Adopting a Adult Boerboel

[WyomingWild]

Hi There!

I am new to the forum and originally joined to help aide in my research of the Fila Breed as that is/was the next dog we wanted to buy. However, we do also own an adult BB (Boerboel) (is that the correct abbreviation?) female, 5yrs old. Well yesterday we got a call from my husbands cousin who is needing to rehome her BB. She called us because she knows we have experience with them and would like for him to go to a good home and with people she knows. Selfishly I have been wanting our next dog to be a puppy so that we can raise it together. My husband came with the BB and I had a black lab. But I can't help to also want to provide Dozer (the male BB) a good home.

I was wondering if anyone has adopted an older BB? I know Dana (our BB) is stubborn and it takes a lot of time and patience to have trained her well and to where she is today. Dozer however has been an outside dog all his life since he was a puppy and we do not know the level of training and commitment they have put into him. I don't really agree with the outside dog thing, especially with a mastiff breed-- they seem to love their family too much to like that. So, we would need to train him to be an inside dog and to be a part of our pack.

Just wondering if anyone has some feedback or experiences they could share. We haven't officially decided to take him yet. We are not afraid of the amount of training it will take and if we can or cannot do it. Both my husband and I put training and having trained dogs on high priority. But, I am just wondering if anyone has experience with this and how it went for them. We would crate train him so we could teach him how to behave properly in the home when we are gone. Dana went through a spout of getting into the trash whenever we left....Would really not like to go through that again.

Thanks!

 

[DMikeM]

Wow tough one to answer. I have only raised from puppy. My breeder just had to take one of her BB girls back on Monday and she seems to be doing great. The lady the was going to foster her has an Akita and they got along fine the Akita is an outdoor dog and the BB is an indoor/outdoor dog.

Since they are both female you may run into some compitition issues. Dana might feel that her position is being threatened and could be reactive to the new dog. But it could go totally the opposite direction they could just instantly bond and be the best of buddies. If you have not introduced them yet I would recommend a neutral location like a park or something so that Dana does not have to feel like she needs to protect her domain. Let them get to know each other then bring them to the house together. It is usually best to do it this way.

 

[DennasMom]

The new pup, Dozer, is male, right?

That should help... but if your Dana is already pretty set in her ways and not a social-bug, there might still be some serious adjustments to be made (in her mind, anyway).
I agree with Mike on meeting at a neutral location and seeing how the two dogs interact before you make a decision.

If they hit it off well, consider all the nights you can sleep in late - not worrying about taking the puppy out every two hours...

Is Dozer also 5 years old? Are they related? Ever met before/play-dates, etc?

This could be a fun challenge!

 

[DMikeM]

Oops, my bad I thought both were female. Yes being opposite should work to your advantage.

 

[jtrippps]

As always, good advice guys!

 

[WyomingWild]

Re: Adopting an Adult Boerboel

Hi guys,

Thank you for your replies, they are very helpful.

Yes, Dozer is a male so that should help with us. Dana really loves all other animals and is very social...almost to a default since she doesn't show much aggression or wariness of strangers, but we love her anyways

I don't know how it would be though actually having the dog in our home, since its our place..would definitely take some getting used to i guess. We do however have the "pack leader" mentality so I think they would probably follow our lead, more than if they ran the show.

She didn't seem to have a problem when my husband and I got married and brought our dogs together. Both female, Dana our BB and Ophelia our black lab. A lot of people told us that it would be really hard for them to bond and get along, but they seriously act like litter mates and we brought them together when they were 2 and 3. Maybe the long car ride from Southern CA to Northern CO in a small car helped with that haha!

I will let you know what we end up doing. We do love the breed and our pups. I was hoping to get a little more protective of a breed, but maybe Dozer will be a little more protective? He is still intact. We don't plan to do any breeding, but with him being almost 5 or older I don't know how i feel about having him have surgery.... but we will cross that bridge later i guess. Any suggestions there?

Oh and yes, they are related somewhat. They are from the same stud. and i think he is either the same age or a year older.

Thanks again!

 

[DMikeM]

Ah good lookin girl you got there. Love the lab too.
Hard to believe the girl isn't protective. Typically the females are very protective. Even with a male around he will be pack leader but the female seems to take over the job of guarding. She will call the alert and then the pack will respond.

