# Anyone heard of a Boerboel?



## MidasMom

Ok, so last night at senior puppy class I met a Boerboel. I have never heard of this breed of dog before. All I have to say is holy cow, this is the biggest beast of a dog I have ever seen in real life. It looks like a Mastiff on steroids. This dog's owner was telling me that this breed is used for guarding livestock in Africa. He got him because he "just likes big dogs". Beautiful dog for sure, but definitely takes the right kind of owner. I would not want to be sneaking up on this guys house, thats for sure. Anyone heard of or seen this breed of dog before?


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## nixietink

Ok, so I just googled the breed and :eyecrazy:

That dog is GIGANTIC!!! But very beautiful!


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## mdoats

I've heard of them. I'll admit, I would be terrified to live anywhere near one of those dogs.


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## fostermom

I believe that was the breed of dog that Patty LaBelle had and Cesar had to help her with because he was so aggressive. Only one person could even get near him. Patty LaBelle was scared spitless of the dog, and I couldn't blame her!


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## Megora

A friend of mine has two of them.

She and her family rented a house and the dog came with the house. She liked the breed so much that she looked around and adopted a puppy (the little guy was in rescue, living at a vet). She has the dogs with three kids under 10. 

The older dog will jump through windows to guard the house from anyone in the backyard (that happened). When she got home, she found blood in the backyard and on the fence but none of it came from her dog. But they are gentle giants around the family. She trusts them with the kids.


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## spruce

met one a couple weeks ago...been trying to remember the name, but you reminded me! He was just walking with his owners at a crowded Sportman's show. I was attracted to him, cuz like you said, he was a "mastiff on steriods". His owners told me basically what you said - he was an So. African Mastiff

my guys are close friends with a very timid English Mastiff -- who is so dainty & petite compared to this breed


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## Ninde'Gold

I LOVE big dogs...but I don't think I'd want one this big!! Are they really this big or is someone just messing with my head and photoshop LOL


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## fostermom

GoldenLover84 said:


> I LOVE big dogs...but I don't think I'd want one this big!! Are they really this big or is someone just messing with my head and photoshop LOL


That picture's a fake, but they are really big dogs!


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## Pointgold

MidasMom said:


> Ok, so last night at senior puppy class I met a Boerboel. I have never heard of this breed of dog before. All I have to say is holy cow, this is the biggest beast of a dog I have ever seen in real life. It looks like a Mastiff on steroids. This dog's owner was telling me that this breed is used for guarding livestock in Africa. He got him because he "just likes big dogs". Beautiful dog for sure, but definitely takes the right kind of owner. I would not want to be sneaking up on this guys house, thats for sure. Anyone heard of or seen this breed of dog before?


 
I've seen one. It looked like a cross between a Rhodesian Ridgeback and some sort of Mastiff. Much "cleaner" than a mastiff in that there was not a lot of loose skin, etc. A massive dog, and not one that I'd want to see become popular... Breed info states clearly that Boreboel's must have "dominant owners".
Impressive looking, but, why? I don't know too many folks needing their livestock protected from lions and hyenas...


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## MidasMom

Ok, the one I met was not that big. I think that pic might be photo shopped, Lord, I hope so, although he is only 7 months old so who knows. The dog I met seemed very nice, but I was also not up in his face to find out. I am sure they are great with "their" families. The first night of class there was a family member of another dog in class that came in to watch the class and he snuck back as not to disturb anyone and sat on the agility equipment just behind our ring. Well, the Boerboel saw this and totally freaked, hackles up, aggressive stance and barked this evil, loud bark. It was scary for sure. Used for guarding livestock in Africa, yeah, I can totally see that, shoot, if I was a lion, I would be afraid of that dog.


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## mdoats

Megora said:


> The older dog will jump through windows to guard the house from anyone in the backyard (that happened). When she got home, she found blood in the backyard and on the fence but none of it came from her dog. But they are gentle giants around the family. She trusts them with the kids.


So mailman, gardner, lost soccer ball going over the fence, neighborhood kids playing in backyard, play dates? All of those things sound like they could spell potential disaster with a dog like that.


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## Megora

mdoats said:


> So mailman, gardner, lost soccer ball going over the fence, neighborhood kids playing in backyard, play dates? All of those things sound like they could spell potential disaster with a dog like that.


No... not necessarily. The woman is a soccer mom or one of those moms that always has a lot of kids around the house. And there are people who come by and whatever. They take the dogs out walking around people without any problems. 

But from what she's said, the dog knows the difference. They are guard dogs and dominant, but they are not supposed to be aggressive without threat. The blood in the backyard and on the fence happened around a time when people were breaking into houses in the area. 

She thinks that somebody tried breaking into the house and got the surprise of his life when the dog went after him. 

They are big dogs, but not that much bigger than a regular mastiff.


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## MidasMom

Yeah, totally agree, potential disaster for sure. Oh, forgot to mention too, not only is the Boerboel in my class, but also a Cane Corso, italian mastiff, and well, they dont like each other very well. At least the Boerboel owner is a big dude and seems to handle him very well. Not sure why he needs a dog like this, but hey, maybe he has lions and hyenas in his neighborhood, LOL!


