This is an interview of the author of the FCI/French dogue de Bordeaux standard, and he has a lot of interesting things to say. He thinks the dogue should join the AKC, so the American dogs will be able to be used in international bloodlines. But he’s worried that AKC recognition could “change the dog.” He’s very concerned that people will breed for a larger size and poor head and body structure if the dog becomes AKC. (In case you were wondering, the dogue de Bordeaux has since joined the AKC.).
Part I:
Part II:
These questions are important for any critics of the institutionalized dog fancy.
You may have issues with it, but if you want your dogs to contribute to the future and to international lines, you almost have to go along with the nonsense.
A boxer with the head of a boxer and the body of a whippet…”which is VERY difficult to achieve!” LOL! Also gives us a nice lesson in geometry with the heads. ;)
I want to meet this guy and buy him a pint!
When I wrote
http://dogbehaviorscience.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/100-years-of-breed-improvement/
I wanted to add the Bordeaux, but since I had intentionally restricted myself to Mason’s book I could not (it was a drawing, not a photo)
American/British Bordeaux (Bordelles? jj) are really quite extreme in size, skin, brachycephalia, etc. I see no advantage in this proposal.
See also
http://pedigreedogsexposed.blogspot.ca/2012/07/yesterdays-dogues.html
The only advantage is that Europeans could get American dogue blood. That’s the only one.
The big problem with the dogue, if you watch those videos, is that the breeders think of their dogs as living sculpture. They talk about anatomical features in such detail that it appears to be all that matters. I don’t know of any modern purpose for the dogue, except as a watch dog, so they can get away a very detailed and very anti-Darwininian standard.
The big problem this breed has is longevity. Its 6 year lifespan is as much a feature of the breed as its red coat and hunched over forequarters.
They aren’t always red, though. I’ve seen photos of black-and-tan dogues.
They can be red with black or liver brown mask:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/dogue_de_bordeaux/color_markings.cfm
Black masked dogs: http://www.doginfomat.com/DoguesdeBordeaux.jpg
The normal color is a dudley-nosed red. I think they are normal ee red to yellows with the brown skinned gene. I could be wrong, but that’s what they look like.
like the dogs weren’t warped from reality BEFORE AKC got involved with them? The problem with conformation events is just that — they only reward the dog’s “looks”. Consequently, folk who want recognition and reward from doing well in that venue focus on looks. Breeding rapidly progresses from the initial fairly variant dogs that form a foundation gene pool to the “acceptable” standard — that then continues in geometrical (or even quantum) fashion to become more and more extreme. It isn’t “enough” to be big — everyone’s dog is “big”. To stand out, one must be even bigger. It isn’t enough to have “loose” skin or a few minor wrinkles — one has to have a dog whose skin looks like it was made for something the size of an elephant. And so forth. (goes the other way — small isn’t enough, one must be the “smallest”). The only “brakes” are those of individuals who may HAPPEN to want some function or happen to be involved in other venues (performance, obedience, etc) that requires less exaggeration. As long as the dog moves well enough that it isn’t staggering about at a walk, there’s very little push for soundness. Judges that actually read the standard (as opposed to merely memorizing it), understand it, and have even the smallest clue regarding original intended function are the exception, not the rule. And if you get a judge who applies these things, those that lose are hardly likely to want them to ever judge again.
A dog that is intended as any kind of protection/guard type dog ought to at least be able to walk thru a military working dog obstacle course. It ought to be able to at least “lumber” fast enough that it would catch an intruder if the perp were more than than 40′ from the exit and the dog 60′. They need to see well enough that they could find such an intruder. You don’t have to demand that these kinds of dogs earn SCH/IPO/Ring I titles, but they at least ought to be able to meet some minimal physical capabilities. There’s no point in pointing at AKC (or FCI, etc)– if folk would put the reward (bragging rights, breeding rights, even free publicity) for sounder dogs, you’d see them showing up. Stick “penalties” are fine, but carrot rewards help too.