“Boer,” a Dutch word meaning “farmer,” was the name given to Dutch, German, and Huguenot settlers of South Africa who began arriving in the mid-1600s. To protect their remote homesteads from predators, they brought along large guarding dogs, bull types and mastiff types among them. The interbreeding of these and other European bloodlines in South Africa resulted in something called the Boer Dog, which was used by Boer settlers as a big-game hunter and protector.
Further refinements eventually gave rise to the Boerboel (“farmer’s dog”), a fearless mastiff who specialized in protection of hearth and home. Their agility and prodigious strength came in handy when running off or tangling with ferocious wildlife, whether lions or packs of marauding baboons.
One should not conclude from this that the Boerboel was a snarly brute constantly spoiling for a fight. Because the breed was created to be primarily a protector of family, Boerboels had to be sensitive and smart enough to tell friend from foe and to take its cues from those they protect. A Boerboel has never been known to back down when provoked, but their default mode is generally a stately watchfulness. Boerboels are be powerful enough to excel at competitive weight-pulling, but they have also had success as docile therapy dogs who have a soft spot in their huge heart for children.
The Boerboel was admitted to the AKC Working Group on January 1, 2015.