— Breed of the Month —

The Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier is a compact, sturdy, people-oriented dog with a lively disposition. The first native American breed to be recognized by the American Kennel Club is immediately recognizable for its “tuxedo” coats (earning it the nickname “The American Gentleman”) and expressive eyes. These well-dressed dogs haven’t just earned their popularity with their fashion sense: they are intelligence-filled, always-alert natural comedians that tend to bring smiles to their owners’ faces.

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Breed Traits and Characteristics

According to the American Kennel Club, here are some breed characteristic you can find in Boston Terriers. 

 

  • Height

    15-17 inches

  • Weight

    12-25 pounds

  • Life Expectancy

    11-13 years

  • Coat Type/Length

    Smooth/Short

  • 100 Affectionate with Family
  • 100 Good with Young Children
  • 80 Good with Other Dogs
  • 80 Trainability Level
  • 80 Energy Level
  • 40 Barking Level
  • 40 Shedding Level
  • 20 Drooling Level

History

The Boston Terrier is named after the breed’s Boston, Massachusetts origins. Developed from a mix of English Bulldogs and white English Terriers, the breed descends from a dog named Judge, brought to America from England by William O’Brien and purchased by fellow Bostonian Robert C. Hooper in 1870. Known as Hooper’s Judge in breed histories, he is recognized as the “patriarch of the Boston Terrier breed” by the American Kennel Club.

Original Boston Terriers (colloquially nicknamed “roundheads”) weighed up to 44 pounds and became so popular around the city that the American Bull Terrier Club was formed in 1889. Soon after the club’s formation, local writer of note James Watson suggested the club change its name to the Boston Terrier Club, which it did in 1891. Continued breeding with French Bulldogs laid the foundation for the truly American breed we know today, and its distinctive colors and markings were written into its standard by the 20th century. Its good looks and popularity persist to this day – Boston University and Wofford College in South Carolina each boast Boston Terriers as their mascots, and it is the state dog of Massachusetts.

The Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier is a compact, sturdy, people-oriented dog with a lively disposition. The first native American breed to be recognized by the American Kennel Club is immediately recognizable for its “tuxedo” coats (earning it the nickname “The American Gentleman”) and expressive eyes. These well-dressed dogs haven’t just earned their popularity with their fashion sense: they are intelligence-filled, always-alert natural comedians that tend to bring smiles to their owners’ faces.

Personality and Temperament

Boston Terriers possess loving, friendly personalities that easily wins hearts. Their very stable temperaments are excellent for first-time dog owners and seasoned veterans alike, as well as families with children. Highly sociable, intelligent, and entertaining, Boston Terriers are very trainable – especially early in life.

Boston Terrier Physical Characteristics

Boston Terriers are compact, well-balanced dogs with smooth, “tuxedo” coats, and short heads and tails. Their trademark eyes are expressive and prominent, and their head tilt when investigating something new is as well-loved as their happy, sure-footed gait.

While Boston Terriers shed infrequently, they do benefit from weekly brushings to remove hair from their sleek, fine coats. The American Kennel Club recommends occasional baths, as well as regular nail trimmings to prevent movement issues and pain.

Class & Color

Class

  • Non-Sporting Group

Color

  • Brindle, Black & White, Black Brindle & White, Brindle & White, Seal & White, Seal Brindle & White

Size and Life Expectancy

Size

  • Medium to Large
  • Height: 15-17 inches
  • Weight: 12-25 pounds

Life Expectancy

  • Boston Terriers typically live between 13-15 years.

Other Traits

  • Sporty, compact body
  • Sleek, fine-haired “tuxedo” jacket coat
  • Square head, with big, round eyes
  • Short tail

Bark Busters Trainer Jeff Drier on the Boston Terrier

Boston Terriers typically have a stable temperament that enables them to get along well with both animals and humans. While they are not a breed that Bark Busters® receive a lot of calls for help with, one common issue seems to present itself: separation anxiety.

To understand separation anxiety, we must first understand how dogs think. Dogs are hardwired with a pack mentality. The corresponding hierarchy is determined using subtle, passive methods. We sometimes forget or are unaware of it, but we humans are included in the pack! The pack member who has greatest influence on the behavior of others is the leader, and Boston Terriers can become leaders of their human pack quite easily – their likeability and silly antics mean they are often given leeway by their owners that they interpret as an acknowledgement of their leadership.

Dogs display what they believe to be leadership behavior – often perceived as annoying or frustrating by humans – when they have determined they are in charge. This behavior can be situational and might include barking at people or dogs passing outside, rushing the door when someone comes to visit, and even becoming destructive when humans are away. Separation anxiety is an outgrowth of leadership – dogs get upset when the subordinates in their pack leave because, in their mind, they are responsible for “taking care” of them. Bostons become worried; that worry can be expressed by barking, destructive behavior, or toileting accidents.

Toby was one such Boston Terrier. He lives with his owner, Becky, in an apartment with thin walls. Toby would bark until exhausted as soon as Becky left for work each day – any noise he heard would set him off again, and the behavior would continue throughout the day. Constant barking meant plenty of neighbor complaints, so Becky called Bark Busters – after all, it’s our name!

