Instant Boerboel Breeders... Just Add Dogs!

This is something that has bothered myself and some of my Boerboel Breeding Friends for quite the number of years... all of these " instant/overnight/large number " Boerboel Breeders. They are the breeders that pop up out of nowhere and then in less than 3 years are gone... leaving the rest of us who care, behind to clean up the mess that they made! They know who they are... they are the people who see the Boerboel as a cash cow and want to get in on the game... charge 2500.00 + for a puppy from a pair of adult boerboels that they themselves imported only two minutes prior and have zero health testing, zero temperament testing, and no prior knowledge of the genetic makeup behind the dogs that they are now producing with!!!
It has taken me years to get to the point where I am today, combine that with tears, heartache, loss, grief, etc.etc.etc... the end result.. I KNOW what I am working with in regards to the history, the bloodlines, the health, the temperament, the working ability, what each dog brings to the table within a breeding ( I could go on )... but do these other breeders know all of this??? This is my question to you and them!
Again, we do not live with personally all of the dogs within our breeding program as some of them are co-owned... this is for the sole purpose of being able to give that puppy ( eventually dog ) all that it will need! Kennels are not a good thing for a Boerboel on a full time basis... they do not thrive!
These 'breeders' are just adding to what is quickly growing into a huge mess within North America as far as the boerboels stuck in rescue. They do not know what they are looking at, they do not know what they are working with genetically speaking and if something goes wrong with your puppy... where are they going to be? Probably not answering phone calls or helping to pay the vet bills or console you when you need it, is my guess!

Proudfoot ... Firstfoot... Confused?

Please do not be confused... let me explain.
My husband and I started Proudfoot Kennels quite a few years ago with a few dogs that we either bred ourselves or imported in from all around the world. We have had too many dogs come through our home/family and not make the cut for our breeding program.
Truth be told, we at one time had an outdoor kennel in which all of our dogs were rotated in the house at different times... it was during this time period that we lost our main stud male in a kennel tragedy. It was also during this time that we saw our dog's spirits fading fast... because of living in a kennel enviroment.
Subsequently, after Gator had passed... we took a couple of years away from the Boerboel community to heal and figure out what we were doing with the dogs that we had left. When we made the decision as a family to try those shoes on again, we made the decision to do it differently! To do it better!!! To do it so that each dog within our breeding program lives in a family household with full attention devoted to it daily! How do we do this though? This is where Firstfoot started!
Our family has been extremely blessed to have been surrounded by people who love and care for the breed as much as we do... and it is on rare occasion that we were able to meet someone and trust them immediately with a kennel partnership, a friendship, and a dream. Jenn Sider was that person for us... she is the owner/founder of Firstfoot Kennels and our kennel partner. As such she has co-ownership of one of our girls Proudfoot's Tad Bit O'Tina, call name Dora. She and I work well together and although very different in personality, we compliment each other nicely (or so we like to think). She brings many years of experience working with horse's and bully breeds, rare breeds, and genetic understanding.
Working with certain individuals that are lucky enogh to co-own a puppy with us ensures that each dog/puppy receives all the attention/training/socializing that it needs during it's life. We have again been blessed to have a few different families working with us and providing great homes for some of our dogs... who benefits? Everyone!
Confused any longer? I hope not... between Jenn and ourselves... we make up Proudfoot and Firstfoot Kennels!

Kennelled Boerboels

We have seen both sides of this coin, and truly 100% believe that the South African Boerboel does better mentally/physically/emotionally when it is NOT kenneled. The South African Boerboel was bred to be working/living/existing alongside it's master on the farm. When it is in a kennel enviroment, it is away from the family and therefore does not thrive!
Let's however take a look at this kenneling option from a breeding standpoint for a moment. Let's say that all my dogs live in a kennel 24/7 (which they don't), they go outside for potty time, for excersise time and such.. but how can I as a breeder tell you about each one's individual personality OR how they react to different situations OR what their strength's and weakness's are OR what sets them off OR what shuts them down? I could not ... this is the point that I am trying to make!!! Any breeder that has numbers of dogs all living within a kennel situation and does not rotate in the house on a regular basis IS NOT ABLE to tell you what that dog's real temperament is about!
Please do not be fooled by a breeder who says that oh yes they will protect me... they bark all the time... Do they take this dog off the property ever? Have they ever seen the dog in protectin mode at all? Probably not...
If you are seeking a dog that you are expecting to live/love/and interact within your family on a daily basis.. find a breeder who actually lives with their dogs!

Training and Proving

When we first started out with the Boerboels many years ago, I was all about having those 'oh so elusive titles' behind my dogs name's in order to prove to the entire world that my dog was worth breeding from... what I have learned is quite the opposite however. Guaranteed there are people out there who will adamently disagree with me on this, however, my beliefs have been learned via experience rather than just book knowledge... don't get me wrong... my competitive side still enjoy's a good obedience competition or conformation trial... but the realistic side of me say's prove them on a daily basis through living life both in a rural situation and an urban situation.
We have in the past with the CAVB held many shows, events etc. as well as attending them too! Is it enjoyable for the dogs? Yes some of them. What are you trying to prove? Many different things...
I expect my dogs to be capable of being taken to a farmer's market with lots of not so dog savy people surrounding them, without having a break down mentally, nor biting someone unwarrantedly. I also expect my dogs to be able to ride in the back of my pick up or in the back seat of my sports car and keep both myself and my vehicle safe from any unwanted approaches.
I expect my dogs to look to me for direction 99% of the time, when we are out in public places, hanging out with the family, and having company over. However, I trust my dog's intuition 100% of the time when they are outwardly telling me that the people I am with are no good.
Do I train my dogs, ABSOLUTELY! To a competition level obedience though? Depends upon the dog(s) and the event. Do I expect them to have impecable manners... ABSOLUTELY, just as I do my children.
Do I expect my Boerboels to roll over and give just ANYONE their belly? THEY BETTER NOT!
Are my dogs intelligent enough to compete in an obedience trial? Most certainly! My lifestyle unfortunately does not entail this opportunity at the present time, AND being an owner of the South African Boerboel living within Ontario Canada our dogs are NOT recognized by the CKC ( Canadian Kennel Club ), and therefore cannot compete in their trials and events at this point in time.
The CAVB has put the word out there numerous times for people who were interested in competing with the first ever Breed Specific Test designed for the Boerboel... unfortunately... not enough breeders want to do anything else other than produce puppies or turn the Boerboel into a something that it is not!
Does this mean that either Proudfoot or Firstfoot gives up and rolls over... I don't think so... it just means that we enjoy our dogs and enjoy proving their temperament in real life senario's!

