The temperament of the Boerboel is considered to be his most attractive and most important characteristic. The South Africans describe him as the only breed in the world bred with one purpose only: to guard and protect! A Boerboel should never sulk or grumble after being reprimanded; if he does: sell him as just any dog, but never call him a Boerboel. People buy a Boerboel for his temperament only, and this should stay his most important quality. He should be your best friend, he has to read your mind, he has to know when you feel threatened, and know instinctively if you approve of a stranger or not! He should feel when you are afraid, and tell you with a deep, comforting rumble: I'm here; with my life I will protect you!! Should you allow him to attack, he'll roar like a lion and fight with no thought for his own safety. He is a child-lover and playmate by excellence.He is not a one-man's dog, but he will love and protect every member of his family alike. The entire family belongs to him to love and safeguard them from any harm. The South Africans love to tell the story about the Boerboel that goes out in the field with the children during the day, to protect them and the cattle against all peril, and how he must be able to snatch a hare for their lunch. At night, he lies beside the fire with his family, again protecting them against any unknown danger that springs out of the dark. In one word: a miracle dog!! This calls for some more definition, more so because here in Europe, the Boerboel lives under different circomstances than his brother in South-Africa, so these stories have put many a Boerboel lover on the wrong track: the Boerboel is a fantastic breed with a fantastic temperament, but certainly no miracle dog! He is not born, pre-programmed only to do good, to read people's minds and he does not come with buttons on him. He is by no means a machine you turn on or off, that plays guard dog when required, and playmate of strangers when you feel like it. He is a dog of flesh and blood, a living creature, and he does need an education, like any other dog or living creature for that matter!. He needs to learn about rules and regulations from his early age, and since the Boerboel is a dog still very close to nature, it is important to understand some basic dog language to understand the way he thinks, and to make him react the way you want him to. It may be very important, before deciding the Boerboel is your dog, to make some considerations. Read the following text carefully, and see if the Boerboel is the dog you have in mind, the dog you want to share your life with for 10 years or more: a wrong decision makes unhappy owners and unhappy dogs, both things that can be avoided by not just swallowing the story about the miracle dog without seeing the philospohy behind it! The Boerboel is in the first place a guard dog, so by definition he needs a territory to call his own, some space that he can guard: it is no dog to be kept in a flat or a small house with no garden at all. A simple daily walk on the leash will simply not do for a Boerboel! He is a very good family dog, but he is somewhat distant and even reluctant towards strangers and unknown situations. A Boerboel reaches adulthood at the age of 2 for females and even 3 for males. This means that a Boerboel gets into puberty when most other breeds start showing adult behaviour.As a pup he is very easy going and learns fast, which has put many an owner on the wrong foot, leaving him to believe he has a well-mannered dog, when all of a sudden, without any apparent reason, the dog becomes stubborn, tries to dominate and goes through a phase of being very uncertain and even of being afraid. This is no reason to panick: give your dog the time to grow up, and this will pass! He is not excactly a dog that loves walks in crowded streets, do not take him to busy marketplaces, he does not like window-shopping... . You can teach him to get used to these situations, but they will never be his favourite pastime, and in time it may even be asking for trouble. A Boerboel needs to be educated, not trained the hard way: this means you may never try to make him do things he doesn't like by forcing him. Give him confidence, show him there is no harm, and he will do it out of respect for his master! Never be brutal to a Boerboel, because it will destroy the relationship between you and your Boerboel, which is the most important bond between dog and owner: a bond of trust, mutual respect and devoted love. Be consequent in your education: set rules and stick to them; do don't allow your dog to make up the rules in your household! A Boerboel is still very close to nature: what he understands best, are the rules by which a pack of wild dogs live: the owner MUST be the alpha dog, the undeniable leader. So to be a good Boerboel owner, you must be able to understand some basic dog language in order to establish this perfect relation between you and your dog. So our advice to you is: First: do I really want a dog or not? It is my guess the answer to this question will be confirmative,so next, ask yourself: What do I expect from a dog, and what do I have to offer a dog to improve its life? Do I want a dog for walks in town, in parks, for games such as agility, a hunter perhaps? Then certainly do not choose a Boerboel! Or do I want a family dog, a loyal friend, who will protect me, my family and my goods when needed? Do I have enough space for such a large dog and am I willing to spend a lot of time creating a good relationship with my dog and to give him a happy home? Only then start looking for a good breeder, one you feel you can trust, one who breeds for the love of the breed and not just for money, someone who will be there for you and your dog, should problems arise. Turn to your SABT office or your local representative for help, if you are in any doubt about this! Only then you can go and see pups, so you will not buy the first pup you come across in an unguarded moment, because these puppies all look so adorable! Consider that not colour or size, neither looks nor sex are the most important issues to dictate your choice, but realise that the right temperament of your dog is far more important to make your venture a success! What they say about horses goes for dogs as well: a good horse does not have a colour!! Never choose a dominant dog for a family with small children etc.: ask your breeder to be of assistance with this difficult task, and please, do trust his judgement, he has the experience and has known the pups from birth, he knows their mother and often their father... Should you decide the Boerboel is definitly your breed, and given you raise him correctly, remember: you will have a friend for life... if not: this small, lovely puppy will soon make your life hell!! SABT considers a sound temperament in a sound dog the most important qualities in a Boerboel, and this is why, amongst other reasons, they prefer not to have the breed officially recognised by KUSA. By only giving appraised dogs over 9 months of age the go-ahead for breeding, they feel they keep much more control over these issues, and dogs with an unsuitable, unruly temperament will be withdrawn from any breed schedule. The unique Boerboel temperament is not negotiable!!

Information courtesy of the sabt