Boerboel breed guide

Dominant and confident but also bright and eager to learn, the imposing Boerboel is devoted to protecting the people and places it loves. AKC calls it a protective, territorial breed that is not for a novice dog owner.

Steadfast, calm and incredibly loyal, Boerboels must be with their people and will not thrive unless kept as an integral part of the family.

Boerboels live 9 to 11 years. Breeders screen for elbow and hip dysplasia, heart disease and two eyelid disorders, ectropion and entropion.

The short dense coat sheds a moderate amount and weekly brushing with a soft-bristle brush, rubber mitt or hound glove removes loose hair.

The strong, athletic Boerboel needs daily exercise: long leashed walks or play in a securely fenced area with its owner. It needs mental stimulation and interaction as well. AKC says it will not take kindly to challenges from other dogs, so dog parks are not recommended.

Boer is the Dutch word for farmer, the name given to the Dutch, German and Huguenot settlers who began arriving in South Africa in the mid-1600s. They brought large guarding dogs, bull types and mastiff types, to protect remote homesteads from predators.

Interbreeding those and other European bloodlines produced the Boer Dog, a big-game hunter and protector and further refinement gave rise to the Boerboel, the farmer's dog.