Be prepared to know that the wonderful Dogue de Bordeaux breed drools… A LOT! Prospective owners should ready a huge supply of towels and prepare a nice home makeover to avoid their carpets and furniture from being covered with large amounts of saliva.
This might sound like an extra task, but the pros of having a Dogue de Bordeaux at home outweigh this drooling behavior. Learn what may cause him to slobber excessively and get to know all proven ways on how to control it!
When Does a Dogue de Bordeaux Start Drooling?
The moment the Dogue de Bordeaux, or also known as the French Mastiff, matures into adulthood, drooling will start to occur. This typically happens once he is about 19 months old. As his body gets larger, the jowls around his mouth also begin to get looser. The saliva his body produces gradually gets accumulated in the jowls and he wouldn’t be able to cope with how much of it is being produced.
Even if you see him close his lips the whole time, the loose outer lips hang freely and that is a great way of escape for his saliva. Take note, however, that each French Mastiff grows at his pace. That means you’ll be lucky if you end up having one who does not copiously drool even after reaching a certain age.
7 Reasons Why He’ll Salivate Excessively
Aside from the fact that the French Mastiff is a notorious drooler, there are possible moments when the large amount of drool he produces will even be greater. At times, we might find this a normal behavior and tend to ignore it, but this can be caused by underlying conditions signifying that his health is at risk.
Know what the reasons are for his excessive drooling below:
- Heat Stroke
The French Mastiff is highly prone to overheating hence why he shouldn’t be left outside in the sun for long periods. The number one reason for this is due to his large size. His body cannot regulate the temperature well if he’s in an extremely hot and humid condition. The excessive drooling or also known as ptyalism of the French Mastiff is his way of cooling himself down.
- Mouth Disease
When a French Mastiff’s oral health is compromised, drool happens. Most commonly, tartar buildup can rub against his inner lips and this, in turn, causes more production of saliva. Other oral problems include tumors, gingivitis, and ulcers.
- Motion Sickness
Puppies are more prone to experience motion sickness. This is because their inner ears may not be fully developed yet. Some French Mastiffs leave this behind their puppyhood, but unfortunately, others can not outgrow this type of sickness.
On another note, car sickness can be caused by stress. It could be that he associated being in the car with “unpleasant” vet visits or he had a traumatic event while being inside it. To ease himself up, intense slobbering happens.
- Anxiety
Drooling is a sort of stress response to anxiety. Take note that the French Mastiff breed can feel sad if he’s left alone for long hours which is why it is highly recommended that he gets interactions most times of the day. If his social needs are not sufficiently met and worse, he has nothing to entertain himself with, anxiety may kick in. He’ll need immediate intervention to stop him from developing bad behaviors.
- Anticipation for Food
We all know how weak a dog gets when it comes to food. Seeing a treat or a piece of bone will cause him to salivate- a normal response to hunger or desire for food! One more thing we should know about the French Mastiff dog is that he loves to follow his owner anywhere inside the house. If you’re in the kitchen preparing your family’s dinner, your dog will be below you, soaking in his drool.
- Organ Disease
Another reason for hypersalivation in French Mastiffs is due to organ diseases that can either affect the liver or the kidney. This is why you must be observant of your dog’s drooling behavior and identify alarming signs, so he can be diagnosed and treated early before symptoms get worse.
- Upper Respiratory Infections
Infection in the nose, throat, or sinuses can also be culprits to a French Mastiff’s excessive slobbering. You can look for other signs and symptoms such as discharge in the eyes and nose, low appetite, and coughing. These will help you indicate if your dog suffers from such a type of complication.
4 Ways to Control the Drool
There is no better way to remedy excessive drooling than to bring your beloved French Mastiff to your local vet. However, if he has no present health issues, we recommend that you try these 4 ways to control the drool:
Purchase Quality Bibs
It would be so much cuter seeing your French Mastiff buddy wearing a bib because, after all, we treat our buddies as if they are our kids. Bibs are great because they can be easily wrapped around the dogs’ necks and they hang there beautifully, ready to catch the drip.
If you want your dog to not look like he’s always ready for a meal, replace the bib with the Remy+Roo Dog Bandana!
Keep Your Home Cool
Too much heat can cause dehydration. French Mastiffs, being dogs, don’t cool down the way we, humans, do. Instead, they sweat through their paw pads and pant at the same time. If you live in hot countries or if it is summertime, make sure your four-legged friend isn’t outside often.
Keep his body temperature at a normal level by installing a Mini Split Air Conditioner in the room he uses most often and don’t forget to leave a bowl full of fresh water near him.
Carry Towels at All Times
Don’t worry if you forgot to wrap a bandana around your French Mastiff’s neck if you are both outside for a walk in the doggy park. As long as you always have nice, clean towels on your bag, his drools will stay manageable. It’s important that the towels you carry are not from yesterday to keep the hygiene top-notch. The HugeHounds DroolRag is a must-buy for most dog owners due to its convenient structure and quality materials used!
Use Absorbent Towels
Determine where inside your home or apartment your French Mastiff stays most of the time and assess as well where his drools fall most often. Once you find those out, you can minimize drooling by placing absorbent towels in the area. The great thing about this is that you can use it for your dog’s poop and urine too!
Do All Mastiffs Drool?
Generally, most if not all Mastiffs drool. This behavior is often associated with their large sizes. The intensity of their slobbering varies from each other, however. To give you better detail, below will be a list of Mastiffs that drool the most down to the ones who salivate the least:
- Neapolitan Mastiff
- English Mastiff and French Mastiff
- Bullmastiff
- Italian Mastiff and Tibetan Mastiff
- Great Dane
