Boerboel

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Boerboel is a large mastiff dog originating in South Africa. This breed was developed for guarding the homestead and used as first line defense against predators. The Boerboel also showed excellent skills when it came to tracking and holding the wounded game. The word "Boerboel" means "Farmer's dog" due to its great and valuable skills as a guardian dog and remarkable endurance in tough and dangerous South African conditions. This breed has height and weight between 23-28 inches and 150 to 200 pounds respectively. The dog has a large blocky head with square and flat skull. The face blends symmetrically with the head and can be with or without black mask. The muzzle is moderate with large and widely spaced nostrils. Broad eyes are any shade of dark brown while the V-shaped erect ears are set high and wide. The body narrows slightly towards the loin. Top line is straight and so is the back. The straight short tail is attached high to the body. The coat is short, dense and sleek and comes in different colours.

This dog is NOT recognized by AKC or most other major kennel clubs.

Color

The coat colour of the Boerboel can be cream white, pale tawny, reddish brown, brown and all shades of brindle.

Coat

The coat is short, dense, smooth and shiny. The skin is thick and loose but fits smoothly.

Personality

The Boerboel is a very energetic, loving and loyal dog for the whole family. It is non-aggressive and gentle with its family but wary of strangers. Eager to please its owners and craving for attention, the dog makes a very good family pet. It is very gentle and kind to children and gets along well with other dogs and pets in the family. Having great protective instincts, the dog is loyal and devoted to saving its family and property from any threat; not hesitating to sacrifice its life if needed. This working breed needs a firm and confident owner who can establish proper authority over this dominant breed. This dog is not for weak or first time owners. The Boerboel will need proper training and socialization from early age. It will need to be exposed to unfamiliar people, dogs, places and environments to make it adaptable and happy member of the family. With proper socialization, the Boerboel makes an excellent watch and guard dog as well as very good family pet.

Care

The easy to maintain coat requires once a week brushing and occasional bathing.

Training

The Boerboel can sometimes show willful behavior and headstrong attitude. This breed will need a firm trainer who can establish himself as dog's true packleader. It can learn very quickly due to its intelligence but consistency is necessary.

Activity

Like all working dogs, the Boerboel will need lots of exercise and open spaces to run and play. It is not a dog for lazy owners as the dog has high exercise demands.