Commentary To The Breed Standard By Kobus Rust

The breed standard is a set of guidelines describing the ideal model of that particular breed that has been set out by a group or organisation. The breed standard is usually designed around the breed's use or purpose. The Boerboel was, and still is in some areas, a large working farm dog, so the standard was created with this in mind. The dilemma when writing a breed standard is that you do not want to make mistakes that will be damaging to the breed in the future. For this reason, you do not want to be too exact in your description of the breed. This causes problems with enthusiasts, because now the breed standard is wide open to interpretation. This is good for diversity and the future of the breed, but is bad at appraisals, because appraisers want clear guidelines so that they can do their job correctly. Enthusiasts, especially breeders, want clear guidelines so that they can begin to produce what the breed standard outlines as "the perfect Boerboel." Before I deliver my comments on the breed standard, I want people to know that I am writing this to clarify terms, and also to bring significance to certain, individual points of the breed standard which may have been overlooked. Another important point I would like to make, is that the breed standard is a description of the perfect Boerboel, envisaged by the people who created the breed standard. As one of the people who helped create the newer breed standard, I want breeders and enthusiasts of the breed to know that neither I, nor anyone else who was involved in writing the standard, would be so arrogant to believe that what we pictured to be the perfect Boerboel, is completely correct or encompassing. I myself believe that the perfect Boerboel can come in many different shapes and sizes. Now that I have explained how I feel about the breed standard, I can begin my commentary to the standard. Because we are talking about the breed standard, I will reproduce the standard, and add my comments to it where I think it is necessary. My comments are prefaced by the symbol. I have used the Boerboel International Breed Standard, because it is the most recent standard to have been written, and I personally helped with its creation.

PREAMBLE 

Historically the Boerboel developed as a general farm dog for the pioneers who settled in South Africa since the seventeenth century. These dogs often were a first line of defence against predators and were valuable in tracking and holding down wounded game. Old farmers told many a tale of the strength, agility and courage of the Boerboel. The dangers and harsh conditions of Southern Africa allowed only the fittest to survive. The protective character of the Boerboel is today still evident and is much sought after, as is the calm, stable and confident composure of the breed. It remains the guarding breed of choice amongst current day farmers and is very popular for the same reason in the urban communities. The origin and purpose of the Boerboel should be understood in order to preserve the unique identity and qualities of the breed as a South African developed mastiff. Type, conformation, functional efficiency and mentality are equally important in the evaluation of the Boerboel as a whole. The aim with the Breed Standard is to provide clear guidelines for breeders and judges to promote a singular vision of the ideal Boerboel. Modern day owners and breeders of the Boerboel need to understand that the work and the conditions that the Boerboel worked under are what formed the breed. That is why type, conformation, functional efficiency and mentality are all traits considered to be equally important. Type and conformation are visual traits which can be seen at any time. Functional efficiency is tested over time and under many different physical stresses. A dog who never leaves his yard, or is just simply walking around a show ring, is not being fully tested for his function. To test efficiency, the dog needs to be out on the veldt, either covering long distances or exploding into a sprint, chasing something through scrub and jumping obstacles. How well the dog does these things, when compared to other dogs, will be the correct way to judge his functional efficiency. 

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The dog then, needs to be able to do this kind of work day-in and day-out for many years. In some cases, Boerboels have worked on farms for more than ten years. When a dog has gone through such rigorous work for many years, the functional efficiency and structural integrity of the dog has been tested completely. Mentality of the Boerboel is as important as the other traits but much harder to test for. To test a Boerboel's mental strength, the dog must be put through many different stressful situations before an accurate analysis can be made. Also, it is important that someone with the correct knowledge and experience with dogs is evaluating the reactions. Type and conformation are important to preserve the identity of the Boerboel, and they both can be evaluated by the appraiser at an appraisal. Functional efficiency is important, because it verifies that we are breeding the correct conformation (what is the point of breeding a dog who looks a certain way, but he is physically unable to do the job you are breeding him for?). However, we cannot judge this properly at an appraisal. Even though we can see if a dog moves well, we cannot know if that dog would fatigue or break down if asked to move for long periods of time. (There are just to many variables.) Work and time are the best judges of functional efficiency. Mentality is very important, because it doesn't matter how well a dog is conformed to the breed standard, and how efficient his body moves, if his mind freezes when he is stressed. Once again, it is hard to fully explore a good Boerboel's mental strength at the appraisal. These four parameters are all important when we envision the TRUE Boerboel.

