Boerboel South African

I really wanted a Boerboel South African dog the moment I saw one, and I thought I could handle Stubs easily enough. But he has such a mind of his own, I now realize that he really would have done best in the hands of an experienced dog handler. Stubs certainly is not a bad or unruly dog; it's just that he can be so headstrong that a firm consistent voice might have made his training easier for both of us.

His iron will is probably tied to his high energy level and his frustration of not being able to work as he was really bred - this is a mastiff designed to guard South African homesteads, which can be huge, and they are used to track and hold wounded game for hunters. Anyway, he's a great dog and a good companion, but I can see the value of professional training. I've learned that different breeds respond to different techniques. And though I wanted a bulky and massive dog and something a little different, I really should have taken into account the strong personality and not just his strong physical attributes.

I must say, in his defense, that he has learned my limitations and will ease up a bit when he hears distress in my voice. Maybe that's what makes him a unique individual. Now I find he'll acquiesce with a little less urging from me than at first. In spite his difficult nature and what appears to be, at times, an independent air, he has really grown on me. We have learned to stay busy and exercise daily and to find new things for him to do, which has helped me to stay active as well.