General Appearance
The dog must be strong, sturdy, well-balanced and well-built. It must also possess an impressive and awe-inspiring example of power and effectiveness. Along with a strong bone structure, the dog should also display powerful muscular movement and symmetry. It must have a short, sleek and dense pelt.

Temperament
The Boerboel is reliable, obedient and intelligent, with strong watchdog instinct. It is self assured and fearless.

The Head
The head is the most important feature of the Boerboel, as it represents its total character. The head is short, broad, deep, square and muscular with well defined cheeks. The part between the eyes must be well filled. The Occiput (Top-line of the head) is broad and flat, with prominent muscle development.

The Nasal Bone
The Nasal Bone is straight and parallel to the top line of the head. It is broad and it tapers slightly to the front. It should be 8-10cm long.

Face, Muzzle and Lips
The face should blend symmetrically with the head and can be with or without a black mask.
The muzzle is black with large nostrils which are widely spaced.
The upper lip is loose and fleshy and should not hang lower than the lower jaw. The upper lip (beneath the muzzle) should cover the lower lip.

Jaws and Teeth
The jaws(mandibles) are strong, deep, broad and narrows slightly to the front. The jaws should be strong and effective.
The teeth should be white, well developed and correctly spaced. A complete set consists of 42 teeth and a scissors bite is ideal.

Eyes
The color of the eyes can be any shade of brown, but darker than the pelt. Eyes should be horizontally set. It should be broadly spaced with firm, well pigmented eye lids. The eye lids should also be sturdy.
Blue eyes is a definite disqualification.

Ears
The ears should be V-shaped, medium sized and proportional to the head. The ears should be set in such a way that it forms a straight line with the head when the dog is interested, For this to be accomplished the ears need to be set fairly high and wide against the head.

Neck

Profile:	The neck shows a noticeable muscle curve and is attached high at the shoulder
Length:	The neck is of medium length and in proportion to the rest of the dog.
Appearance:	The neck is quite strong and muscular, firmly attached to the head and gradually broadens up to the point where it is attached to the shoulder. The neck, head and shoulders should form a unit.
Skin:	The skin of the neck is loose under the throat and becomes taut between the front legs.

Body, Top-Line, Back and Chest

Body:	The body narrows slightly towards the loin.
Top-Line:	The top-line should be straight.
Back:	The back is straight, broad and in proportion, with prominent back muscles and a short loin.
Chest:	The chest is muscular and strong. The chest should be broad and deeply set between the forelegs with well attached and curved ribs. The rib cage should be in proportion to the chest.

Forequarter
The forequarter must be strong, muscular and in proportion to the rest of the dog.

Shoulders/Withers:	The withers should be well attached, correctly angulated and with good muscle development.
Upper Arm:	The upper arm should have good muscular development.
Front Legs:	The front legs should be thick, strong, muscular and should stand perfectly vertical.
Front Pasterns:	The front pasterns are short, strong and a vertical extension of the front legs and pastern joints.
Front Paws:	The front paws are big, well padded and rounded with strong, dark and curved toe nails. The paws should point straight forward.

Hindquarter
The hindquarter should be strong, firm, muscular and in proportion to the rest of the dog. Effective propulsion is the most important function of the hindquarter.

Upper Thighs:	The upper thighs are broad and well developed with prominent muscles.
Second Thigh/Gaskin:	The second thigh should be well developed with prominent muscles.
Knee-Stifle:	The hock joints are strong and firm with correct curving.
Hock Joints:	The front pasterns are short, strong and a vertical extension of the front legs and pastern joints.
Hocks:	The hocks are relatively short, strong and thick. The hocks are parallel. (Dew claws should not be present).
Hind paws:	The hind paws are slightly smaller than the front paws. They should be well padded, rounded and should point straight forward. The nails are strong, dark and curved.
Tail:	The tail is attached high to the body. It should be straight and preferably short (3 joints). Long tails are acceptable.
Rump:	The rump is broad and strong with good muscle development.

Movement
Movement should be easy, smooth, powerful and purposeful. This should be accomplished by good propulsion of the hind quarter and parallel movement of the legs. In movement, a straight top-line should be maintained.

Skin
The skin is thick, loose and well pigmented with moderate wrinkles on the forehead when the dog is interested.

Pelt/Hair
The pelt is short, sleek and dense.

Recognized colors
Cream white, pale tawny, reddish brown and all shades of brindle.

Size
Male Dogs: The ideal height for a male dog is 66cm. It can however, vary between 64 and 70cm.
Bitches: The ideal height for a female is 61 cm. It can vary between 59 and 65cm.

General Health
The Boerboel enjoys exceptional health due to natural selection

Pigmentation
The Boerboel is well pigmented, especially on the lips, paws, toe nails and genitals

Disqualifications
• A dog which is too small
• A dog which is too big
• An overly aggressive dog
• A head which is too small and nondescript
• A liver colored muzzle
• An under-bite more than 1cm
• A noticeable overbite
• A narrow mouth
• A long mouth
• A sharp mouth
• Blue eyes
• Erect ears
• A narrow chest
• Bandy legs
• A hollow back
• Cow hocks
• Sickle hocks
• Straight hocks
• Clumsy and unbalanced movement
• White and piebald (prominent white on the body)
• Black and skewbald
• Any sign of another dog breed