New topic, moved from "non-dog chat"

 Quote: Peter Cavallaro

Hi Tracey, have only got up to the first line in yr post and spotted Boerbel, i have never seen one but there has been a wave of recent imports. could you please tell me what you think of them and what yopu do with yours, the importer i talked to told me they have low prey drive as tradiaionally they didn't want a dog off chasing rabbits when it should be by the handlers side in case of attack by lion (a real prospect in SA), is this myth or what.

thanks for any info

thanks Connie, sorry about the hijack/threadjack? incident - unintended i swear. i didn't realise a politics 101 thread-war had started on the ole' daawg forum - feel a bit stupid for that.

so anyways, Boerbels, comments Tracey - please

They are an interesting breed. I had a friend about 17 years ago that used to breed them. That was my first experience with the breed. Her's were very protective of her.

Not sure if I am the Tracy you are referring to. I have owned a Boerboel, and know many involved with the breed. Feel free to ask me anything. Hope to help.

the Queen Tracey one :-), that you? or you just a princess:-)

what do you do with them, n what are they like to own, question was they have no prey drive intentionally, so they stick very close to handler while walking through lion infested SA bush. also very high in defence??

If you search through my old posts, you can find my whole Boerboel saga.

To answer your question though... Mine had very, very little prey drive. Definitely would stick with me while walking in the woods. As far as protecting me from anything, I'd never count on it. Nor would I count on any dog to protect naturally who has never been trained and tested over and over. The story of the mythical Boerboel, is just that. A myth. How all these protective traits come natural. It is BS. Truthfully the majority are fraught with nerve and health issues. Don't believe the hype.

If you are truly interested in the breed and are considering purchasing one, I would be happy to put you in touch with a couple of people I respect who have been breeding and testing for years.

Personally I would never, ever consider another Boerboel.

thanks for yr honest appraisal based on yr experience, i think they are the "next big show ring thing". too large a dog for me, but just askin.

if they are not already they will become lazy oversized dogs for lazy oversized people that want to live off the repuation of a feirce protector.

From what I observed in several breeds, it is really pity that most breeder just do a selection for the appearance of their dogs in detriment of their working capacity...In the end, what we can expect to get ... several breeds which are disctinct by their look but similar in "character" and deficient in working ability for which they were previously created...

Hi Peter

'princess' Tracey here

I fell in love with the Boerboel several years agao, but spent an awful lot of time researching and meeting breeders and owners, as the blurb says, they are not a dog for everyone, they are fearless in general, high guarding instincts and vey dominant and prone to being mouthy.

I have two litter sibs, male and female, the female is a fruit loop but very devoted and affectionate, she is yet to reach maturity and though her guardian instinct is there, she is not aggressive with dogs or people - that may change of course, but so far a dream to own.

The Male, her brother, who I rehomed last year after her original owners divorced and neither could be arsed to look after him, has been a steep learning curve, he was definitely still in bed the day they dished out the brains, but he is uber protective and extremely affectionate, just needs to mature a bit, at a year and a half, his bone growth has halted, though as his father is a whopping 14 stone of muscle, I think he will pad out.

Harry, also known as the prince of darkness is their half brother, and in a league of his own, just over the year old, he is dominant, (though since i had him castrated he is calming down and paying attention a lot more) but he is unpredictable at the moment, again, it will be a few years before he matures, but so far is showing excellent guarding qualities and is fiercely loyal and protective.

For me, they are a delightful companion, funny, affectionate and challenging, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to the breed, I don't 'work' them in the traditional sense, and while sleeve work and 'man' work as it is refered to fascinates me, it isn't the line of work I would go into, I have no doubt that Harry especially would be a great candidiate, but its not for me!

A lot of the owners/breeders worldwide take part in weight pull, agility, and protection, and in SA they are still a farm dog, worked hard and expected to do their job, a few Brits emigrated to farms over there and have got what they wanted, a dog that guards, protects and challenges the threats to land and people that work there.

The health stats aren't great, too many people breeding gargantuan dogs for the image, irresponsible breeders mating dogs with bad hip scores, simply to obtain the look, and that is wrong and does the rep of the BB no favours, there are still people line and in breeding, again to maintain a 'look' rather than a healthy and well balanced temperement.

Would I have them again? probably not, only because I am pushing fifty and have to face the fact that as the kids are now adults and moving on and away, and as I am on my own, (thank the lord!) I have to be realistic about my capabilities of owning large breed and immensley strong dogs, that said, in the right hands and with the right owner, they are a terrific dog, loyal protective and comical in turn.

The UKBC and Boerboel Enthusiast sites will give you a VERY wide bunch of opinions on the breed!

Cheers
Tracey

It seems that whenever Boerboels are discussed here there are always opinions on very opposite ends of the spectrum, and not really any in the middle. There is the opinion of the basketcase thats going to be broken down at an early age. Then there are the people who say they are a fearless world beater that are perfect in every aspect.
It makes me wonder if these very different opinions are being based on dogs from similair bloodlines. In my experience on looking at pedigrees from dogs all over the world, the same dogs are being listed just 2 to 4 generations back.
I have a boerboel, but I'm still undecided on which end of the spectrum my opinion falls on. As of now, I would say I'm somewhere in the middle, although my pup is only 8 months old so he has alot of growing up to do (I hope!). Although I can say he has low prey drive compared to other dogs I have cared for in the past (GSD, Rotti, Amstaff). But he does have some prey drive. When walking on leash he does stay close by, and has an excellent recall. He shows protective tendencies in the home, car and outside, but I have no idea if he would ever attack an intruder, whether it walked on 2 legs or 4. He did seem fearful a few months back, but hasn't shown fear towards anything as of late. he listens to my girlfriend when he feels like it, but is very obediant with me. although he is starting to flex his muscles just recently. I believe he has the potential to be very dominant. His sire has excellent hips at 8 years old, and his mother has 'good' hips.
I also reccomend the website http://www.boerboelenthusiast.ning.com -there is alot of good information there.

I'm sorry about my english if this is hard to understand.