Mary Allen
The origin of the Dogue de Bordeaux dates back to the 14th century when the term mastiff appeared for the first time. This makes it one of the oldest dog breeds in France. There it can be traced back to the Alanerhunde. At that time, the Dogue de Bordeaux was used as a hunting dog or to guard houses.
The first French dog show took place in 1863, at which the Dogue de Bordeaux was presented for the first time under its current name. However, the Dogue de Bordeaux suffered greatly during the World Wars and was also threatened with extinction after the Second World War. Fortunately, however, the breed found new momentum in the 1960s.
The breed had a small media appearance in 1989. There it was seen in the film Scott & Huutsch alongside Tom Hanks.
Fun fact: A count who owned Dogues de Bordeaux for hunting described in his book that they were better at tracking prey than three greyhounds.