The Boerboel Standard – and What the Colors Really Tell Us

The Boerboel breed standard has never been completely unchanging – and in that lies one of the deepest contradictions in the breed's history.When the first standards were written in the 1980s, the colors were listed as follows:
"Kleure: Geel, bruin, gestreept, witbont (behalwe swartbont)."
(English: yellow/fawn, brown, brindle, piebald – except black-piebald)

In other words, piebald was part of the breed standard from the very beginning. What was excluded were completely white dogs with blue eyes (albino) and black-piebald dogs. This shows that the first breeders allowed diversity, but also drew a line when it came to what was practical and healthy.

The situation with black was completely different. Black was not accepted into the breed standard in the 1980s or the 1990s. Black Boerboels only entered the picture much later: the first black Boerboels were registered in 2003 – and it was only in 2008, after a SABT general meeting vote, that black was officially added to the breed standard. By then, enough black dogs and kennels breeding them existed that the motion gained majority support.

Lucas van der Merwe and Carin Yorke-Hart (Mizpah Boerboels) on Black Boerboels
No other color has caused as much debate as black. In many discussions, the name Lucas van der Merwe (SABT member #3), founder of the famous Mizpah Boerboels kennel, was invoked. His name was even used in advertising, claiming that he had seen many black Boerboels in his youth.His daughter, Carin van der Merwe (Yorke-Hart), later clarified this claim. According to Carin, all the dogs Lucas spoke of were not truly black but rather very dark brindles – so-called ultrabrindles. In other words, the supposed historical continuity of the black Boerboel was not true. Black, as a recognized color, entered the breed much later and does not have the same historical foundation as fawn, brown, brindle, grou, or piebald.

Dilutes and Piebald – What They Mean in Breeding
Many people have heard about dilutes. But what does the term actually mean?
Dilution is a genetic change that lightens pigment color:
Blue is created when black pigment is diluted.
Lilac is a more complex result – a combination of brown (chocolate) pigment and the dilution gene. This is commonly seen in other breeds, such as Pit Bulls, but it does not belong to the original Boerboel palette.

In our own breeding lines, there are no blues or lilacs. Occasionally, however, dilute versions of fawn, red, or brindle may be born. These puppies are just as valuable as individuals, but they are always placed in pet homes. They are never marketed as "rare colors" or sold at higher prices for breeding. Piebald, on the other hand, has always been present in the Boerboel. The very first written standard proves it. Its appearance in our breeding is not an anomaly but a natural part of the original genetic foundation.

Why Do Colors Matter?
Colors carry history – they tell a story of where the Boerboel comes from and what it was meant to be. And here lies the crucial difference: piebald has been part of the breed from the beginning, while black was only accepted in 2008 through a vote. Yet today, it is often claimed that piebald was never part of the original standard – even though the original Afrikaans texts clearly prove otherwise. Over the decades, standards have been changed to reflect new needs and times. But every new change takes the breed a step further from its roots. When we allow new colors or rewrite history, we risk losing the original type and the legacy of the early lines.

👉 That is why the real question remains: what do we want to preserve? That which was written in the first standards and carried the Boerboel to this day – or the changes and compromises that only came much later?

Sources
Breed Standard (1980s, Afrikaans): "Kleure: Geel, bruin, gestreept, witbont (behalwe swartbont)."
SABBS: Our Journey (1983, 2008). sabbs.co.za/about-8SABT AGM Minutes 25.6.2005: "piebalds and black dogs are unacceptable for registration."
Carin Yorke-Hart, Authentic Mizpah Boerboels – comments on black Boerboels
Mizpah Boerboels / Lucas van der Merwe – SABT member no. 3
Stoffel Bloem: A Piece of My Mind
Kobus Rust: Commentary to the Breed Standard