Appraisals are organised under the auspices of SABBS.

The Board has the right to test any dog for stimulants after an appraisal or show.

Official appraisal days are presented throughout the year. Visit www.sabbs.org or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information on appraisal dates, venues and contact persons.

The Board of SABBS must approve the number of appraisal days that may be organised per year in each region or country.

Any member of SABBS may request an appraisal day to be arranged, but only a Board member or a designated regional representative may organise such an event.

A minimum of 15 dogs must enrol for appraisal in order to justify an appraisal venue.

It is the responsibility of the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee to arrange the attendance of a senior appraiser. An appraisal may be hosted only if a senior appraiser is present.

The person responsible for organising the appraisal must inform the web editor and the Office in good time of the starting times and directions to the venue.

The organiser is responsible for covering all the costs of an appraisal, unless – by prior arrangement - the Executive Committee has agreed to cover additional costs.

Members may advertise their stud or dogs at appraisal venues, provided they have the permission of the person organising the event, and there is no conflict with any other appraisal venue arrangements.

Boerboel puppies may only be offered for sale at SABBS appraisal venues after the Board member or designated representative granted permission and if both parents of the litter are SABBS registered dogs. The senior appraiser must inspect the puppies to determine if they are of an acceptable quality before granting/denying permission for them to be offered for sale at the venue.

The official sponsor of the Society may display advertising material and products at all appraisals.

The organiser may accept commercial advertising at appraisals on prepayment, or for services rendered, provided that the products advertised are not in competition with the products of the official sponsor, unless otherwise agreed with the official sponsor.

Standard appraisal.

Re-appraisal.

Appraisal on appeal.

Special appraisal.

Appraisal tour and en route appraisal.

Video appraisal.

Home appraisals are not allowed.

A Boerboel may be presented for appraisal from the age of 12 months. However, it is recommended that the dog be a bit older. The recommended age is ±18 months, as this is a more realistic age to gauge a dog’s development for breeding purposes.

In remote areas where there are infrequent appraisals, application may be made to the Board in advance for the appraisal of a dog from the age of 10 months, and provided that the senior Appraiser views the dog as sufficiently grown/matured to be appraised.

Health certificates must be submitted for all dogs for acceptance to the Stud and Development Registers in respect of hip and elbow dysplasia and vaginal hyperplasia (refer to Bylaw B 4 & 5). However, SABBS recommends that all breeding and intended breeding dogs be tested for HD, ED, VH, entropion, and ectropion, and that the relevant certificates be submitted when they are presented for appraisal.

Boerboel owners

On arrival at the appraisal venue, the owner must, if possible, leave the dog in his vehicle/dog trailer or in someone else’s care, while reporting to the administration table.

The owner must hand in the dog's Birth Notification/Certificate, and in the case of a re-appraisal, the Registration Certificate if not yet done on pre-registration. All dogs presented for appraisal must have microchips, and inoculation certificates must be available on request.

The owner must pay the required fee, as set out and reviewed by the Board from time to time.

Once all documentation has been completed, a number is allocated to the owner for each of his dogs that are to be appraised.

Once the appraisal commences, the dogs are called to the appraisal in chronological order.

The senior appraiser shall verify the dog's microchip number prior to appraising the dog. A microchip must be inserted and a DNA sample taken before continuing with the appraisal if no microchip can be found. (Refer to Bylaw A.5)

In order for the required scrutiny to take place, the owner must lead the dog around the appraisal ring, and may only come to a halt when asked to do so by an appraiser.

Once the assessment has been completed, the appraisal chart is handed to the administration table for the points to be tallied.

On completion of the appraisal, the owner and the dog must wait outside the ring until the final report has been compiled, and - time permitting - commentary has been given about the dog.

Immediately thereafter the owner must remove the dog from the appraisal activities and put it in safekeeping, following which a copy of the appraisal chart may be collected from the administration table.

All appraisal results shall become official only after verification and scrutiny of the required documents by the Head Office. No appraisal results shall be released in case of any outstanding documentation or information or payment of the prescribed fees.

A dog that attains the minimum score of 75% at a SABBS appraisal shall be entered onto the Stud Book Proper register (SP), (refer to Bylaw B.3) and a Registration Certificate shall be issued to the owner via the Head Office.

A dog that attains a score less than 75% at a SABBS appraisal, shall not be eligible for SABBS registration for breeding purposes and registration of their offspring, but will be taken up in the Pet Register (PET) (refer to Bylaw B.6).

A dog that attains 85% or higher at a SABBS appraisal is eligible for entry in the Stud Register (SR), subject to certain conditions (refer to Bylaw B.5).

If an owner is dissatisfied with the appraisal result, he may lodge an appeal (refer to Section 2.3 below: Appraisal on appeal).

The Society expects of owners and accompanying persons to conduct themselves in a manner that is not an embarrassment to either themselves, SABBS or the Boerboel..

Procedures at appraisal days

On arrival at the appraisal venue, any outstanding birth notifications/Registration Certificates or proof of payments are to be handed in at administration table in order for the event to proceed speedily and smoothly.

