How to Select a Boston Terrier

The chipper and humorous Boston terrier is a compact and muscular dog that was first bred to fight during the 1800s in Boston. Today, the Boston terrier is happy to be indoors with his human family and loves to play with adults and children alike.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog Beds
• Dog Bones
• Dog Brushes
• Dog Collars
• Dog Dishes
• Dog Flea/tick Control Medication
• Dog Leashes
• Dog Shampoo
• Dog Tags
• Dog Treats
• High-quality Dog Food
• Dog Shampoo

1. Choose a Boston terrier if you're looking for a friendly, intelligent dog that gets along well with others. This breed usually loves children, strangers and other animals. However, Boston terriers may occasionally be aggressive toward other dogs.

2. Note that a Boston terrier may not be the most reliable watchdog because of his or her cheerful personality. However, this depends on the individual dog.

3. Consider a Boston terrier if you live in an apartment because this breed is primarily an indoor dog and doesn't mind a smaller home.

4. Realize that your Boston terrier will expect to be included in all family gatherings.

5. Keep in mind that although a Boston terrier can be trained quickly because of his intelligence the breed is known for stubbornness. Some Boston terriers are difficult to housebreak, although most are housebroken by the age of 8 months.

6. Know that Boston terriers will grow to 15 to 17 inches and weigh between 10 and 25 pounds. Their life expectancy is usually not more than 12 years.

7. Expect to pay between $300 and $1,500 for a purebred Boston terrier or more for a genetically tested dog or a puppy with full registration for breeding and showing.

8. Ask the breeder about any available health guarantees.

9. Look carefully at the Boston terrier's features. He or she should seem alert, intelligent and energetic. His or her body should be dense and solid with a short, flat head that is wrinkle-free. The dog's short coat should be either brindle (red or tan with a black striped pattern), seal (red and black hairs mixed finely), or black and white.

10. Know that Boston terriers occasionally have health conditions such as cataracts, hypothyroidism and skin tumors. Ask the breeder what screening has been done.

11. Check out potential breeders carefully, being sure to ask whether they are members of breed, specialty or obedience clubs. Affiliation with a club means you can check the breeder's references to make sure the breeder is not a puppy mill (a place where puppies are constantly bred for financial gain without consideration of the integrity of the breed) and that the breeder carefully screens for health problems before breeding. The mother of the puppy (and possibly the father) should be available for viewing.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider adopting a Boston terrier from a pet rescue organization. For more information, contact the Boston Terrier Club of America at [phone]. Most dogs are screened by rescue organizations for health and personality problems before they are adopted out.
• This breed is very playful and some Bostons enjoy a game of fetch.
• Boston terriers often do not bark.
• Boston terriers can have breathing problems when exerting themselves in extreme cold or heat. They also can suffer from heat exhaustion. Because they do not deal with cold temperatures well, they should be indoor dogs.
• This breed is prone to snoring.

[iluvtn1]

on 2/22/2008 Vet bills will vary from dog to dog and area to area.

on 3/17/2006 Both of my Boston Terriers were easy to housebreak and learned basic obedience by the PPPR method - patience, perseverance, positive reinforcement and repetition. I am single and work full time and found that crate training was a must. My male Boston Terrier learned to ring a strip of bells attached to my back door in two days. Every time he went to the door I rang the bell myself and he soon learned that this was fun and got an immediate response from me rather than sitting silently and out of my view at the door. Also, they both get a small treat every time they come back in the house. Bostons are very food oriented and respond well to treat training and quickly learn this way, but be careful, only small treats as they can tend to put on weight easily. Baby carrots are a favorite!

on 2/23/2006 Boston terriers are people dogs, they must be with people constantly to be happy and well-adjusted. I have had Bostons for years, and we take our current Boston, Paris, everywhere we can. She sits with us on the sofa, watches TV, walks with us during exercise, goes to the basement and out in the yard. She is like a dependent child, and gives much more in return than she gets from us.

If you are away from home for long periods of time, day after day, this breed is not for you. It is unfair and cruel to leave them alone, please do not inflict this punishment on a Boston.

on 1/13/2006 If you work full time and are single, housebreaking will be a difficult task. They are wonderful dogs, but will not hold it like other breeds. My dog is lazy in this area, maybe yours won't be.
Snoring is a given, and they must be kept indoors during extreme weather.
People either love or hate Bostons. There is no in between. Visitors will be showered with kisses and scratches. Advice: Be retired.

on 11/22/2005 Please consider a pound pup or rescue -I found our true love in the County Shelter quite by serendipity. I was checking back on a red terrier and the attendant alerted me to "Mimi", now known as "Ivy". She had 2 cherry eyes (look this up if you are considering a Boston), but since my brother is a veterinarian, I figured, what the hay? She has been a 98% delight and 2% otherwise, for the last 3 years. She is smart, stubborn, dominant toward other dogs, and very loving and kind to the kid and the cat. Best of all breeds, in my opinion. But beware the veterinarian bills.