PRINCIPLES BEFORE PAPERS
Breeding Standard
Breeding the Boerboel is not about size or colour. It is about character, functional structure and the ability to work.
01 / TEMPERAMENT
Character comes first.
A Boerboel must be confident, stable and clear-headed: calm at home, social with its family and able to make the right decision under pressure. You cannot train what is not in the genes. Temperament is the first thing we look at, and the last thing we compromise on.
Breeding stock should show sound nerves in unfamiliar environments, natural guarding instinct, the courage to act when there is a real threat, neutrality towards strangers when there is none, and the ability to switch off. These are the qualities the BBA working test is built around.
02 / FUNCTION
Structure that works.
Conformation matters because function matters. A Boerboel needs balanced proportions, strong movement, healthy joints and the athletic ability its history demands. A dog that cannot move, work or hold its condition is not an improvement of the breed, whatever it wins in a ring.
Colour is never a fault at the BBA. Black and tan, chocolate, blue and other less common colours are welcome. We do not penalise a Boerboel for its coat. What we judge is the heart and the health of the dog.
We encourage health screening of hips and elbows, DNA identification and honest records of every breeding. Every litter registered with the BBA is linked to its sire and dam, so the next generation can be bred with full information.
Breed improvement is slow work. It is built litter by litter, with honest evaluation, careful selection and respect for what the Boerboel was bred to be.