General Appearance

The Boerboel is a big, strong and formidable, with powerful muscles.  Movement should be agile and the body should be more formidable, heavy and bigger than that of the Boxer, but shorter than a Great Dane.

The appearance should be threatening and imposing.

The males should appear more muscular and the females more “feminine”.

The Boerboel is a dog that is well-balanced and well-proportioned.

The Boerboel is loyal, obedient and intelligent, with a protective strong instinct to protect his family.  It is a dog with great self-confidence and who is fearless.

The head is the most important characteristic of the Boerboel as it represents its character. 

It is short, wide and deep, with a square musculature, with full cheeks and forehead.

The upper part of the head is flat and wide, with well-formed muscles. The face is symmetrically fused with the head. 

It may or may not have a black mask. 

The Nose

A stop must be visible but not marked.

The nose is black with wide nostrils.

The muzzle is straight and runs in a straight line to the stop.

The nasal bone is deep, broad, and tapers slightly towards the front. 

The nasal bone measured 8-10 cms.

The Lips

The upper lip is meaty, but does not hang past the lower jaw.

The upper lip (part below the nose) should cover the lower lip.

The lower lip is not overly loose or fleshy, nor should its appearance be too marked.

Jaws

The jaws are strong, deep, broad and tapers slightly towards the front. 

Teeth

The teeth are white, well-developed, correctly spaced and complete, and with an obvious scissor bite. 

The Eyes

Acceptable eye color ranges from light to dark brown, but should be darker than the skin.

The Ears

The ears are of medium size and V-shaped and in proportion to the rest of the head.  They are well separated and hang from high on the head.  When the dog is attentive, the top of the earflaps form a straight line from the base of the cranium.

The Neck

The neck should show a notable muscular curvature and with a high attachment to the shoulders.  It is of medium size in proportion to the rest of the body.  It should be strong, muscular and comprise a solid unit with the head, broadening progressively into the shoulders.

The Body

The body of the Boerboel narrows into the loins.  The top line should be straight; the back is straight, wide and in proportion, with the muscles well marked.  The loins are short.

The withers are wide, strong and with well-marked musculature.

The chest is strong, muscular and well-enclosed within the front legs, with a curving and proportionate ribcage.

The tail is situated high, straight and preferably short, though long tails are permitted.

The front end is strong, muscular and in proportion to the entire dog.

The shoulders are well-placed with marked musculature and correctly squared.

The front legs have an evident well-developed musculature.

The elbows are parallel to the body.

The Legs

The front legs are wide, strong, straight and with marked musculature.

The front toes are wide, strong, of medium length and be a forward facing extension of the foreleg.      

The feet are rounded and well-padded, with the nails dark and curved.

The feet should face forward and not turn inwards or outwards. 

The hind legs are strong, robust, and muscular well in relation to the rest of the body and show a great capacity for forward impulsion.

The high point of the thigh is wide with well-formed musculature.

The lower leg is well developed, with marked musculature.

The knee is strong, solid and correctly squared.

The heel joint is strong, solid and correctly squared.

The toes are relatively short, strong and wide and the hind toes should be parallel (and dew claws should be removed as early as possible).

The hind feet are a little smaller than the fore feet, are well-constructed and should be forward facing.

Gaits

The gaits of the Boerboel should be easy, loose, strong, straight and with enough impulsion originating from behind.  The legs should move parallel.  During movement the topline should remain straight and stable.

The Skin

The skin of the Boerboel is thick and loose, well-pigmented and with a moderate presence of wrinkles in the front, when the dog is looking interestedly at something.  The accepted coat colors are: brindle, yellow, dark red and brown.

Height

Males:  the ideal height is 66cms; can vary between 64 cms up to 70 cms.

Females:  the ideal height is 61cms.; can vary between 59 cms up to 65 cms.

Weight

The weight of a Boerboel is between 60 to 80 kilos, but there are exceptions.

General Health

Thanks to the strict criteria for Boerboel breeding and registration, their general  health is of a high standard. 

Pigmentation

The Boerboel should have good overall body pigmentation, including the lips, eyes, footpads, nails and the sexual organs.

Disqualifiers

A dog that is too tall

A dog that is too short

Exaggerated aggression

A head without specific characteristics

A nose the color of liver

Excessive under bite or over bite is unacceptable. 

A narrow muzzle

A pointy muzzle

Blue eyes

Perpendicular ears

Narrow chest

Twisted legs

“Sway” or concave back

Cow hocks

Sickle hocks

Straight hocks

Unbalanced or uncontrolled gaits

A white coat color

A black coat color

Any sign of another breed

A foot without pigmentation

A spotted dog or one with large amount of white areas, with or without one of the five accepted colors around both the eyes and ears.