STANDARD OF THE BREED
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The Boerboel is a big
strong dog, well balanced, with good muscle development and swift in
movement. The dog should be impressive, and imposing. Male dogs appear
noticeably masculine and bitches feminine
BALANCE
The Boerboel is a
perfectly balanced dog – all parts of the body should be in proportion.
TEMPERAMENT AND
CHARACTERISTICS
The Boerboel is reliable,
obedient and intelligent, with a strong watchdog instinct. It is
self-assured and fearless, but perspective to the needs of the family.
THE HEAD
The head is the most
important feature of the Boerboel, as it represents its total character.
The head is short, broad, deep, square and muscular with well-filled
cheeks. The part between the eyes must be well filled.
TOP-LINE OF THE HEAD/OCCIPUT
The top of the head is
broad and flat, with prominent muscle development.
FACE
The face should blend
symmetrically with the head, and can be with or without black
STOP
The stop should be
visible, but not prominent.
MUZZLE
The muzzle is black
with large nostrils that are widely spaced.
NASAL BONE
The nasal bone is straight and parallel to the top-line of the head.
It is deep, broad and it tapers slightly to the front. The nasal
bone should be 8-10cm long.
LIPS
The upper lip is loose
and fleshly, and should not hang lower than the lower jaw. The upper
lip (beneath the muzzle) should cover the lower lip.
JAWS
The jaws (mandibles) are strong, deep and broad, and narrows
slightly to the front.
TEETH
Teeth should be white,
well developed, correctly spaced; a complete set (42 teeth), and
should have a scissors bite.
EYES
The color of the eyes
can be any shade of brown, but darker than the pelt. Eyes should be
horizontally set. It should be broad-spaced with firm,
well-pigmented eyelids.
EARS
The ears should be of
medium size, v-shaped and should be in proportion to the Head. They
are set fairly high and wide against the head. When the dog is
Interested, the ears should form a straight line with the top of the
head.
NECK
PROFILE
The neck shows a
noticeable muscle curve, and is attached high at the shoulder.
LENGTH
The neck is of medium
length and in proportion to the rest of the dog.
APPEARANCE
The neck is quite strong
and muscular, firmly attached to the head and gradually broadens up to
the point where it is attached to the shoulder. The neck, head and
shoulder should from a unit.
THE SKIN OF THE NECK
The skin of the neck is loose under the throat and becomes taut between
the front legs.
BODY
The body narrows slightly
towards the loin.
TOP LINE
The top line should be
straight.
BACK
The back is straight,
broad and in proportion, with prominent back muscles and a short loin.
RUMP
The rump is broad and
strong with good muscle development.
CHEST
The chest is muscular and
strong. The chest should be broad and deeply set between the forelegs,
with well-attached and curved ribs. The rib cage should be in proportion
to the chest.
TAIL
The tail is attached high
to the body. It should be straight and preferably short (three joints).
Long tails are acceptable.
FORE-QUARTERS
The forequarters is
strong, muscular and in proportion to the rest of the dog.
SHOULDER/WITHERS
The
withers should be well attached, correctly angulated and
with good muscle development.
UPPER ARM
The upper
arm should have good muscle development.
FRONT LEGS
The front
legs should be thick, strong, and muscular and should
stand perfectly vertical.
FRONT PASTERNS
The front
pasterns are short, strong and a vertical extension of
the front legs and pastern joints.
FRONT PAWS
The front
paws are big well padded and rounded and with strong
dark and curved toenails. The paws should point straight
forward.
