What's new
Mastiff Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Welcome back!

    We decided to spruce things up and fix some things under the hood. If you notice any issues, feel free to contact us as we're sure there are a few things here or there that we might have missed in our upgrade.

New Boerboel owner

trevordj

Well-Known Member
I am soon to be a new (and proud) boerboel owner. I placed a deposit with Bandera Boerboels a few weeks ago and couldn't be more excited. I have now visited about 1 dozen different breeders and gone to 2 different dog shows.

Here is my original thread, many of you helped me with the selection process and and I am happy and confident moving forward I have found the right breed and breeder.

Beloved bulldog recently died, looking for a new family member - Mastiff Forum

After all of this research, there is something about the boerboel that I think is truly special. It will be awhile before we get out pup, breeding will happen in the next month or so, puppies born in the summer, likely not ready to come home until late summer or early fall. I am the eighth (and last) deposit on this litter so if there aren't enough puppies I will have to wait, likely until early next year. Fingers crossed I won't have to wait that long! It will definitely be a long wait but hopefully well worth it!

Anyway, I am hoping to get a pup from Middelpos Morgan (she is beautiful and has a great temperament)

fdd65d_4b678db1cd134f57b23953806aec1c8f.jpg


The male is Spitsvuur Xilo 2.

CIMG4289.11790744_std.jpg
 

BAMCB

Well-Known Member
Wow! Congrats! So happy you've made a decision and found a breeder you like! Now the waiting begins. I'll pray for a short one;)
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
With Boerboels the socialization is the most important part. You need to teach your dog that he does not need to guard or protect against everyone and everything. Coming out of Morgan and Xilo 2 you will likely have a dog with a high protective instinct. Get it out into the public around other dogs and people as early as you can. Best of luck with your new BB.
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
With Boerboels the socialization is the most important part. You need to teach your dog that he does not need to guard or protect against everyone and everything. Coming out of Morgan and Xilo 2 you will likely have a dog with a high protective instinct. Get it out into the public around other dogs and people as early as you can. Best of luck with your new BB.

Thank you, I will definitely do so. I have identified and visited the facility I will be taking the dog for training. They have tons of puppy socialization classes that I will do. I also run my own business so I will be able to take him to work (will be around medical equipment and tons of people all day). As with my bulldog (RIP), I plan on doing CGC and therapy dog certification through the AKC. When I trained my bulldog early socialization and exposure to as many new things as possible in that pivotal "before 3 months" stage set the foundation for everything.

Morgan is a teddy bear by the way. She is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. I am sure this is in large part due to the amount of training and socialization the breeder has done with her. the largest reason why I want a dog from her litter is because of her temperament.
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
I have 3 BBs. One I got locally that has Anton Avoutuur and Middelpos Simson as ancestors and comes out of the Centurion Boerboel line. These are all high drive pedigrees and she was very driven but got extensive training and socialization she is both protective, slightly aggressive but very controllable. My older male I got out of South Africa and his blood like is Mizpah now known as Authentic Mizpah. These are known for their farmdog temperament and are very friendly types and he really is a friendly dog. Just like any Labrador or Golden Retriever, you would not know he was a Boerboel by his temperament. Their son on the other hand did not have as much socialization and you can tell. He can be extremely protective and is aggressive towards strangers. Blood and pedigree is great but it's what you do with it that matters.
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
I have 3 BBs. One I got locally that has Anton Avoutuur and Middelpos Simson as ancestors and comes out of the Centurion Boerboel line. These are all high drive pedigrees and she was very driven but got extensive training and socialization she is both protective, slightly aggressive but very controllable. My older male I got out of South Africa and his blood like is Mizpah now known as Authentic Mizpah. These are known for their farmdog temperament and are very friendly types and he really is a friendly dog. Just like any Labrador or Golden Retriever, you would not know he was a Boerboel by his temperament. Their son on the other hand did not have as much socialization and you can tell. He can be extremely protective and is aggressive towards strangers. Blood and pedigree is great but it's what you do with it that matters.

Great information, thank you very much. Do you have any recommendations for training styles that have worked well for your dogs? When I got my bulldog in 2008 it was when Cesar Millan was everywhere and I thought that was how dogs were supposed to be trained. I probably read 10 books on dog training before I got my bulldog, unfortunately they were just the wrong books. Luckily, I established myself with an excellent trainer in Seattle and learned about the better outcomes and results associated with a primarily positive reinforcement based training program. I still feel guilty about subjecting my bulldog puppy to even the few weeks of dominance theory based training I initially started with.

My breeder told me 90% of her training is positive reinforcement based. She told me, especially with boerboels, it is very important that they have as many positive exposures (socialization) as possible as puppies. She told me if you approach them with too heavy of a hand it can make them more aggressive. Getting such a big and powerful dog I want to make sure I raise him as responsibly as possible. Any thoughts?

