It’s my pleasure to introduce you to a valiant, loyal, and formidable hunting dog - the 200-pound South African Boerboel.
While not often found in lists of top hunting dog breeds - along with Bloodhounds, American Foxhounds, Pitbulls, and others - South African Boerboels (which I’ll refer to simply as Boerboels from now on) excel as both track and takedown dogs with their 41 miles-per-hour sprint speed and record-setting bite pressure of 800-850 pounds per square inch, that’s one fifth the bite pressure of a Great White Shark, to put things in perspective.
In this article, we’ll break down the outstanding attributes of this fearsome yet discerning breed which will remain at your service as a chase or catch dog.
Humans and dogs have been hunting together since deep antiquity, no doubt it is one of the reasons they grew to become man’s best friend in the first place. Since then inventive men have been “hacking” dogs; selectively breeding them for desirable attributes (muscularity, size, cuteness, etc) and character (loyalty, playfulness, persistence, etc) along with behaviorally conditioning them from a young age. Ultimately producing what can be the most civilized animal; mankind has succeeded in imbuing all our most noble qualities to select breeds. Have you ever thought, I wish more people were like my dog - Boerboel owners do!
At Biohacked Boerboels (based in Huntsville, Alabama) we further empower this breed with biohacking - the application of select, scientifically validated therapies, supplements, and strategies for enhanced health and vitality.
We’ll explain more about biohacking later (you may have questions), but for the time being, keep in mind that there’s significant demand for Boerboels. If you can imagine one of these dogs in your life, please get onto our puppy waitlist here sooner rather than later.
A dual-purpose hunting dog
Boerboels can serve a rare double role as both track and takedown dogs. For those unacquainted with the differences...
Track dogs - must possess a keen sense of scent and some patience; they can detect the desired quarry from kilometers away and chase it down, even if it takes running several kilometers on a hot day.
Takedown dogs - are distinguished by their capacity to administer swift and overwhelming violence against prey. A valorous takedown dog is fearless when the opportune moment arrives to go in for the kill.
With most hunting dogs - hounds, pointers, labradors, retrievers - there’s a trade-off; they excel as either one or the other. Great track dogs are sometimes timid in the face of a snarling and cornered prey, while the noses of some of the most muscular takedown dogs are somewhat ornamental.
Seasoned Boerboel-owning hunters are unambiguous on this point, the dog is the best of both worlds. And this is no mistake, it’s a result of over 300 years of selective and very intentional breeding in South Africa.
Imagine that you were to be one of the first human settlers sent to colonize the red planet, Mars; what might you choose to bring with you? You could bring little and almost nothing of purely sentimental value. You would be exceedingly concerned with and discerning in bringing only that which aided your chances of survival in a harsh and alien environment. This was just the sort of dilemma faced by Dutch settlers in the 1600s and they chose wisely to bring with them the ancestors of the Boerboel. To protect their lives, families, and livelihoods they needed selectively-reduced “prey drive” in the breed so that the dogs could be relied upon to stay near the farmhouse or a herd of livestock.
Loyal to the hunter, not the prey
One of the challenges of dog hunting is that once a dog has tracked the prey (wounded or not), evolutionary instincts kick in and the dog is singularly focused on devouring the unlucky quarry. Boerboels possess the unique discipline to return to the hunter if called, even when the prey is cornered - in contrast to other breeds of otherwise excellent track dogs which will choose selfishly and reliably to savor the rewards of their pursuit.
To explain why this is so advantageous, we’ll harken to the account of a South African trapper who impressively trapped upwards of sixty livestock-killing leopards in the bush. Leopards, being exquisitely dexterous large cats, tend not to be fully immobilized by traps and thus are very risky to approach. Hardwon experience taught the trapper to only approach a trapped leopard with a pair of Boerboels, the only breed that could be relied upon to stick next to and protect him up to the point that the leopard met its fate at the trigger finger of the trapper.
In Africa, this kind of behavior has earned Boerboels the renown of possessing the best “threat perception instinct” among dogs. A Boerboel can be relied upon to stay by the hunter’s side no matter what.
