Advice needed -Dogue De Bordeaux owners Behaviour

Hi All,

Wasn't sure wether this post should have gone into General Dog Chat but i am hoping for some advice and experience from DDB owners.


To cut a long story short my wife and i rehomed/purchased a 5 month old DDB three months ago. We already have a rescue staffy mix from Battersea and our 11yr old English mastiff passed away at the beginning of the year. We had decided on a DDB purely through attending obedience and agility classes with our staffy mix where we met so many DDB's that seemed to be loyal, trainable, obedient, goofy and a little stubborn which i like. We researched the breed well and felt well prepared for undertaking such a breed. We travelled to many breeders and rescues but could not choose when it came down to it until we visited what i can only call a 'hell hole' for dogs. We questioned continuing down the long driveway when all we could smell was dog poo and ammonia 800 metres down from the house. To be brief it was a very dirty, ramshackled attempt at a puppy mill. The kennels were made of chicken wire and planks of plywood. The floor was awful and littered with feaces and urine.

We were shown some puppies but we had already decided at this point to leave. As we were leaving the breeder (if i can call her that) showed us a pup that was 5 months old in a shed cowering in the corner in complete darkness. As he came closer i noticed a pot belly (worm infestation), fleas and ticks all over his body. Yes i know very foolish but we had to take hime home!!!

I need help with the following:

He had a massive roundworm infestation, ticks, fleas & mange all of which have been treated and microchipped etc ( oh and he had no vaccinations!!!) He is now 8 months old and only weighs 36kgs which is very light. Is this common with Dogues and should i be worried? He is on the best dry food money can buy and we supplement his diet with some Natures Diet or brown rice and chicken. Or will he mature slowly over the next 18 months. I met another 8 month old who was nearly 55 kgs. In fact i would like it if he stays little i can call him a pocket dogue!

Aside from poor genetics he is a very shy & nervous dog who had never been on a leash until we met him. In fact he had never seen a car, road, bike, person in a hat etc etc (basically he had NO socialisation at all) He is in Obedience classes and he is actually a dream to handle - very responsive and intuitive of commands. I have been struggling to socialise and train while not flooding him. He seems far more aloof than any other mastiff i have met, is this common with DDB younsters or should i put in far more work with socialisation? He is shy of strangers but comes round after a while? He is very dog friendly.

Any advice from DDB owners and especially from owners with experience of shy timid DDB's would be truly appreciated. One thing my wife and i do have is the time, money, experience and passion to put into him.

Very sorry for the long post, just really need some help or ideas.

Thank you.
Gareth & Sonny the DDB

So sorry, I'm not a DDB owner but just wanted to commend you on taking on this poor fellow - thank GOODNESS you did!

I hope and trust that you also reported the puppy farm to the relevant authorities?

Re the weight: your vet will definitely advise you on this. There is a DDB that I meet regularly as he lives near me; he's four and surprisingly slim, I don't think this breed are quite as heavy as for example various other Mastiff types etc?

Re socialisation:

Great that your boy is so responsive. The 'aloofness' is something I saw very much with my own rescue, a Lab - he was 14 months when I got him and sooo aloof for the first three months.... But over time, he gradually relaxed and now he spends most of his time on his back, legs akimbo, waiting for a tummy rub.... So give it time and remember that your boy is still young

I'm sure some experienced DDB owners will be along soon to offer some advice - meanwhile, any pics of your boy? When you have time to put some up I'm sure we'd all love to see them

It's always hard to fight against your heart even when your head tells you that 'buying' the pup will just be an incentive to the BYB/farmer to carry on.

First thing I would have done was go straight down to the RSPCA so they could see the condition of the dog and then go investigate the breeder. If you didn't do that, and have photos, even going now will be of some help - they should not be allowed to carry on like that.

