Because the Dogue boasts a short coat, keeping it looking good is low maintenance. However, a weekly brush is necessary to keep any shed hair under control and to make sure a dog's skin is kept in good condition too. Giving their coat a once over using a grooming mitt will add lustre to a Dogue's coat. It's also important to check and clean the folds found on a dog's face on a regular basis to prevent any sores or infections from taking hold.
It's also important to check a dog's ears and to clean them when necessary. If too much wax is allowed to build up in a dog's ears, it can lead to a painful infection which can be hard to clear up. In short, prevention is often easier than cure when it comes to ear infections.
Even though the Dogue de Bordeaux likes to be kept busy, they do not need as much as exercise as most people think. A good 60 to 80 minutes a day would be enough to keep these large dogs happy, fit and healthy. With this in mind, they prefer to be taken on several walks throughout the day and if possible to roam around a large back garden as often as possible so they can really let off steam. However, the fencing has to be very secure to keep these dogs in bearing in mind that the Dogue is very capable of jumping over fences that are not high enough.
With this said, young Dogue de Bordeaux puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or down from furniture nor should they be allowed to go up and down stairs because it puts too much pressure and strain on their growing joints and bones.
If you get a Dogue puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy or finicky eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
