Boerboel

Proper traditional rustic working type Boerboels   

Modern rebuilt type Boerboels

As can clearly be seen, the modern variety has undergone considerable changes, so much so that they are in-fact no longer the same breed at all, but a new breed in it's own right.

"The Bullenbijter - When Jan van Riebeeck and his entourage arrived in Cape Town in 1652 from Holland they brought with them dogs that were referred to as Bullenbijters. Later they were joined by other Mastiff type dogs from France and Germany. Still later certain working English Mastiffs came to South Africa that also possibly had a role to play in the formation of the Boerboel.

1652 - 1838: Expansion into Africa - In the years between 1652 and 1838 (when the great Trek northwards started) there was a steady expansion of the agricultural activities and contact with the African dog owner increased proportionally. After 1838 the influence of the African ancestors of the Cynomolgi dogs on the Boerboel foundation stock would have been much bigger. This influence of the African dog might be the explanation for the fact that the Boerboel is structurally much better than the other Mastiff type dogs. It is important to note that the African dog owner, especially those that use their dogs with the cattle herds, is a very dedicated master to his dogs. Because he lives in the veld with the dogs and an assegai as protection for the cattle and sheep against predators, he selects his dogs with care. He also knows his dogs very well and knows exactly what to expect from each one when danger looms. Because of this knowledge he could make an informed decision concerning selection for the next generation.

Protection of a pack of dogs - Farmers left the civilization of that time and went into the wilderness with an ox wagon, cattle, horses and their dogs. They took their family members with them and groups of people were traveling together in what they called a trek. When they reached an unpopulated area where they wanted to stay, everybody went to their own farm. Because they found themselves in a harsh and dry land the farms had to be big, to provide enough grazing for the animals. This resulted in a sparsely populated area where gangs of marauding men and various beasts could find adequate shelter to attack anything at any time that suited them. The best solution to this problem was to keep a horde of dogs, strong enough to ward off the dangers by night, and agile enough to do the farm work by day.

Relationship between dog and master - In the first place the frontiers people of South Africa showed extremely little emotion, whether it is towards dogs or people. Many of the old Boere (farmers) would spend the whole day with his dog, and to an outsider it will seem that no sign of affection passed between dog and man except the occasional touch or words that were mostly orders. Dog and man will seldom be further apart than a few yards, but it will always seem as if they did not plan it that way. When danger looms, the Boerboel will take his place next to his master in an unobtrusive way. He will seldom be noisy except when the situation requires it. The dog will act as calm and collected as the master and although it will seem as if they pay no attention to the other, when one senses something strange the other will know it immediately and react to it in the appropriate way.

Temperament suiting the frontiersman - This very noticeable characteristic of the Boerboel; to be seemingly disinterested in people and occurrences that his master approve of, has been selected into the Boerboel by the Boere that do not want a dog that is a nuisance. More important though is the ability of the Boerboel to react when his master want him to. The dog with his sharper senses will pick up an approaching danger like a leopard or buffalo and react quickly and violently to kill or distract the danger. Word of a Boerboel with a temperament that suits the frontiersman traveled far and wide, and resulted in the widespread use of his progeny or services in the Boerboel gene pool of the time.

Deep bond between dog and master - Although it might have seemed that the Boer did not give his dog a lot of love or affection, in reality there was a very deep bond between them. Naturally the Boerboel will give his life for his master; and that happened frequently. From the masters side the same could be said. That self same hard and non affectionate Boer, will walk for miles with an injured or killed Boerboel in his arms, just to make sure he is protected from predators in his helpless state or spare the dog the agony of walking with a painful leg. Man and dog shared their water and food on a regular basis. For the Boer only the best was good enough for his dog, although on the surface it would appear not to be the case. He knew if the Boerboel was allowed to sleep in the house it would be unaccustomed to the wild and when he had to negotiate the dangers of the night, he would not be able to cope. He would also not protect his Boerboel from dangers such as snakes and lion, so that the dog can become acquainted to those dangers and learn how to handle them. It was not uncommon to hear the remark that this or that Boerboel was too brave and he died because he was not cautious. Even in the selection for braveness there are checks and balances that the Boerboel was subjected to.