Re your dog, at 5 months old, he's missed out on the very important socialisation stage (0 to 16 weeks) and so it will take a lot of work - at his pace - to help him overcome it. I would get him comfortable with you first, then introduce him to new things and always make ever thing enjoyable. Also take a look at this:

Shy & nervous dogs article

Re his weight, is he a pedigree DDB? He may be a cross? Either way he will continue growing until between 2 to 3 years, so unless he is very skinny it may not be something to worry about - just perhaps accept he may be smaller than other DDBs (probably a blessing lol). Are his poos ok? If runny you may want to try RAW food or a grain free diet.

Have you got any photos you can post?

Thanks. Pics below. Luckily we reported this the next day and we have had contact with RSPCA concerning their investigations and have given them as much accurate information as possible. I will keep you posted.

I have worked tirelessly with socialisation. When we first got him he was an absolute mess. Three months later he is great with other dogs, will walk in busy areas ( i mean he has been to work with me in London Bridge many times and relishes riding the train, strangely he loves affection on the train (probably environmental)), as mentioned is aloof with strangers but he is not fearful more worried and then comes round a moment later. He goes to obedience classes, travels everywhere i go with me ( by foot and by car) I have had a daily socialisation plan for him from the day we got him as i know he had lost 5 months of a crucial socialisation period. His only worry is loud traffic but if this is all he would not be the first dog to be this way. I never let a day go by without socialisation and training.

The breeder showed me the dam and sire (whether i believe this or not is another matter) They were true 'dogues.' The grandfather was apparently a show dog but we asked for no pedigrees and to be honest this was not high on the list after seeing his living conditions. The one thing i did notice that all the dogs she had were very heavily wrinkled (more than the average dogue).

Some pics below (6 months approx)

He sounds fab, actually - and you have clearly worked really hard at the socialisation and training

Being a tad aloof when first meeting strangers is not necessarily a bad thing.

I think just keep doing what you are doing, really, since he sounds very well adjusted. You say he's great around other dogs, which is really important

Where did you see the advert for this 'breeder'? Might be an idea to contact the website or paper where the ad was, in case this puppy farm tries to run more ads.

Let us know what the RSPCA end up doing and good on you for reporting it!

Lovely pics by the way

Re his weight: I think your best bet is to check with the vet. Alternatively you could contact a DDB breed club as they can often offer great advice

lovely pictures! Thank heavans you did find him when you did, i hope that horrid place got shut down.

He looks like a gorgeous boy who has been through the wars, but came out fighting the other end.

Agree with Tabitha - you seem to be doing a cracking job, and he looks a real beauty (with typical looks of the breed too).. and I think in the end you will be glad he's not as big as some of the others lol (although he still has plenty of growing to do)

Re loud noises, I would use the TV and HIFI to slowly accustom him, as well as what you're already doing.

Keep us posted on him, and also with any news from the RSPCA investigation.

He looks fab, certainly not skinny so I wouldn't worry about his weight too much. Once he gets past the 6-12 month "chubby puppy" mark, being able to feel his ribs under his skin is a good way to tell if he's the right weight. I wouldn't worry too much about weight charts as every dog is different even within breeds. Being lighter might actually help him once he reaches adulthood as a lot of the DDBs I've seen have been very heavy, which surely can't be good for the joints in old age?

Thanks people. I suppose that i maybe seeking clarification that i am on the right path to developing a stable dog from a really nervous and unsocialised pup. I would have considered my wife and i to be confident and experienced with raising well balanced dogs but until you actually take on a dog with real issues and baggage you start to realise how little one knows. I have found that this has been a steep learning curve to successully manage such a mistreated, shy and nervous dog, to be honest it is a science in itself. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience and his company i just hope he will be a happy dog.

hi garethone ,he certainly does not look too thin from the photo,s and i definatley think your on the right track with socialisation ect .i think the most important thing is to build the dogs confidence as they are naturaly very confident and then you wil see his true character ,my only concern really is as they dont mature till 2-2 1/2 years old .so the fact he was not socialised through the critical devolopment stages could become serious issues then . as the ddb has huuge power and size these stages are even more important good luck mate and keep updating how you getting on .and did you report the puppy farm ?

