Boerboel Care

The Boerboel: large, muscular, and athletic. These dogs' history as working farm animals (the word "boerboel" is Dutch/Afrikaan slang that loosely translates to "farmer's dog" in English) makes them intelligent, protective, and active--traits that are beloved by owners everywhere. Fortunately for those owners, Boerboels don't require too much care and maintenance. The info below contains plenty of details on how to raise a Boerboel: puppy care and development, exercise needs, diet and nutrition, and more. For your definitive Boerboel care guide, read on!

As with all breeds, Boerboel exercise is vital to keeping these dogs healthy, happy, and peaceful. Boerboels are incredibly muscular and athletic, and are considered the most agile of all Mastiff type breeds, so they'll need lots of exercises that work on both their strength and their endurance. Owners say they fulfill these exercise needs by long walks, by entering their Boerboels in canine sports competitions, and even by having their dogs do weight-pulling activities.

But exactly how much daily exercise does a Boerboel need? The typical adult--and this amount may vary depending on the dog's age and activity level--will require at least an hour of exercise per day. You can start exercising a Boerboel puppy at three months of age by taking it on short (10- to 15-minute) walks, then increasing the walks' duration as the puppy grows.

There are, of course, some precautions that need to be taken when exercising your Boerboel. First, puppies younger than a year old shouldn't participate in activities that include a lot of jumping and running, as doing so can injure their still-developing bones and joints. And regardless of age, a Boerboel absolutely must be leashed when in public. While not instinctively aggressive, these dogs are naturally protective of loved ones and often mistrustful of strangers, so their intense loyalty may cause them to be defensive around unknown people and animals--which could lead to disastrous results if they're not properly controlled. Even when exercising in the yard, the area will need to be securely fenced and the dog closely supervised; Boerboels have a high tendency to wander off, and will likely disappear for hours if not watched.

Safeguards aside, it's especially important to give your Boerboel exercise every single day. With these dogs' history as working farm animals, they're instinctively task-oriented, so a bored or restless Boerboel will possibly create its own "task": tearing everything the house to shreds. If under-exercised, Boerboels can exhibit major behavioral problems including destructiveness, disobedience, and worst of all, aggression. So giving your Boerboel is good for both the dog's well-being and your own. A few exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging: Two 30-minute walks (or 20-minute jogs) per day is a good target
• Tug-of-War: Can be done indoors; use a rope or old towel
• Canine Sports: These dogs excel in agility, obedience, and weight-pulling competitions
• Weight-Pulling: Attach one end of a rope to a heavy object like a spare tire, and the other end to a harness for the dog
• Hiking: Great bonding activity; your Boerboel can even carry the backpack

When indoors, it's a good idea to give your Boerboel access to one or more balls or chew-toys so the dog can burn any excess energy. It's also recommended that you establish a consistent daily exercise schedule for your Boerboel, such as walks or jogs after breakfast and dinner along with a play period in the afternoon.

Maintenance for these dogs in terms of shedding and drooling is moderate to high overall. Boerboel shedding is fairly light, but due to its massive size a dog of this breed still produces a good bit of shed hair. And as a Mastiff type breed, a Boerboel will drool a good bit as well because of its pendulous lips.

Boerboels have single-layered, short coats that shed a bit year-round--but because these dogs are so big, their coats simply have a higher number of hairs than smaller breeds, so the amount of shed hairs is greater as well. Owners will need to brush their Boerboels once or twice a week to reduce the shedding, and the vacuum and lint rollers will need to be used fairly regularly.

Boerboels, like other Mastiff types, have hanging lips that cause them to drip saliva fairly often. They'll drool in anticipation of food, when excited or nervous, or after drinking water. Owners say they keep an old rag handy to clean up excess slobber; if your Boerboel drools very regularly, you can tie a bandanna or old towel around it neck to protect its neck and chest from getting too dirty or stinky.

As an extra-large, muscular breed, the Boerboel diet is vital to this breed's health and longevity. It almost goes without saying that Boerboel dog food will need to be high in animal proteins and carbohydrates, which both provide these dogs with much-needed energy. Though some owners choose to feed their Boerboels a diet consisting only of fresh meats, fruits and vegetables, eggs, and other fresh foods, the most common choice is premium dry food, specifically the kind made for large breeds. These high-quality foods are more expensive and can be more difficult to obtain, but they're necessary because they contain the proteins and carbs that cheap, "store-brand" foods just don't have.

It's also fairly obvious that these big, energetic dogs will eat an unbelievable amount of food. The typical adult Boerboel, depending on its age size, and activity level, will need about four cups of food per day, divided into two meals. The Boerboel puppy diet is similar, only a bit smaller: again depending on its age, a Boerboel pup will need about 2½ cups per day, divided into three meals until the pup is six months old. It's best to feed a young Boerboel large-breed puppy food until the age of 11-12 months, and then transition to an adult large-breed formula by mixing the two until the dog is used to the adult food. It's also recommended that you establish a consistent daily feeding schedule for your Boerboel so the dog gets used to eating at the same time every day. For more details on Boerboel food guidelines, see the chart below.

*--Around 11-12 months, transition the dog from puppy to adult food by first mixing just a bit of adult food with the puppy food. Over the course of a week, add more adult food to each meal until the dog is eating it entirely.

It's best to try to stick to the above-listed portions; though your huge Boerboel could probably eat a lot more, these portions are ample enough, and your Boerboel may become obese if over-fed. A fat Boerboel will have joint, breathing, and digestive problems, not to mention a shortened lifespan. You can control your Boerboel's weight in several ways: by having strict feeding and exercise schedules; by not feeding the dog table scraps; and most importantly, by not "free-feeding" the dog, which is leaving food in its bowl all the time so the dog can eat anytime it wants. It's highly recommended that you put your Boerboel's food bowl down only at mealtimes, then pick it up 20 minutes or so after the dog begins eating.

If you're worried your Boerboel is overweight, give the dog the Ribs Test: run a hand along its side, applying just a bit of pressure to feel below all that muscle, and if you still can't feel any ribs, the dog needs a diet. Reduce your Boerboel's daily food consumption by one-fourth, and add an extra walk/jog or play period to its daily exercise schedule.

The best dog food for Boerboels, and the most popular choice among owners, is premium Large-Breed dry food; likewise, the best food for Boerboel puppies--which you should give the puppy for the first year of its life--is Large-Breed Puppy Formula. Though some owners choose to feed their Boerboels a "fresh/raw" diet of lean meats, fruits and vegetables, eggs, and other fresh foods, many people find this type of diet for their dogs to be too expensive and inconvenient, and choose premium dry food instead.