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Originating from South Africa, the South African Boerboel is a large Molosser-type dog with a natural guardian instinct. The Molossus was a large, solidly-built dog from Ancient Greece and is the ancestor of many Mastiff and Molosser-type modern breeds.

The Borboel is thought to have been created by European settlers who arrived at the South African Cape in the mid-1600s and started crossing strong, large working breeds with native domestic dog breeds. The Boerboel, like many of the Mastiff breeds, was used as a homestead guardian, as a working farm dog, and could also work as a hunting dog.

Many Molosser-type breeds are used for search and rescue, such as the Saint Bernard and Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. The AKC recognized the Boerboel in 2015 as part of the Working Group. Boerboels can still be found working on farms and guarding them, but they are also family pets and can even be found working as therapy dogs.