Buddyz is pet business management software that helps grooming salons, dog daycares, boarding businesses, and multi-location pet service operators manage scheduling, check-in, pet profiles, customer communication, payments, and daily operations in one platform.

Who is Buddyz built for?

Buddyz is built for pet business owners and teams running grooming salons, dog daycares, boarding facilities, and multi-location pet service businesses. It adapts to grooming-only shops, daycare-only operations, combined services, and multi-location businesses.

Is Buddyz free to start?

Yes. Buddyz starts with a free Core Platform that includes smart scheduling, pet intelligence, and smart check-in. Add-on capabilities for grooming, daycare, boarding, operations, customer communication, payments, and reporting are available as modular add-ons.

Does Buddyz replace scheduling software like Vagaro or MindBody for pet businesses?

Buddyz goes beyond scheduling. While it includes smart scheduling and booking, it also provides live operations workflow, pet intelligence (profiles, grooming notes, vaccine tracking), customer communication, deposit and payment processing, and business reporting — all in one platform built specifically for pet service businesses.

Can Buddyz track pet vaccine records?

Yes. Buddyz tracks vaccine records, expiration dates, and compliance requirements as part of each pet's profile. This is particularly useful for daycare and boarding businesses that require up-to-date vaccination documentation before accepting pets.

How does Buddyz reduce no-shows for pet appointments?

Buddyz reduces no-shows by enabling businesses to collect deposits at booking, save cards on file, and send automated appointment reminders to customers. This combination of financial commitment and timely communication significantly reduces last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

Does Buddyz work for multi-location pet businesses?

Yes. Buddyz supports multi-location operations with shared customer and pet profiles across locations, location-level access controls, role management, team visibility, and consolidated business reporting.

What makes Buddyz different from traditional pet salon software?

Traditional pet salon software focuses on calendar booking. Buddyz is a full operating system that adds live workflow visibility, operations intelligence, pet profile management, grooming history tracking, automated customer communication, and payment processing alongside scheduling — giving pet businesses a complete platform instead of disconnected tools.

Are Dogues de Bordeaux good family dogs?

The Dogue de Bordeaux is famously loyal and affectionate with its own family, forming deep bonds and being patient and gentle with the children it lives with. It is also a natural guardian, watchful and protective. The main considerations are its enormous strength and size — it can knock a toddler over by accident — and its guarding instinct, which means visitors and children's friends should be supervised. With early socialisation and training, it's a wonderful family guardian.

How much exercise does a Dogue de Bordeaux need?

Dogues are fairly low-energy giants that need only moderate exercise: a couple of steady walks a day totalling roughly 30 to 60 minutes usually suffices. Exercise must be low-impact, especially in puppies and adolescents, because giant-breed joints develop slowly. Crucially, this short-muzzled breed overheats very easily, so walk only in the cool of the day, avoid strenuous activity, and never push a dog that's breathing hard or in warm weather.

Do Dogues de Bordeaux drool a lot?

The Dogue is a serious drooler, thanks to its large, loose jowls. Expect drool after eating and drinking, when excited, and flung about with a shake of the head. Anyone considering the breed should be genuinely comfortable with this, as it's a permanent feature of daily life. Keeping a cloth handy to wipe the mouth and jowls helps prevent the surrounding skin from becoming sore and keeps your home a little cleaner.

How long do Dogues de Bordeaux live?

The Dogue de Bordeaux has one of the shorter lifespans among dog breeds, frequently only around 5 to 8 years. As a giant breed it is prone to heart disease, joint problems, bloat, and cancers, and its short muzzle and skin folds add breathing and skin concerns. Choosing a responsible breeder who health-tests, keeping the dog lean, protecting it from heat, and providing attentive preventive veterinary care all help give a Dogue the healthiest life possible.

Bordeaux, France • Working

Dogue de Bordeaux

The powerful French Mastiff with a lion's head and a soft spot for its family — brave, loyal, and devoted.

Weight99–140 lbs

Height23–27 in

Lifespan5–8 years

SizeGiant

Overview

Massive, powerful French mastiff with distinctive short, wrinkled muzzle and red mask. This imposing molossoid dog combines a muscular build with a calm, loyal disposition and protective temperament.

Best for

•Experienced owners with space who want a courageous, affectionate guardian and understand giant-breed care. The Dogue de Bordeaux suits confident, active-but-sensible households ready to socialise early, manage its strength and drool, and give it the close family life it craves.

May not suit

•First-time owners, apartment dwellers, or anyone unprepared for a big, powerful, drooly dog with a short lifespan and high costs. Its strength, guarding instinct, heat sensitivity, and need for early training make it a serious commitment rather than an easy companion.

History & Origins

One of the oldest French breeds and ancient molossoid type dating to 14th century. Traditionally used for guarding, pulling carts, and big game hunting. Nearly extinct after World Wars but restored by dedicated breeders and standardized in 19th century.

