So I'm Considering a Dogue de Bordeaux

[KMD]

My DDB girl is my second ever dog and I am completely in love with her.

She is a "Velcro" dog.. if I am around, she will spend the majority of that time stuck to the side of my leg!

Yes, vet care will be expensive... I took out pet insurance as soon as I got her at 9 weeks. However you can avoid a lot of the "ordinary" stuff by being careful of their diet. I'm researching the switch to raw at the moment as she has a bit of a delicate tummy... the only ordinary dry food she sees to be able to tolerate is Royal Canin Giant Puppy but raw is much, much better for her so I am phasing that in at the moment. So be prepared to spend a lot of time working on their diet to get it right.

Energy levels... I was prepared for a low energy dog. Not always the case! While they might conserve energy, in my experience they can and will run you off your feet when so inclined. My DDB and her English Staffy brother play crazy games of chase in the backyard and she can run him off his feet, even when she was a little puppy.

They snore! Really, really snore! She only really drools when eating and drinking although that might change as she gets older.


Definitely do not get a DDB unless you are willing to spend the majority of your time with them. They are not a breed you can leave in the backyard and ignore. Even leaving them alone for a long work day will be too much when they re younger. I made the decision to leave my DDB at doggie daycare while I was at work up until 6 months of age for both socialization and human interaction. Expensive, yes... but now I have a happy and well socialized DDB.

 

[2nd Chance]

The vet fee's make insurance a absolute necessity.
Im not DDB crazy, i just rescued a dog in need, who happened to be DDB
From that position of objectivity
they live around 5 yrs
cost a fortune coz they are often sick with allergies, joints
cost a fortune to feed

er, you do the maths.

 

[marke]

The vet fee's make insurance a absolute necessity.
Im not DDB crazy, i just rescued a dog in need, who happened to be DDB
From that position of objectivity
they live around 5 yrs
cost a fortune coz they are often sick with allergies, joints
cost a fortune to feed

er, you do the maths.

I've had between 3 and 8 dogues for the last 22 yrs ...... the youngest American bred dogue I've had die was 9yrs , the oldest were 12yrs ...... the only European bred dogue I had died at 6 ....... I personally have had none with an allergy ......the only orthopedic issue I've seen has been hip dysplasia , affecting some of the old dogues , none died from it ..........I currently have a 3yr old cisco daughter , she runs 5-6 miles 3 times a week , she goes 6 miles in 40-45 minutes .... she ran 5 miles today 72 degrees and 93% humidity ....she has run 8 miles a couple times , come the cooler weather she will have no problem going longer distances and times .. my dogues have been as vet free as any dog I know of , or have had ....... don't know if my dogues are the norm , reading this message board makes me think not ?????? it's quite a let down to read some of the things said about ddb ...... here's a video of izzy going 6 miles in about 43 minutes , it's complete , straight through, it just downloads in 1.85GB segments ........ I expect she will live to be at least 10 ..........from what I read on these messageboards , I wish more ddb breeders actually were dog people , and had higher standards , it's ashame ........ jmo........... she is de laube rouge , von holm , el siscar , tnt .......old bloodlines , it's disheartening to read what is said about the new bloodlines [video=youtube_share;hbRniAA6N2I]http://youtu.be/hbRniAA6N2I[/video][video=youtube_share;ZL7zFJfebq4]http://youtu.be/ZL7zFJfebq4[/video][video=youtube_share;EoXSec8Ua6g]http://youtu.be/EoXSec8Ua6g[/video][video=youtube_share;agzUxXO59GY]http://youtu.be/agzUxXO59GY[/video]

 

[Toronto DDB]

This Is my second Dogue in the last twenty years. My first guy I had to rehome due to a major life change and I could not keep him and I have never forgotten him. He was rehomed at 3 years and I understand he lived a very good life until 11 years old. He was always in good health and never an issue other than he had a food allergy, which I know now.

My new Dogue is only six months but is very healthy and happy ad I look forward to many years with him.

 

[Kujo]

My dogue is on the athletic side, can easily do a 4 mile walk with me and I think would prefer to go faster

He just turned 2 and is a very healthy and happy boy. No allergies. No hip issues.

From an objective stand point...any dog, no matter the breed, can end up with allergies or health issues. And any dog, no matter the breed, can be perfectly healthy and live a long and happy life. It's luck of the draw...good breeding does not guarantee a healthy pup. And bad breeding does not guarantee a pup with allergies and health issues.

Saying all DDB's live 5-6 years is like saying all Pit Bulls are dangerous killing machines.

 

[trulytheone30]

Everytime I see ppl posted all the health problems of DDB I get a little upset.
All living things at some point in life get ill and die. God only knows WHEN! Ppl have had DDB to live long happy life!!! May have had issues, who/what doesn't!!
Animal lovers that invest their money, time & love to bring a new member to their family, I am almost positive THE HAVE DONE THE RESEARCH!
Don't get me wrong there are what I called dog people....meaning they never keep dog they get for varies reasons, & never will!! I love my pup! She is apart of my family. We take care of her the same as we take care of ourselves!!! No question!!!! Let people enjoy their pups! I had a mini daschund for 7years before he had to be put down. The hardest decision I every had to make!!! He injured his back and was paralyzed. I spent lots of money to make his quality of life as comfortable as possible. He just wasn't the same! I could tell he was hurting and very sad!!!
My point is..........If it's living....it will have a few issues...

 

[mcarrel]

Obviously no one gets a thrill out of talking about health issues and it's just as obvious that any living thing at some point will get sick. IMHO it does a serious dis-service to people who want honest answers in a breeds health to not inform them that there can be some serious issues. To not know that a DDB can be sensitive to a wide variety of foods can be a determining factor in whether that breed is right for someone.

Say the buyer has no clue and then finds out the dog is allergic to the kibble he can afford to feed and doesnt have the budget to feed higher end stuff or raw or the constant trips to the vet for allergies. What then happens to the dog in too many cases its rehomed or dumped at the shelter it happens a lot more than you may think. Better that those people had known BEFORE they bought the dog that his potential issues maybe out of their budget than after