✨Breeder Spotlight: Guardian Boerboels
Thank you, Christina & John Graff, of Guardian Boerboels in Washington, for sharing your words of wisdom with the TellTail community.
💡 Interested in being in the spotlight, or wish to nominate a friend? Email us at hello@telltail.com
Guardian Boerboels is owned and operated by Christina & John Graff.
We are snuggled on 3 acres in the Great Pacific Northwest in Lake Stevens, Washington. We are hobby breeders who strive for the improvement of the Boerboel breed. We aim to produce quality Boerboels who have excellent temperaments, excellent health, and great conformation, all while following the breed standard.
This is all accomplished by selectively pairing champion bloodlines with highly appraised Boerboels. Each breeding pair is analyzed for conformation and are bred together to complement each other’s strengths, with the ultimate goal of producing the perfect Boerboel.
We are dedicated to upholding the history, standards, and bloodlines that make the Boerboel one of the most outstanding rare breeds in the world. As the popularity of the breed grows throughout North America, due diligence is necessary to ensure that the Boerboel does not deviate from its historical bloodlines and standards. We at Guardian Boerboels are focused on producing quality Boerboels who have excellent temperaments, excellent health, and great conformation.
We have many of the most outstanding bloodlines directly from South Africa!
What is so special about the Boerboel?
Boerboels are loyal, intelligent guardians, always aiming to please their human family. We feel it’s their amazing temperament that really sets the breed apart!
The Boerboel is a large dog that is strong, robust, confident, and muscular with a distinctive, blocky head. Despite its size, it is the most agile of the mastiff-type breeds. The word Boerboel means ‘Farm Dog’ and it serves as a capable working dog as well as a loyal companion and guardian.
The Boerboel should be powerfully built and muscular, and should also be agile and dynamic in movement. The dog should not be neither long-limbed nor squat but have a skeletal and muscular structure that allows for maximum degree of power and agility.
The Boerboel draws its character of remarkable courage, high intelligence, and tenacity. The Boerboel is also reliable, obedient, and has a strong watchdog instinct. These traits, coupled with the Boerboel’s affection for its friends, and children in particular, and its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, make it an all-purpose dog.
The Boerboel has a quick and intelligent mind and is easily trained. They are outgoing and show a tremendous willingness to please. They make an excellent family dog as well as a trustworthy hunting companion and guardian.
Boerboels are great family dogs that want nothing more than to be with their families. Their short coat makes them ideal house dogs. They also drool a lot less than other Mastiff breeds. The Boerboel’s temperament is one of their greatest qualities. They are rarely the dogs that will cause a conflict, but they will not back down if they are challenged.
If you are a dominant owner, the dog will fall into its place in your pack. If you are not the leader of your house, a Boerboel will definitely assume that role. You need to be a pack leader if interested in owning this breed.
Obedience training is recommended. Boerboels are good with kids, other dogs, cats, and livestock if they are properly socialized at a young age.
This breed is not for everyone; so, we suggest you do some extensive research before you plan to purchase a Boerboel.
What questions do you ask your potential buyers?
Owning a Boerboel brings with it lots of love, pleasure and joy, as well as a sense of security. Ownership also comes with responsibilities – the most important of which is to have the necessary information to make an informed decision before purchasing a Boerboel puppy.
First, consider your needs and whether you have the means to care for the dog for its entire life.
Do you want a puppy or an adult dog?
A male or female/dog?
Are you looking for breeding stock and/or a companion for your family?
Do you and your family have the necessary time and inclination to give attention to the very specific raising and training requirements of a Boerboel?
Do you have sufficient space and a secure environment for a large breed dog?
Do you have the necessary knowledge of canine behavior to raise a large dog with protective instincts?
Is the entire family in agreement on owning a Boerboel?
Second, obtain as much information as possible about the Boerboel and breed standards by talking to SABBS, NABBA, AKC office bearers, breeders, and members.
Attend appraisal days or other events in your area, visit as many breeders and meet as many Boerboels as possible …. and do not hesitate to ask questions.