Our trainer quickly observed the dynamics of the relationship and coached Becky on how to reassert her dominance as leader of the pack. Progress came quickly, and regular corrections meant it wasn’t very long before Toby was able to relax and nap until Becky got home.

If you have a Boston Terrier and need assistance resolving behavioral issues, call your local Bark Busters trainer. The sooner you get help, the sooner you and your dog can enjoy a happy, relaxed relationship built on loyalty, love, and respect – not worry or stress.

Tips for Potential Boston Terrier Owners

  • Boston Terriers have lovely, expressive eyes that require special attention. The American Kennel Club recommends checking them daily for signs of redness or irritation.
  • Responsible breeders regularly screen their stock for other common issues, including deafness and patellar luxation.
  • As a flat-faced breed, Boston Terriers may have breathing issues in extreme heat.
  • Boston Terriers do well in cities; while they love activities, their compact size means they do not need a lot of space.
  • If you are thinking of purchasing a Boston Terrier, be sure to source from a responsible breeder who is breeding for not only looks, but health and temperament as well. Rescues are also great options for prospective Boston Terrier owners. Contact your local Bark Busters trainer today to learn about great breeders and rescue organizations near you!

Like any breed, Boston Terriers benefit from early socialization and basic obedience training to establish patterns of good behavior.

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Need help training your Boston Terrier? Call 1-877-500-BARK (2275)or enter your zip code.

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Boston Terrier Grooming

While Boston Terriers shed infrequently, they do benefit from weekly brushings to remove hair from their sleek, fine coats. The American Kennel Club recommends occasional baths, as well as regular nail trimmings to prevent movement issues and pain.

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Hear from Bark Busters Clients Who Have a Boston Terrier

I am very impressed with what Marc has taught us today. My Boston Terrier was so changes after the first visit. I would highly recommend Bark Busters.
I didn’t have any confidence in myself as far as training Trooper goes. However, after the 2nd session I decided to buckle down and do our homework.
What a wonderful dog I have. It was money well spent not only for me but for Trooper! Nicholas Pagano was very patient and encouraging with us (mostly me)!
Trooper is my 5-year-old rescue Boston Terrier. My fourth! I love the breed. But since Trooper came to me from Texas I knew nothing about him, not even his birthday. Nicholas suggested that trooper may even been younger than 5.
Trooper’s issues were: PULLING, barking and rushing to the door, at people walking back & forth, squirrels, rabbits, birds, chipmunks, fear of the car, aggression towards the vacuum and grabbing tool.
Pulling was resolved with the proper harness (who knew?), now it is a pleasure to walk him. I have learned that terriers want to attack ALL little things so I just learn to be ready and offer a correction when I see a rodent presenting a problem. Of all my BTs, I never had one that actually treed squirrels!
Nicholas told me 'your dog is bored'!!! Who knew again! So puzzles were suggested. I love to watch him solve them. I really did learn a lot about having a dog! Even though I had 3 previous Bostons, this one is by far the most entertaining...he makes me laugh :)
We are still working on the fear of the car. I think the long ride from Texas to NJ may have traumatized him a bit. Also I have the tools to address the vacuum problem, so that’s a work in progress.
Trooper and I are buddies now…best friends and I am so grateful to Nicholas and Bark Busters for being there for us.
Mason arrived on time and ready to help, with our 2 Boston terrier brothers. He spent 2 hours helping and observing and giving us feed back in the moment to help with behavioral issue. We have started using the commands and day one seeing progress! Thanks Mason and Bark Busters for a great experience.
We had used Bark Busters over 10 years ago for our previous dogs and had great success then. We just adopted a new dog, a 5 yo Boston terrier named Rocky who is amazing, but has had a rough history. We needed to get him more comfortable with children and other dogs and my first thought was Bark Busters! To my surprise Michelle was still there! I was even more pleasantly surprised that the program had evolved over the years. Better handouts and a color coded guide to how your dog is reacting at a given moment. I loved that. Michelle spent a ton of time with us and she was patient and supportive and we got an email the next day checking in on us. Great value, since it is for the life of your pup. Rocky is already doing better and we've only been working with him for 3 days! Thank you Michelle! You're the best!
The training session was outstanding. Dottie who always is aggressive responded quickly to the lessons and became a sweet girl.
Orlando is amazing!!! We've seen such improvement with our dogs in one day. Orlando is a professional who is well educated in his profession. We feel so at peace now regarding our dogs safety and future.
Very informative with training our Draco. Will refer Barkbusters & Orlando to others. We are very pleased with Barkbusters and Orlando very personable.
It was super helpful understanding the dynamics at play in the home and how we are unknowingly contributing to Georgie's belief that he is the leader. I'm looking forward to implementing the tips Carrie showed us!
We had a great session! Our dog is already responding to the exercises and Carrie was great with her. Carrie was very helpful to us humans too with how best to interact with our dog for consistent results. I'm shocked by how well our dog is behaving already and can't wait to see how she improves with continued practice.
Loved working with Jared with our 2 year old Mini Aussie with reactivity issues. As many others have mentioned, there is no quick fix to these type of problems but Jared is great at providing a really unique and thorough perspective to look at your pet's issues! We use his techniques daily and his method of thinking like a dog has really helped us. Beyond that, he is easy to work with on scheduling and follows up regularly. Highly recommend!
We recently had the opportunity to work with Jared. What a terrific trainer! The results we experienced with our dog Franklin far exceeded our greatest hopes. He is much more relaxed, responsive to us, and his behavioral issues with other dogs have mostly been resolved. Best of all, Jared shared his expertise with us to help us continue working effectively with Franklin on our own. Jared's love and understanding of dogs made all this possible. We recommend him highly!
We feel confident in the tools we were given by Pascha and look forward to applying them moving into this season with Polly.
We couldn’t be happier with the progress our dogs have made thanks to Jared! We started our journey with Jared last December, and from the start, he was incredibly understanding of the issues we were facing. Our dogs were experiencing serious sibling rivalry that led to intense fights, so we had to keep them apart. We also mentioned to Jared that neither of our dogs had any prior obedience training, to which he assured us that it would not be an issue and he would be happy to work on that as well.