Characteristics & Traits

Apartment Living2 / 5

Families with Children4 / 5

First-Time Owners1 / 5

Other Dogs2 / 5

Alone Time Tolerance2 / 5

Shedding Level3 / 5

Grooming Needs3 / 5

Trainability3 / 5

Barking2 / 5

Prey Drive2 / 5

Energy Level2 / 5

Lifestyle

Apartment Living

2/5

Families with Children

4/5

First-Time Owners

1/5

Other Dogs

2/5

Alone Time Tolerance

2/5

Shedding Level

3/5

Grooming Needs

3/5

Behavior

Trainability

3/5

Barking

2/5

Prey Drive

2/5

Exercise

Energy Level

2/5

Exercise & Training

Aim for around 30–60 minutes of total activity per day. Moderate, steady exercise suits this powerful breed. Keep it low-impact to protect the joints, avoid over-exercising a young dog, and take great care in warm weather because the short muzzle makes overheating a real danger.

Daily Walks by Living Situation

Apartment or Home Without a Backyard

2 walks / day

~25 min each

Flats are a poor fit for a dog this size, but wherever it lives the Dogue needs a couple of steady daily walks rather than strenuous activity.

Home With a Backyard

2 walks / day

~25 min each

A secure, shaded garden gives useful room to potter and stretch out, but the Dogue is a devoted family dog that wants to live indoors with its people, not outside alone.

Daycare or Park Time?

Daycare is rarely a natural fit for this protective, sometimes dog-wary guardian, and requires a venue equipped for giant breeds. Most Dogues are better exercised and managed at home.

The Dogue de Bordeaux has a short, wrinkled muzzle and struggles badly to cool itself, so it is very prone to heatstroke. Exercise only in the cool of the day, always provide shade and water, and never leave it in a warm car or room.

As a giant breed, the Dogue must not be over-exercised or allowed to jump, run hard, or climb stairs excessively while young, because its joints develop slowly. Keep puppy and adolescent exercise gentle and controlled to prevent lasting joint damage.

Deep-chested giant breeds are at risk of bloat (gastric torsion), a life-threatening emergency. Feed measured meals, avoid vigorous exercise right after eating, and learn the warning signs so you can act fast.

Training

Intelligent and willing to please its family but strong-willed and a little stubborn, so early, patient, consistent training is essential given its size.

Start training and socialisation in early puppyhood — a grown Dogue is far too strong to correct once habits form.
Use calm, firm, positive, and consistent methods; this sensitive, sometimes stubborn breed resents harsh handling.
Teach lead manners and a reliable settle early, while the dog is still an easy size to manage.
Socialise widely with people and dogs so its protective, watchful nature stays measured and confident.
Keep sessions short and motivating, as the Dogue is intelligent but strong-willed and tires of repetition.

Establish manners and lead skills in puppyhood — a well-trained Dogue is a devoted companion, but an untrained one is unmanageable.

For Pet Parents

The Dogue de Bordeaux wears a short, fine, easy-care coat, so brushing is simple. The grooming commitment lies in the deep facial wrinkles that need daily cleaning, the constant management of heavy drool, and the physical effort of caring for a massive, powerful dog.

Difficulty: Moderate

Grooming Commitment

The Dogue de Bordeaux's short coat is easy to brush, but the details make it a genuine commitment. The deep facial wrinkles need daily cleaning and drying, the heavy drool needs constant wiping, and the sheer size of the dog turns routine tasks like bathing and nail trims into a real physical job.

At-Home Basics

Difficulty: Moderate

Caring for Your Dogue de Bordeaux at Home

Clean the facial folds daily

The deep wrinkles across the muzzle and around the face trap moisture, drool, and debris. Wipe them daily with a damp cloth or vet-approved cleaner and dry them thoroughly to prevent the sore, infected skin these folds are prone to.

Manage the heavy drool

Dogues drool a great deal, especially after eating or drinking. Keep a cloth handy to wipe the mouth and jowls so saliva doesn't sour and irritate the skin, and expect drool on walls and furniture too.

Brush weekly for shedding

A weekly going-over with a rubber curry brush lifts the steady loose hair from the short coat and keeps shedding around your home under control.

Keep up eyes, nails, and teeth

Check the loose-lidded eyes for irritation, trim the large nails about every four weeks using a grinder if needed, and brush the teeth several times a week to prevent dental disease.

Mistakes to Avoid

Leaving the facial folds damp or dirty, which quickly leads to painful skin infection.
Ignoring drool build-up around the mouth, causing soreness and unpleasant smells.
Exercising or leaving the dog in warm weather, risking dangerous heatstroke in this short-muzzled breed.
Underestimating the physical effort of nail trims, baths, and checks on such a large, heavy dog.

When to Call in a Professional

The Dogue's coat rarely needs a professional groomer, but many owners use one for bathing, nail trims, and thorough skin and fold checks, simply because handling a dog this size at home is hard work. See your vet promptly for any persistent fold infection, eye trouble, or breathing difficulty.

Coat & Colors

Type: Short and fine
Family: Short single coat
Undercoat: No
Shedding: Moderate
Seasonal Change: Minimal
Matting Risk: Low

Common Problem Areas

Facial and muzzle foldsJowlsEye areaNeck dewlap

Frequently Asked Questions

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