Dog breed · South Africa
The Boerboel (pronounced [ˈbuːrbul]) is a South African breed of large dog of mastiff type, used as a family guard dog. It is large, with a short coat, strong bone structure and well-developed muscles.
It is recognised by the Kennel Union of Southern Africa, but not by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Characteristics: The Boerboel is a large dog, with a strong bone structure and well-developed muscles. The head is large and the muzzle is short.
The coat is short and sleek with dense hair coverage. The recognised colours are brindle, fawn, and brown; it may or may not have a black mask. There is one minor divergence between breed standards; the Kennel Union of South Africa does not accept black but SABBS does.
The dogs show courage when threatened; they may display aggression toward other dogs or strangers.
Characteristics: The Boerboel is a large dog, with a strong bone structure and well-developed muscles. The head is large and the muzzle is short.
The coat is short and sleek with dense hair coverage. The recognised colours are brindle, fawn, and brown; it may or may not have a black mask. There is one minor divergence between breed standards; the Kennel Union of South Africa does not accept black but SABBS does.
The dogs show courage when threatened; they may display aggression toward other dogs or strangers.
Health: The Boerboel may develop hip or elbow dysplasia, vaginal hyperplasia, ectropion and entropion. Juvenile epilepsy (with attacks brought on by metabolic changes or stress) has been observed.
History: The name Boerboel derives from the Afrikaans words boer, meaning farmer, and boel, a shortening of boelhond, meaning bulldog.
The Boerboel descends from an old colonial cross-breed of mastiffs and bulldogs used both as a guard dog on remote farms and estates and for big game hunting, and known as the Boer Dog or Boer Hunting Dog. An account from 1909 describes this cross-breed as the best dog for hunting leopards and baboons in packs; a leopard with a leg caught in a trap can be killed by a pack of them. The Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa describes the Boer Mastiff as an excellent fighter; one killed leopards in four single combats over a number of years, but was killed by a fifth.
Breeding of the Boerboel began in the 1950s. A breed association, the Suid-Afrikaanse Boerboel Telersvereniging or South African Boerboel Breeders Association, was established in 1983. A new association, the South African Boerboel Breeders' Society, was formed in 2012 and registered with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2014.