During our first couple of sessions, Jared focused on basic obedience training, which we diligently put into practice at home. We truly believe that it was this consistent obedience training, along with our commitment, that helped slowly reduce the sibling rivalry. Over time, the fights have been reduced to zero, we no longer separate them and they play together once again! Of course with a watchful eye to make sure no tension arises.

Jared has been so understanding and patient with both us and our dogs, and it really feels like he’s become part of the family. If you’re thinking about giving him a shot, we highly recommend it! Just keep in mind that progress takes time, so be patient with your pet(s) and yourself. It takes commitment from both you and your dog, but it’s absolutely worth it. We still have a long journey ahead with Jared but we couldn’t be more excited for it!

Picture: Our adorable dogs Biscuit (left) & Koffee (right) relaxing next to each other once again!
My dogs responded well to the commands and showed reasonable improvement. The session was engaging and positive. I appreciated the structured approach.
We noticed an immediate change in Kody's behavior. Joshua was great at teaching us the proper body language and tone so our pup would understand. So happy we decided to work with Joshua!
We described our dog's behavior and shared the goals we wanted to accomplish with reactivity and Bark Busters gave us clear insight on how to be successful. Demonstrations were provided and we got the chance to apply those techniques on our dog ourselves with visible results!
I saw noticeable difference in Toby's behavior today - I feel I've been given some great tools to improve our behavior.
Amazing improvement
Trainer worked fast and well with me and my dogs
Trainers are very professional and experienced
Deb is very knowledgeable and our family needed this in depth education. Deb's observations gave us a few quick changes that worked along with our mutual understanding why it is best for our dog to be her leader! Deb agreed to support us going forward and the price was worth it to have her help us.
The biggest lesson I learned today was posture and intensity make a difference.
I was very skeptical that it would work, but within a few minutes, she started responding. By the end of the training, she stopped barking
Josh was great. We saw noticeable improvement while he was here with regards to barking! We look forward to putting the training in to use. Thank you, Josh!
Just had my initial meeting with Deb and 100% recommend! She explained everything thoroughly and took my questions/concerns seriously while giving me guidance on how to address them. She showed me the techniques and I have seen great response from my girl in such a short time and cannot wait to keep working with her!
Judy,
Both Angelina, my daughter, & I cannot believe the difference in US, as leaders, & Millie, as the perfect student since your precious, calm, professional, friendly, fabulous husband Mike arrived this week!!!! Like he said, “No one is late to the party, they just suffer longer than they need to!” … as for Angelina, she will be on track the rest of her life with this approach & ‘tools’ in her mind! She even mentioned it to her sister, who came in last night with her Maine Coon cat, Phoebe, & WOW all around positive changes that she noticed all night long!!!
She loved hearing about it & also amazed what a difference in just ONE session!!!!
I can finally have family and friends come over without my dogs going crazy. My nephew and friends stopped coming over because my dogs would go crazy, barking and jumping up on them. I had people tell me I have little dogs and that’s just how they are. Put them in a crate and get them a collar to buzz and beep to correct that behavior. That’s all you can do. Pascha showed me different. Pascha was amazing. He explained things clearly, and was very professional. He followed up with me and I let him know how things were progressing. The one dog trying to attack the washing machine and vacuum cleaner, done. The bad crazy behaviors are gone. Things are so much nicer now, thanks to Pascha
John was very knowledgeable, personable, and a dog lover. He taught us effectively and efficiently. Now it's up to us to continue the new lifestyle.
Excellent help. Very clear instructions. Immediate results.
It was incredible to see the immediate results. I have a lot more confidence in her ability to live a calm and happy life. John was amazing! I wish I could have him work with my entire family's dogs.

Looking for Assistance Training Your Boston Terrier? Find Your Local Trainer Now!

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