 

[WyomingWild]

Re: Adopting an Adult Boerboel

Thank you!

Yea, we are very surprised too. Maybe we are just expecting more?? I am not sure. She will alert and bark in the house if she hears something or someone. And if she is really upset with whatever is outside she has growled and sounded pretty upset. So, I guess if someone were to break in or do something she would intervene, but when we are out and about she loves and wants to meet everyone. I have only had one instance where she was not going to let this man touch her. She was lunging and barking at this man. I don't know why and don't really care to know, but he sure backed away. My husband wasn't with me, it was just me. She seems to be more protective when it's just me around. But, one time we were road tripping and pulled over to take a nap in a parking lot. haha well... needless to say we didn't get any sleep. Any time someone walked by or just around in the parking lot she started barking and growling. Our car was shaking haha..because of her.

SO... i guess she has protective instincts. They just aren't as pronounced i guess. or maybe we haven't come across too many instances where she needs to be.

The one thing that concerned me happened about a week or two ago. We were jogging ( i had headphones in) and someone rode their bike up right behind us and hung out there. She never once looked back. It wasn't until i looked back to check for cars that i saw them. We moved over to the side and they passed. But I just thought it weird she didn't once look back or change her disposition at all..

 

[DMikeM]

The guy she barked at. She knew something you couldn't see. Mine has done this a few times. I would have been bothered about the bike behind you thing. But some dogs just don't key in the way we expect. Jade would have gone battshit crazy if someone got behind me on a bike.

 

[WyomingWild]

The guy she barked at. She knew something you couldn't see. Mine has done this a few times. I would have been bothered about the bike behind you thing. But some dogs just don't key in the way we expect. Jade would have gone battshit crazy if someone got behind me on a bike.

Yea, i agree about the guy. I didn't question her, and i let her do her thing. And i told her good girl after. Whatever she saw, smelt or just didn't like, I'm glad she reacted in that way.
I was really rubbed the wrong way with the bike.. We live in rural wyoming, and i have to run along the highways since its the only paved area and really only area to run. Even though we are in a small town there is a lot of road traffic, like bikers, truck drivers and just tourist. So I want to feel safe while running.. and that certainly did not make me feel safe or confident. There aren't many people around so I like to bring her so it's some kind of deterrent..but that instance kind of bummed me out.

If we don't adopt the male boerboel, then we are looking at getting a fila puppy. We have researched a lot about the breed and i think it would be a good fit for us.

 

[DMikeM]

A boerboel often feeds off the emotions of it's owner. When you were jogging and did not react to the guy on the bike (headphones) maybe she thought okay my human does not care why should I. Some call it a sense of threat perception. If you had reacted badly upon seeing the bike she may have cued up and reacted as well.

As for the fila, I hope you have spoken with the fila owners here and really understand what type of dog you are getting into.

 

[WyomingWild]

I never heard of that. About the reaction of the owner. I could understand that though.

Yea, i will have to say goodbye to the head phones or be much more alert when//if we get a fila. It will definitely be a lifestyle change.

 

[jtrippps]

What are filas like?

 

[Dan]

What are filas like?

Hi Mr Tripps
I have never owned a Fila, but they have a reputation for extreme distrust and dislike of strangers. The Portuguese term is "ojeriza".
I understand that they are quite willing to act independently and bite without very much provocation.
Although I have never owned a Fila, my last dog (16 years ago or so) was a very "hard" rottweiler.
I only ever met one that was comparable in terms of aggression.
Although very well trained, he was a hell of a lot of dog to handle.
He had to be outside, preferably out of sight and often chained if visitors were around.

To be honest, although I loved the dog, I was the only person that did.
I think that people really need to think very, very carefully before tackling these types.

The idea of a hyper protective/aggressive dog may sound appealing - but in my opinion, the circumstances and owners for which they are really suitable are quite limited.
Speaking for myself, and at this stage in life, I'm not sure I'd want the stress of a dog with that temperament again.
Just going for a walk with him was stressful.

The original poster wanted a dog to protect her whilst running.
Frankly , there is no way I would have taken my particular rott out running with people about.
There is a big difference between a dog that will intimidate or alert you to a threat - and one that will attack a threat - without waiting for a command.

