VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, [3], 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 21:25:20 03/28/10 Sun
Author: Sharon B
Subject: Re: Should only farmers breed Boerboels?
In reply to: DKH 's message, "Re: Should only farmers breed Boerboels?" on 09:16:19 03/28/10 Sun

Not all farm work is traditional; i.e., moving cows. I live on a farm where I raise horses. I used to breed fractious Thoroughbreds, but for now I just enjoy them. I do not breed Boerboels, but I own two.

You may be able to classify a dog as either a "sport dog" or a "farm dog", but it is not always black and white. There are people who want a dog strictly for sport, and that is okay. If they want a dog strictly for sport, then they definitely would be better off with a GSD. There are people who want a dog strictly for farm work, and that is okay too. But then there are also people like me who want a dog primarily for the farm and for protection, but want to dabble in sports for the enjoyment, camaraderie, competition and to develop a better bond with your dog.

Should a Boerboel breeder try to change the Boerboel for my tastes? No. Hopefully not, anyway! But if I think my dog can do both, then it would behoove me not to try it. My dogs are farm dogs first and foremost, and then sport may be a hobby for them. After they do their farm chores!

Just because I don't move cattle, doesn't mean that a dog cannot be handy on the farm. I have owned many breeds of dogs, and I find that the Boerboel has an innate sense around animals on the property that some of my other breeds did not have, including the one GSD that I owned many years ago. (He was the one that got trampled more times than I can count and had his nose kicked off when he was about 7 months old. He was great in the obedience ring, but dumber than a box of rocks around horses. He was almost as dumb as the ex, and I had to get rid of him too. I got rid of the ex, but kept the dog. I'm not heartless!)

Horses routinely jump the fences (or crash through them if the occasion warrants). I live alone. Have you ever tried to chase a half-cocked Thoroughbred or herd of them back into a pasture when you are the only person around? The dogs are used to help round-up the horses and get them back where they belong.

Groundhogs are a problem in the pastures. They did huge cavernous holes that are dangerous for horses. I need a dog that thrives on hunting the groundhogs and killing them. Deer are everywhere where I live. I don't want them around -- they eat the apples off the tree, trash the garden, etc. I am not a hunter. I encourage my dogs to chase the deer. We have fox, squirrels and other rodents -- again, the dogs are encouraged to eradicate these vermin as much as possible. We have wild turkeys and pheasants that visit every now and then. I happen to like turkeys and pheasants. I want to be able to call the dogs off from killing a wild turkey. Occasionally my neighbor's cats stroll through. In the interest of good neighbor relations, I want enough control in the dogs that I can call them off from killing a cat. I don't want angry neighbors.

Sport training is helpful in that it helps a dog get more in tune with its handler. The "out" command comes to mind. I had a black snake in my barn last year. The dog started to charge it. I was able to call her off. I don't particularly like Black Snakes, but supposedly they are good for catching mice and other small rodents and not harmful to people or livestock. I was happy I could call her off. Then there are the usual things that one wants a guardian protector for -- burglars and thugs looking for trouble. I do not have police protection where I live.

The point of my very long post is that there is nothing wrong with sport training. I have never tried sport training, but I am intrigued and plan to try it. It helps to build a bond with your dog, and it is fun. If I were serious about competitive sports, I would probably not select a Boerboel. If I lived in the suburbs, I would not select a Boerboel. For a person who wants an all-around farm dog that can also participate in sports, there is nothing wrong with a Boerboel.

Life, and dogs, is not always black and white.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-7
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.