The Dogue de Bordeaux, considered to be the oldest native French breed, was known in France as early as the fourteenth century, particularly in southern France in the region around Bordeaux, but some say that a uniform type didn’t exist before 1920. Still, the French placed great emphasis on keeping old breeding lines pure, and black masks were considered to be an indication of English Mastiff in the dog.  Special attention was paid to the self colored nose, dark amber eye color, and red mask as indicators of breed purity. The breed’s large head and face are two of the Dogue de Bordeaux’s most defining features, and indeed, a pioneer for the breed in Germany, Werner Preugschat, once wrote: “What am I supposed to do with a dog that has a monstrous skull and is at most able to carry it from the food dish to its bed?”

The breed was essentially unknown in the United States until the 1980’s, and our own introduction to the breed came in the wee hours of a dog show before most exhibitors were arriving to set up. Off lead – because no one else was in the building – the dog spotted us out of the corner of his eye, and proceeded to gallop toward us at top speed. As this was our first Dogue, we had no idea what to expect, and so we stood still and waited. Upon arrival, the big dog stood on his hind legs and gave us the face-washing of our lives. Sloppy and wet, this sweet dog cemented in our minds a two-word description: Loveable Mush.

When the video below was shared with us today, we knew we had to share it because once again, it puts on display a loveable mush. Be sure to listen for the snore at the very end:

Adorable, right?