Boerboels 1 to 10
My Take on the Boerboel:
There is a written standard, or three, out there. Setting aside the dubious value of visual standards on the whole, they will be of limited value, as the breed is rather phenotypically diverse (they look different). The easiest way to get a visual feel for the breed is probably to google image it.
The Boerboel has been the subject of such hype it’s difficult to know what to say. Perhaps the most significant point is this: they are still a hell of a lot closer to what a mastiff was and should be than the English Mastiff or Bullmastiff of today. Of course the Boerboel is no less immune to the selection pressures that effectively ruined those breeds. Perhaps more than anything its circumstance has bought it a temporary reprieve, a delay, in that seemingly inevitable drift towards the liability friendly foot stool.
Relative the other rare breed Mastiffs; Cane Corsos, Dogo Canarios, Filas, Dogos, etc. I think the one safe generalization that can be made is none are as consistent as those selling them would have you believe. The simple truth is there is variety, and issues, in all those breeds, so too the Boerboel.
The Boerboel is supposed to be a family, farm, stock, and property protector. An all around farm dog; a utility dog. And a good one is every bit of that. Possessed of manageable prey drive. Naturally protective of its territory, relatively suspicious of strangers, born with as much velcro as any dog I’ve encountered, and extremely biddable.
The truth however is that they are all over the board. There are uncanny smart Boerboels, but I have had a couple that only Rahm Emanuel could find the proper words for. There are calm stable Boerboels, but there are fear biting Boerboels as well. There are Boerboels that would play Frisbee with a burglar and love everybody. And there are a precious few which could properly be called man stoppers.
The reality is there has not been concerted, meaningful, or lengthy enough selection process to guarantee the sort of consistency regards temperament many a puppy peddler will have you believe. As a result you can get a just about….anything and testament to the contrary, in my opinion, should be regarded as a red flag.
Having said that, and I’ll make no friends for having done so; I would also say this. They tend to be very good with children. And they stick around as good or better than any breed I’ve known. These two things I can say I’ve not seen exception to, even amidst the short bussers. They are not super dogs, they are not psychic, they cannot tell good leopards from bad leopards, much less people. And not all of them can catch rabbits though I know of more than one large Boerboel that has.
In a mastiff they still deserve to be right up at the top of anyone’s list. Just know there is significant variation within the breed; and people representing them any other way are dishonest, ignorant, or more often than not… both. And They do have health Issues; like all breeds, and certainly all comparable mastiff breeds.
General Temperament:
Extremely biddable dogs, very people oriented, very sticky; you’ll not find a dog less interested in roaming. A utility dog needs more than anything to do, or not do, whatever its owner wishes; and a Boerboel is a utility dog, a consummate yes man. They love their people, and should be inclined to want to get between them and anything they suspect might be a threat. Who and what they regard as welcome is largely a matter of how you condition them, but the proper temperament is one that seeks to protect.
Energy level: 4-6
They vary of course, more than many breeds, but in general they are fairly laid back. They fire up for events, but have no problem lying around between time; not pacers by any means.
Intelligence: 5-7
Variety aside, but for the occasional retard ( sorry Sarah ) the breed should be considered smarter than all the main stream mastiffs who have already suffered the slings and arrows of popularity.
Biddability: 9
Cause that’s what a Boerboel should be, eager to please.
Independence: 1
Not ! They wait for you outside whatever door you last went in. They live for their people, four legged shadows; I find they can get a little annoying with such matters as licking one’s shoe lace tying fingers, a bit needy in the extreme. But I’ve got so many dogs no one ever gets enough love, might not be an issue otherwise.
Gravity: 10
Like secret service agents next to a U.S. President in a crowded mosque. I kid you not, mine stay at my side when we run, even if other dogs in attendance break off to chase wildlife through the woods, the boerboels can be called off, they stay by my side— instinctively.
Roam: 1
I’ve never owned a dog less inclined, for the boerboels that I’ve had, fence was not even necessary
Prey drive: 5
Moderate, nothing that their biddability won’t compensate for. I.E. they would just as soon kill your stock if your encouraged it, but they can refrain from doing so if they understand that to be the party line.
Dog aggression: 7-9
These are dominate animals, same sex adults will not settle rank peacefully. It’s a trait that’s largely understated in Boerboels, because it doesn’t sell dogs, but you need to be able to control your Boerboel cause it’s big enough to do a lot of damage to other people’s dogs.
Human aggression: 6-8
Always a touchy subject, but what a Boerboel is supposed to be is a man stopper, and you can’t be that without being willing to lay tooth on a man. The truth is, natural born man-stoppers are much harder to find in Boerboels ( as in most “protection” breeds ) than some of the marketing might have you believe. Evolutionarily speaking dogs that wouldn’t back down from a human tended to catch the sharp end of spears, swords, arrows, and more recently bullets. So it should come as no surprise that dogs with that sort of backbone are actually quite hard to find… but we’re always looking :)
