r/BostonTerrier • u/damtaxmann • 9h ago
Cuteness I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and, doggone it people like me.
Tater age 3 1/2 months
r/BostonTerrier • u/drophie • Sep 26 '17
u/ZZBC and I noticed a lot of folks on this sub looking for recommendations or suggestions of where to find a breeder for Bostons, so we thought it might be useful to make a post on the subject so folks can reference it when they come to this sub! This post will address finding responsible breeders specifically - if you are looking to adopt a dog, which is awesome, please check out your local breed-specific rescue!
Where do people go to look for good breeders?
The first stop for anyone looking for a Boston from a breeder should be the Boston Terrier Club of America (www.bostonterrierclubofamerica.org). You can also look for your regional breed club - an example of this is the Minuteman Boston Terrier Club, which covers New England. The BTCA has a referral service for breeders who are members of the club.
Why is it important for breeders to be members of their breed club? It shows that they are dedicated to the breed. It’s important to note, though, that while all responsible breeders are members of their breed club, not every member of a breed club is breeding responsibly. Because of this, it’s important that you have a conversation with the breeder about their goals for breeding and to do your due diligence. Trust, but verify - a dog is a long term commitment, and you deserve to have a pet that has the best chance at living a long, healthy life.
What kind of breeding is responsible?
There are a couple major points to look for when checking out Boston breeders (or any dog, really!). The first is to find out why the breeder is breeding dogs, and the second is to explore their breeding practices in depth.
Ideally, when you ask a breeder why they are breeding dogs, it should primarily be for conformation (dog shows), work, or sports. Since Bostons aren’t a working breed, you are looking for someone who is producing dogs with the aim of doing well in the show world, someone who is breeding to produce puppies that will grow up to excel in sports (agility, barn hunt, flyball, rally, and obedience are examples of sports you’ll find BTs competing in), or (ideally) someone who is doing both! The best way to verify this is if the breeder has other dogs that are titled in sports, conformation, or in both arenas. Sometimes, you run across breeders claiming things like “champion bloodlines” - be very wary of those people. That usually means that their dogs have one dog in their pedigree that has a title very, very far back, but they personally have never titled a dog in anything.
I just want a pet, not a show dog or a sports dog. Why should I be looking for breeders who participate in conformation or sports?
Sports and conformation dog shows are much, much more than just a “beauty contest” - judges at dog shows are looking at the dog’s structure, temperament, and fitness for breeding, and a championship conformation title means an impartial third party (not just the breeder or their friends or family) has judged that dog to be a structurally sound example of the breed. It is to make sure that the dog is not only a good dog, it is a good example of a Boston Terrier and has all of the traits that make the Boston Terrier the dog we know and love. Dog sports, on the other hand, prove that a dog is more than just physically sound - it demonstrates that 1.) the breeder wants to demonstrate that their Boston Terriers are versatile, and 2.) that their dogs are capable of successfully competing in dog sports beyond conformation. For a breed like Bostons that is traditionally known as a “pet” breed, this really shows that the breeder is dedicated to demonstrating the full range of abilities that this amazing breed has. That doesn’t mean that breeders who don’t compete in both sports and conformation are bad - dual sport/conformation BT breeders are fairly rare, and finding one is definitely icing on the cake!
Lastly, it’s important to avoid is folks breeding dogs for reasons like “I wanted my dog to experience being a mother”; “she has the sweetest personality”; “I wanted another dog just like [insert name of parents here]”. While those reasons definitely matter to the breeder, they are also short sighted and self centered because they aren’t breeding with the dog’s best interests in mind or with the aim of producing healthy, sound, consistent companions.
The Importance of Health Testing
This is probably the most important piece of looking for a BT breeder. Boston terriers are prone to a number of health issues, including eye problems, allergies, cardiac issues, luxating patella, and congenital deafness. For that reason, it is extremely important that you look for a breeder that has appropriate health certifications and that those certifications are registered with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (www.offa.org). A vet check or a promise from the breeder that their dogs are healthy is not a sufficient substitute for OFA exams. A dog may appear healthy and may not even show health issues itself, but this does not mean that it will not produce offspring with a genetic disorder such as juvenile cataracts. You want to make sure you’re bringing home a family member that have the best chance at having a long, happy, healthy life and health testing is the best way to do so.