The Board member or organiser in charge of the particular appraisal day welcomes all those present, and makes any other announcements required, such as::

any messages of thanks that are necessary;:

description of the order of events and the appraisal process;:

any additional arrangements or activities;:

the availability of refreshments; v. location of toilet facilities; and:

the introduction of all the appraisers and/or other SABBS officials.

The senior appraiser and other appraiser(s) enter the appraisal ring.

Dogs are called to the ring according to their numbers, and their microchip numbers are checked by the senior appraiser who then records it on the appraisal chart.

The appraiser(s) may confer and discuss the dog in the ring with the senior appraiser at any time, in order for the dog to attain the most appropriate point that it deserves.

The senior appraiser takes the final decision regarding a point, and informs the appraiser(s) accordingly.

Only the senior appraiser completes the appraisal chart.

All appraisers that are present in the ring sign the appraisal chart, record their respective membership numbers and hand the chart to the administration table.

The administrative staff computes the score of the dog that has been assessed, and hand a copy of the appraisal chart to the owner.

All activities and requirements regarding appraisal venues, as prescribed in other Bylaws to the Constitution, must be adhered to.

The owner is entitled to have the dog re-appraised at any time.

The appraisal fee is the same as that for a standard appraisal.

The previous score chart of a dog shall not be made available to the appraiser during a re-appraisal.

The highest appraisal score that a dog receives – be it at the original appraisal or at a re-appraisal - shall stand.

The appeal must be lodged immediately after the result concerning the particular dog has been made known with the Board member of his region/country, or the officially designated organiser of the particular appraisal.

The owner must explain the reason why he is dissatisfied. The owner must only point out the specific point(s) that he disagrees with.

If the Board member/organiser is of the opinion that the appeal has merit, he may arrange to have the dog re-appraised on the same day if there are two senior appraisers present, or alternatively at the next suitable appraisal.

The owner must pay the appraisal fee - an amount equivalent to that of a standard appraisal - at the administration table.

The score chart in dispute must be made available to the senior appraisers for re-evaluation.

Should the appeal be upheld, the appraisal fee shall be refunded to the owner. If the appeal is denied, the owner shall forfeit the fee.

The appeal score shall be the final score.

The owner may not institute any financial claims against SABBS.

If the appeal is denied, the Board member/organiser shall report the reasons to the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee for verification by the Board.

The hosting of an appraisal event that was not scheduled on the official published annual programme of SABBS originally shall be considered in highly exceptional circumstances, and on merit only.

A request to organise a special appraisal day must be addressed to the Chairman or Vice-chairman and the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee via the relevant Board member or designated regional organiser.

A special appraisal day shall be arranged only with the approval of the Executive Committee, and in conjunction with the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee.

A special appraisal day must take place under the auspices of SABBS, and must be co-ordinated by the relevant Board member/regional representative, and the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee.

The event must be widely advertised at least 14 days prior to the date.

All requirements as set out under Standard appraisals must be adhered to.

If permission for a special appraisal day is granted, the applicant is responsible for all the costs associated with such event. This includes the travel and accommodation costs of the appraisers and officials in attendance, as well as the costs pertaining to the venue.

The appraisal fee is the same as that of a standard appraisal..

Approval of an application is subject to:

The Board member/designated regional organiser shall assist with the scheduling.

The appraisal shall be en route to an officially scheduled and publicised appraisal, or an appraisal tour.

The appraisal shall be done at a neutral venue (not on the premises/farm of the owner).

If applicable, the owner shall be responsible for additional costs (e.g. fuel, meals, accommodation and the venue).

The en route appraisal or appraisal tour must be advertised in the SABBS programme and in the area at least two weeks before the event.

There is no limit on the number of dogs that may be presented for an en route appraisal.

The appraisal fee is the same as that of a standard appraisal.

All requirements as set out under Standard appraisals must be adhered to.

Video appraisals are only granted to and considered on merit to paid-up members in remote areas outside the borders of South Africa where there are no scheduled appraisals in a given year.

All dogs with valid Birth Certificates are eligible for a video appraisal.

Applications and motivations for video appraisals must be submitted by the owner via the relevant Board member/designated representative to the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal committee and for final approval by the Executive Committee.

The Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal committee shall provide the applicant with the relevant information regarding requirements, cost and format of the video appraisal on approval of the request.

No Appraisal Chart shall be completed. The dog is assigned the maximum score of 80% if there are no obvious traits to warrant disqualification. The score shall be recorded for registration purposes, and will remain valid.

Dogs in the Development Register must be physically appraised for the first entry into the Basic Section (BS).

Dogs in the final (exit) phase of the Development Register, requiring 85% for full registration, must be appraised physically.

The cost of video appraisals shall be determined by the Board.

There must be sufficient helpers to deal with the various administrative tasks.

The responsible Board member/organiser must make the necessary arrangements to receive and provide information to the owners attending the appraisal.

The venue must have electrical supply. A sound system is a worthwhile addition.

The appraisal ring must be at least 6 to 10 metres wide.

The appraisal ring should preferably be positioned where there is sufficient natural light.

Sufficient tables and chairs must be provided.