Brutal culling used - A fact that reflects not very positively on the writers' own people (Boere) is the culling they used. The children usually herded the cattle, and they started this from a very young age. The Boerboels that accompanied the children to the veld was to a very large extent their main protection. If one of those Boerboels showed an inclination to growl at a child, he was shot. If he was unreliable and strayed from the children, he got shot as well. If he ran away from danger he was also shot. Today, 200 years later, it is very difficult to understand those very harsh actions, but it must be remembered that the Boer did not dare keep a Boerboel that will react wrongly in a crisis situation and lead to the death of his family or himself. One of the biggest assets in the development of the Boerboel breed was the deep rooted belief of the Boere that there was only one cure for a bad dog and that was culling. I only understood this better when I realized that in cattle, sheep and pig farming, there was a great tolerance of bad animals, because their faults could be corrected by breeding while the animal still had a commercial value. Dogs at that time had no monetary value. There was a saying amongst the Afrikaner Boere that you do not buy women, dogs or ("groenmielies") corn on the cob. Because the unwanted dogs could not be sold they were culled. This strict culling resulted in a very quick improvement of the overall quality of the Boerboel breed.

Selection for farmer's needs - As the reader will note, all of the traits mentioned so far concerned the dog's temperament or character. The Boerboel was therefore selected for function, mainly on the basis of his temperament. The Boerboel breed as such was built on a wide basis of dogs with the ability to satisfy the farmer's needs for a dog that could live and work in close cooperation with the whole family. The most important traits that decided the inclusion of a dog in the early Boerboel gene pool was reliability, intelligence, faithfulness, fearlessness, devotion to his master, calmness, self assuredness, alertness, protectiveness, prey drive and carefulness. In fact, without anybody knowing it, the dogs that would play a role in the formation of the breed was selected on the strength of their temperament without any thought to breed conformation, uniformity or breed standards of any kind. The binding factor or common denominator was their temperament.

Physical ability - Although the personality of the dog was always the most important criterion for selection, physical ability would also have played a role in the selection that shaped the Boerboel breed. The main functions of the Boerboel was guarding, working cattle and sheep (mostly accompanying the herds as a guard) and hunting.

Working dogs - During the day, most of the Boerboels were used as working dogs on the farm. Only a few stayed at home as watch and guard dogs, and then it were mainly the old, sick or pregnant ones, with the young dogs. Some of the dogs went with the herds of cattle or sheep to guard them, while another group each had its own team of working oxen that he stayed with. On the larger farms the 'preferred one' usually accompanied the master on his day to day tasks, like visiting all the activities on the farm. The herd guards and general farm dog was usually heavier built dogs.

Working with oxen - What people often find interesting is the work for the dogs accompanying the ox teams. When it was time to plough the lands, the oxen was rounded up in the morning at about 3am and then they were hitched to the yoke. The dog sometimes helped with the rounding up of the oxen and then when they were ordered to stand in a row, side by side, with the word 'Hoi', he would intimidate the oxen, so that they stand still and present their heads to be fastened. If an ox decided to run, the dog would round him up immediately and would in the extreme cases grab him by the nose, and bring him in. Sometimes he will just give the ox a nip to remind him of his wicked ways. A few oxen together were loosely tied by rawhide to the yoke or chain, to keep them controlled, while the other oxen are handled. The Boerboel then comes and sit or stand just in front of the oxen's eyes and keep them quiet by either growling or just by his presence. Some handlers used to put the rawhides by which the oxen were tied in the mouth of the dog in order to control the oxen.

Boerboels standing their ground - Boerboels capable of intimidating a whole team of world wise oxen, was usually big, self assured and intimidating to the degree that a small boy could watch them perform for hours. The team usually tries out a new dog by snorting, throwing the horns in the air and mock charging. Very few dogs could stand that, but the "King of dogs", the Boerboel, calmly stand his ground, growl a deep menacing growl, bite one or two lips just slightly, and restore order without losing his cool. Most other dogs in that situation either panic or become so agitated that they lose the plot completely and the oxen would scatter.

In conclusion, a word of warning might be appropriate. When looking at the photo of the working bull mastiff one realizes that a lot could be lost by over-selection for muscularity. We all want the well muscled Boerboels that is impressive and looks strong and imposing. Mother nature and the history of other breeds have taught us that we must avoid the extremes. Every sincere breeder of Boerboels must now decide for himself what is the optimum thickness or muscularity for the breed and stick to that regardless of the opinions of uninformed people. Breeders like to show the animals they have bred. History has taught us that there are very few things more detrimental to the well being of a breed than too much emphasis on show results. If we want to retain the soundness of the Boerboel, we must make our selection decisions on the working ability of the dog and not on show results or conformational scores. Show results and scores are good tools to be used in the selection process, but they are not as important as the functionality of the dog. Let us always remember what brought about the greatness of the Boerboel. Only by applying the self same principles will we be able to maintain breed improvement in our dogs."  Complete article: SPITSVUUR BOERBOELE