TEMPERAMENT AND TRAINING
“Hubert” wrestling his mate “Tallulah
To ensure that
your puppy grows up to be an obedient, well adjust dogue, you need to put the
time and effort into your puppy as a youngster.
NEVER LET YOUR PUPPY DO ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T WANT HIM/HER TO DO AS A 60KG ADULT DOGUE.
Failure to do so could mean you have a VERY BIG VERY STRONG— naughty or excessively dominant dog on your hands.
Your dogue needs to quickly learn that you are the boss, the leader of the pack, not him.
NEVER LET YOUR PUPPY DO ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T WANT HIM/HER TO DO AS A 60KG ADULT DOGUE.
Failure to do so could mean you have a VERY BIG VERY STRONG— naughty or excessively dominant dog on your hands.
Your dogue needs to quickly learn that you are the boss, the leader of the pack, not him.
Temperament
The Dogue is sweet and even tempered, he protects what is his, including his owners.
They have a high tolerance threshold so it can take a lot to make a dogue annoyed
or angry. The Dogue is devoted to its family and friends. Some love water,
others don’t. Some love other animals, others not so much. But one thing they
have in common is they show their emotions on the face. That magnificent head
that makes the Dogue so wonderful. They can almost read your soul and may sit
and look into your eyes for hours to get what they want.
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“Henry” curled up with some of his friends
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They can be stubborn, and arrogant, yet once they learn a command or task, they rarely forget it. They are one of the most intelligent breeds, and are one of the most easily bored. They often possess a dominant nature and may try and put it over and easy going owner. We must always remember the Dogue's original purpose was to protect and be prepared for their guarding instinct to cut in at any time.
It is very important to socialize the Dogue in its early stages of life. They have a keen sense of smell and hearing and are intelligent and balanced.
They are also a product of their environment. Allow him to get his way and before you know it you may have a 60kg dribbling mass of fur running the household, sitting on the couch (with you on the floor), telling you when to feed him, telling you when to walk him, destroying everything in the house if you didn’t do what he wanted and well…..just because he knows he is BOSS.
Holidaying with a Dogue
"Sigmund" ready to go
When you own a Dogue you may find that he/she will decide on where
you go for holidays. Many places, while happy to take small dogs, often baulk
at allowing a big dog like a Dogue. If you have to put your Dogue in a boarding
kennel while you go away, make sure that you take him/her to visit the kennel
and the people running a few times so that they get used to the new people and
surroundings. The last thing you want is your dog fretting while you are away
enjoying yourself and then having to return to a big vet bill. Be prepared to train your dogue, so that you can leave it with other
people and not have it stress.
They Drool
Be prepared! Some do drool...... a lot!! It can get everywhere. On the
floor, the walls, the couch, the windows, the doors, even the ceiling. Your
friends might not come around so much when you have a Dogue!
Vet Expenses
Another reason that so many Dogues are abandoned and dumped every
year is due to their owners inability or unwillingness to meet vet bills. Vet
bills that may only be caused by neglect by the owner in the first
place.
All owners of the Dogue MUST BE PREPARED FOR LARGE VET BILLS— The Dogue de Bordeaux is a Large Rare Breed and with that comes larger vet bills.
Expect to spend at least the cost of the puppy, every year on keeping him/her well cared for and healthy. With a big dog comes big expenses. Including food, toys, beddings, leads, collars, vet bills, medications, etc.
If you cannot afford it before you get the dog—YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO OWN A DOGUE!
All owners of the Dogue MUST BE PREPARED FOR LARGE VET BILLS— The Dogue de Bordeaux is a Large Rare Breed and with that comes larger vet bills.
Expect to spend at least the cost of the puppy, every year on keeping him/her well cared for and healthy. With a big dog comes big expenses. Including food, toys, beddings, leads, collars, vet bills, medications, etc.
If you cannot afford it before you get the dog—YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO OWN A DOGUE!
Training Suggestions
- Socialisation is a MUST – from a very young puppy age with other animals (even cats) & kids.
- Always monitor your dog in the presence of other dogs & children.
- Obedience training is a MUST – but remember, he may get easily bored with the basics, so try new exciting things, even around the house, even give him jobs to do – it’ll stop him getting bored.
- When you are training your dog – it makes no sense screaming, scolding or shouting at him – you will get much better results by combining training and playtime – you’ll both enjoy it a lot more.
- You must use praise, rather than negativity to train your dog – it works a lot quicker a gets better results.
- Training your dog will take persistence, lots of love and treats (pieces of meat, cheese or nibblies.
- I can’t say it enough…..positive reinforcement – not physical or verbal abuse, clout or mistreatment.
- When it is absolutely necessary to correct misbehaviours– usually the best reprimand is a verbal scolding in the ‘deep strong tone’ of voice.
- Be consistent with your training, you may have to be strong willed to not give in to those gorgeous eyes but if you aren’t…..he may take over….your chair, your bed, your house, your car, your dinner table ..believe me.
- Be patient ….it might not be as quick as you like but he should eventually do everything you want him too.
- Be prepared to be mentally stronger than your dog and use rewards to weaken his ego.
- Children – don’t ever let them mistreat the dog, for the dogs safety, not just the child.
- Any dog that is dangerously aggressive to humans without being instigated is atypical of the breed and should be considered for euthanasia if it’s behaviour cannot be modified.