Owning a Boerboel, like any large breed dog, is a big responsibility, and owners must make the necessary commitment to raising a well-adjusted and balanced dog. This can be more demanding and involve more time, effort, and training than a small or medium-sized dog, and owners should make themselves aware of the potential for damage and injury that can be caused by any large breed dog.
It is your ongoing responsibility as an owner to ensure your dog is kept safe, properly controlled and supervised in public, or when around children or people that the dog is unfamiliar with.
We ask potential customers to fill out our puppy application. The application information is for our records only, to help us make sure we match the right puppy with the right people. We’re not looking for perfect people, we’re looking for special people who are honest, dedicated and loving who want to add a Guardian Boerboel puppy into their life.
We want potential customers to search around, talk to other breeders, and make sure that Guardian Boerboels are the right fit for them.
We want potential customers to do their research and ultimately apply to purchase one of our puppies because they’ve chosen our puppies and our breeding program over others. We’re confident in our puppies and we want our customers to be, too.
Our puppy application is pretty lengthy, at first glance, a potential customer might think, “Sheesh, this is a little long – are all these questions really necessary?” Rest assured, we use our application to not only get to know you better but to ensure that your home offers the right environment for one of our pups.
Our pups are raised indoors, loved on from day one, and exposed to several different stimuli while here assuring we give them the best possible start in life. A good dog starts with a good breeder!
Every family is different, and there are no right or wrong answers on an application. We know many families have two working adults and we don’t expect anyone to be a superhero and quit a day job just to be able to take home a puppy. Every home has different needs, and this application helps us identify who needs what and what homes might make the best fit. If you’re a veteran dog owner, we don’t want to waste your time regaling things you already know. By the same token, if this is your first puppy, we want to make sure you leave prepared for what life with a puppy may bring.
What is special about your Boerboels and breeding program?
Our Boerboels come in amazing colors and sizes! But that’s not even the best thing about them.
The temperament of the Boerboel is unbeatable! It’s a wonderful mix of a working dog and a companion dog that makes for a wonderful and loyal family dog.
Families Love our Boerboels! These dogs will stop traffic and garnish heaps of attention in public. So, if you don’t like strangers coming up to ask about your beautiful and unique dog… this is not the breed for you.
All our puppies are from healthy and genetically tested parents and come with a genetic health guarantee. Our puppies are some of the best Boerboels you’re going to find in this country. We are very confident in the puppies we produce in regard to health and temperament.
We own some of the highest appraised Boerboels here at Guardian Boerboels, scoring 97.2% and have been recognized by top appraisers for our OUTSTANDING angulation and EXCELLENT toplines.
Our motto is to breed only the very best to the very best! We don’t take shortcuts and we do it because we LOVE what we do and find joy in providing families with amazing dogs that change lives. It’s also fun and rewarding for us to hear the stories we receive from our families about how much they LOVE their Guardian Boerboel.
Guardian Boerboels is not a ‘Facility’ or a ‘Kennel’… We are a Family! Our Boerboels and puppies are raised as part of our family. We raise our puppies with Puppy Culture in our home where they are watched 24/7 for the first 4 weeks of life. As the mature, they’re able to run & play in their indoor play area, as well as around the house and/or outside depending on the weather.
When you acquire a pup from us you become a part of our family and we provide lifetime support to all of our family members!
Guardian Boerboels is proud to start our puppies out on the right paw by implementing the Puppy Culture protocols in our puppy raising and training program. This comprehensive training and socialization system has step-by-step age-appropriate protocols to help develop smarter, stronger, healthier, and happier puppies who adapt well to new situations, learn to communicate with their owners, and ultimately become better-adjusted, well-rounded adults.
From early neurological stimulation that expands brain power and stimulates cardiovascular health, to developing problem-solving skills with appropriate responses to fear and stress, to learning positive communication skills and problem-prevention exercises, Puppy Culture helps set up our puppies for success in their new homes with many of the basics established for their new owners with very easy to follow steps new owners can follow to ensure consistent future success.
