Ex-Jeugie breeds championship winning boerboels
Breeding boerboels is in S’Marie Engelbrecht’s blood but the love she has for her dogs cannot be taught.
Breeding and training champion boerboels is no easy task.
Just ask S’Marié Engelbrecht, a 21-year-old dog breeder and trainer from Brentwood Park, who was just a little girl when she knew she wanted to be in the business.
The former Hoërskool Jeugland learner started breeding with boerboels when she was 18 and spent her matric year studying for exams and raising dogs. Her grandfather and father were both breeders.
“I was probably three days old when I met my first boerboel,” she tells Express on a plot in Brentwood Park. “I grew up with them and I fell in love with them.”
The dogs, as big as they are, love Engelbrecht in return. There is a lot of love to go around, as she owns 18 of them.
These dogs eat up to 80kg of dog food a week, which means Engelbrecht buys about 4 160kg a year. They also drink up to 20 litres of water a day per dog camp, and as you can imagine, bathing them is no easy task.
Engelbrecht takes great care to ensure that her dogs are disciplined. “I take turns to keep two of the dogs with me for two hours,” she explains. “They are such big dogs, so it’s important to teach them from a young age.”
The young breeder, who is also a talented photographer, trains her dogs well. Last year one was crowned International Reserve Senior and Grand Champion Female at an international boerboel show in Bloemfontein.
One of her younger dogs was also named International Reserve Sub-junior Champion Female.
At these championships, judges choose a champion based on the dogs’ bone structure, the top line of their backs, and how they move.
These competitions have no prize money but Engelbrecht says she does it for the love of the dogs. “They are so loyal. It’s a plus to take them to a show and see they get what they deserve.”
To finance her beloved dogs, Engelbrecht breeds boerboels and sells them to international buyers. “All the money I make goes straight back into the dogs.”
But what is her secret to success? “You have to be an animal lover with lots of patience,” Engelbrecht advises.
“You also mustn’t be scared to get your hands dirty,” she laughs knowingly, having had changed her own outfit three times already.