1. GENERAL APPEARANCE

I would like to think of the "general appearance" of a breed, as the first impression of a dog, or what is most noticed about a breed at first glance. The general appearance may even be considered as, "What does someone that has never seen this breed, notice?" For instance, the Dalmatian has his spots, the English Bulldog has his pushed in face and wide stance, the Great Dane has his height. The words chosen to describe the general appearance have been carefully selected, so that the Boerboel can be easily identified amongst enthusiasts, and to leave the correct impression with first time observers. A proper Boerboel cannot be mistaken for any other breed of dog. 

The Boerboel 

Is large, with a strong-boned structure and a welldeveloped musculature. 

There are many breeds that are large or have well developed musculature. The main point that I would like to draw attention to is that a Boerboel should have a "strong-boned structure." In more simplistic terms, Boerboels should have the thickest, sturdiest legs when compared to any other breed. One of the first things you can look for when judging, if a dog has a strong-boned structure, is the thickness of the hocks. The hocks should start thicker than the stifle bone and appear to increase in thickness as they go down and join into the hind foot. When comparing, a 70kg Boerboel male should have front legs as thick as or thicker than the forearms of a 70kg human. Many modern dogs do not achieve this desired thickness. Although it is very aesthetically pleasing to see a dog with extremely thick bones, there is also a practical reason for it. Thick bones are attached to large joints, which handle the stresses a big powerful dog puts on his bone structure and joints during his dayto-day movement, whatever the dog is doing, with more ease than thin bones with small joints. (Greyhounds have the thinnest bones and joints and are always breaking ligaments, tendons and sometimes bones.)

The profile of the head and body appears blocky. 

This is the main, defining visual point that separates the Boerboel from any other large breed of dog. Great Danes are large but they are thin. The Boerboel body is blocky; he is wide, relative to his height, and his body is longer than it is high, like a concrete block. This blocky shaped body allows the Boerboel to be powerful, and at the same time agile. The head is also a blocky shape (there will be more about the head later). Most of the points in the breed standard can be related back to this "blocky" look. Has an impressive demeanour created by the combination of conformation, carriage, confidence and powerful movement. This sentence represents the "WOW Factor" of a dog. Impressiveness is one of the most overlooked aspects of a Boerboel, especially by breeders and appraisers, even though it is one of the first points to be asked for in the breed standard and one of the most important qualities when looking at a true Boerboel. A dog can have close to perfect conformation (a high appraisal score) but not look the slightest bit impressive. This is because he lacks confidence, and a few important conformation points. Breeders have been most neglectful in the past few years of breeding the proper Boerboel temperament which is paramount to having an impressive looking dog.

Dogs who lack confidence carry their head low and try to make themselves look smaller, which is unimpressive. The best example I have personally seen of this lack of confidence affecting how a dog looks, is with a particular dog that was of another mastiff breed. This dog had everything in his confirmation to make him one of the most impressive dogs in the world. He weighed about 80kg had extremely good movement and construction, with massive thick legs plus a big impressive head. The problem was, as I approached, he shrunk down to the size of a 50kg dog, and was slinking away from me to go hide in his kennel. It was upsetting to see. I have seen the same dog look very impressive when other dogs are around, pumping himself up to look more like a lion than a dog. Once again, to make it crystal clear, a dog must have a confident attitude for him to look impressive. There are five main conformation points that make a Boerboel look impressive. These are in no particular order: A wide chest (less for females), thick legs (bone), a neck that shows a prominent crest (less for females), good musculature, and a good head, which will be discussed in detail later in this chapter.

I have seen many dogs that were extremely impressive who did not have perfect confirmation and yes they had low appraisal scores, some as low as 78%. They did have a lot of confidence, appeared fearless, and carried themselves as if they were royalty.

