Boerboel is a large-sized dog breed that originated in South Africa in the mid-1600s. Bred as a watchdog and working farm dog, the Boerboel dogs were excellent in their jobs.

In order to make your Boerboel help you, you must train them properly. Here is information on the strategies and methods of training your Boerboel.

When to Start Training Your Boerboel?

It is best to start training your Boerboel puppy from a very early age. You should begin with the basic and obedience training when your pup is 8-10 weeks old. Moreover, you can also teach them simple commands like ‘come’ and ‘stay’ as they reach one month old.

A woman training her Boerboel with basic training.
PC: Exotic Boerboels

By the time your Boerboel puppy reaches four months old, you should make sure that it has mastered all the basic house training. After that, your pooch is ready for the next level training which is, of course, the agility training.

You should start with minor agility training then move on to the advanced training gradually. You should train your Boerboel every once in a while even when they are adults so that they won’t forget or misbehave in the future.

How to Define Task to Your Boerboel?

Like the German Shepherd Dog, the Boerboel was also originally bred to be strong and fearless guard dogs. Defining a task to this breed becomes a bit difficult because of its independent nature. But with positivity and treats, things can work out well.

Training a Boerboel puppy.

Try defining a task to your Boerboel using hand gestures and body language. If necessary, you’ll also have to demonstrate the task to your dog so that he/she can understand you quickly.

Be sure to make proper use of treats upon the desired behavior or act as it will boost their confidence. However, be careful not to give a huge amount of food as treats which will make their stomach go full and result in laziness.

Where to Train Your Boerboel?

No matter how big your dog is, you should always begin training your dog from your home. Yes, you’ll have to begin training your Boerboel in your house from the moment you bring him/her. Likewise, you can always consider using your back yard or garden for a wider space.

When your pup becomes a bit old and familiar with the environment, you can take them out to dog parks or kindergarten. Make sure to put them on the leash as they might attack other dogs because of their bold and aggressive instincts.

If you are not an experienced dog owner and have completed all the basic trainings for your Boerboel, you can take them to a dog training center. They will learn the advanced and complex tasks easily with the help of the experts. Though the training center might cost you a little more, your money will be totally worth paying.

Training Methods

Here are some of the training methods you can opt for training your Boerboel on your own:

Alpha Dog or Dominance

The Alpha Dog method is basically showing or clarifying your Boerboel that you are their leader, not they. You’ll have to establish a leadership and positive dominance so that your dog will always follow your commands and respect you. This ensures that your pup will always wait for your commands before doing anything like eating, going out for walks, etc.

Positive Reinforcement

One of the best training methods, positive reinforcement is a simple and easy method to train your Boerboel. The mantra is to praise and appreciate any behavior or act upon your command. If your dog performs according to your command, immediately reward them with a treat and praise him/her.

The treat will make your Boerboel develop a concept that they will be rewarded a tasty treat by following certain commands by you. Hence, it is highly effective to teach your pup basic and house training.

Clicker Training

As the name suggests, the Clicker Training method uses a clicking device to get the job done. It is a bit similar to the previous one but you will be clicking the clicker instead of praising your dog upon the desired response.

Whenever your Boerboel doesn’t perform as per your command, you can click another button on the device which will create a different sound. This will clarify your furry friend that it did something wrong. You should also provide treat after your dog acts as you desired otherwise it will not work effectively.

Training Strategies

Here are some effective training strategies to train your Boerboel:

Go Slow: You should always go slow when training your Boerboel dog. Though your dog is an intelligent and fast learner, it won’t be able to learn all the commands if you teach him 10 commands a day. Hence, you’ll have to go slow and teach one command a day but make sure the dog masters it. Remember the motive is to train not to make your dog a train.

Socialization: Socialization plays an important role in a dog’s life because it cannot be trained properly if it lacks communication skills and is afraid of new people. It will be very difficult to train your dog through a dog trainer. Therefore, make sure that you let your Boerboel know the world and develop socializing skills at a young age.

A Boerboel dog sitting calmly with a child.

Avoid Punishment: Punishing is never a solution whether it may be for children or dogs. Your dog can never learn properly if you punish him/her for making mistakes. You’ll need to put on a smile and be kind to your dog. With persistence and love, your dog will eventually thrive and learn everything.

Follow Doglime for other dog breeds’ training methods.

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