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Date Posted: 13:24:37 05/06/09 Wed
Author: Rayna
Subject: My thoughts

I haven't posting much on these boards in the past few years, but I get on often and read. I haven't been around as long as David and John, only about 8 years. Even though I haven't had a litter of Boels in about 3 years, I do still own a few and have even rescued a few lately.

Through the years I have seen breeders come and go. I have seen many many people get on here and disagree with David and John. Hell I was one of them!! Just cause I don't agree, doesn't mean they are wrong.

All breeders are going to produce a problem dog, be it aggression, health or lack of working ability. I produced a pup with a heart murmur, he died at 16 months. I produced a couple females that prolapsed and a few bad hips. I admit it. I had an offspring that produced a pup with wobblers. Could have been her or bad combination with the male. I wasn't the breeder, but I admit the dam came from me. Recently, I had someone contact me after 3 years to tell me their dog has become aggressive and wanted a replacement. I told them sorry but I did not replace the dog.

You can test the parents for every ailment under the sun, but nothing is a guarantee in life. Two perfect dogs do not always make the perfect pup. I have a border collie out of OFA good parents, yet his hips were crap by 6 months. And he was a low energy pup, so I can say it was not environmental.

Same goes with Temperament. No breeder can honestly guarantee temperament on a puppy once it leaves their establishment. They can observe the litter and have the pups tested by a 3rd party person, but from the day it leaves, we as breeders have no idea what will or could happen to that pup.

How about the Boerboel as a working dog? What was the breed bred for? Correct me if I am wrong. The boerboel was bred to protect property and family from intruders/thieves/animals. This was not a dog that the family loaded up and took to soccer games, or dog events. This was a dog that was left behind to make sure the family still had their belongings when they returned. The owners did not take their dogs out every week to the local dog club to make sure he would bite a man with a sleeve. Or win ribbons at the local show.

So why is it, when a breeder doesn't train in Schutzhund, OB, or even takes their dogs out in public to Socialize, are they called out as being bad breeders? When in fact, they are doing with their dogs exactally what the dog was originally bred for: property protection. Plus a few boels have done some herding, carting, etc for their owners. Still on their property.

My boss went to Africa several years ago. I asked him if he saw any boerboels and he did. He said the majority of the homes had tall fences, with barb wire accross the top and a Boerboel or Boerboel mix in the yard. He did not see them hanging around with their owners in town.

Now I am not knocking any kind of training. Protection training is fun, but it is just that: Training. I want a dog to protect whether he has had training or not. I have seen a Boston Terrier bite the sleeve and bark at the intruder, but I still wouldn't trust him with my life. Protection training doesn't neccessarily mean the dog has strong nerves. I have a 4 year old GSD that is a very fearful dog, but he will bite the sleeve and go after the bad guy. I used this kind of training to build up his confidence, and it worked, he stopped someone in my driveway. I still wouldn't trust him with my life. I just don't think there are many bad guys walking around with a bite sleeve on.

I have also seen awesome performances out of Schutzhund/Obedience dogs on the field, but very lacking in everything off the field.

You start taking a dog out of it's instinct realm (what the breed was bred for) and you are going to see problems. Look at the Border Collie. Take him from the field into a pet home and he becomes a nightmare. Take a dog bred to protect his family, and be wary of strangers out into a public situation......I am sure you can figure out what happens.

So why are there so many boerboels that are competing and in the public and doing fine? Perhaps because the temperaments have been watered down. The working ability has been bred out. It is becoming a sport dog and family pet, and no longer the hard core guard dog it once was. And I know that John and David are not the ones causing it.

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