What Sort of Person is best suited for a Boerboel?

When families come to our kennel, contacting us looking for a puppy... there is an interview process that happens.
We are not about to give one of our South African Boerboel puppies to just anyone who has money for one.. oh no no no !!!
We want to get to know who you are as a person,now don't get me wrong... I am not wanting to become your best friend by any means. However I want to know that you are capable of handling such a dog. I don't necessarily expect you to have years and years of dog handling experience, because frankly it is those people who do not want to listen to or take advice from either myself or my kennel partner! Yes the Boerboel is a dog and nothing more, nothing less.... but.... it is a dominant breed farm dog. They are bred to work alongside their master(s), keeping them safe, be a utilitarian farm dog capable of protecting the property/people/livestock (to some degree)and a family dog at the end of the day. As an owner though, please do not expect to be ALL cuddles, ALL positive reinforcement (in your training), or extremely friendly to EVERYONE that you meet on the street! These dogs are a handful and the dogs that we chose to breed from are also very intelligent, they are quick to pick up on what you are wanting from them. I do not want to spend 30 hours a week in training my dogs, nor do I have the time. Therefore, a stupid dog does not last here at my house (nor my partner's house) for any length of time. Intelligence in a dog means that you as an owner need to be on top of the training and the consistency in which you run your household. My boerboels and what they produce are dogs that are easily handled for someone who has gumption within themselves, who is a natural alpha (someone who runs things well without being aggressive), and someone who is up for wanting to learn more!
With all of this being said, we have bred from some fairly dominant dogs in the past and what we have been able to incorporate into the breedings is some soft handled characteristics. Again what does this mean to you; the dog can be corrected when appropriately timed without worrying about the dog falling apart or the other end of the spectrum ... the dog climbing the leash to correct you back!
What we look for within each person who applies is an educated owner (ask tons of questions), someone who is not so high on themselves to ask for advice, a person who is looking for a serious family guard dog and all that it entails, and intelligent enough to know not to put the dog into a situation in which could lead to unwarranted aggression.
You do not have to have a large property for him/her to run on, however, your lifestyle should be such that you can devote time to getting rid of any excess energy to avoid frustration issues.
We do not recomend that if you have young young children/toddlers and are a very busy household, that the boerboel is the dog for you. Yes every website out there will tell you such mythical facts as EVERY SINGLE BOERBOEL is great with children. This is false advertising... not every dog is appropriately temperamented for young children, same as not every dog is suited for working with the Police department!

What owning a boerboel boils down to is diligence on your part... plain and simple!

Why A Proudfoot or Firstfoot Puppy?

Let's face it, there are numerous Boerboel Breeders out there, just google the word Boerboel and see how many pages come up.... then again... that's probably how you found us!
What makes us different... what sets us apart from other individuals... where do I begin.. perhaps the beginning?
My husband and I were making the move from a city lifestyle to a country ( very remote ) retreat for a change of life, job, and family atmosphere. Knowing that we were moving into bear country and that our Rotti's at that time were getting on in years it was time that we started entertaining the idea of another dog to keep our girls safe. We litterally fell into the Boerboel while visiting with a friend who had been working/living/importing them for about a year at that time. By the end of the afternoon, I was so curious to know more that I spent quite a long time talking to people/breeders/owners trying to find out information on everything surrounding the South African Boerboel. Needless to say, I was led down paths with mystical half truths, out and out lies, as well as no information at all at times. I found myself very discouraged... getting information on this breed was going to be difficult to say the least. Typical Irish decent though, I found myself to stubborn to be letting go of this and plowed on.
My first boerboel was a direct import on a co-ownership from a broker. If she turned out physically/mentally/health wise she was to be bred and the litter was to be sold under that broker's kennel name. Sounds easy enough right? Let's just say that lessons were learned by both parties.
Anyhow, it was with this first bitch puppy that I made some decisions as to what I wanted to do in order to provide other people like myself with proper information...
I wanted to learn all I could about bloodlines, health issues, temperament issues, and so on... All so that I could in turn help to further ( not hinder ) the breed itself.
To make a very long story short, I have spent the last 7+ years with this breed. Have experienced far too much heart ache for one person to have to endure ( again with my stubborn side ) have had my bank account go WELL BELOW the zero mark and have been bashed/bantered/beaten/bruised/slandered/and spit out... all because I have stuck to my guns about what good temperament is, good health is, and sound ethical practices should be!
What you will get when dealing with Proudfoot or Firstfoot kennels is a level of understanding the genetics behind our dogs, the health history behind our dogs, the knowledge of the bloodlines that we have been working with extensively for 7 plus years now, and the comfort of knowing that we will only work with dogs that are suitable for family life! Our dogs live in the house with us, go everywhere with us, experience life as a family member and NOT as a kennel dog! They are part of our family... so that they can be a part of your family!