hi mate ive got a 5month old DDB and although he wasnt from a bad breeders like that he was VERY nervous when i tried to take him out ...he would just sit and not budge he would litterally shake when i tried to take him out on walks he would flinch at the slightest of noise he used to be petrified of cars/vans but with digga it was just a case of getting him used to all the different noises/smells and things like that i took it slowly and let him do it at his pace really ...even now he is still a bit twitchy with cars and vans but nothing like he was i dont know if this was a coincidence or not but i took digga to the vet about this problem and they sold me a collar which had some sort of hormone or something that their mums produce after giving birth it apparently calms them down and it did seem to work but i cant remember the name of it i bet someone on here will know what im on about though but i have read that DDB a bit of a nervous breed anyway ..... he looks a great little lad

thanks Sparx for your post. Yes, guess i have to take it slowly and not push to hard. The DAPS collar, have used this with success. It seemed to really calm him down. I will keep persevering but am reading more and more about people with incredibly nervous dogues. I guess there are going to be more and more from bad breedings. @ Sparx Is Digga ok with strangers? Will he be petted and does he seek human contact? My guy is a little aloof which is common with mastiffs but i have been working on this steadily.

The DAPS collar that's the one mate ... Digga is quite the opposite to your boy with people.... he loves people wether he knows them or not he thinks everyone should stop and talk to him lol he loves other dogs too but he can take them or leave them if the other dog isn't interested he will just carry on past with digga it was just noises like construction/road works cars/vans things like that ....keep going mate I'm sure he will be fine .... Perhaps after the experience with that horrible women he's just a bit wary of certain people

Bless you for taking him on Gareth. I'm positive he will grow into a happy, well-balanced boy

I'm sure you are doing all the right things.
From the description of your first meeting to what he is now he must have come on leaps and bounds.
He has the makings of a fine dog and I love that wrinkly face.
Well done for rescuing him from that hell hole; he is a lucky boy.

Thanks for your comments folks, its much appreciated. I am sure with time, patience and training he will be happy in himself as a dog and a pleasure to own.
Sparx - Digga sounds like a really nice friendly and outgoing dog. I am sure his issue with cars, vans etc is more worry than fear and with time you will overcome it together.

we had a dogue who was used as a puppy machine she came into rescue at a pitiful 5 stone, covered in mange, she had never lived in a home never been outside her "home" before then, she was 4 years old. she was very very nervous and ran away fromeveryone or anything, we did alot of work with her socialising her taking her to obedience making sure not to flood her and she came on amazingly well, she never had an accident in the house from day one, however she also never lost her fear or i should say phobia of old people and walking sticks, we got to the stage where she stopped spinning on the lead but she would always back away or try and cross the road.


she was always very aloof with strangers it took quite alot to get to know her but once you were in you were in and she never forgot you, she was a very very special girl was amazing with other dogs the best puppy socialiser i have ever seen.

do be aware if other dogs have not been socialised with flat faced breeds you may find you get dogs being aggressive, she got attacked by 3 labradors, 2 terriers and a staffy and a tt. she herself did not like other flat faced breeds ironically!!

they are intelligent, stubborn and very loving and loyal and i have yet to meet one yet that didnt think it should be a lapdog!! they can be very cheeky and our girl towards the end started to start being a watch dog and started barking at people at work which she thought was hilarious!!

hope he is settling in well and it really is amazing how quickly they can rally themselves after such an appalling beginning

Mac82 - thanks so much for your post. It makes me feel so much better there are people who have ben through the same thing and come out the other side with a happy dogue. I will keep going and thanks again.

no problem it does take a while but they are so worth it!!!! the first time i met ours she ran away from me!!! but within a few months she would run up to me and jump off all four feet in delight at seeing me, a huge rareity thats for sure!!!
they dont seem to have too much of a problem with pain either as on the evening following a major operation to remove 5 front teeth (2 canines) she broke into my bag and i came downstairs to find her merrily demolishing the last of a very large pigs ear i was saving for when she felt 'better'!!!!
hope your boy is doing well, they really are amazing at how they can come through these terrible experiences!!!!

hi there i am not an experianced owner

i just wanna say well done!! not many people out there would do something as amazing as what you have done given that poor ddb a second chance well done!!