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Boston Terrier Dog Breed

The Boston Terrier (common misspell: Boston Terrior) is a breed of dog originating in the United States.

Appearance

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. Boston terriers can weigh from 10 to 25 lbs, typically in the vicinity of 15 lbs. Boston Terriers usually stand 15-17 inches at the withers.

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. In show dogs, 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.”  The Terrier is known for its gentle, alert, and intelligent expression.

Temperamant

While originally bred for fighting, they were later down bred for companionship. The modern Boston Terrier can be gentle, alert, expressive, and well-mannered. Many still retain the spunky attitude of the typical terrier. 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 White English Terrier (now extinct) and an English Bulldog.

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. Boston Terriers can be 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.

They can live up to 15 years or more, but the average is around 13 years.

History

The Boston Terrier breed originated around 1870, when Robert C. Hooper of Boston purchased a dog known as “Hooper’s Judge”, a cross between an English Bulldog and an English White Terrier. “Judge” weighed over 30 pounds . He was then bred down in size with a smaller female and one of his male pups was bred to yet a smaller female. Their offspring interbred with one or more French Bulldogs, which provides the foundation for the Boston Terrier as it is known today.

Boston Terrier Dog Pictures

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