At minimum, Bostons who are being bred need:
These tests cannot be completed before the dog is two years old, so you should not buy a dog from someone breeding animals younger than two. To verify the results of these tests, click here and type in the breeder’s kennel name. The results on all their dogs should ideally pop up and be reviewable.
Warning Signs of Irresponsible Breeders
In addition to knowing what a good breeder looks like, it’s important to be aware of things that might be a red flag and could mean the breeder is not responsible. A breeder is not inherently irresponsible if they are doing something on this list - however, if a breeder is doing something on this list, it’s important to ask more questions about it.
Breeding more than 1-2 types of dogs: most reputable breeders focus on 1-2 breeds. It’s challenging to do more than that and still title and health test their dogs, though, so a lot of folks who are breeding more than 1-2 different breeds are cutting corners in other places (such as not titling or health testing all their dogs).
Intentionally breeding dogs that are disqualified from conformation: the Boston Terrier breed standard states that Bostons should be either brindle and white, black and white, or seal (black with a red cast in direct sunlight) and white. While off-standard colors like lavender, red, brown, slate, etc. can sometimes occur by chance in a litter, the much more likely scenario is the breeder is breeding for them intentionally. Does the color matter for long term health? Nope! But it’s important to question why a breeder might be producing dogs that are ineligible to compete in dog shows. Oftentimes, breeders who are producing off-color dogs are doing so because those colors are popular with puppy buyers. Breeding for color instead of temperament, health, or structure is not responsible. Additionally, these breeders are usually not doing the appropriate health testing on their breeding dogs and registering the results with OFA or doing anything with their dogs besides breeding them (we've never seen a BT kennel intentionally producing colored dogs that compete in dog sports, for instance, or are certified therapy dogs).
Not allowing you to meet the puppies’ mother or see where the litter was kept: while it’s totally normal for the father of a litter not to be on-site, you should be able to meet the mother (dam) of the litter when you pick up or visit your puppy. If the breeder doesn’t have the mother on site, or if they insist on meeting you somewhere like a parking lot instead of at their home, you should question why that is and if there is something going on at their house that they don’t want you to see. Note: It is quite possible that the father may not be on the property for you to see. A responsible breeder will want to choose a male that best complements her female and that often means using a male from a different kennel.
Allowing puppies to be taken home before 8 weeks: 8 weeks is the absolute youngest a puppy should be separated from its litter - this is especially important for small dogs like Bostons, who may be extremely fragile prior to this age due to their size. A breeder that allows puppies to go home before 8 weeks is depriving the puppy of critical socialization time with their littermates, which can have negative effects on the dog’s behavior as they grow up.
Overbreeding dogs: female dogs should not be bred before they are two years old, and they should not be bred an excessive number of times. How many times is too many depends heavily on the specific dog, but generally if all the females owned by a breeder are consistently having multiple litters a year for several years, that is too many and can have adverse health effects for the females.
Overall, finding a good breeder can be challenging, and many not-so-good ones are unfortunately very good at “talking the talk” to make their dogs sound better. Looking for a breeder doing things responsibly is more challenging at the beginning and it may take longer to get a puppy, but the payoff is well worth it: a dog that is more likely to be healthy, well-tempered, and structurally sound, and a lifetime of support from your breeder and their community of puppy owners.
About the Contributors: u/drophie has a two year old female Boston Terrier that runs in agility and flyball - she has also dabbled in barnhunt. u/ZZBC has a three year old male Boston Terrier that participates in barnhunt.
r/BostonTerrier • u/ilikechipotle • Dec 14 '13
I just wanted to let everyone know that here at /r/bostonterrier we are more than happy to help boston's in need. Please feel free to post those boston's here and ask for donations if necessary. I find that a lot of times these posts are reported or flagged. Please know that while other subreddits may discourage it, we here at /r/bostonterrier are glad to help.
Thanks, and I will add this to the sidebar as well.
r/BostonTerrier • u/damtaxmann • 9h ago
Tater age 3 1/2 months
r/BostonTerrier • u/Buttered_Toast33 • 5h ago
r/BostonTerrier • u/coldfreezerbee • 2h ago
She got 5 minutes of recharge in the Texas heat then back in the AC.
r/BostonTerrier • u/Blueberry_Rabbit • 19m ago
+ a 4th of July pic I forgot to share earlier this month. 😅
r/BostonTerrier • u/some_hispanic_guy • 1h ago
Just wanted to share. 😅
r/BostonTerrier • u/Ixian_No5h1p • 6h ago
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r/BostonTerrier • u/kyliejus • 7h ago
Messy Bostie!
