BIRTH REGISTRATION & APPRAISAL
Boerboel registration works differently from the registration systems used for many FCI breeds.
A puppy can be birth registered based on its parentage, but birth registration alone does not mean that the dog has been evaluated as an adult or approved for breeding.
Adult Boerboels can later be appraised against the breed standard.
Birth registration
A birth registration records the dog's identity, date of birth, breeder and parentage and connects the dog to the registered pedigree population.
It is essentially the starting point of the dog's official pedigree record.
Depending on the registry and its rules, additional requirements may apply to the parents or litter before puppies can be registered.
A birth certificate should therefore not be confused with an adult appraisal or breeding approval.
What is an appraisal?
An appraisal is a structured evaluation of an adult Boerboel against the breed standard.
The dog is examined by a trained appraiser, who evaluates areas such as overall type, proportions, head, body, front and rear construction, movement and other characteristics described in the standard.
The purpose is not simply to decide whether a dog is attractive. It is to evaluate how the individual dog compares with the standard used by the organisation conducting the appraisal.
The result becomes part of the information available about that dog.
Appraisal in Finland
When I started with Boerboels, appraisal opportunities required travelling abroad or waiting for an event to be organised within reach.
I wanted Finnish owners to have the same opportunity to have their dogs evaluated, so I organised the first Boerboel appraisal events in Finland in 2015 and 2017.
These events brought international Boerboel appraisers to Finland and made appraisal available locally to Finnish owners.
Since then, appraisal and other forms of breed evaluation have become much more familiar within the Finnish Boerboel community.
A score is not the whole dog
Appraisal produces a score and a written evaluation, but neither should be treated as a complete description of a dog.
A high score does not automatically make a dog a good breeding dog, just as a lower score does not erase its other qualities.
Health, temperament, pedigree, relatives, offspring and the characteristics of the proposed mate still matter.
I use appraisal as one source of information among many.
Appraisers and interpretation
A breed standard provides the common reference point, but appraisal is still performed by people.
Different appraisers may place slightly different emphasis on individual characteristics or interpret parts of the standard differently. A dog's score can therefore vary between appraisers or between evaluations at different ages.
This does not make appraisal useless. It is one reason I find the written evaluation and the individual characteristics recorded during an appraisal at least as interesting as the final percentage.
Over time, appraisal also has an influence beyond individual dogs. The characteristics rewarded by appraisers can affect which dogs breeders choose to use and, consequently, the direction in which the breed develops.
For me, the historical breed standard and the earlier Boerboel remain important reference points when interpreting an appraisal.
Registration and documentation
Registration organisations differ in their procedures and requirements.
Depending on the organisation, records may include birth registration, pedigree information, ownership details, appraisal results, health information and breeding or registration status.
Tuebor litters are currently registered through BABS in cooperation with the Namibian Stud Book.
Owners receive the registration documents applicable to their dog and litter. Dogs sold without breeding rights remain subject to the terms agreed at placement regardless of their registration status.
Why I still value appraisal
I have used appraisal for many years, but I don't breed for appraisal percentages.
What I value is the opportunity to have another knowledgeable person examine the dog against the breed standard and record what they see.
Sometimes I agree with every part of an evaluation. Sometimes I don't. Either way, it gives me another piece of information to consider alongside my own knowledge of the dog and its family.
An appraisal describes a dog on one particular day. Breeding decisions require a much bigger picture.