Have to agree with Van Camp. My trainer also worked with a woman who had Cane Corso's. If trained to bite (it can take a bit of work and a lot of patience because they don't seem to mature young), they can bite, but they aren't a malinois or GSD.

I took a few bites from one of her dogs and met one of the puppies they've raised. The one that bit was a very impressive male, and could bring it a bit when I wore a sleeve, but was a bit licking, lap dog. The other dog that I saw looked like it would be good family pet as well.

I don't know what breeder they worked with, but if you want PM me and I'll send you their website/email. They might be able to refer you to a breeder that they trust.

Hi All

I am a breeder and trainer of Boerboels here in SA.Let me tell you,they are wonderfull dogs!!!
They are a lot like Rottweilers,you need to have a strong personality to own and work with them.
The breed gets discredited alot,by people who sell Boerboels,who are not really Boerboels at all,but just fwan coloured dogs with docked tails,then they try and make them of as Boerboels.
The history of the breed is as a family guard and companion.They are very obedient and good with the family and children,IF HANDLED CORRECTLY.And that I say of all breeds,THEY NEED TO HANDLED CORRECTLY AND WITH RESPECT.If you traet a Chihuahua poorly,he will also"turn on you"(not that I like using this term)
Renier knows me very well,and he has been a helper with one of my Boerboels,and you can ask him,she is one hell of a dog!A better protection dog I could not ask for!!!
I always say,Never own an untrained large or giant breed dog,that is just looking for trouble!

Anyway,if you need more info on the Boerboel,and its training,please contact me on cybermik@netactive.co.za<br />
Boerboel Regards
Retha

I have seen and trained many a Boerboel in my life time, as I am sitting here I am looking at one we are training. Like with any dog they take on the characteristics of the owners, and this is where the dogs go wrong, the one’s that do when the human element comes to play in the equation. But this is true with any dog I think.

I will be the first one to tell you that Will Rambue does not know what he is talking about, it is so apparent all of the Boerboels I know are gentle, they have very nice and gentle temperaments – if not, its because some one made that dog that way. If you know the dog breed you will know it’s all right to walk in where they have six or seven dogs, with you children after checking with the owner of course. I know some mean one’s but hay any clang or culture has their tyrant – yes?. …………………..

And you could make them and any other dog into a very aggressive uncontrollable dog, which they are not, against their nature.

I just laugh if and when ever I hear that people find them hard to train, you will not find a dog that trains as fast in obedience and performs as sharp as a drill instructor on a huge military parade as the Boerboel, ”slow” well they mature very late, around three years old and you have to be hard on them.

On the other hand, they are not every one’s cup of tee, if you don’t understand them, and you are use to only working small breeds like the GSD and Rotweilers then these dogs would look very intimidating and ferocious to the most experienced of trainers, to any one who has not lived, worked or trained them. For an protection dog point of view they are great, as competition dogs they will need some sifting , I will be honest, but most will do just fine as is, but don’t get them tide up in agility etc. its not their game.

Just for the Record <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

this is an ancient quote, but a good one:
"never say never and always avoid always."
in making generalized statements, sure enough somebody is going to come back with an anecdote that proves otherwise. i guess we'd be better off saying, "in this situation i have seen this to be true." then your words can't come back and bite ya in the butt. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Check out the photo gallery on this site:

http://www.terraworld.net/dkhfarms/index2.htm

I've been told the Boerboel's bite is twice as hard as the rottie and they've been known to break the hardest of sleeves.

I have been researching the Boerboel and yes, they are very gentle family dogs, easy to train and handle but fearless protectors who are very smart and able to discern a threat but are harmless to your neighbors and friends.

Basically they are a mastiff type bred only for working abilities, whereas the other mastiff types have had all the working abilities bred out of them by us Westerners. But even now many of the working boerboels are being watered down by breeding for show and not working abilities.

They are very big and strong but very agile for their size.

They do not make good PSD's because of their size and the bite is too hard. Males average around 155 lbs and females 135 lbs.

Reinier,
I can only talk about what my experience with the breed is, and I've only trained two of them, both of whom were "problem" dogs for the owners ( one ended up being euth'd by the owner due to it's poor temperment, and owner number two is discussing the same course of action ). Two isn't a lot of dogs to base an opinion of a breed by, but most Americans haven't even seen a Boerboel, must less trained one, so I can only stand by what my experience is with the dogs. Neither of these dogs showed anyone that "they have very nice and gentle temperaments", and the owners were pet owners, they did nothing in the dogs upbringing to cause the problems that I could see, so your statement that their temperment was bad "because some one made that dog that way" is foolish.
The dogs recieved no training to bring out aggression, they both had only recieved basic Ob class training, until they were asked to leave due to dog and human aggression issues.

And I trained and competed with Old English Mastiff's for many years, and placed well in AKC Ob with them, so I have trained dogs far larger than a Boerboel. I know most of the ins and outs of giant breeds. I don't think my abilities as a trainer is what the problem was, the dogs both simply had crap temperment.

"I know some mean one’s but hay any clang or culture has their tyrant – yes?"

I guess so, but so far my entire sampling of that breeds population has been negative. Considering how few I've actually seen of the breed, and that the only members of the breed that I've seen have either been euth'd for bad temperment, or their current owner is considering euth'ing, to me, that's a *real* bad sign!
If I ever see a good one, I'll change my mind, but my recommendations against owning them stand pat until then.
And sorry, a good GSD or Mal leaves them in the dust.

Alan, I don't mean to sound like I'm picking on you, and it's gonna sound like it... What I'm really taking exception to is sales hype. It's one of my pet peeves when people start discussing what a breed is REALLY like.

"...they are very gentle family dogs, easy to train and handle but fearless protectors who are very smart and able to discern a threat but are harmless to your neighbors and friends."

You can find this kind of hype on AKC/UKC/(*name a weird registry*)-type breeder's sites for (*name any big dog breed*). I swear I read the same pitch on an Akbash dog site not too long ago <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> . They all want to convince the unwary that what they're breeding is Arnold with the heart of Mother Teresa and a physic ability to read who is sinister and who is not.

There's a difference between a dog with working ability and one who will always reliably discern the differnce between persons of evil intent and my new neighbor's adult son with cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome.

I can buy that this is an attractive breed and whatever, but that kind of rhetoric (from any breeder) doesn't tell me anything about the breed, not really. But sadly, it's what you get offered. I do appreciate the anecdotes from Will, VanCamp and Reiner, though.

Hey! How's this for a mastiff with working ability? I got a rescue call not too long ago to pick up a dane that was a chronic hog killer - whoa! Dane with native working ability! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Sorry,

Reinier <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

My friend has one. He is a very sweet gentle dog. He is definitely a Boerbel. He is a bit stubborn. I only know the one.

Stephan,

Why is it so hard to believe that of any good working dog that's bred for PP? I don't believe it takes a world class dog to measure up to that, even in the watered down GSD's if you get good genetics.

Any GSD that isn't a good family dog and isn't a threat to your neighbors and friends has a serious temperament problem.

If he isn't easy to train he also has a problem and I'd never keep him around.

If he can't discern between a threat and a friend, he's worthless except as a pet or maybe a sport dog. That's one of the first courage tests given to a potential adult PP or PSD. If he flunks, he's only a pet.