What is a Family Dog?

There is a very popular kennel (I got my bitch Proudfoot's Tad Bit O Tina ~ Dora from this kennel), that has as their slogan; Farm Dog First . . . Family Dog Always, and they produce working-type dogs with an emphasis on the family.

You may well ask, oh First Dog; Why do you consider the Boerboel a family dog?

Well dear reader, if you take into account the recent history of the Boerboel, and it's traditional use on the farms and properties of South Africa; how could you not consider the South African Boerboel a family dog.

If a Boerboel was meant to be guarding the homestead; just who do you think that would be in deepest, darkest South Africa?

Why the family that was left at home, while the menfolk went off to war, to civil unrest, to town, to farm.

They are a mastiff breed; mastiffs are known the world over to be guardians of the homestead; gentle giants with their family and fierce defenders against all strangers that mean harm.

Again; you may ask; Why First Dog; why does it matter to the breed and why does it matter to me?

Good questions both; and I will attempt to answer them to your satisfaction.

Breed-type as Family Guard.

What else is a Boerboel going to be used for? They are not fighting dogs; although they are dominant and can be reactive. They are not draught dogs, they are not hunting dogs, they are not herding dogs. They belong to the wonderful and ancient guardian breed category.

A Family Guard from my perspective should be intelligent enough to realize what a threat is (dark, looming, scary stranger with deep voice, dubious behaviour, aggressive movements) as opposed to the neighbours unsupervised 3 year-old daughter that toddles onto your property. Bite one; but not the other.

A family dog shouldn't be so reactive that you can't take the dog camping, or to your son's soccer games or to your daughter's horse show. They should be confident enough to survive a trip to the grocery store and be fine with being left in the car while the family shops, they should accept the accolades of friendly strangers with indifference; but not outright hostility, they should look to you for direction; but react with enough force if it is warranted. I'm not asking a lot; I have this within my own dog; and aim to reproduce it with her progency.

If you are interested in acquiring a Boerboel; expect them to want to guard you; if you have a good one; they will also want to guard whomever is in your house, vehicle or party. Expect them to be a little unimpressed with rough-housing between you and your friends; but controllable none-the-less. Expect them to vocalize their displeasure if someone approaches the car too closely while you are inside; but they should settle when told, expect them to have your back while you are at the ATM. This is attainable when you select the right breeder and the right cross.

But First Dog; you ask; how will I know I have the right breeder; and how will I know I have the right parents for my future dog?

Good question; and research is the best way to gain useful answers.

A good breeder can indicate which breedings they are doing that will produce puppies that suit the family environment. To achieve a family dog is not magic; nor is it a given. It is the result of a breeder working within their own lines to develop a dog that enjoys the family, is low-key enough to accompany their family everywhere and comes from a long line of family guards.

A good breeder will also be able to arrange for you to meet some of the family dogs they have produced, they will have satisfied clients that are proud of their dogs, ideally you are able to meet the dogs off property, as well as at their own house; to give you an idea of what you can expect, in a normal living arrangement.

Second choice for a breeder would be one who has a integrated kennel environment; the dogs live in kennels, but visit in the house; or house-like structure. You should be able to get an idea of what the dogs will be like in a common living space.

Worst choice would be the breeder who has all dogs constantly kennelled. If the dogs are never given a chance to display their behaviour in a home environment; how can that breeder assure you that you can live with your dog once he or she grows out of the cute puppy stage.

Additional Questions to ask of the Family Dog Breeder

1. Do your dogs fight? Are they dog aggressive? How do you handle them?

As a large, dominant dog breed; there are bound to be scuffles; especially if the breeder has a number of intact dog living together; when hormones run high; so do tempers. But you want to be careful selecting a puppy from parents that constantly want to fight. Reactivity is to be expected, aggressiveness is something to put in the maybe box. If the dogs seem hot; but can be controlled by a look or a yell; they aren't all that dedicated to the brawl; physically having to constantly separate battling canines is not an enjoyable occupation for even the seasoned Boerboel owner.

2. Are your dogs good with small animals - cats, birds, small dogs? Merely tolerate, or enjoy?

Some Boerboels have a lot of prey drive and you have to be careful, some have less and you have less to worry about; but if you are a small pet owner as well as wanting to own a Boerboel; then it is an important consideration; so look to breeders who at least have experience with their dogs and smaller pets; breeders who have successfully homed pups that grew to adults in multi-pet homes; that would be your safest bet.

3. How are your dogs with kids?

 This is a tricky question; and one again that is best asked of the experienced breeder; who either raises and manages their dogs daily in a house with children; your kid's ages; or has homed pups into similar environments.

Note the First Dog doesn't advocate unsupervised dogXchildren interactions; but you can't keep your dog crated ALL the time while the kids are running around; so you are looking for some sort of indication from the breeder; that their lines can handle children in the home.

4. How do your dogs handle off-property situations?

Probably best observed by meeting the dogs off-property, also by meeting past clients of the breeder; also off-property. Listen for the "good words", "Oh our dog Freddy just loves the neighbourhood kids; he can be walked by any of them; he's so sweet when they come over to play with our kids. He's such a good dog, he gets to go everywhere with us." <<<<<< examples of "good words"

Well; that's all for now; hopefully this has given you some ideas of what to look for; to make sure you are getting a reasonable representative of the Family Dog.