Boerboel Registries and Standards: SABBS, AKC, UKC, NABBR and More

Yes, it has been fully recognized by the AKC since January 1, 2015.

A SABBS appraisal is a physical inspection of 43 points across eight categories. Dogs scoring 75% or higher may be bred; those below 75% are denied breeding rights.

SABBS is the authorized registry in South Africa (requires appraisal). The American Boerboel Club acts as the AKC parent club. UKC single-registers dogs from multiple organizations. The "correct" registry depends on whether the owner wants to show, compete in performance events, or breed.If you are weighing an imported Boerboel against an American-bred one, see imported vs. American-bred Boerboels.

No. Because of registry politics regarding black-colored Boerboels, the breed is unlikely to be recognized by the FCI.

Several organizations recognize the Boerboel, including SABBS, NABBR (formerly NABBA), ABC, AKC, UKC, and ADBA. SABBS (South African Boerboel Breeders Society) originated from SABT and is the original organization dedicated to the breed, established in South Africa. AKC (American Kennel Club) began recognizing the Boerboel in 2015. UKC is the United Kennel Club, and ADBA is the American Dog Breeder's Association. ABC (American Boerboel Club) serves as the official AKC parent club for the Boerboel, facilitating the transition to AKC registration. NABBA (North American Boerboel Breeders Association), founded in 2013, operated independently of SABBS and was restructured into NABBR (North American Boerboel Registry) in March 2024.

NABBR is the North American Boerboel Breeders Registry. NABBA was the earlier North American Boerboel Breeders Association, and when it closed, NABBR continued that work and maintained the registry and appraisal records. NABBR is a Boerboel-specific registry that maintains pedigrees and provides appraisals, shows, breed education, and related activities. One of the important parts of the NABBR system is appraisal. In an appraisal, the individual dog is evaluated against the written Boerboel breed standard and receives a score or percentage. The appraisal is primarily a breeder's tool. It can help a breeder study strengths and weaknesses and use that information when making future breeding decisions. It is not meant to be a leaderboard for pet owners, and a higher appraisal percentage does not automatically mean one dog is categorically better than another dog in every respect. The number needs context. What matters is why the dog received the score it did and how the breeder is using that information. For most pet owners, the appraisal percentage itself is not something they need to chase. What matters far more is whether the breeder understands the tools available to them and how the traits being selected for—temperament, health, structure, workability, and other qualities—actually apply to the prospective owner's household and goals. Use appraisal information as one piece of a much larger picture rather than judging an entire dog or breeding program by a single percentage.

SABBS is the South African Boerboel Breeders' Society. It is a South African Boerboel-specific organization that maintains Boerboel pedigrees and registrations, has its own written breed standard, and operates an appraisal system. One major part of the SABBS system is appraisal. Dogs are evaluated against the SABBS breed standard and receive an appraisal percentage. Within that system, appraisal also plays a role in the organization's registration and breeding framework. The appraisal percentage is primarily a breeder's evaluation tool—one more way to examine a dog's strengths and weaknesses and use that information when making breeding decisions. For the average pet owner, that percentage by itself usually has very little practical meaning. A higher score should not automatically be treated as meaning “better dog” across the board. For someone buying a family companion, temperament, health, suitability, and overall fit with the breeder's program matter far more than chasing an appraisal percentage. For breeders, however, appraisal can be another useful data point. So instead of focusing only on “What number did the dog get?” ask how the breeder is using that appraisal information in combination with other relevant tools and information—temperament, health, structure, workability, and the overall production of their program.

The American Boerboel Club has served the breed in the United States since 2006. When the Boerboel entered the AKC Miscellaneous Class on January 1, 2010, ABC became the AKC parent club designee. In February 2014, AKC formally named ABC as the official parent club for the Boerboel. ABC is the American Boerboel Club, the AKC parent club for the Boerboel in the United States. Parent clubs work with the American Kennel Club around the breed's written standard, breed education, and judges' education. For most pet owners, involvement with the parent club does not change the day-to-day dog. What matters most is still the individual dog and the breeder's overall program.

AKC stands for the American Kennel Club, founded in 1884. It is one of the largest and oldest dog registries in the United States. For Boerboels, AKC provides an official American registration system, maintains pedigrees, and sanctions competition. The Boerboel entered the Foundation Stock Service in 2006, moved through the Miscellaneous Class, and gained full AKC recognition in 2015 in the Working Group. AKC is not the same as the American Boerboel Club. ABC is the parent club that represents the breed. AKC is the overall registry and competition system. For breeders, AKC registration and events can offer additional ways of evaluating dogs. For pet owners, AKC registration is largely paperwork and access to events. It does not guarantee health, temperament, or quality by itself. Registration is a tool. What matters is what a breeder does with it and how it is used alongside every other piece of information. So for a puppy buyer, the question is not simply, “Are the dogs AKC registered?” It is, “What has the breeder actually done with those dogs, and how are they being evaluated, worked, and understood to help shape the next generation?”