Hope I haven't offended any Fila owners, as I say I haven't owned the breed personally, although I did look into the breed before they were banned over here.


Regards

Dan

 

[Dan]

Re: Adopting an Adult Boerboel

Thank you!

Yea, we are very surprised too. Maybe we are just expecting more?? I am not sure. She will alert and bark in the house if she hears something or someone. And if she is really upset with whatever is outside she has growled and sounded pretty upset. So, I guess if someone were to break in or do something she would intervene, but when we are out and about she loves and wants to meet everyone. I have only had one instance where she was not going to let this man touch her. She was lunging and barking at this man. I don't know why and don't really care to know, but he sure backed away. My husband wasn't with me, it was just me. She seems to be more protective when it's just me around. But, one time we were road tripping and pulled over to take a nap in a parking lot. haha well... needless to say we didn't get any sleep. Any time someone walked by or just around in the parking lot she started barking and growling. Our car was shaking haha..because of her.

SO... i guess she has protective instincts. They just aren't as pronounced i guess. or maybe we haven't come across too many instances where she needs to be.

The one thing that concerned me happened about a week or two ago. We were jogging ( i had headphones in) and someone rode their bike up right behind us and hung out there. She never once looked back. It wasn't until i looked back to check for cars that i saw them. We moved over to the side and they passed. But I just thought it weird she didn't once look back or change her disposition at all..

Hi
I wonder whether a little personal protection training might be a good idea?
It might increase your confidence in the dog if you can see her actually deal with a threat on command?
I know there is often a tiny voice of doubt until one actually sees the dog do its job
Just make sure you get a good trainer who is familiar with boerboel temperament.
Regards

Danny

 

[jtrippps]

man! sounds like the fila has quite a temperment! i agree with dan...it may be suitable for some. I have a wife and kids and i do like the thought of a dog that will protect them, but i wouldn't want a dog that quick to attack. i think you would need to be setup with land, your own house and plenty of space. it would probably also be best to live a lifestyle where you don't really come into contact with strangers often...strangers would pretty much be tresspassing, then that dog could do its job.

 

[DMikeM]

I have never owned a Fila but have read the posts here and did a little research and was recently blessed with a Fila introduction. I hope not to offend with my statements as they are based on third hand information for the most part.

The Fila cannot be compared against any other dog breed for it's inborn distrust of strangers, it is unequaled in it's ability to be a guard dog that will function on it's own with no owner interaction. Some may be dog aggressive and some not as they just don't care if the other dog even exists unless it is part of his pack. Not recommended for the casual dog owner. I do not know it's temperament around children or family children.

The one I met was a male about as tall as Odi (27/28 inches) maybe 125 lbs and he was an apricot looking brindle. We were out at the lake and the woman that had him mistook Odi for a Fila and wanted to say hi. She just started talking about how he looked different from her Hancock and it took me at least 2 minutes before I could tell her Odi was a Boerboel she did a triple take at Odi and Hancock who were still butt sniffing. We let them off leash and they played like life long buddies but I had to leash Jade as she wanted to trash him. She seems to have an issue with dogs that take her Odi from her.
If I did not know they were different breeds I would have said they looked and acted the same until another car pulled up and Hancock went into stance, growled and barked like a mad dog. Of course now Jade had to join in as well. The other car pulled back and left.
She told me Hancock was 1 year old and has been protective since 4 months old and her father was a lead pack dog on a banana farm. Pretty cool dogs.

 

[WyomingWild]

Dan,

you are correct in that this dog "Fila" wouldn't be for everyone. We are looking into the breed as we live in a very rural small town in Wyoming. If i ran into anyone while running, well there really wouldn't be a reason for that.. so if we did, i would either carry a gun with more..or a fila. We have other reasons for wanting this breed and have thought about it for a long time and have waited until we have the best set up for them. I would not recommend this dog for every and any owner and i don't think other fila owners would as well. And we don't even own one yet. Being that we live in a small rural town, there is no protection trainers in our area. I also want a dog that will protect me without me telling it too. A fila will decide when it is appropriate to attack and they will fight to the death. Dogs who are trained to fight, well i don't know if all of them would fight to the death. Is a nice thought that they would though. But not one i will rest on.