Boston Terriers

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

As some of you know I lost my much loved female bullmastiff in August. Lately I have been feeling sad for our remaining dog (her son) who is lonely with no one to play with. I've also reached the point where I feel ready to add another pet to my life. I have been doing some reading on various breeds and I am quite interested in Bostons. The problem is tho, I have never met one or even seen one in person. They aren't particularly common around here altho I know there are a few in the area.So anyway what I'm hoping is someone who has owned one or known one well can give me some insights on the breed. Their good and bad points, health issues, life expectancy. That kind of thing.

Thanks

 

[StellaLenoir]

We have a little Boston !!! We love her soooo much!

She will turn a year in Jan. But her name is April, as we got her on April fools day.

I foster dogs for a rescue, and we had a large mama dog, who we thought was heavily prego, pulled from the kill shelter to foster her. Ended up the mama was in the END stage of a huge heart worm infection. She was in heart failer ect. Very sad. SO while we are at the vet finding out the bad news, some fool brings in a boston with a week old eye injury!!

(will lose the eye) and I said "there is one breed I have always wanted"

The girl behind the counter says"I have a boston puppy left do you want to see her ?" and out comes this too adorable sqirming mass of black and white.!!!!! How could I say no????

So we brought home April ( home to 2 big dogs, 3 small and whatever fosters ) I say she is the April, we are the fools. lol!

But she is the best. She is very smart, very wiggly , jumpy and very athletic. She loves to chase a whip and will go crazy trying to get it. Jumping in the air, running like 100mph! Too cute. Then she will crash in bed under the covers. At first she was leary of the new dogs we always have coming and , but now she is great. We socalized the heck out of her. We just had 5 foster pups and April was a great big sis.

She does chase the chickens, and has a high chase drive, but she stops at chasing. Our boston is very active, with us and the other dogs. But I find that she is quite the instigator, for getting all the dogs to chase. So that is something to consider.

Oh well her is a pic of my baby!!

and as a baby

and with her partners in crime. My other girl dogs, Vada(mine head cut off lol) Miss B,(smallish pointy face, foster)and Emma(black and tan mix?? foster, mom of 5 pups) and on the far side with the glowing eyes is Honey she is 3-4 lbs and all mine

April is a small boston, she weights only about 15 lbs.

I LOVE my boston and she is the best dog for us! Active playfull, tough and yet very sweet and cuddly.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thank you for the response. What a great story! I loved the pictures too but I almost missed seeing Honey. I had to look very hard to find her

. When you say she is active would you describe her as hyper? I don't mind an active dog and we live on a very large acreage so space is not an issue but if the dog is always on the go rather than settling down in the house that might be an issue. As for the inclination to chase, well, I don't have chickens, I think the horses would ignore it in a dog that small but I do have a cat. Is your girl predatory or just wanting to run with the animals? Thanks again for the input.

 

[StellaLenoir]

April is hyper outside when playing, but she settles great! She is a under cover snuggler

in bed. She plays in the house, but I would not say she is hyper at all!!

I really think she is a perfect mix of play and cuddle. She will be as wild as you want her while playing with her, but she will sit on the couch and relax while watching tv, ect. She is crazy when company comes over though. She can jump almost shoulder height! But I think that is being a puppy, and we dont get too many human visiters? Not everyone I know is as much of an animal lover as I am lol!

We have a few cats, and April does great with them. I think she has a preditory instinct but not a kill kill kill mind set. Kind of 'if it runs, I will chase'

As for the horses, I am truly suprised April has not lost her tounge to a horse. She goes crazy licking them through the fence, and sometimes it looks like she and the horses are frenching! TOo funny!

I really love having a boston.

She does snore, and sometimes makes weird noises.

 

[Mona]

YES! EXACTLY what Stella said!!

They are wonderful little dogs!! They are very active, but not non-stop. They just love to run and play. My Molly attacks the garden hose, the broom, mop, vacuum, flyswatter, kids plastic toy gun when they pull the trigger. It is not a mean attack...it is an "all in fun" kind of attack and then tell her "OK Molly, that's enought now" and she will stop. They are the CLOWN of the dog world...great little entertainers! And yes, they LOVE to snuggle and cuddle. My Molly seems to throw off more heat that most other dogs...she's like a little hot water bottle. When in bed, she seems like she's not happy unless she's right up against you...has to be touching you. She thinks EVERYONE should be her friend and love her the way I do! She has not met an enemy. My Molly is also on the small side at 15# but even though she is small, she is not in the least bit "delicate"! She is a real little farm dog...a real little go-getter!! Please check out Molly's page that has several photos of her.

 

[dreamlandnh]

I do not have one but my grandmother does. I have watched Sam at our house a few times. He is a friendly little dog and loves to play.

Sam is not hyper but loves to play and be near you but he likes cuddle time too.

 

[StellaLenoir]

Mona I love Molly!!! What a doll!

I forgot (how could I??) about the chasing weird things.!!! Hahahah

April goes after the fly swatter too, and the vacume! She is fasinated by the vacume head, and the air sucking. She would love to 'get' the vacume but we dont let her. We can put the sucking on low and it is not too powerfull, and sometimes we will play with her like that. She loves feeling the slight suction around her mouth.

She is such a weird little girl but she fits us perfecty!!!

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

Shelly on this board is a Boston Breeder!! I Know and ADORE her dogs!!!!!! I'm hoping I can get a puppy from her next litter! I'll make sure she knows this thread is here!

