It comes days after All-Australian midfielder Adam Treloar was also sidelined with a calf injury, while key forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is on a flexible training program and is no certainty to be ready for the start of the campaign.
Jones damaged his hamstring on Sunday in a match simulation session during the club's Sunshine Coast training camp.
The Bulldogs have confirmed the 33-year-old has a high-grade strain and will not resume full training for eight to 10 weeks.
It also rules Jones out of this month's Indigenous All Stars game against Fremantle.
Jones played a career-high 21 AFL games last season to take his total to 200.
The Bulldogs said last week that Treloar's latest calf injury means he will enter a "rehab model for the next 8-10 weeks".
They also have said they are "really hopeful" Ugle-Hagan will play a key role in their forward line this AFL season, but cannot put a timeline on the star's return.
Ugle-Hagan is spending plenty of time away from the club as he deals with personal issues. The 2020 No.1 draft pick is not at their Queensland training camp.
Teammate Jason Johannisen will also certainly miss the opening rounds, sidelined for up to three months with another serious hamstring injury, though the outlook is better for Tim English and Aaron Naughton.
English is recovering from an abdominal injury and is on track to feature against Essendon in a pre-season hit-out on February 15.
Naughton, meanwhile, has gradually built his workload and took part in some of the match simulation.
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