The Dogue de Bordeaux is such an old breed that its origins are unclear. It is known, however, that the breed has existed in the Bordeaux region of France as far back as the 14th century. Various theories claim that the Dogue de Bordeaux is related to the Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Tibetan Mastiff, and even Greco Roman molossoids used for war. The Dogue de Bordeaux used to come in two size varieties: the smaller Doguin and the larger Dogue. Some time during the 1700's, the Doguin variety completely disappeared from all records. Over the years, the Dogue de Bordeaux found employment as fighting dogs, estate guards, hunters, drafters, and livestock drovers (giving them the nickname "Butcher's Dog").