Puppy Preparation & Nutrition

Getting nutrition right in the first 18 months protects your Boerboel's joints for life. The #1 mistake is growing a puppy too fast and too heavy. Feed a complete large/giant-breed PUPPY formula. These are formulated with controlled calcium, phosphorus and calorie density to slow growth to a healthy rate. Do NOT add calcium, "bone-building" supplements or heavy raw-bone loading during growth — calcium overload is a leading cause of developmental orthopedic disease. Let the complete diet do its job. Keep the puppy LEAN. You should be able to feel ribs easily and see a waist. A fat giant-breed puppy is not "healthy and big" — it's carrying damaging load on soft, growing joints. Lean puppies have far fewer orthopedic problems. Meal structure: 3 meals/day as a young puppy, dropping to 2 meals/day. Never feed one big meal — and rest for an hour around meals to reduce bloat risk (see the health course). Fresh water always. Body condition beats a chart: Feed the dog in front of you, not the bag's guideline. Adjust portions to keep that lean, athletic condition as they grow. Transitioning foods: Change diets gradually over 5–7 days to avoid stomach upset. When you switch to an adult formula (around 12–18 months, on your vet's guidance), do it slowly too.

Crate training and house training run on the same engine: management + reward + repetition. The crate is a den, not a jail. Feed meals inside, seed it with random treats, and build duration slowly. Cover part of it for a cave feel. A dog that loves its crate travels well, recovers from surgery safely, settles when guests arrive, and gives you a management tool for life. House-training formula: - Supervise or confine — a loose, unwatched puppy WILL have accidents. - Take out after every sleep, meal, play and every 1–2 hours. - Go to the same spot, wait, and reward the moment they finish. - Log the times they go; you'll quickly see their rhythm. - An accident = your management slipped. Clean with enzymatic cleaner, never punish after the fact (they won't connect it). Night-time: Limit water right before bed, last potty trip late, crate in your room, and expect one middle-of-the-night trip for young puppies — quiet, quick, back to bed, no play. Freedom is earned: Expand the puppy's unsupervised access room by room only after weeks of no accidents. Rushing freedom is how "house-trained" dogs regress.

Marker training gives you a clear language the dog understands instantly. It's the fastest, kindest way to teach a thinking breed. The marker: Pick a word ("yes") or a clicker. The marker means: "That exact thing you just did earned a reward." Timing is everything — mark the instant the behaviour happens, then deliver the treat a beat later. Charge the marker: 10–15 reps of mark → treat, so the dog learns the word predicts food. Now you can capture behaviour. Capturing & luring: Lure a sit by moving a treat up and back over the head; the moment the rear hits the floor, mark and pay. Fade the lure quickly so you're not bribing. Add the word "sit" only once the dog reliably offers it. Build the core cues: sit, down, place (go to a mat), come, and a release word ("free"). Keep sessions short (3–5 minutes), end on a win, and train before meals when the dog is keen. Rules of good training: - Say a cue once. Repeating "sit, sit, SIT" teaches the dog to ignore you. - Pay generously early, then vary rewards (food, praise, play, freedom) so behaviour stays strong without a treat every time. - Set the dog up to succeed; if it's failing, make it easier.

Recall (coming when called) is the most important skill you'll teach — for a guardian breed it can be lifesaving. Make your recall word sacred. Pick a fresh word ("here"). It ALWAYS predicts something amazing — high-value food, play, freedom — and is NEVER used to end fun, scold, or do something the dog dislikes. Poison the word and you lose it. Build it in stages: 1. In the house, say "here", the dog comes 3 feet, jackpot. Repeat everywhere indoors. 2. Add a long line (15–30 ft) outdoors. Call, reward big, let them go back to sniffing (freedom is a reward too). 3. Add mild distractions, then bigger ones, always on the long line so you never fail. 4. Only trust off-leash in secure areas once recall is rock-solid under distraction — and remember, no recall is 100% guaranteed with a territorial breed near a boundary. Games that build recall: "restrained recalls" (someone holds the dog while you call and run away), hide-and-seek in the house, and round-robin recalls between family members with treats. Never punish a slow return. If the dog eventually comes, reward it — punishing arrival teaches the dog that coming to you is a bad idea.

The primary socialisation window closes around 12–16 weeks. What your puppy experiences (or misses) in this period shapes its temperament for life. For a guardian breed, this is the single highest-leverage work you will ever do. Goal: NOT to make your Boerboel love every stranger — it won't, and shouldn't. The goal is a NEUTRAL, confident dog that has seen the world, isn't spooked by novelty, and takes its cues from you. Expose, don't overwhelm: Calmly introduce many surfaces, sounds, people (different ages, appearances, hats, uniforms), safe vaccinated dogs, car rides, vet visits (happy visits with treats), traffic, umbrellas, wheelchairs, and household chaos. Keep experiences POSITIVE and let the puppy choose to approach. Pair novelty with food. Quality over quantity: One calm, positive exposure beats ten stressful ones. Flooding a nervous puppy creates fear, not confidence. Watch body language; back off and add distance if the puppy is scared. Handling & husbandry: Keep pairing paws/ears/mouth/nails with treats. Add gentle restraint, grooming and being examined. Ongoing socialisation: The window closes but the work doesn't stop. Adolescent Boerboels (8–18 months) often go through a "second fear period" and may test boundaries and become more territorial — keep exposing, keep training, stay calm and consistent, and don't panic. This is normal.