A total of 70 boerboels and their breeders competed in the first Eastern Cape boerboel show of 2018 on Saturday.
The event was held at Pioneer Nursery along the Gonubie Main Road and was a South African Boerboel Breeders’ Society (SABBS) event.
There were two aspects to Saturday’s show, one being appraisals and the other being the showing of the dogs.
A breeder from Cradock, Magda Brink, said: “I think this is the only breed we know of in the world that still has appraisals. This is because breeders are still trying to get to the perfect boerboel.”
Brink said that appraisals were necessary to build a breed standard from the wide genetic variety in boerboels, adding that the variety came from the breed still being very young.
“Males can weigh anywhere from 60 to 90kg. Females are obviously smaller. They come in black, brindle, fawn and deep red. Some dogs have what is called an Irish marking, which is like a white necklace around the dog’s neck and can go down to the dog’s chest,” explained Brink.
Eastern Cape SABBS representative and board member Chandre Ludeke said during the appraisal every aspect of the dog was looked at to determine if it could be used for breeding.
“It is marked out of 100 and needs to score 75 and above to be allowed to breed. A dog can be appraised once it turns 12 months and can be appraised again when it gets older as they keep growing until three years of age,” said Ludeke.
The show section of the day was divided into different categories, including sub-junior, junior, senior, junior handlers, family class and champion classes. For a dog to compete it had to be “birth notified”, proving that it comes from registered parents.
Dogs can be shown from as young as eight weeks but it is preferred that they start at three months once they have had all their inoculations.
Ludeke said the dogs were judged on various aspects, including not only the look or confirmation of the dog but also the way it moves and its temperament with the goal being a well-balanced animal.
Throughout the day, the audience was treated to some truly awe-inspiring dogs with some of the larger dogs getting audible gasps from the audience. All dogs were well behaved with no barks or growls being directed at any attendees.
Razor Boerboels local breeder Shaun Thompson emphasised that the key to having a well-rounded boerboel was socialisation.
“If you don’t socialise it, the dog will have to stay in your yard and only act as a guard, but if you do socialise it then the dog will be well rounded,” he said, adding that boerboels needed a big yard and plenty of high-quality food.
“It is important to buy from a good breeder, that’s why all the dogs today were well behaved and interacted with one another appropriately in the ring. People need to keep away from backyard breeders,” said Ludeke.
Puppies go for between R5000 and R8000 when coming from a reputable breeder, she said, adding this included first-time inoculation, micro-chipping, a vet check and its birth papers.
'Well-rounded' boerboels strut their stuff at 2018’s first EC show
The event was held at Pioneer Nursery along the Gonubie Main Road and was a South African Boerboel Breeders’ Society (SABBS) event.
There were two aspects to Saturday’s show, one being appraisals and the other being the showing of the dogs.
A breeder from Cradock, Magda Brink, said: “I think this is the only breed we know of in the world that still has appraisals. This is because breeders are still trying to get to the perfect boerboel.”
Brink said that appraisals were necessary to build a breed standard from the wide genetic variety in boerboels, adding that the variety came from the breed still being very young.
“Males can weigh anywhere from 60 to 90kg. Females are obviously smaller. They come in black, brindle, fawn and deep red. Some dogs have what is called an Irish marking, which is like a white necklace around the dog’s neck and can go down to the dog’s chest,” explained Brink.
Eastern Cape SABBS representative and board member Chandre Ludeke said during the appraisal every aspect of the dog was looked at to determine if it could be used for breeding.
“It is marked out of 100 and needs to score 75 and above to be allowed to breed. A dog can be appraised once it turns 12 months and can be appraised again when it gets older as they keep growing until three years of age,” said Ludeke.
The show section of the day was divided into different categories, including sub-junior, junior, senior, junior handlers, family class and champion classes. For a dog to compete it had to be “birth notified”, proving that it comes from registered parents.
Dogs can be shown from as young as eight weeks but it is preferred that they start at three months once they have had all their inoculations.
Ludeke said the dogs were judged on various aspects, including not only the look or confirmation of the dog but also the way it moves and its temperament with the goal being a well-balanced animal.
Throughout the day, the audience was treated to some truly awe-inspiring dogs with some of the larger dogs getting audible gasps from the audience. All dogs were well behaved with no barks or growls being directed at any attendees.
Razor Boerboels local breeder Shaun Thompson emphasised that the key to having a well-rounded boerboel was socialisation.
“If you don’t socialise it, the dog will have to stay in your yard and only act as a guard, but if you do socialise it then the dog will be well rounded,” he said, adding that boerboels needed a big yard and plenty of high-quality food.
“It is important to buy from a good breeder, that’s why all the dogs today were well behaved and interacted with one another appropriately in the ring. People need to keep away from backyard breeders,” said Ludeke.
Puppies go for between R5000 and R8000 when coming from a reputable breeder, she said, adding this included first-time inoculation, micro-chipping, a vet check and its birth papers.
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