Comment to 'I Remember When...'
  • Peeper in my opinion is correct. I haven't followed the Dutch Shepherd. So I can't speak much on them specifically. I have a friend that has one that is an import. I'm aware it is believed to be better dogs cor specifically a better Dutch Shepherd because of where he got him as they tend to do or require more selective breeding practices. This is the same reason why police department allegedly only get their dogs dogs from overseas instead of finding good one in their own country. I cant verify that information. instead of speaking on the Dutch Shepherd I believe that the South African Boerboel will have a downfall now that it is accepted by the AKC. They will be over-bred because they are popular. People that should not be breeding dogs will breed them and breed dogs that should only be pets. These dogs will not meet the criteria of a breeding dog. Again this is my opinion. I know right now there are no known health issues with the breed. I fear this will change. I fear that people will mix other breeds into it trying to create their idea of a dog that is not what the image of what a Boerboel is supposed to be and then pass it off as a pedigree dog. The future will tell if I'm correct. I don't blame AKC as it is simply a registry. It is the largest registry as far as I know. They do what they do best and that is take our money and keep a record of pedigrees a given to them by the so-called breeder.

     

    All roads or problems lead back to the people that are breeding dogs. If they breed dogs that are not functional and continue this practice that leads to generations of dog that can't perform the work that the breed was created to do. There are puppy mills that are notorious for breeding sick dogs, dogs afraid of their own shadows and selling the dogs saying they are from champion bloodlines. There might be one or 2 champions on the pedigree. Those dogs are so far back on the pedigree that they won't have much influence in the current breeding. The lack of knowledge of the consumer allows this the grow. Later the health issue shows up in these dogs. The owner might have bred it too thinking they can make some money because they paid a lot from the pet store or puppy mill. When the health issue show up they don;t want to put the dog to sleep because it is now a member of the family. I remember walking into a home many years ago. The people had a cocker spaniel. I saw this huge ball in it neck about the size of a soccer ball. The dog was struggling to hold its head up and could barely walk. I felt sorry for this dog. I was upset with the owner. I know it wasn't my dog. I asked about its neck. The dog had a tumor. They didn't want to put it to sleep because they had it so long. It was family. The only thing I could think of was that dog could be in a lot of pain and can't tell us. I'd rather put it to sleep than to see it suffer.

     

    More on the Boerboel. There is a well known breeder of them in my state. On his website he talks about them being guardian. He states on there he will not sell a pup to anyone that want to do any type of protection training with a dog. That says to me that the prospective owner will not make it known that they plan to do this. it also says to me that I will not buy a dog from him if I decide to get this breed later. Just like I research a breed before buying I also research the breeders. I have seen recently online how at least two of his adult dogs were stolen from his home. I don't know how old the article was. But this goes back to environment having an affect on the dogs. The instinct to protect is there. But his dogs have been taught to accept stranger and the humans are not a threat. He may have not done this on purpose, but that is the result. I remember when I had American Bulldogs. I initially got interested in them because I saw video of them hog catching. They were fearless. I saw them doing some protection work. They were great manstoppers. There was a place (MMM Kennel) in Mississippi where this one breeder had it that you could send your pup or dog there to be trained in hog catching. I considered doing it even though I had no plans on ever going hog catching. I don't think that that kennel is around anymore. I have tried to find it online. If it is around maybe they don't advertise online. I got my AB from a line that was hog catching. I saw video of the mother, father, and other dogs in the line on some hogs. I was invited to come down to Texas and go hunting with them. Bill Hines has since passed away. His dogs were great working dogs. At least the ones that I got were. I never heard of any that weren't. Others might have a different story. That was a long time ago. That was before I knew enough to know that I should find out if any health testing was done on the parents. There are only a select few breeders that I know that have their dogs tested for health or temperament. This is why many dogs are being produced that are unhealthy and have unstable temperaments. I preferred the Hines Line to Johnson lines. The Johnson line was popular for the look and excessive size. But I preferred a more athletic dog that could breathe. I want my dog to be able to go over a fence to protect me if needed.