Bacchus
Kazzmaier Bacchus's Story
Kazzmaier Bacchus was born on the 29th June 2008. He was one of the largest males in our 2008 litter, produced by Dopper Lientjie and sired by Dopper Wiele. Throughout his initial eight weeks with his fellow litter-mates, Bacchus was always the first to do everything. He impressed us as a puppy who would grow into a "real dog".
He left us to go to his new home at eight weeks. Things went well as Bacchus grew. Numerous e-mails and telephone calls were exchanged, from which it was clear that Bacchus's owners were very happy with their new acquisition. He matured into a handsome, strongly-built male. Unfortunately, at around seven months of age, an incident occurred of great concern to his owners. In the kitchen of their home, he jumped up and nipped one of their children. In the ensuing weeks, a number of other incidents occurred in which Bacchus was said to have displayed aggressive behaviour towards members of the family and others. A number of trainers were consulted but their advice proved ineffectual. A report was commissioned from a "professional" trainer, who wrote:
"Bacchus has learned that aggression and his physical strength allow him to a certain extent to control his home environment, dogs and humans that he comes into contact with".
The UKBC was consulted and, without seeing the dog, delivered its verdict, which was that we, as his breeders, should take him back and resolve his problems, adding:
"if indeed this can be done".
The UKBC advised doing so before considering re-homing him, which I found particularly perverse. If Bacchus had been returned to us, he would have gone into a kennel environment, since it would not have been possible, at first, to incorporate him into the home with our own dogs. Dogs deteriorate very rapidly in kennels. Furthermore, had I retrained Bacchus on my own, the very same problems could have recurred when I passed him on to a new owner. The UKBC further advised his owners that, if we failed to take him back, they should, and I quote verbatim:
"have it put down".
I consider such advice, from a body, inaugurated to promote the welfare & well-being of the Boerboel, absolutely alarming. For anyone to advise the euthanizing of a 7-month old dog, little more than a puppy, is quite contemptible. Even more so, when such a pronouncement, which could have had irrevocable and totally disproportionate consequences, is made on no more evidence than pure hearsay!
Less than a month after the initial incident was reported to us, Bacchus's owners asked us to take him back. I had already decided that the only prudent course of action was to retrain Bacchus in conjunction with a new owner. In less than four days, I had found an eminently suitable home for Bacchus and I asked his owners to return him to us at the earliest possible opportunity. Five days later still, Bacchus was back with us. By this time, Bacchus was already a strapping 50kg+ Boerboel, with an impressive and intimidating, to some, appearance. (He is now well over 70kg.) The "professional" trainer, whom Bacchus's owners had consulted, described how, even after walking with Bacchus and his owner for some 20 minutes, he had felt he was unable to take Bacchus's leash. Fortunately for Bacchus, I had no such misgivings, and, after walking with him and his owner for less than 200 metres, I took the leash and walked on alone with Bacchus.
At first, Bacchus was, undoubtedly, a very unhappy dog. His tail was clamped to his behind. His body language exuded uncertainty, and he was very nervous. It was clear to me that, had I attempted to place hands upon him, he would have reacted badly. I offered him treats, but he refused them. We walked for approximately a quarter of a mile before returning home.
Shortly afterwards, Bacchus's new owner arrived and we took him to his new home. We walked him round the garden for a while and then took him inside. Gradually, he started to relax. It was a welcome sign when he slowly sat down and then assumed a lying position on the floor. (A dog will not lie down in a new environment unless he is at ease.) In time, we threw treats towards him and he took them. Later still, he took treats from our hands. After it became clear that he had adopted a much more relaxed demeanour, we put him away for the night.
When I returned the following day, I observed a quite different animal. Bacchus had clearly bonded well with his new owner and was finding that his new environment was not so bad after all.
As the weeks passed, I worked with Bacchus and his new owner, who proved to be an intelligent and committed man, who was hungry to gain a thorough understanding of the training principles, which underpin good behaviour. Bacchus was given a thorough grounding in basic obedience training. He was taught to walk to heel, on leash and off, to sit and down on command, and, of course, to stay; a sure-fire recall was developed; he was taught to stand on command and to bark on command. Equally importantly, he was introduced to a variety of different environments and met a multitude of other dogs. He was taken to town centres, railway stations, bus stations, and, indeed, anywhere where there was hustle and bustle and the opportunity to build strong nerves. No stone was left unturned in the socialisation process.
A well-socialised dog is one which is comfortable in the presence of people and other dogs. A dog, which rushes up to strangers and other dogs to "say hello" is not a well-socialised dog. He is a nuisance, a pest. Bacchus is now a nuisance to no one. As a result of the attention he has received, he has developed into a fine animal and a much-loved family pet. He is indifferent to other dogs and people generally. He is, however, an affectionate and loyal companion to his new family. He has, what I would call, an admirable Boerboel temperament, submissive and loving to his master and family, but protective of them and territorial within the confines of his master's property. He recognises strange behaviour and observes keenly when people display such behaviour. He is not comfortable being petted by strangers: he is aloof and stand-offish, but relaxes when people are introduced to him as friends or welcome guests. He is uneasy when people force themselves upon him, preferring to come to them in his own time. We have seen absolutely no examples of unwarranted aggression from him, whatsoever. He is now absolutely clear what the constraints on his behaviour are, though there are few. He has been trained by a master who has gained a thorough grasp of ethology* and the relevant principles of behavioural psychology*. He has been exposed to absolutely no brutality or physical punishment of any kind.
Whilst recognising the fact that any dog will be the product of BOTH nature AND nurture, it has to be understood that a puppy, of any breed, is, to a large extent, a tabula rasa (clean slate). You write on him whatever you wish, up to a point, given the necessary patience and understanding. I am mindful of the old Jesuit philosophy, " Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man". In order to raise a Boerboel puppy successfully, owners must understand the need for structure, leadership and commitment, and have a clear understanding of canine behaviour, psychology and training. Such knowledge is not a prerequisite for Boerboel ownership, but can be learned, from those who are keen to impart such information.
Bacchus's story is an ongoing saga. I desperately and dearly hope that the rest of his life is as happy as it has been since February 2009. I see no reason why it should not be.
The moral of the story seems transparently clear: in the wrong environment, a wilful Boerboel, of strong character, can be a menace; in the right environment, the same dog can be a joy to own. Bacchus is now a joy to own.
* Ethology is the study of animals in their natural environments. In the context of canine behaviour, it is important to cultivate a grasp of pack structure and have both the inclination and the wherewithal to assume the alpha role.
* Behavioural psychology - though this may be a gross over-simplification and a more detailed analysis is preferrable, it is essential to appreciate that clinical and perfectly-timed rewards and corrections are crucial in promoting desirable behaviours and eliminating unacceptable ones respectively.
Bacchus being trained by his master's 10 year old daughter