Confidence, combined with powerful movement, and at least three of the above-mentioned conformation points, in a large dog, will be an impressive dog.

Has powerful, buoyant and unencumbered movement, notwithstanding its size. 

The movement of the Boerboel is a defining point of the breed. Movement, therefore, should be considered one of the most important aspects of the breed that should be preserved. To a knowledgeable dog breeder, the above movement standard says so many things; it doesn't just outline movement. To have the correct movement, the dog must be physically sound and constructed quite well. A dog with bad construction or poor, aching joints, cannot move in a fluid and efficient manner. Both the terms "powerful" and "unencumbered," relate to the dog's musculature and his skeletal assembly. A dog must be well-muscled and have a strong, sound bone structure to move powerfully. At the same time, if a dog is overly muscled, his movement will then be restricted by too much muscle, a bit like a body builder. In this case, the desired "unencumbered movement" will not be possible. The "buoyant" movement is one of those defining points that make Boerboels different to every other mastiff breed out there. The first time someone sees a Boerboel move, they should comment on the movement and how astounding it is to see such a large dog move so effortlessly. When you look carefully at a Boerboel moving, it should appear that it is almost floating, and the amount of effort seems much less than the actual speed achieved. It's as if their feet are like springs, storing the energy of every step and springing it back up, propelling the dog effortlessly. The last part, "not withstanding size," also has a concealed meaning. The obvious interpretation is that every Boerboel should have powerful, buoyant, and unencumbered movement, regardless of size. The second message is that you can go bigger and bigger with your Boerboels, even as high as 1 metre at the withers, as long as very good movement is maintained. As soon as you lose movement, you have gone too big. The movement of the dog will be the deciding factor to the limit of size…not a measuring tape. At the same time, it is wrong to breed dogs that may be the correct height, but… have bad movement. These dogs obviously have something intolerably wrong with their structure and shouldn't be used in breeding.

Is symmetrical and perfectly balanced within the desired proportions for the breed. 

I have seen dogs that have one leg turned out more than the other, and I have seen a dog with one leg thinner than the other. There was definitely something not right with either dog. When a dog does not have one side of his body the same as the other side, he is telling you that there is something wrong! If it is caused by an injury, then it is still acceptable to consider that dog for breeding. If there is no history of injury, then it is most likely genetic and that dog should be discarded from any breeding program. The Balance of the dog is relating to whether one part is too big or too small for the rest of the body. Is the head too big or too small? Is one part of the body too long or too short? If you are looking at a dog, and you feel there is something not quite right with his conformation, but there are no obvious faults, usually the balance is out in the way he is put together. With a careful analysis of the dog's construction, you will be able to determine that one of the body parts is too long, too short, too big or too small; perhaps, not for the breed, but for that particular dog. 

Has a distinct sexual dimorphism, with the bitch less prominently developed. 

Sexual dimorphism is the difference between male and female. For the Boerboel, the male must look masculine and the female must look feminine. You can see this difference between the sexes in most mammals. When you are looking for the physical differences in the structure of males and females, there are many mammals where the differences are blatantly obvious. Males are almost always larger than females. They carry more muscle mass in their shoulders, upper back and neck, and the muscle is usually more defined and firmer looking than in the female. Females are almost always smaller. They carry more muscle mass in the rump and back legs, and have more overall body fat compared to the males from the same species. The traits I have just described are all due to the difference in sex hormones. Males have over ten times more testosterone than females. It is this hormone that gives the androgenic (masculine) traits. When a female has too much testosterone, she will begin to exhibit male-like traits. Great examples of sexual dimorphism in nature are the differences between lions and lionesses. The male is much larger, and their muscular shoulders and neck are accentuated by the mane around their neck and shoulders. Sexual dimorphism is very clear in humans as well. You can look at a masculine man from behind and know he is a man, because of the muscular shoulders, and wide back. Similarly, you can easily identify a feminine woman from behind. She will have a wider bottom than the man and also be smaller in size. Even in wolves, when you have a male next to a female, it is easy to see that the male is larger than the female and he carries more weight in the front, compared to the female. The female will look less toned around the shoulders and should carry a bit more weight in her hind quarters, compared to the male.