Breeders/owners must provide water, shelter and a place for safekeeping for their dogs.

Refreshments and food must be provided for the appraisers, officials and the administrative staff.

Once the appraisal day is over, the responsible Board member/organiser must ensure that the venue is tidied and cleaned up.

No alcoholic beverages may be provided to any appraisers, officials or administrative staff at an appraisal.

Refreshments may be sold to the public and owners to recoup the expenses of hosting the event.

At least 2 (two) people are needed at the table to ensure that the administrative duties are handled in a professional way, i.e.

receiving outstanding copies of Birth Notifications/Birth Certificates, and in the case of reappraisals, Registration Certificates;

collecting outstanding moneys due as set by the Board from time to time (and issue official receipts as proof of payment) for entry for appraisals/re-appraisals, new memberships or annual membership fees;

to tally the score sheets;

issuing participants’ number stickers and

to complete the Appraisal Summary Sheet with all scores filled in.

All funds collected must be reconciled at the end of the event, and be paid into SABBS’s banking account not later than the first Wednesday following the appraisal by the relevant Board member/organiser.

All documentation (certificates, results, financial reconciliation, etc.) must be forwarded to the Office within 1 (one) week after the appraisal by the relevant Board member/organiser.

Any member of the Society may apply to his designated Board member/representative and the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee to be trained as an apprentice appraiser.

A Boerboel Workshop must be attended first. The course covers theory as well as practical work. Applications must be lodged as stated in Item (a) above.

At the end of the course a written and a practical examination shall be completed.

Candidates who achieve 80% or more in respectively the theory and practical examinations may apply to the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee for further training as apprentice appraisers.

An apprentice appraiser accompanies a senior appraiser in the appraisal ring. During an appraisal of a dog, the apprentice appraiser observes what the senior appraiser and appraisers do. The apprentice appraiser may ask the senior appraiser questions. On completion of an appraisal, the apprentice appraiser also signs the appraisal chart, together with his membership number, and the notation Apprentice in brackets.

An apprentice appraiser must appraise at least 30 dogs at three different appraisal venues and in different regions in his first year, before applying to the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee to be tested as an appraiser.

Apprentice appraisers may not claim travel or accommodation costs.

Apprentice appraisers who have appraised 30 dogs or more at three different appraisal venues and in different regions in his first year, and who have a thorough knowledge of the Boerboel, the Breed Standard, the Constitution, the Bylaws and the Society may apply to the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee to be tested as appraisers.

A written examination must be completed. He shall also be required to complete a practical test – three dogs must be assessed and then discussed with the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee.

The apprentice appraiser may be promoted to appraiser status if 80% was acquired in both examinations.

To retain their status appraisers must assess a minimum of 50 dogs per year at a minimum of 5 appraisal venues, and in different regions.

Appraisers who do not perform satisfactorily, or who do not appraise at least 50 dogs a year, shall be demoted by the Board and again be classed as apprentice appraisers. No action shall be taken against an appraiser who has appraised at all appraisal venues prescribed to him if such appraisal venues did not offer sufficient numbers of dogs to make up the required quota.

Appraisers may not claim travel or accommodation costs.

All appraisers must abide by the Code of Conduct for Appraisers (refer to Bylaw G.3).

Appraisers must ensure that all requirements regarding the appraisal system and Bylaws are met.

Appraisers are not allowed to appraise Boerboels that they have bred or own. The senior appraiser shall be informed accordingly, and a replacement appraiser shall be arranged.

To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Appraisers shall inform the Board if they intend using within a year a Boerboel that they have appraised for their breeding programmes.

In order to be promoted to senior appraiser an appraiser must have assessed at least 100 Boerboels within a year of acquiring appraiser status.

The Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee may, after deliberation with other senior appraisers, relevant Board members and the Chairman/Vice-Chairman of SABBS, invite appraisers to be tested to determine if they are sufficiently competent to act as senior appraisers.

Only appraisers that possess a comprehensive knowledge regarding the Boerboel, the Breed Standard, the Constitution and its Bylaws, knowledge of the Society as a whole, and who demonstrate outstanding inter-personal skills, shall be invited to be tested for senior appraiser status.

A written and practical examination, both for which 80% must be achieved, as well as a personal interview with a panel of senior appraisers, shall be completed before the candidate is appointed as a senior appraiser.

All senior appraisers must abide by the Code of Conduct for Appraisers (refer to Bylaw G.3).

A senior appraiser may, under abnormal circumstances, appraise a dog(s) on his own, provided that the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee has been notified in advance of this circumstance.

In the event of exceptional circumstances two ordinary appraisers with sufficient experience and knowledge may manage an appraisal ring on their own, provided that the Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee has been notified in advance of this circumstance and has given his approval.

Only senior appraisers nominated to attend specific appraisal venues may claim reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs from the Society.

Senior appraisers are not allowed to appraise Boerboels that they have bred or own. The Chairman of the Breed Standard and Appraisal Committee must be informed accordingly and in advance, and a replacement appraiser shall be arranged.

To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Senior Appraisers shall inform the Board if they intend using within a year a Boerboel that they have appraised for their breeding programmes.