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

 

[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!!