Joyce

 

[mininik]

http://www.bostonterrierclubofamerica.org/

 

[user 488]

Mona, Molly is too cute. I see those shots you told me about......shameless is right! LOL!

Sounds to me like they have that typical terrier personality that I so dearly LOVE!

 

[uwharrie]

Contact your local dog club and get a breeder referral. I recommend visiting with breeders and ask lots of questions.

Good breeders will health test their dogs ( I think the least should be OFA hips and patella and CERF on the eyes for parents)

and ask you as many ( or more) questions than you ask them.

 

[TangoMango]

Yep, another Boston Lover here. I have a male and a female. The female is due on Nov.14th.. We cant wait!!

They are VERY intelligent little dogs, high energy, and mine also sneak under the covers to sleep. Goofy dogs.

They are VERY sensitive to temperatures. We almost lost our male to heat stroke this summer. The goof ran around playing and exhausted himself. We dress ours up every Halloween and go trick or treating with them. They LOVE kids. And yep, they SNORE!

Here are some pics of mine. Our female, Tinkerbell

And our male, Dozer.

And the 2 stooges

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Thank you all! Mona I looked at Molly's pictures (she is a sweetie) and then followed the link to the info site read the various advice given there (hips, eyes and hearing) and then read the poem at the end (then I had to go away for a while until I managed to get my emotions back under control

) I've gotten a little more insight into these little dogs and am even more interested in them than I was. Now I have to find a breeder locally so I can visit and get to know them personally. I have never owned a small dog before so I want to be very sure that this breed can fit into my family.

LOL Tango your little one looks like she is quite able to use cute looks and guile to get her way. I can see her saying "....but I'm soooo cute, you can't be angry, ...can you?" lol

 

[shelly]

If you are looking for a loving companion, a loyal friend, a snuggling partner, a playful - funny - outgoing - all around dog then a BOSTON TERRIER is JUST what you need!!!!! They are the BEST

:yeah

I have 3 females right now and have one litter a year. I've always been a big dog person UNTIL I got my first Boston...Brindle! She completely won my heart from the very first moment I saw her. Yes they are very active little dogs...but do settle when told if training is done right. Yes they are very excitable, but will calm down if training is done right! They are highly intelligent and learn very quickly. Mine live on a farm with horses, cats and chickens and do not have a problem with any of them. They play with each other and also with the cats. I do not let them in with the horses as I am afraid they will get stepped on, though I know they wouldn't hurt the horses! They do chase the chickens but never hurt them either...very friendly to all creatures!

They do have sensitive skin and tend to get dry and flakey in the winter if not given supplements with Omega 3 & 6 in it.(fish oils) They also have digestive issues(LOTS of GAS!!!) Some dog foods make it worse, you just have to find the right one for your dog. Grooming is a breeze...a bath once a month or so and a brushing with it, you're good to go. Keep their ears clean and cut their nails every week as they tend to get long qwiks if not kept up on trimming. The shorter the snout, the worse they snore!!!!! Brindle has a fairly long nose, no snoring at all...Lucy has a little shorter nose and she snores sometimes and snorts some too...Precious has the short snout and she snores all the time and also snorts alot. Precious also has the bulgy eyes like a pug...some do, some don't. They can range in weight from 12/17 lbs. which is the old time size/type to 18/22 lbs. which is standard to 23/30 lbs. which is what is considered to be almost too big. Mine are all three sizes...Brindle being 28 lbs., Lucy is 22 lbs. and Precious is 17 lbs. If you are looking to get a Boston, I suggest getting a puppy so that you can do your own training and bonding at the same time. Also, as you already have another dog, that dog will take to a pup better than another adult dog that may or may not have it's own issues towards your dog. Good luck and I know you won't regret getting a Boston if that is what you decide to get!!!!!

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Shelley, thank ou. That was very informative

I understand about the gas (My bullmastiffs and before them a Rotty were quite gassy lol, I just blame it on my hubby ) The dog we have is very well socialized and will not have any issue with a newcomer of any age but I also have a special needs daughter and puppies (carefully) brought up with her are more able to accept her sudden movement etc. with out being stressed. It takes an exceptional adult dog to accept her and love her in spite of her problems. How much do they shed? I understand pugs shed their weight in hair every day (OK I know thats an exaggeration ) and my bully is trying hard to carpet my home this year (stress has caused a sudden increase in hair loss) so I wondered if bostons are shedders too.

 

[Mona]

Yes Carol, they definately do have that endearing Terrier quality!

I understand about the gas (My bullmastiffs and before them a Rotty were quite gassy lol, I just blame it on my hubby )

Hmmm, that is just opposite my household. My HUSBAND is gassy and blames it on the dogs!

Oh, and they don't shed too much. Their hair (at least Molly's) is short and slick, with no undercoat, so although shedding is there, it is minimal.

OMG TangoMango, your Bostons are ADORABLE!!!

 

[Carol Z]

I had to add my 2 cents to this BT thread. Hopefully you can see my Charlie in my avatar. He's 5 years old and we love him so much. He's just the funniest little guy and keeps us entertained. Yep, he is for sure high energy, but is a real snuggle bunny and if I'm sitting down, he's glued to my side, and preferably under a blanket. He did snore, but when we had him neutered, the vet did a little surgery on his septum and pretty much cured the snoring. It was an inexpensive little snip, and changed his life. We didn't even know he couldn't smell much until after the surgery, when we got him home he put his nose to the ground in amazement and just kept smelling everything.

Charlie has never met a person, big or small, that he doesn't love. He falls in love with everyone who comes to visit us. Not much of a watch dog, haha.

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Boston.