The United Kennel Club was founded in 1898 by Chauncey Z. Bennett in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It is often cited as the second-oldest all-breed registry in the United States. The American Pit Bull Terrier was the first breed registered with UKC. Bennett's own dog, Bennett's Ring, was UKC registration number one. From those beginnings, UKC expanded into an all-breed registry and developed a strong emphasis on the total dog—not simply what a dog looks like, but also its ability to work, perform, and function. For the Boerboel specifically, UKC recognized the breed in 2016 and placed it in the Guardian Dog Group. UKC maintains its own written Boerboel breed standard and provides registration, pedigree records, conformation competition, and opportunities for dogs to participate in performance events. One thing that stands out in the UKC Boerboel standard is its emphasis on functionality. Boerboel judging is focused on sound working structure and temperament. That is important because in a working breed, function and work help protect type. For breeders, UKC provides another avenue to register, show, work, and evaluate Boerboels. But for the average pet owner, UKC registration by itself is not a stamp of quality. It is documentation. The real question is always what a breeder is doing with the dogs and how they are using that information alongside health, temperament, structure, workability, performance, and the rest of the program.

These are three different types of evaluation, and each one asks a different question about the dog. Understanding the difference is important because appraisal scores, show wins, and working titles are sometimes discussed as though they measure the same thing. They do not. APPRAISAL With an appraisal, the dog is evaluated individually against that organization's written Boerboel breed standard. The dog is not competing against another dog for first, second, or third place. The appraiser examines the dog from a points perspective and the dog receives a score or percentage based on how that individual dog compares with the written standard. Organizations such as SABBS and NABBR use appraisers rather than the traditional conformation-show judging system. Appraisers are responsible for understanding their organization's breed standard and evaluating the individual dog against it. An appraisal percentage can be one more useful piece of information for a breeder, but it is not a leaderboard and should not be the sole focus. The important questions are why the dog scored the way it did, what strengths and weaknesses were identified, and how the breeder uses that information in the overall breeding program. The number and availability of appraisers can also matter. In South Africa, SABBS has multiple appraisers at different levels, including senior or head appraisers and developing appraisers, and different appraisal events can therefore be conducted by different people. In the United States, as of this writing, there are only two resident SABBS appraisers, except when guest appraisers are brought in, often for larger events such as the Boerboel Expo. NABBR has also begun developing junior appraisers, with a head appraiser and junior appraisers working through the education process to expand its future appraiser pool. CONFORMATION SHOWS Traditional conformation shows, such as AKC and UKC shows, work differently. The dogs are still being evaluated with a written breed standard in mind, but they are competing against other dogs. Judges award placements, points, championships, and other wins rather than giving each dog a percentage appraisal score. Another important difference is the opportunity to be evaluated by multiple judges. A dog can attend different AKC or UKC shows in different locations and be evaluated by different judges. That provides multiple independent evaluations rather than relying on the opinion of one or a very small number of evaluators. Competition can also progress beyond the individual breed. A dog may first compete against other dogs of its own breed and, depending on the event and its success, advance into group competition and potentially Best in Show competition, where dogs are being compared with representatives of other breeds. WORKING AND PERFORMANCE TITLES Working and performance titles ask a different question again: what can the dog actually do? Instead of only examining the dog standing against a written standard or comparing its conformation with other dogs, performance places the dog in an actual task and asks it to demonstrate qualities such as trainability, athletic ability, stability, structure in motion, recovery, willingness to work, and workability. AKC and UKC both provide performance opportunities in addition to conformation. ADBA has a particularly strong working and performance tradition. Its events include sanctioned weight pull, wall climb, treadmill racing, lure coursing, and conformation, although as of this writing ADBA has not expanded into showing the Boerboel in conformation. For Boerboels, its current value to us is primarily on the workability and performance side. Performance can also allow a dog to demonstrate its ability not only against dogs of its own breed but, depending on the sport and event, against dogs of other breeds. That gives breeders another way to see how the traits they are selecting actually function outside of a breed-specific evaluation. As of this writing, SABBS and NABBR have not moved into the working side in the same way and do not offer working titles for Boerboels within those organizations. The easiest way to summarize the difference is this: Appraisal asks: How does this dog score against this standard? Shows ask: How successfully does this dog represent its standard in competition against other dogs under judges? Working titles ask: What can this dog demonstrate in actual tasks, competing against other dogs and, in some cases, other breeds? For us at Cold River, we use health testing, breed standard evaluation, and, when appropriate, performance to help us understand the total dog. Each piece tells us something different, and together they help us make more informed breeding decisions. Our goal is to preserve Boerboel breed type and conformation while also preserving as much workability as possible. The dog should look the part, be the part, and still be capable of performing the jobs the breed was developed for. For an example of a working sport in practice, see our weight pull training guide.