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Rescue a Boerboel
Boerboel Puppies
for Sale
Boerboel
(African Boerboel)
Otis, an African Boerboel at 2 years
old, weighing 150 lbs. "Loves to lounge on the kids swing set."
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Description |
The Boerboel is a big, strong and intelligent
working dog. It is well balanced with good muscle development and buoyant in
movement. The dog should be impressive and imposing. Male dogs appear noticeably
masculine and bitches feminine. All parts of the body should be in proportion
with each other. The head is the most important feature of the Boerboel, as it
represents its total character. It is short, broad, deep, square and muscular
with well filled cheeks. The part between the eyes must be well filled. The top
of the head is broad and flat, with prominent muscle development. The face
should blend symmetrically with the head, and can be with or without a black
mask. The stop should be visible, but not prominent. The muzzle is black with
large nostrils which are widely spaced. The nasal bone is straight and parallel
to the top-line of the head. It is deep, broad and it tapers slightly to the
front. The nasal bone should be 8-10 cm long. The loose, fleshy upper lip should
cover the lower lip, but should not hang lower than the lower jaw. The jaws
(mandibles) are strong, deep and broad, and narrows slightly to the front. The
teeth should be white, well developed, correctly spaced, with a complete set of
42 teeth and a scissors bite. The broad, horizontally set eyes are any shade of
brown, but darker then the pelt, with firm, well-pigmented eye-lids. The ears
should be of medium size, V-shaped and should be in proportion to the head. They
are set fairly high and wide against the head. When the dog is alert, the ears
should form a straight line with the top of the head. The neck shows a
noticeable muscle curve, and is attached high at the shoulder. The strong,
muscular neck is of medium length and in proportion to the rest of the dog. The
skin of the neck is loose under the throat and becomes taut between the front
legs. The body narrows slightly towards the loin. The top line should be
straight. The back is straight, broad and in proportion, with prominent back
muscles and a short loin. The rump is broad and strong, with good muscle
development. The chest is muscular, broad and strong. The straight, short tail
is attached high to the body. The front legs should be perfectly vertical. The
hind paws are slightly smaller then the front paws. The big, well padded paws
are rounded with dark curved toe-nails. The paws should point straight forward.
Dew claws should be removed. The skin is thick, loose, well pigmented with
moderate wrinkles on the forehead when the dog is alert. The short, dense, sleek
coat comes in cream white, pale tawny, reddish brown, brown and all shades of
brindle. |
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Temperament |
The Boerboel is reliable, obedient and
intelligent, with strong watch and guard-dog instincts. It is self-assured and
fearless. The Boerboel are very playful and affectionate toward their owners.
Their favorite pass time would be to play a game of fetch loving every minute
they spend with their master. Their jaws are strong and they will most often pop
the ball they are playing with. Not to fret, they will just play with the popped
ball! They are very gentle and good with children they know. Allowing them
to ride on their backs like a horse, loving every minute of the attention they
are getting. Boerboel will do okay with other dogs, cats and other
non-canine pets, letting birds come down and snatch from their food bowl! They will guard their family, friends and property with
their life. When the owners are not home they will not allow anyone to enter the
home, unless they know them very well. When welcomed visitors arrive they
will accept them after being properly introduced. This
breed requires a dominant owner. The authority the owners project over the dog should be so strong that the dog will not bolt out the front door when it is opened. The objective in training this
dog is to achieve a pack leader status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in their pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack cooperates
under a single leader. Lines are clearly defined and rules are set. Because a dog communicates his displeasure with growling and eventually biting, all other humans MUST be higher up in the order than the dog. The humans must be the ones making the decisions, not the dogs. That is the only way your relationship with your dog can be a complete success. If one does not understand this concept 100% and have confidence that they can handle such a large guard type breed then this is not the dog for them. With the right owners the Boerboel can make wonderful pets. |
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Height, Weight |
Height: males 25-28 inches (64-70
cm.) female 23-25.5 inches (59-65 cm.)
Weight: 154-200 pounds (70 and 90 kg.) |
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Health Problems |
Due to artificial selection the Boerboel is a very
healthy breed. |
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Living Conditions |
The Boerboel is not recommended for apartment
life. They should, at least, have a large, fenced in yard to run and play.
They Boerboel can live outdoors. This breed should not be left to run on their
own for they are very protective and sometimes do not take too well to
strangers. |
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Exercise |
The Boerboel will get a lot exercise if they have
a large yard to run and play. However they need to be taken on a
long daily walk. Boerboel love to play and would love a good game
of ball. |
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Life Expectancy |
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Grooming |
The Boerboel is fairly easily to groom. An
occasional brushing and a monthly bath and dip is all they need. This breed is
an average shedder. |
Origin |
The development of the Boerboel can rightfully be
described as a true South African success story and is today a beacon for those
who have made a contribution to improve the breed. The refining of the breed is
still on the developing stage. Much has already been written on the descent of
the Boerboel but nobody can state with certainty that it is bred from one, two
or more breeds of dogs. What is confirmed by investigation is that Jan van
Riebeeck brought with him a "bullenbijter" on his arrival to the Cape.
