The breed was first exhibited in France in 1863 after which time it gained in popularity not only in their home country but in other parts of the world.

[5][4] As there was a breed similar to the Dogue de Bordeaux in Rome at the time of Julius Caesar's reign, possibly a cousin of the Neapolitan Mastiff.

During the 1960s, a group of breeders of the Dogue de Bordeaux in France, headed by Raymond Triquet, worked on the rebuilding of the foundation of the breed.

There were 600 examples left in the world, mostly in France, the Netherlands and East Berlin, and the breed's numbers were on the decline.

Much later, in 1989, the typical American family saw the Dogue de Bordeaux for the first time on the big screen in Touchstone's movie Turner & Hooch about a policeman and his canine partner.

Since then, the Dogue de Bordeaux has taken hold in the United States and can be found in greatly increasing numbers across the country.

The body of the Dogue de Bordeaux is thick-set, with a top-line that has a slight dip (topline is never completely straight) and a gentle rounded croup.

The straight tail, beginning thickly at the base and then tapering to a point at the end, should not reach lower than the hocks, and is set and carried low.

[7] There is no formally stated maximum weight, but dogs must be balanced with regard to their overall type and the conformation standards of the breed.

The Dogue de Bordeaux is claimed to have the largest head in the canine world, in proportion to the rest of the body.

For males, the circumference of the head, measured at the widest point of the skull, is roughly equal to the dog's height at the withers (shoulders).

The Dogue should always have a black or red mask that can be distinguished from the rest of the coat around and under the nose, including the lips and eye rims.

[9] A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 11.1 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.

[13] Effects of brachycephaly are stridor, stertorous breathing, emesis, skin fold dermatitis, brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome, exophthalmos, pharyngeal gag reflex, cyanosis, and laryngeal collapse.

[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Other issues arising from brachycephaly are risk of complications whilst under anaesthesia,[21] and hyperthermia — with the latter caused due to an inability to effectively reduce body temperature via panting.

[30] The Dogue de Bordeaux is predisposed to hip dysplasia, with the prevalence ranging from 25.5% in the US, to 32.2% in France, and 47% in Finland.