Thinking of getting a Boston Terrier

[khd]

Never had a BT but have a pug and English Bulldog. Both similar in snoring and breathing problems and heat intolerance. The pug like a BT is hyper , snores louder than Fred Flintsone and is a "piss ant", i.e... like bark wanting to go out and then you have to chase her down to take her out but very smart. She is a good watch dog but I don't worry about her with strangers or children. Life expectancy is 12-15 years.

The bully...extemely well tempered, easy going and will toloerate just about anything a child can dish out yet can be very protective of it's family. An extemely high maintenance breed... gotta clean it's wrinkles and depending on the tail can have alot of problems around that area. (The wife keeps baby wipes and has to regularly wipe down there). Have to plan his activities and the older they get the less active they become. Smart when they want to be....I call it being selectivly stupid. Very expensive....1.5 - 3k and a short life 8-10 yrs. Lost the last one at 8 and had a new pup within 2 months. Will always have a bully.

On the BT...just depends on if you are in it for the things you have to live with....the snoring, heat intolerance and the hyper nature. Not like a beagle that is generally a self maintaining breed. Temperment, I think, is 80% how the dog is handled and what it is exposed to. If you are dog people like we are then temperment shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck on the descision.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[GareyD]

I've had a Boston around for the last 45 years...

They snore terribly, get irritated skin below their eyes in the wrinkles around their muzzle (calamine lotion and a Q tip....10 minutes a month to cure!!), have sensitive digestive tracks (frequent and oderous flatulation) and ARE IN MY OPINION, THE FINEST DOG YOU CAN OWN!!

Be careful of the males around children...I've only seen two out of about 20 I've owned/friends owned that was good around children, they don't seem to have a lot of patience, and seem to prefer adults....females on the other hand, I've only seen one that wasn't good around children!

My first one I had when I was about 5 years old, was so protective of me, that I had to lock her in the bathroom, when I was in trouble with my parents...she would bite Dad if he tried to punish me /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

They are a lot like cats in some ways...hate to get their feet wet in dewy grass, but will jump into the water to swim with their adopted family....can clean out a barn full of rats and mice just as fast as you can move old sacks and things out of their way (Corky holds the record at just over 200 mice in an hour when we cleaned out a feed room in an old barn we had rented, my 10 year old at the time daughter counted!!)

I've never had a BT that wasn't smarter than me....easy to house train, can teach them any trick in a couple of days...have just enough "attitude" that they are not "squat and pee" when you scold them type dogs, more like "if you're done now, can we play???"

Sorry to ramble on so...you just happend on one of my favorite passions...

GareyD

 

[Gatorboy]

Update: We decided against the Boston Terrier, and have, since Sept. been trying to figure out what breed we really wanted to have.

Well, today we have put down a deposit on a Male Rat Terrier -- taking into consideration TractorErnie's advice. The puppy is only 2 weeks old, so we must wait 6 more weeks before bringing him home. We have also decided to call him BOOKER.

Here is a picture of the little guy:

 

[Bird]

Dave, I think you made the right choice. I'm inclined to think that, overall, our rat terrier was about the best dog we ever had.

 

[GerardC]

That sure is a cute little booker! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Hope it all works out for you and you get many years of enjoyment from your newest family member /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. Gerard

 

[Unclebuck257]

Gator,

I just now saw this thread or I would have replied to it earlier. That little guy in the pic is really cute. I think you made the right decision in not going with a Boston. Our son has a rat terrier and they have a 5 yr old daughter and a 6 month old son. Their little rat terrier is great with the kids and them, and for his size, very protective of both kids. Great personality too.

I have had four Bostons all together, over the years and they are a fine dog in my opinion. Having said that, they are a very hyper dog generally and do experience breathing problems. The Boston breeders have not made it any better either. It seems that it is hard to find a decent breeder around and most are only trying to turn out more pups for more money and not caring about the quality of the breed or individual dog quality. Also, a lot of inbreeding was going on with Bostons a few years ago.

I found that true with the Shar Pei popularity explosion too, a few years back.

Good Luck with the little guy!!