For boar hunting
As any hunter will tell you, boars can be physically intimidating, and this is where the Boerboel distinguishes itself as a hunting dog. Go visit a Boerboel if you can as pictures and videos, just don’t capture muscularity and size of the dog - females tend to be about 110 pounds (50 kg) and males 143 pounds (65 kg), with some weighing as much as 200 pounds.
In Australia, where wild boars abound, Boerboels are used to hunt them. The dog is relied on to run down and immobilize boars (with 800-850 PSI of bone-breaking bite force) that the hunter dispatches with a knife.
Facing even the most frightening wild boar the Boerboel’s does not waver or turn tale, they are willing to fight even bears.
Having developed as a breed in South Africa, Boerboels are adapted to hotter weather - the blazing sun will not deter them from an arduous hunt. From the owner of Integrity Boerboel Kennels...
[the owner of the 11-month old] has trained him to track and locate wounded deer on their 2600 acres property.
I think some Boerboels are excellent hunters. They at one point were used to hunt lions, hyenas, and baboons. Now there are 3 different types of Boerboel: 1-hound type, 2-mastiff type, 3-terrier type.
Each of these were bred for a purpose. My dogs are of the hound type and have excellent noses. Yet they also possess that natural Boerboel protection mode. 2mos ago mine protected me from a wild hog attack. They killed the hog.
Also, Boerboels with shorter muzzles may not perform well with hunting.
Temperament and socialization
If you had to pick one word to describe the Boerboel, it would be protective. The dog’s instincts for guarding its owner are the stuff of legends in South Africa. With your family, the dog will be a playful and mild-mannered gentle giant, but early socialization is key if you don’t want your mailman mauled. You want to include the dog in your social life so it can become familiar with those you trust. Anecdotes abound of Boerboels aggressively interdicting (even very subtly) threatening strangers - so maybe not the best dog to take for a stroll through a metropolitan city center.
While far from cheap, these dogs are an investment in home security that will serve you for at least a decade.
Boerboels are regarded as cooperative and moderately intelligent. Training them to follow house rules is not particularly challenging.
One thing you may appreciate about the dog is that they are not very vocal; they aren’t going to bark at everything. But you’ll definitely know it when a stranger approaches your home.
Living with a Boerboel
The dogs are very social and you should be prepared to commit some time to the dog, especially in its adolescence. The Boerboel is going to struggle with a bit of separation anxiety when you’re out of town and do not do well in isolation.
The dogs need space to run and get exercise, a big backyard (with a sturdy fence over 5-feet tall) is a bit of a prerequisite for Boerboel ownership.
The dog is not hypoallergenic, but also not a heavy shedder. Grooming their smooth coat is a breeze!
Biohacked?
Perhaps you’re questioning...
Why would you “biohack” a Boerboel? It’s an amazing breed that doesn’t need to be tinkered with...
We totally get the sentiment, biohacking is a human discipline that we borrow from to empower Boerboels to be everything that they can be and we do so with risk aversion as our guiding principle.
The trade-off for the Boerboel’s size and muscularity are several well-known common health issues; Allergies, Epilepsy, Hip Dysplasia, and Joint Dysplasia. And this is why we “biohack” our dogs; an abundance of clinical evidence and animal studies identify what’s upstream of these kinds of health issues in mammals; metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction along with autoimmune issues. Prevention-minded, we employ a holistic range of therapies and practices to biohack our dogs from inception - herbal adaptogens, photodynamic red-light therapy, and toxin-free organic dog food, to name a few.
As the dogs are prone to Hip Dysplasia, you want to avoid overfeeding that can lead to obesity.
In the 1980s in South Africa, a survey of hundreds of dogs was conducted and a standard was established for the breed based upon meticulous documentation of pedigree. At Biohacked Boerboel, we disclose the aristocratic pedigree of our dogs, Alexa Bladva and Omega Iris, in addition to providing genetic verification.
Despite their discerning social character, unfortunately, Boerboels are banned in several countries - France, Switzerland, Denmark, and Malaysia among them - and some US cities so do check your local laws before inquiring.