2. TEMPERAMENT AND CHARACTER  

Is intelligent, trainable and manageable 

The type of intelligence we are looking for in a Boerboel is the ability to learn quickly and also to learn from his experiences. Boerboels should also have the intelligence to be wary of dangers that may cause harm to themselves or their owner. There is no point in spending all your time and effort in training a dog, and the first time it sees a leopard or lion, he charges out and goes and gets himself killed! The terms "trainable" and "intelligent," often get used in describing the same trait with dogs, but they are different. Many dogs are very trainable (obedient) but cannot think for themselves; they are not intelligent. On the same note, I have seen some dogs who do extremely intelligent things but would not care for obedience training. The Boerboel must be both. When he is intelligent and trainable, he will become manageable. A large dog who is not controlled properly, can quickly become a danger to his owner or innocent bystanders.

Has a strong protective instinct and is loyal to members of the family. 

The original breed standard, which was written in 1983 said, "He must be a resolutely good watchdog for all to see and loving towards the family with a special liking / preference for children." I would like to see the bit that says, "A special liking/ preference for children," to be in all the breed standards for the Boerboel, as this is the original job for the Boerboel, to protect his owners, his family, and his pack. And what could be more important to his owners than their children? I remember the last two Boerboels my father had on the farm before he died in 1976. My kids were two and three years old. I was chasing them around playfully with a lion mask over my head. Both these Boerboels were not happy with what I was doing, but they accepted it, sort of, conditionally. The next moment, my younger daughter stepped on a thorn and started crying. Both Boerboels turned on me immediately, and I had a split second to rip off the mask and calm the two dogs down before they attacked me. It was pure luck that both dogs were closer to the kids at that specific, crucial moment. I think that a small percentage of Boerboels are still like that. There is more on this subject throughout this book, because it is such an important part of the Boerboel that many people do not draw enough consideration to.

The Boerboel is a watchdog, and the first thing that a would-be intruder will do is test the dog, to see if the dog will back down when approached. It doesn't look good when someone sees your large, powerfully-built dog from a distance, and when they come close, he slinks off in fear of the person approaching. "balanced" and "confident" also means that if something unusual happens, the dog doesn't immediately react by either wanting to run away or begin snapping in fear, either at the person approaching, or even worse, the owner holding the leash. Oom Klaas and Ysterberg Vegter III. This dog had all the desired traits of the Boerboel temperament and much more. He was also a very prepotent producer, and appears in pedigrees of many good dogs that are at stud today. Ysterberg Vegter III demonstrated the most confidence and calmness of any Boerboel that I have ever seen. His owner, Oom Klass Van Waarveren walked him through a two-meter-wide corridor of 18 caged, aggressive, barking, male Boerboels. This was a very intimidating situation for any dog, but not for Vegter. He calmly stayed by his owner's side and walked past the dogs, who were launching at him, and hitting their cages ferociously, as if they were not there. When Vegter got near the middle of the corridor, he let out one stern bark, which was more like a lion's roar, and all the dogs suddenly became quiet and subdued. It was an amazing sight to see. The only explanation I, or anyone else who witnessed this spectacle could give, was that Vegter oozed such confidence and dominance, that when he barked, no dog dared to challenge him anymore. 

Is fearless and shows courage when threatened. 

This sentence really is the essence of the Boerboel. Sure, a Boerboel has to be big and powerful, but what use is that, when in your only time of need, he decides his well-being is more important than yours? It needs to be clear that a Boerboel should be fearless when his owner is in danger, either from a charging animal, or an attacking human. Either one of these scenarios should trigger an instinct within the dog to protect to the death. This should be a strong instinct and is not rational, from the perspective of the dog and his own life. Having said that, a dog should have enough intelligence to know a bad situation, which isn't life threatening to his owner, should be avoided. Once again, this is a very important part of the breed and it is addressed many more times in this book.

Requires training and firm handling from an early age. 

This is the case with ALL dogs, especially larger breeds that are as strong as, or stronger than the handler. There are many dominant Boerboels who need experienced handlers. It is important to be able to distinguish between a good dog with a dominance issue and a bad dog who bites through fear.

3. HEAD