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Description
Appearance
The Boston Terrier is a lively, highly intelligent, smooth coated,
short-headed, compactly built, short-tailed, well balanced dog,
brindle, seal or black in color and evenly marked with white. The
head is in proportion to the size of the dog and the expression
indicates a high degree of intelligence.
The body is rather short and well knit, the limbs strong and neatly
turned, the tail is short and no feature is so prominent that the dog
appears badly proportioned. The dog conveys an impression of
determination, strength and activity, with style of a high order;
carriage easy and graceful. A proportionate combination of "Color
and White Markings" is a particularly distinctive feature of a
representative specimen.
"Balance, Expression, Color and White Markings" should be given
particular consideration in determining the relative value of general
appearance to other points.
Size
Boston Terriers are typically small, compactly built, well
proportioned dogs with erect ears, short tails, and a short muzzle
that should be free of wrinkles. They usually have a square sort of
face. According to international breed standard, the dog should
weigh no less than 10 pounds and no more than 25 pounds.
Boston Terriers usually stand 15-17 inches at the withers.
Coat and color
The Boston Terrier is characteristically marked with white in
proportion to either black, brindle, seal, or a combination of the
three. Seal is a color specifically used to describe Boston Terriers
and is defined as a black color with red highlights when viewed in
the sun or bright light. If all other qualities are identical, brindle is
the preferred color according to most breed standards.
Ideally, white should cover its chest, muzzle, band around the neck,
half way up the forelegs, up to the hocks on the rear legs, and a
white blaze between but not touching the eyes. For conformation
showing, symmetrical markings are preferred. Due to the Boston
Terrier's markings resembling formal wear, in addition to its refined
and pleasant personality, the breed is commonly referred to as the
"American Gentleman."
Temperament
Boston Terriers have strong, friendly personalities. Bostons can
range in temperaments from those that are eager to please their
master to those that are more stubborn. Both can be easily trained
given a patient and assertive owner.
While originally bred for fighting, they were later down bred for
companionship. The modern Boston Terrier can be gentle, alert,
expressive, and well-mannered. It must be noted however, that
they are not considered terriers by the American Kennel Club, but
are part of the non-sporting group. Boston Terrier is something of
a misnomer. They were originally a cross-breed between the Old
English Bulldog and the English White Terrier.
Some Bostons enjoy having another one for companionship. Both
females and males generally bark only when necessary. Having
been bred as a companion dog, they enjoy being around people,
and, if properly socialized, get along well with children, the elderly,
other canines, and non-canine pets. Some Boston Terriers are
very cuddly, while others are more independent.
Health
Several health issues are of concern in the Boston Terrier:
cataracts (both juvenile and adult type), cherry eye, luxating
patellas, deafness, heart murmur, and allergies. Curvature of the
back, called roaching, might be caused by patella problems with
the rear legs, which in turn causes the dog to lean forward onto the
forelegs. This might also just be a structural fault with little
consequence to the dog. Many Bostons cannot tolerate excessive
heat and also extremely cold weather, due to the shortened
muzzle, so hot or cold weather combined with demanding exercise
can bring harm to a Boston Terrier. A sensitive digestive system is
also typical of the Boston Terrier. In the absence of proper diet,
flatulence is associated with the breed.
Bostons, along with Pug, Shih Tzu and other short-snouted breeds
are Brachycephalic breeds. The word comes from Greek roots
"Brachy," meaning short and "cephalic," meaning head. This
anatomy can cause tiny nostrils, long palates and a narrow
trachea. Because of this, Bostons may be prone to snoring and
reverse sneeze, a rapid and repeated forced inhalation through
the nose, accompanied by snorting or gagging sounds used to
clear the palate of mucus, but does not harm the dog in any way.
Bostons are also prone to sensitive stomachs and intestinal gas.
They can live up to 15 years or more, with an average of around
13 years.
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