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## mdoats

Megora said:


> No... not necessarily. The woman is a soccer mom or one of those moms that always has a lot of kids around the house. And there are people who come by and whatever. They take the dogs out walking around people without any problems.
> 
> But from what she's said, the dog knows the difference. They are guard dogs and dominant, but they are not supposed to be aggressive without threat. The blood in the backyard and on the fence happened around a time when people were breaking into houses in the area.
> 
> She thinks that somebody tried breaking into the house and got the surprise of his life when the dog went after him.
> 
> They are big dogs, but not that much bigger than a regular mastiff.


Well that's actually reassuring. I hear that they are OK if well socialized and well trained. I'll admit, I'd still be pretty wary around them though.


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## LifeOfRiley

Wow. I'd honestly never heard of them before. Beautiful dogs, but definitely not for me!




Pointgold said:


> A massive dog, and not one that I'd want to see become popular... Breed info states clearly that Boreboel's must have "dominant owners".
> Impressive looking, but, why? I don't know too many folks needing their livestock protected from lions and hyenas...


Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking. I wouldn't want to see them become too popular, either. I'm imagining these dogs living in the 'burbs, probably with less than ideal owners. Not a pleasant thought.


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## ruby55

I live with 5 bullmastiffs. They are just a little smaller than a Boerbel, weight range between 110-140 lbs. Boerbels are just a little larger. They're a little bit more aggressive than bullmastiffs, but they're also considered gentle giants, like the bullmastiffs. They are very protective of their family, but are very gentle with children. English mastiffs are the largest of the mastiff breeds, and are usually considered to be a little more agressive than Boerbels or bull mastiffs.


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## Megora

ruby55 said:


> I live with 5 bullmastiffs. They are just a little smaller than a Boerbel, weight range between 110-140 lbs. Boerbels are just a little larger. They're a little bit more aggressive than bullmastiffs, but they're also considered gentle giants, like the bullmastiffs. They are very protective of their family, but are very gentle with children. English mastiffs are the largest of the mastiff breeds, and are usually considered to be a little more agressive than Boerbels or bull mastiffs.


Random bit.... suppossedly the bullmastiff is a cross between a English Bull Dog and a English Mastiff. 

I don't know. That just seems very wrong to me. :uhoh:


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## Augie's Mom

Whatever the reason for having this type of dog, I'm glad those in your class are being responsible and socializing and training the dogs. Whenever I hear Cane Corso, makes me think about that woman in San Francisco a few years back that was mauled by her neighbors two Cane Corsos.


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## sterregold

Megora said:


> Random bit.... suppossedly the bullmastiff is a cross between a English Bull Dog and a English Mastiff.
> 
> I don't know. That just seems very wrong to me. :uhoh:


When that cross was made it was done to create a guard dog for English estates that had the grip of the bulldog and the mass of the Mastiff. The bulldog used was the taller variety that existed before they were bred down to the extreme that we are familiar with in the show ring now. They were known as the "Gamekeepers Night Dog" and they would basically knock poachers down and then hold them until the watchman came, as well as protect the gamekeeper from the poachers dogs if needed. One of the reasons for using the bulldog ws that they were quiet, agile, and not as fierce as the mastiffs--they had had problems with the mastiffs doing too much damage to the poachers. It was designed with a specific type in mind, both conformationally and tempermentally, and was not just random crosses between the breed. Stunning dogs.


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## Megora

sterregold said:


> When that cross was made it was done to create a guard dog for English estates that had the grip of the bulldog and the mass of the Mastiff. The bulldog used was the taller variety that existed before they were bred down to the extreme that we are familiar with in the show ring now. They were known as the "Gamekeepers Night Dog" and they would basically knock poachers down and then hold them until the watchman came, as well as protect the gamekeeper from the poachers dogs if needed. One of the reasons for using the bulldog ws that they were quiet, agile, and not as fierce as the mastiffs--they had had problems with the mastiffs doing too much damage to the poachers. It was designed with a specific type in mind, both conformationally and tempermentally, and was not just random crosses between the breed. Stunning dogs.


Oh my goodness. Thank you! 

I have been brain-twitching about that impossible match-up since I had Dogs 101 on and they threw in that fact. 

It's so easy to forget how much the breeds have changed. /


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## nicoleh

I think in the picture it is just the angle the dog is sitting in that makes it look bigger. They are massive animals. Yes, that is the kind of dog Cesar helped for Patti LaBelle.


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## FlyingQuizini

I've worked with three of them. They're very much "one family" dogs, so they need a TON of socialization to learn they don't really need to eat everyone else who enters the picture.


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## PixXy

mdoats said:


> Well that's actually reassuring. I hear that they are OK if well socialized and well trained. I'll admit, I'd still be pretty wary around them though.


They are amazing dogs. Big, yes, some are more dominant, some are less. I've been around them most of my life, I've loved some that are complete HAMS. That you can let a baby sleep on, sit over like a horse, have little kids walk on a leash, play with the floppy lips making fun of their teeth and drool, pull on tails, ears, skin, everything. I've met others who are not AS patient always, but the worst they EVER did near kids or people in general is - get up and walk away to go lie in peace somewhere else.

