Breeder Membership Guidelines

So you have chosen to become a breeding member of Boerboel Owners Club Australia Inc (B.O.C.A. Inc). In order for your application to be successful, please adhere to the following guidelines.

  • You must have a breeding bitch of breeding age that has been appraised by an SA Studbook approved appraiser.
  • An Application for Membership form must be completed including Kennel Prefix and submitted with full payment.
  • Once payment is received, your application is forwarded to the committee of B.O.C.A. Inc for approval.
  • You must ensure you have read, understand and agree to our Code of Ethics.
  • You must have read, understand and agree to the B.O.C.A. Inc Breed Standard.
  • You must have read, understand and agree to the B.O.C.A. Inc Constitution.
  • As a new registered breeding member, you are required to attend breed seminars that B.O.C.A. Inc organises for educational purposes.

Once your application has been accepted and approved you must ensure you adhere by the following rules, recommendations and guidelines:

  • You must ensure that you are a current financial Breeder Member of B.O.C.A Inc, if you have submitted an application, then you must wait until such time it has been accepted and approved by the committee.
  • Registered Breeder members MUST adhere to the B.O.C.A. Inc Code of Ethics.
  • Registered Breeder members must have undertaken the minimum requirements for health testing as stated in the BOCA code of ethics.
  • Registered Breeder members must only breed to dogs that are recognized by the Society/SA Studbook and or are not part of the development register with the Society, these dogs must have had minimum requirement health testing carried out as stated in the B.O.C.A. Inc Code of Ethics.
  • Registered Breeder members must obtain a Service certificate in the event that the dog used is owned by someone other than oneself.
  • Ensure you keep accurate records of breeding dogs. Such records include birth notifications, birth certificates, registration certificates, service contracts, breeding records, vaccinations and health certificates or reports.
  • Registered Breeders with B.O.C.A. Inc must complete relevant forms and payment to be made in full when registering a litter. All relevant documentation as described on the form should be included. Please refer to Code of Ethics.

Breeding dogs can be a rewarding and challenging experience. It is also time-consuming, labour intensive, expensive and occasionally heartbreaking. Responsible breeders devote time, commitment and months or years of careful planning and organisation.

Before considering breeding you should begin by educating yourself about the breed, canine health and training.

A responsible breeder “breeds to improve”. Consult with your breeder about your dog or bitch and consider its breed worth and soundness. Is your dog or bitch typical of the breed, eg. look like the breed? It should be above average in order to improve the quality of the stock within your kennel. Having an appraisal score does not mean your dog or bitch is breed worthy. You should be able to honestly evaluate your dog’s good and bad points avoiding “kennel blindness”. Perform all possible health testing prior to any consideration to breeding.

You must consider whether you have the right facilities to accommodate a whelping bitch and to raise a litter of puppies. Consider the costs involved from health testing, extra food, supplies and medical care required if complications arise. Not all pregnancies result in a happy, healthy litter. If you can’t deal with the possibility of tragedy, don’t start.

Dogs are subject to many hereditary defects, some of which are potentially crippling or fatal. Before breeding you should have a basic understanding of the genetic problems which affect your breed.

Study your breed standard, attend events such as Appraisal Days and/or meets where you can talk to other breeders and determine how your dog measures up against others.

Responsible breeders should carefully screen and evaluate potential puppy owners. Responsibility of puppies doesn’t end when they leave for their new homes; support and guidance should be offered to new owners. Breeders should also be prepared to take back a grown puppy if the owners can no longer take care of it. Replacement or refund of puppies may at times occur due to health issues which arise. Should your puppies not sell until 4 months, 8 months or older, consider the time and expense of caring for these pups, are you prepared for this?

No matter how prepared you think you are, sometimes things do not go as planned. Breeding a quality litter isn’t easy; it takes years of commitment, hard work and heartache.

We recommend educating yourself as much as you can – there are a number of books and internet resources available.

We recommend such books as:
“The New Dog Owner’s Manual”, by Karen Hedberg BVSc
“An Eye for a Dog – Illustrated Guide to Judging Purebred Dogs”, by Robert W Cole
“Book of the Bitch”, by JM Evans & Kay White
“Think Dog’ An Owner’s Guide to Canine Psychology”, by John Fisher

Please also refer to our Links page for additional resources.