Great information here, I really appreciate your input.
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
Use you voice and body language and keep your hands to yourself. Always have a collar and leash on them if training just in case you need to take control. Don't wait to praise or correct. If you wait too long skip it and do over. If the dog sits when you say sit praise in seconds. If the dog chews something up only reprimand if you catch them doing it. If you catch the dog with something that is not his remove that item say no, mine and give him something that is his. Teach return (come here) and Leave it as soon as possible. I also teach STOP which they must stop and sit no matter what they are doing. Those are the basics.
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
Thank you Mike! That is in keeping with my previous dog training experience and with the books I have been reading. I appreciate it!
 

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
Those are awesome looking Boerboels- congrats on the upcoming pup! I have always found them very impressive dogs-- not for me, in my circumstances, but impressive all the same...

By the way, i have found the "stop" command to be very useful for my Dogue de Bordeaux--- a very clear and precise training tool that comes in handy, and one which we practice on a regular basis.
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
Those are awesome looking Boerboels- congrats on the upcoming pup! I have always found them very impressive dogs-- not for me, in my circumstances, but impressive all the same...By the way, i have found the "stop" command to be very useful for my Dogue de Bordeaux--- a very clear and precise training tool that comes in handy, and one which we practice on a regular basis.

Thank you! Can you explain a little more about what circumstances the stop command is being used? I imagine it would be helpful if they are running away from you potentially somewhere unsafe such as a busy road but I may be picturing it incorrectly. I guess in that circumstances the recall command could also be used. I'm definitely interested though.

One of the most difficult commands I taught my bulldog was "back." It was tough for him because he was very food motivated and had to move away from the food. He learned it well though. I could give him the command (he only knew it as a hand command, basically me pointing my hand at him in the shape of a gun) and he would almost sprint backward until I put my hand down. He would bark in protest but that didn't bother me. It was great when he was invading other's space or crowding the dinner table. I would give him the back command followed by down and stay and no more bulldoggy at the dinner table.
 

DMikeM

Well-Known Member
When dogs are excited and bouncing around because it's time for a walk. "STOP" is good to have. When a dog is running towards another dog or the street "STOP!" Dog barking at a butterfly, "STOP". BTW your BB will most likely bark at anything out of the norm when it hits about 6 or 7 months old. They hear, smell and see things that you will not see or will see much later and they will alert you to these things. Mine bark at the person a quarter mile up the road walking his dog even though he can't be seen or heard by human eyes. 5 to 10 minutes later there he is walking his dog. "STOP" to settle the dogs down.
 

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
I use "STOP" in most critical situations: i.e. when Mateo has spotted an enemy (dog that has gone after him in the past) and I can see his body language change and he's ready to go after him. "STOP" puts an immediate halt to his energy that wants to move forward. Also useful if he wants to go after a squirrel and he forgets he's on leash...

For non-critical situations, I just use "ENOUGH" to settle any obnoxious behavior.

I practice the "STOP" command every now and then when we're just walking calmly, just to reinforce.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I use "STOP" in most critical situations: i.e. when Mateo has spotted an enemy (dog that has gone after him in the past) and I can see his body language change and he's ready to go after him. "STOP" puts an immediate halt to his energy that wants to move forward. Also useful if he wants to go after a squirrel and he forgets he's on leash... For non-critical situations, I just use "ENOUGH" to settle any obnoxious behavior. I practice the "STOP" command every now and then when we're just walking calmly, just to reinforce.

This is exactly how I use "stop" and "enough." I taught my children and every child I babysat the same thing. Stop means stop immediately and don't move. Red light, green light is a great game to play for both kids and dogs to help with impulse control. It's funny that my adult children will stop in their tracks if I call out STOP! Hee hee. Sometimes I do it for fun. Another very beneficial thing to teach is a down, or drop, from a distance. The goal is to get the dog to drop even if they are in the middle of running. We aren't quite there yet.
 

Dan

Well-Known Member
Hi Exciting times!A command I found very useful with a boerboel is "shake".Comes in handy when there is 6 inches of drool hanging from his jowls and you want it dealt with in a controlled manner :)You can train it by just saying "shake" and praising whenever the pup shakes his head - or speed things up by dripping water on his head (which will make him shake) and then praising with the word "shake".A little flick of the lead at the same time as the command helped him get the idea.I always used it before getting him back into the car after a walk :)Enjoy your new pup!Dan
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys! Those are all great things to focus on. I tried working on "down" with my bulldog while he was in motion but was never able to nail it. I got him up to the point where he would do it with walking undistracted away from me but if he was distracted or in a sprint (rare for a bulldog) then forget about it. That is actually one of things that turned me on to the boerboel. From what I understand they are smart and very trainable dogs.
 

trevordj

Well-Known Member
Spoke to the breeder this week. The pregnancy has been confirmed but they were unable to get an accurate count of the number of puppies present. Delivery will take place sometime in early to mid May but they will be getting an x-ray to get a final spine count on 05/05/2016. If there are 6 puppies present than I get one! If not, then I will roll over to the next breeding which will take place with a different mating pair this summer. Fingers crossed
 

joshua8838

Well-Known Member
Congrats! I love the red ones they look amazing. Next one I buy I'm shooting for a red male

Sent from my SM-G530T using Tapatalk