IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT All breeding Dogues be hip and elbow scored. 

As this is the major health issue of the breed, health testing & screening prior to any mating will assist any breeder in choosing the most compatible partners, to assist in reducing any future hip &/or elbow problems.  Health testing is knowledge & knowledge is priceless when trying to improve the quality of dogs.

As a prospective puppy buyer you have a right to ask what these scores are, and should be able to view the actual report. 

It is recommended that a dogue with a score over 30 may not be suitable for breeding unless to a dog with a very low hip score, however an experienced breeder may make an informed decision regarding scores.  Just Xraying is not adequate and can be mis-read.  The xrays need to be read and scored by a fully accredited professional.

Please read the Breed Information page for more information on Hip and Elbow Scoring and understanding the health problems associated with the Dogue de Bordeaux.

 

Hip/Elbow Scoring

Male Dogues should not be bred from until they are fully health tested.   Hip & elbow scoring is generally carried out after the age of 12 months, depending on the method of scoring.  The ANKC rules & regulations state that a male dog should not be bred from under 9 months of age.  However, most breeders do not use their males at stud until they have had the appropriate hip/elbow scoring done at 12 months.  In saying this, if breeders use the Penn Hip method of hip scoring an indication of the dogs hips can be done a lot earlier.

Female Dogues should not be bred from until they are fully health tested.  No female dogue should have a litter younger than 18 months of age, but many breeders prefer to wait until at least 2 years of age or more.  Again, with consideration to the ANKC rules & regulations.

Breeding Ages

The minimum age for a breeder to home a puppy is 8 weeks.   Reputable breeders do not make their final decisions on the quality/sale of puppies or allow puppies to be chosen until they are around 6 weeks of age.   WE DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU PURCHASE A PUPPY OR MAKE A FINAL DECISION ON WHICH PUPPY YOU ARE BUYING UNTIL THE LITTER IS AT LEAST THIS AGE.

Puppy Age

All living puppies should be microchipped and registered with the breeders local state Canine Council which automatically registers the puppy with the Australian National Kennel Council and original registration certificates may be supplied with the puppy.  

Show/breeding puppies will be on the Main Register which allows for the showing and breeding of the Dogue (subject to any additional contracts of sale that the breeder may also require conditional to the purchase). 

Pet puppies are registered on the Limited Register, which also provides you with official pedigree registration papers however the puppy cannot be bred from or shown (also subject to any additional contracts of sale from the breeder)

** Please note that different State Canine controlling bodies have different requirements regarding litter registrations.  Please check with the state canine council according to where the puppy is to be registered.

 

Registration / Microchipping **

Only a small amount of pups from any litter, are ever to such a high standard that they should be sold as breed or show quality.  Most should be available only to pet homes. 

The reason that reputable breeders do this, is to try and ensure that only the best quality Dogues may be bred from.  Using a Champion dogue or an Imported dogue or their bloodlines, in no way guarantees the quality of the puppy or litter.  

A breeder should not sell an entire litter of puppies as show/breeding quality and certainly not just because of who the parents are or what their status is.

WE DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU PURCHASE A BREED / SHOW QUALITY PUPPY FROM A BREEDER WHO DOES NOT HAVE AN EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BREED STANDARD / HAS NOT SHOWN DOGS EXTENSIVELY IN THE CONFORMATION RING. 

THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THAT THIS ARENA PROVIDES IS ESSENTIAL IN BEING ABLE TO CHOOSE THE BEST QUALITY DOGS TO BE BRED FROM FOR THE FUTURE IMPROVEMENT OF THE BREED.

Quality of Puppies (Pet or Breed)

Many puppies are sold with contracts of purchase, (not just show/breeding puppies). 

PET puppies may be sold with desexing contracts.   Often there are also guidelines that you as a prospective puppy buyer need to follow to ensure that your new puppy grows to be the best it can be.

Contracts are beneficial not only for you as a puppy buyer for also for the breeder. 

A good purchase contract should clearly layout what is expected from both parties in relation to the purchase of the puppy and in regard to the conditions of its purchase and for a time period covering it’s life. 

Often it may cover instances of what should happen if any problems occur and detail health guarantees, monetary refunds, replacement puppies, time periods, health conditions, upbringing conditions, mating/breeding conditions.

Contracts for SHOW/BREEDING puppies are often put in place to allow you to use another kennels stud male or own a female bred by another kennel, for the purpose of making improvements within your own kennel—NOT for the purpose of supplying lots of breeding dogs to other people.

These contracts are designed to protect both the interests of the breeder and the purchaser of the puppy as well. 

You should be able to obtain a copy in advance from the breeder of the puppy.  Please read and consult with a third party if you have any concerns before signing any documentation.

You should always receive a copy of any signed documentation for your own records and future reference.

 

Contracts

Most reputable breeders are now desexing or sterilizing pet puppies prior to them going to live in their new homes.  This is done to prevent any indiscriminate breeding, causing harm to both the dog and the breed and the poor quality, unhealthy offspring that could be produced. 

Sterilisation is still a relatively new procedure in Australia.  Sterilisation means vasectomies and tubal ligations, so complete desexing (speying / neutering) is strongly recommended at the appropriate age to help guard against testicular, prostate and mammary cancers. 

Please talk to your vet or your breeder regarding these procedures.

Sterilisation / Desexing of Puppies

Optional

In addition to the above, the following steps are sometimes taken by a number of breeders to further protect the breed:

BEFORE YOU BUY

“Henry” relaxing at the beach