Thinking of getting a Boston Terrier

[Gatorboy]

It's been about a year since we had to put down our 12-year old Beagle. It was a few rough months for my wife -- she said she never wanted to get another dog again because of the pain this caused her.

Well, for about the last few weeks, she has been seriously considering us getting another dog -- which makes me very happy. Our youngest is 2 1/2, so we want a dog that is good with small children. We have pretty much narrowed our search to a Boston Terrier.

We have located a breeder about 45 minutes away in PA that has 3 males with the classical markings -- one of them is brindle. I would like to hear any experiences that some may have with this breed -- Good and Bad.

 

[Mrwurm]

Well, they are a good looking dog, but my experience with them has not been positive. My grandfather had one that bit several of the grandkids. It bit me twice that required stitches.

Our neighbor had one that was pretty agressive and barked angrily whenever anyone came near the fence. In contrast, my uncle had one that was a slobbery, happy, hyper, goofball. Hopefully, yours will be of this variety.

 

[kokopelli2]

we love them, but they snore. they are terriers so some are not good with strangers or anything out of the ordinary.

have you looked at the shiba inu? great dog with kids, clean, quite, healthy, smart.....and so on.
just my .02

 

[Bob_Skurka]

My FIL has one and it is a happy slobbery but OVERLY HYPER dog who runs and bounces around the house. He barks a bit, but not a lot. I've never seen him act in an aggressive way. But the dog pretty much bounces over the furniture, around the house and anyone in his way. If you like irrational exuberance, then you'd love this dog.

 

[Cliff_Johns]

We have fostered four or five Bostons. My wife has decided that we will eventually keep one (some years down the road). They tend to be little clowns and are usually a lot of fun. They do have some breathing problems in hot weather and can overheat easily because of their head and throat structure. They can't stay outside in the sun with you if it's hot!!. Yes, they pretty much all snore.

I recommend you consider adopting a Boston. If you find one that is a couple years old, you have all the usual advantages of knowing the dogs personality up front and being already house broken, but you also know if they have any health problems and you can determine if they like kids, just put up with them, or don't like them. Don't let anyone tell you that great pure-bred dogs aren't available for adoption. It just ain't true. I can understand wanting to raise a dog from a puppy, though I wouldn't want to do it again. Personally, I like old dogs the best.

If you need connections to find Boston Terrier rescue, PM me, and I will find the contact info.

Cliff

 

[Onthelake]

Never owned one personally but have had close experience with two. My friend had one that could destroy one of those "indestructable" balls in about an hour. He was several years old and still bounced off the walls. Current live next to one. Although he looks like a pure bred, he his very large and will walk thru and over anything in his way. No manners and also extremely hyper. If you have a small child this is one of the last dogs I would pick. One other thing to consider. These dogs have POWERFUL jaws. If they bite, they bite hard.

Just my two cents.

Rod

 

[YanmarFever]

Gator
chech out the Rat terriers, I have had quite a few of them
over the years, they sleep outside and live for the moment that Im outside with them.
When you drive up to my place they are the best doorbells money can buy , + they have good tempers,and are nearly bulletproof in their health.
Most of all they are clean dogs, and they will kill mice, gophers, and moles
Ernie

 

[MDSteve]

My inlaws have 3. I call them cat dogs because they lay on the backs of the couch like cats. I don't mind them but I would loose them around our house. I have had a few German Shepards and they are great dogs. Everyone laughs but they are big chickens even the bostons chase my dogs around. I have had my dogs trainned at apple jacks and they listen to every command. The inlaws tried training the bostons but I think they have A.D.D. and didn't pick up the training.

Steve

 

[EddieWalker]

I had two of them. Both from puppies.

The first one turned out to be deaf. After we had her awhile we relized it, but she was so smart and alert, it was tough to tell. They are not as common as dalmations for deafness, but it's sure a normal enought thing for the bread.

This one was incredibly smart and learned sign language. When she dis something bad, she would look away to not see the signal for bad dog. Hahaha

One thing she did that I haven't seen in other bostons is fetch. This dog lives for fetch. She will bring toy after toy and set it on your toes until you throw it.

After a year, my ex decided she needed a friend, so we got another boston. This one is only half as smart as the deaf one. Deaf learned the doggy door in minutes. The new one took days to figure it out.

Downfalls in the breed. The deaf one was unpredictible with stangers until they played fetch. Then she loved them. They both had skin issues and needed treatment. They don't have an undercoat and don't handle the cold. It's an indoor dog. They are full of energy and love to play.

The dumber one was good at killing rats. She got three over the years that we found.

All small breeds have knee issues. It's a breeding thing as a result of their size. We spent $800 to get a knee reattached. It was caused by fetch and coliding with each other. The deaf one taught the dumb one to fetch also. Hahaha

I would recomend the breed on my experience with them. They are smart with awesome personalities!!!!

 

[texbaylea]

Gatorboy

Unless you feel that you must have a small dog, check out a Boxer. We have had Boxers for fifty years and have bred them for about 25 yrs. They are generally more laid back after puppyhood ( which can last until they are 2 ). Being larger they can and do tolerate the unintentional abuse small children can dish out. They are great with children, very protective. Short coat and do not require frequent bathing. Do not smell like a lot of dogs. They do have a slightly higher frequency of skin cancer than most dogs. We love them.

Vernon