This dog was a large strong breed which reminded one of the Mastiff type of dog.
Those who followed Van Riebeeck to the Cape, had also brought with them only the
largest and strongest dogs, and over a period of decades only the strongest
survived in the now and desolated country. With the arrival of the British
Settlers in 1820 they brought amongst others the Bulldog and Mastiff type of
dog. (In 1938 the real Bull Mastiff was imported to South Africa by De Beers to
guard the diamonds mines. It is also known that they imported a champion
obtained from the Hottentots, played a role in the development of the Boerboel.
The "Boerdogs" (as they are known) were scattered by the
Voortrekkers during the Great Trek and they continued to breed with them.
According to tradition, after the Anglo Boer War in 1902, these dogs were
cross-bred with the English long-legged Bulldog and also the with the Bull
Mastiff, in the late and early 1950's. The history is especially known among the
farmers of the North-Eastern Free State, Northern Natal and in parts of
Transvaal. |
Group |
Mastiff |
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Recognition |
SABT, APRI, HBSA, EBBASA, RIBC, SMBA, USBA, DRA, NAPR |
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SABT =
South African Boerboel Association
APRI = American Pet Registry Inc.
HBSA = The Historical Boerboel Club of Southern Africa
EBBASA = Elite Boerboel Breeders Association of South
Africa Boerboelclub (Nederland)
RIBC = Russian International Boerboel Club Samba Global
SAMBA Global = international organization, whose primary
goal is to aid the protection & development of the South African Boerboel
USBA = United
States Boerboel Association
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
NAPR = North American Purebred Registry, Inc. |
"Our purebred Boerboel dog
called “Nahu”. Nahu is a Maori name meaning protector (from New
Zealand). Nahu was imported from South Africa at 8 weeks of age. He
was 7 months old at the time of this picture and 120 pounds. He will
grow to about 180-200 pounds based on the other males from the
breeder who we bought him from. He is extremely affectionate and
very protective of myself and my husband. He’s wary of strangers but
as soon as he knows that we’re comfortable with new people he’s ok
with them too…. He has a 6th sense and can tell if people are good
or not. The breed seems to be very instinctive, picking up on owners
feelings, if we’re nervous or wary of someone they are too. We live
in an apartment and he get’s along really well with our two Burmese
cats. We crate-trained him when he was young so he sleeps and eats
in his crate, but the rest of the time he’s free in the home. He’s
responding very well to dog training, he’s the best in his class J
All he wants to do is be wherever we are, so he always sticks by our
side when out walking. We feed him a totally raw food diet (i.e. raw
turkey necks, whole raw chickens, raw steak, raw trout fish, pulped
fruit and vegetables, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, supplements
like calcium, vitamin c, kelp, cod liver oil, flax seed oil etc.
I’ve never seen a healthier dog and his recent blood tests came back
better than perfect."
Nahu, the Boerboel at 7 months
old.
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Photo Courtesy of Desert Sky Boerboels.
African Boerboel, Bakari At 10 months and 130 pounds.
Jabari is 10 months old and 120 pounds in this photo.
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"Mia the South African Boerboel as a 10 month old puppy. At 13.5 months old she weighed 102 lbs. She is the sweetest, most loving dog. Very loyal - follows us around constantly. Protective at nighttime & will bark at strange sounds outside. Loves kids & other dogs. Looks forward to going to doggy daycare. Loves playing with tennis balls & chewing on nylabones. Also loves rolling around & getting her tummy rubbed. Likes going on walks but is not good with the heat. Will lay down during the walk if too hot out. She drinks tons of water all day - and slobbers a lot! Feed her Blue Buffalo large breed chicken & brown rice, 3 cups in morning & 3 at night. Doesn't chew on anything inside that's not hers. When she was a puppy she liked to chew on the rubber part of our door stops!? Outside she'll chew on & eat ANYTHING! Dirt, branches, leaves, sticks, mulch etc. Will drink out of the toilet if we forget to put the lid down! Doesn't mind her baths but hates getting her nails clipped. Monthly baths are adequate - unless it's been raining out & she's been digging in the mud! Clip her nails & clean out her ears twice a month. Sheds more during the spring/summer. Love their type of fur because isn't oily/greasy like some dogs. She is crate trained & stays in her kennel during the day when no one is home. At night she sleeps on her bed in our room. Not allowed in our bed! We will definitely be getting another Boerboel in the near future. We just love her personality, temperament & build. Everywhere I take her people ask what breed she is & everyone at the vet tells me they'll take her if I ever wanna give her up!"
Mia the South African Boerboel as a 7.5 month old puppy.
Mia the South African Boerboel as a 6 month old puppy.
Mia the South African Boerboel as a 6.5 month old puppy.
Mia the South African Boerboel as a 16 week old puppy.
Mia the South African Boerboel as a pupy at about 6 weeks old.
Boerboel Pictures 1
Boerboel Pictures 2
Boerboel Pictures 3
Understanding Dog Behavior
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