Puppies raised in enriched environments, like those outlined in Puppy Culture, have improved cardiovascular performance, stronger adrenal systems, adapt better to stressful situations, develop appropriate responses to stress, and have stronger immune systems making them more resistant to diseases.
Scientific Studies have shown that these enriched environments actually cause animals to develop up to 5% more neuron connections in the areas related to learning, memory, and emotional response. The early neurological stimulation increases learning ability, with better retention, and pups appear more stable, and less fearful, with better abilities of coping with and recovering from fear and stressful experiences.
We invest time and effort into each puppy to ensure the puppies become the best pets and companions, whether they become show dogs or cherished snuggle companions.
Within the Puppy Culture program, we start basic attention exercises, easy recall commands, crate training, house training, and many other things.
What advice do you have for aspiring breeders?
We have learned over the years that no matter how experienced a Dog breeder is, they can never claim to “know it all”.
It is totally impossible. Each dog, puppy, pregnancy, birth, and litter is a unique and new experience, and we still learn something new with every litter. We now try to pass on what we have learned to others. We will not talk anyone into breeding; however, we will help by sharing the useful information our mentor(s) have shared with us, as well as our own life experiences in breeding. We feel it is important for dog breeders to share their advice and their expertise with each other, for the sake of the dog(s) and puppy(s).
We never harass or shame those who show interest in breeding. We are here to help guide aspiring breeders!
We know what it is like starting out and not having a mentor there for support and questions, especially in those critical times. As breeders, we made a promise to ourselves that we would be there for all our families, regardless of whether that puppy is in a pet home or with an aspiring breeder.
Even if you don’t get your Boerboel puppy from us, we want to make sure all future Boerboel breeders know the facts about breeding these dogs and are able to be successful!
Here are some more tips for aspiring breeders of Boerboels-
Ask a ton of questions. Do a Ton of reading! Research the breed and find a mentor that is experienced with the breed. We have a ton of advice we can share. If we don’t know the answer, we may know someone who does!
Start your operation small. Start with just one pair. You need to know you have the stomach for all that breeding entails before you invest in a whole pack.
We always suggest you run your kennel with the 1/3 policy. 1/3 of the money earned from puppy sales and other services needs to be kept back to pay for expenses. 1/3 of the money needs to be saved to expand the business. (We recommend investing in your nursery first. The mommas need a quiet, safe, and BLEACHABLE environment to have their babies.) The other 1/3 goes into your pocket GUILT FREE as a reward for raising amazing puppies!
Only invest in AKC, SABBS or NABBA dogs!
Sell your pups at the price you paid for your dogs. Don't buy a $1500 dog and expect to sell the puppies for $3500!
Note - If you see an ad where a breeder only charges a few hundred for their pups... they are doing so because they are not reputable, or potentially a scammer! People think they are so lucky to find a "deal” but you will absolutely get what you pay for.
Customers often ask if they can purchase a breeding pair (male and female) from us. The answer is YES! We will make sure you get a pair that will give you the best possible chance for success, but remember to only make purchases that will help you reach the goals of your breeding program.
One of the first and worst mistakes an aspiring breeder can make is to purchase breeding stock before deciding on their breeding program goals.
If you tell us specifically what you are trying to accomplish with your breeding program, we can help you find the best dogs. As we said above, we do not judge how other breeders run their programs. We simply need the information so we can help find the perfect puppy for YOU!
These amazing Boerboels have brought our family closer together and have brought nothing but JOY and LOVE into our lives.
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the dogs you have played a part in raising, change lives for the better.
So, when people ask me, “How do you say goodbye to your puppies?” Well, it is not always easy to say goodbye, but it is so rewarding to see happy families and that is what makes it all worth it.
At the end of the day, we are not only bringing puppies into the world, we’re helping create brand-new lifelong partnerships. We will hug our puppies goodbye with a tear in our eyes and tell them to go out and change the world. And they will.