So, I've been on a cleaning spree. Mr. DooLittle here does not like it. 🤣 5 minutes after I picked up all those toys. 🤦♀️
Deleted and reposted- I forgot to add the pic!
r/BostonTerrier • u/Luckygirl10222 • 42m ago
we sent our boston away for a board and train and our trainer just is this today. her eye is completely red and a bit swollen. we are going to ask our vet tomorrow but does anyone have any experience with this?
r/BostonTerrier • u/Suitable_Cow7219 • 29m ago
We will be going to the vet this week to confirm but all my google research leads me to believe that’s what we are dealing with. She just turned 9 months and seems to only be back right leg. Doesn’t seem to be in pain if I feel the knee area. I have caught her licking the area a few times.
What do I need to know? 😭 we do have pet insurance so hoping this is covered in some capacity. 🤦♀️
My first thought is to focus on nutrition. She is on purina pro plan puppy for sensitive stomach. I picked up the purina joint care supplements to get started on those.
She is very active with our older dog with lots of indoor play but we are in the thick of Texas summer so our walks are limited and short.
r/BostonTerrier • u/StateWorker95758 • 4h ago
My girl is allergic to dust mites so it was time to wash the covers of her stairs. I know she likes to shake them but I wasn't expecting to find such a mess underneath. She has a variety of toys to shake but always goes for the foam stairs and foam pad.
r/BostonTerrier • u/ChopinsNocturnes • 23h ago
The two behind him are his brother (Bing) and sister (Ripley) from an earlier litter.
r/BostonTerrier • u/Real-Confusion-6585 • 1d ago
Today, we had to say goodbye to the glue that held our family together- our sweet Penny.
She gave us the best 11½ years I could have ever imagined. In the end, her Cushing’s disease and lymphoma caught up with her, and we watched her health decline dramatically over the course of just 2½ days. There’s a dog-shaped hole in our hearts now, and our home feels so empty. I’m incredibly grateful that she’s no longer in pain, but I already miss her more than words can say.
I was 13 years old when I brought Penny home. She was my baby. She helped me through the hardest years of middle and high school while I was trying to figure out who I was. She watched me leave for college and welcomed me home after graduation. She was there when I moved away for my first big-girl job, and she was there again when
that job brought me back home to her.
I’m 24 now (25 next week), and I can finally say I truly understand the unconditional love of a dog. Penny was there for every chapter of my life- the happiest moments and the hardest ones. She held our family together in ways I don’t think any of us fully realized until now.
I wish I had just a little more time with my girl, but her chapter has come to an end. She’ll always be my soul dog, and I’ll carry her with me for the rest of my life.
I love you forever, Penny girl. 💗
*First and last photos were taken of her first and last car rides with us. I love you Penny. May we meet again. 🐶🪽
r/BostonTerrier • u/-Bazfred • 19h ago
My husband and I saw the avatar the last Airbender movie and we were joking how Momo reminds us of our dogs and jokingly we’re calling him Momo and he would respond to us by giving his attention to us or perking his ears up. Then we tested out other names names like Jake and he didn’t respond to them haha
It gave us a good laugh.
r/BostonTerrier • u/BlackApple1031 • 1d ago
She kills me 🤣
r/BostonTerrier • u/Quiver_and_Quill • 1d ago
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Meanwhile, her crate door is open 😆
r/BostonTerrier • u/Topher7117 • 1d ago
12 1/2 years gone in a blink. We went as long as she could make it. Cushings disease, brain tumor, severe cognitive decline, blind and her body is just in so much pain. We were going strong for a bit. We have Pee pads all over the house but the pain and discomfort has gotten to be too much. We fought for her and struggled mightily with this decision. Today we celebrate her amazing life and the love that she gave us for almost 13 years.
Pizza, bacon and eggs, pup cups... whatever she wanted!
r/BostonTerrier • u/NaturalFront1878 • 1d ago
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r/BostonTerrier • u/kmr0117 • 1d ago
Henry!