularly with DDB puppies: it's a good idea to establish the habit of having the dog (or puppy) walk beside or behind you on the leash, rather than allowing it to lead you. This establishes you as the "pack leader," and will make it easier for you to teach the puppy/adult proper behavior. Additionally, DDBs are brachycephalic, meaning they have short noses that don't cool the air they breathe as well as other, longer-nosed breeds; this causes them to easily suffer heat stroke in hot temperatures. It's best, therefore, not to exercise your DDB in sweltering heat--and make sure the dog has access to fresh water at all times.

Precautions aside, it's crucial that your Dogue de Bordeaux gets some exercise every single day. A bored or restless DDB will exhibit major behavioral problems including disobedience, unbelievable destructiveness, and at the worst, aggression towards everyone and everything. Consistent physical activity, therefore, is great for both the dog and for you. A few exercise ideas:

• Walking: Two 20-minute leashed walks per day is a good target
• Fetch: Most DDBs love chasing a ball or stick
• Weight-Pulling: Attach a rope to a heavy object like a spare tire, and the other end to a harness for the dog
• Canine Sports: DDBs excel in obedience trials, cart-pulling, and other competitions
• Hiking: Great bonding activity; bonus if you choose a remote area where your DDB can be off-leash

When indoors, it's a good idea to give your Dogue de Bordeaux access to one or more balls or chew-toys that will allow the dog to burn any excess energy. It's also recommended that you establish a consistent daily exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks after breakfast and dinner and a play period in the afternoon.

Care needed for these dogs in terms of shedding and drooling is pretty high. Dogue de Bordeaux shedding is seasonal and moderate--but this breed drools as much or more than any dog breed known.

DDBs have short-haired, flat coats that shed moderately for most of the year, and more heavily during the spring and fall shedding seasons. Weekly brushing with a bristle brush or a grooming mitt will minimize the amount of shed hairs some, but owners will still need to vacuum the floors and use lint rollers on clothes and furniture from time to time.

And the Dogue de Bordeaux is almost famous for its excessive drooling. As a Mastiff breed with hanging lips, a DDB will drool in anticipation of food, in hot temperatures, after drinking water, when excited--and even for no reason at all! Here are a few tips on dealing with excessive slobber:

• Put your DDB in another room (or even outside) while you put food in its bowl, then allow the dog into the room to eat
• Keep old rags or towels handy in rooms the dog spends time; use these to clean up excess drool
• Tie a bandanna or old towel around the dog's neck to keep its chest and neck from getting dirty or stinky because of the slobber

The Dogue de Bordeaux is a huge dog with an equally enormous appetite. As with all breeds, these dogs need food that's packed with animal proteins and carbohydrates for energy, plus omega fatty acids for coat and skin health. Some breeders and veterinarians recommend feeding a Dogue de Bordeaux a raw diet of fresh meats, vegetables, eggs, fish, and other protein sources--and while such a diet is great for a DDB, many owners find the raw diet to be too expensive and inconvenient, and choose premium grain-free dry food (particularly the kind made for large breeds) instead. The food will need to be grain-free because many DDBs are highly allergic to wheat and other grains. Owners are urged to not feed their DDBs only cheap, generic dog foods, as these have nowhere nearly enough nutritional ingredients to sustain this large breed for the long term.

Regarding Dogue de Bordeaux food portions: an adult DDB, depending on its age, size, and activity level, will need about five cups of premium dry food per day, divided into two meals. DDB pups, again depending on their age, will need about 3½ cups per day, divided into three meals (not two) until six months old. If you feed your DDB a raw diet: adults will need 2-3% of their body weight in food per day. (A 120-pound DDB, for example, will need about three pounds of raw food daily.) For puppies, the raw food percentage is higher: 5-10% of their weight for the first year.

A quick note about bloat: These large dogs have very deep chests, and are thus highly susceptible to bloat, an often-fatal condition caused by a dog gulping its food when it eats, and the stomach fills with excess air; the condition is most common when a dog eats just before or after exercising. Owners are urged to not feed their DDBs for an hour before or two hours after any proper exercise session to avoid the onset of bloat.

For further details on feeding your DDB from puppyhood through maturity, see the following Dogue de Bordeaux puppy feeding guide (and for simplicity, only dry food portions are listed):

*--Around this time, transition to adult food by first mixing in just a little adult formula with the puppy formula. Over the course of a week, with each meal add a bit more adult food to the mixture, until the dog is eating it entirely.

Try if possible to stick to the above-listed portions. A Dogue de Bordeaux will easily become obese if regularly overfed, which will cause major joint, breathing, and digestive issues; worst of all, this breed already has a short lifespan of 7-9 years--and a fat DDB will probably live even fewer years than that. You can control your DDB's weight by having regular feeding and exercise schedules, by not feeding the dog table scraps, and by not leaving food in its bowl all the time, thereby allowing the dog to eat anytime it wants. It's better to put your DDB's bowl down only at mealtimes, then pick it up 20-30 minutes after the dog begins eating.

If you're worried your DDB is overweight, give the dog this simple test: run a hand along its side, and if you can't feel any ribs, it's diet time. Reduce the dog's daily food consumption by one-fourth, and add an extra walk or play period to its daily exercise schedule.

Opinions differ over what's the best dog food for a Dogue de Bordeaux. While some say a raw diet of fresh meats, vegetables, and other "raw" foods is best, the most common and sensible choice among owners is premium grain-free dry food. Cheap dog food is not recommended for these dogs because it simply won't fulfill their nutritional requirements.