And they are smart, the DEFINITELY know something we don't. I've seen these dogs accept almost EVERYONE that come for lessons at our stables. Kids walk in, they run up and want to get attention, never knocking them over or being bad in ANY way, except maybe some drool on clean pants.

And other times, they will suddenly start growling at some of the workers or some of their friends walking in. Never charging, biting, barking. Just letting them know they are on to them. And ALWAYS it turned out to be something fishy with that specific person.

Another thing is, when they sense danger, they will NOT easily run and attack someone/something. They would much rather keep closeby their people and try and fend off the danger first by purely barking or growling, just standing their ground, but not easily going out of their way to hurt.

If you socialize them well, with dogs, people and other animals, and get their respect, they are AMAZING dogs to have around.


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## Laurie Falter

I think every breed has the potential to be wonderful in the right environment and with the right owners. 

That being said, that is way too much dog for me (in terms of both temperament and power) to want to manage in an urban or suburban environment. 

And that is coming from someone who has owned 3 Rottweilers.


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## Shalva

a friend of mine has a female.... she is a nice dog once she gets to know you... but when you go into the house the first time my friend makes it clear that you don't approach the dog and let the dog approach you and take her time getting to know you... 

I dont know if I would trust one with kids... I think the kids are probably fine but I would be concerned about friends coming over and the in and outs of non family members....


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## Tennyson

As physically fit that I pride myself on.......I'd be the first to admit that is way to much dog for me.
Beautiful animal though.


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## Alliegator

I actually have a boerboel! Ok, well technically she belongs to my brother and sister in law, but I have her about 1/3 of the year since they travel so often, and let me tell you, Nala will be the first to tell you that I'm her favorite.

I've had an American Eskimo before and a pit and I'd tell anyone that even though both dogs were well trained, socialized, and sweet, I'd expect the Eskimo to bite me before the pit. (For the record, neither EVER bit anyone.) Pits are just more protective and caring toward their families. Boerboels are like that x100. 

Nala (she's named Nala because her grandfather is the famous boerboel Mufasa) is the smartest, most affectionate, most laid back dog I've ever had or been around. She is selective of the people she truly bonds with (there's four of us in total) and we barely have to breathe a word and she's following our command. She's glued to my side whenever I'm around and is the greatest pleasure to walk (it's also nice to walk her at night and now worry about anyone approaching me). She holds a 40 minutes down stay with ease and will ignore anything you tell her to. 

We acquired Nala from a lady who was a dog trainer at a pet store and had to move and couldn't take Nala with her. She was young at the time, about 7 months, and we fell head over heels in love with her. We don't have any livestock to guard, but she's an excellent family dog and companion.

Keep in mind that she's 4 now and we spent a LOT of time and effort on training and socialization. She's through four professional training courses and her teachers adore her. She's great around cats, well pretty much ignores them, bunnies, and the other dog she lives with. She's not exuberantly friendly towards other dogs, but neither is she aggressive at all toward them, she'd just much rather be around her people.

Her intuition is INCREDIBLE. I was walking her one night and ran into a friend's mother. Nala had never met this woman and approached her stump wagging (her tail is docked) and sat quietly while the woman and I talked, basking in the glory of the woman petting her. Later during that same walk I was walking past a dark field and Nala stopped walking and stood at a dead stand still watching a man across the street. She didn't bark or growl just made it very clear that she didn't trust him and that he wasn't welcome by us. She didn't lung at him either, she stayed pressed to my side to make sure she didn't lose track of me. The man (I don't want to stereotype since he may have been a very nice man) creeped me out. Something about him was just off and if I had been alone I would have been flat out scared. The man started to cross the street coming directly toward us; there was a lot of other places he could have walked but he came right at us. Nala started growling as a warning and when he took a couple more steps toward us she started barking. I've heard her bark before, but this was beyond anything, it was a blatant threat. She never lunged, she stayed right by me. The man turned back around and walked away, I high-tailed it back home, praising Nala and giving her treats the whole way home. In short she's friendly to strangers, but is also a guard dog and her intuition about people rocks.

I have a 5 year old niece and a 2 year old nephew and Nala loves them. They climb on her, they can try to take her toys and food (we don't let them do that out of respect for Nala) and they can give her commands and she acts the perfect lady. She's also great around people who come into the house, even if she's never met them.

They take a special training because they are a guard dog, but I love her couch potato, mastiff personality and her graceful ridgeback figure. She also doesn't drool as much, just really before she eats. 

I would absolutely trust her with my life, and I've met and had dogs I've loved that I wouldn't say the same for. I believe Nala would die protecting me or my brother or sister in law. She loves who she loves with everything she has.

Nala and me- she's about a year in this picture.










Nala and my cat










Nala smiling waiting to go for her evening walk


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## Alliegator

Also, that picture has been revealed as a fake. It goes along with a web story of a dog who eats the neighborhood criminals. I don't even know if the original dog, before photoshop, is a boerboel.


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