All About Boston Terriers

Medically Reviewed by Vanesa Farmer, DVM on April 07, 2022
Written by Alyssa Anderson
7 min read

Boston terriers are a bright and friendly breed. The American Kennel Club (AKC) places them in the non-sporting group.

They love to engage with the world around them — people in particular. They have jaunty and rhythmic strides that help convey a bit of these dogs’ enthusiastic personalities.  

These traits combine to create a dog that’s an endless source of amusement and a fantastic family pet. 

Body size. Boston terriers are a smaller dog breed. The males and females are nearly identical. 

The average Boston terrier size is 16 inches tall. 

The breed has a rather wide range of acceptable weights — ranging anywhere from 12 to 25 pounds. This means that they fall into three separate weight classes in professional competitions. The ranges for these weight classes are: 

  • Less than 15 pounds
  • Between 15 and 20 pounds
  • Over 20 but under 25 pounds

You should consult a veterinarian for diet and exercise advice if your Boston terrier is much lighter or heavier than this range.

Their small size makes them perfect travel buddies. It also means that they’re content in smaller apartments. You should consider this breed if you’re looking for a good city dog. 

Body Shape. Boston terriers have well-balanced bodies, with all of their body parts well-proportioned to one another. They’re short with strong limbs. Their square body shape gives them a striking appearance.  

Boston terrier traits also include a square head with small, erect ears near the corners of their skull. The skull sits firmly upon their shoulders. 

Their muzzles are square and rather short — ideally, only about one-third the length of the skull.  

Their tails are low on their rumps. They’re naturally short and should taper to a fine point. Unlike other kinds of dogs, the breed standard doesn’t encourage docking their tails.  

Lifespan. Like many small dog breeds, Boston terriers will likely live for well over a decade. Their average Boston terrier life expectancy ranges from 11 to 14 years, though some have lived much longer. Plan on living a full life with your dog — particularly if you get them as a puppy.  

Fur. Boston terriers have smooth, short coats. Their coloration forms a distinct tuxedo-like pattern around their torso and back legs. This typically doesn’t extend down their front legs. 

Possible color combinations include: 

  • Black and white
  • Black brindle and white
  • Brindle and white
  • Seal and white
  • Seal brindle and white

A seal coat color will almost look black — except when you see it in the sunlight. Then, it looks reddish. 

Eyes. Boston terriers have large, widely set eyes. They should be round and set squarely into their skull.  

Ideal members of this breed have a dark eye color — but they can also be blue. Although blue eyes don’t meet the official breed standard, they can be a lovely color for a family pet.    

Personality. A Boston terrier’s personality is particularly delightful. Some people say that they have a gift for comedy. They express themselves through their friendly eyes and cocky stride. 

They’re very people-oriented and the AKC scores them a five out of five for affection. However, this isn’t always a positive, since they can also suffer from separation anxiety when left alone too often. 

These dogs are highly intelligent, have lots of energy, and require a lot of engagement. This means that they’ll happily play games — like fetch — for hours at a time.  

They can become possessive of their toys and food — but the AKC gives them a five out of five for openness with strangers. 

They’re reasonably easy to train and benefit from some routine in their lives. 

Grooming. Boston terriers require little work to groom. You should give them a good brushing once a week in order to remove loose hairs and encourage new ones to grow. 

Both the males and females have genetically patterned baldness, so it's particularly important to take care of this dog’s fur. 

These dogs only need occasional baths — depending on where they’ve been. You should give them a bath whenever they become too dirty or smelly for your liking.

They need their nails trimmed regularly or they’ll begin to cause problems when the dog walks or runs.  

Feeding. Make sure that your dog has access to fresh water at all times. 

Feed them regularly on high-quality dog food that’s age-appropriate. You can find a brand that fits your needs or make your own dog food. If you choose to make your own, be sure to consult your vet to make sure that you’re including all of the necessary nutrients. 

These dogs do need some routine in their lives. So, once you’ve figured out a feeding schedule that works with your routine, try to stick to it. 

Exercise and Mental Stimulation. Boston terriers have a moderate amount of energy compared to other breeds. The exact exercise needs will vary from dog to dog, but Boston terrier care always involves a good amount of exercise.  

All of them will benefit from one to two walks every day. Some will need even more activity than this to burn off excess energy. For example, they love to play fetch. 

These dogs are much happier playing with you than being left alone. They require engagement and mental stimulation. This isn’t a good breed to leave alone outside since they’re unlikely to enjoy themselves. 

You can sign them up for canine sports as another fun way to burn off some of their energy. 

Veterinary visits, medications, and immunizations. You need to talk to your veterinarian in order to determine all of the vaccinations that are unique for your Boston terrier, but all dogs should get a core set. 

These can begin as early as six weeks of age. There are also other non-core vaccinations that you can discuss with your veterinarian. 

Dosages for flea and tick medications are based on your dog's weight and used as needed. Oral and skin-based applications are available from your veterinarian or other distributors. Boston terriers are small dogs, so they won’t require as much medication as other breeds. Make sure that you never give your pet a large dog’s dose. 

Many of these medications can be effective against a variety of pests and parasites, so talk to your veterinarian to figure out the best one for you.

Boston terriers are prone to a number of health conditions that all owners need to be aware of. These include: 

  • Eye conditions. This breed is prone to a number of eye conditions so you should have them examined by an ophthalmologist at least once a year. In fact, you should check their eyes every day for redness or irritants. Some owners keep eye drops on them to flush out any fresh irritants as soon as possible. Cataracts, corneal ulcers, and glaucoma are all eye conditions that are more common in this breed than others. 
  • Early-onset hereditary juvenile cataracts. This is a very specific genetic eye condition that’s recessive in this breed — which means that a dog needs two copies of a defective gene in order to get this condition. Many veterinarians offer one-time genetic tests to see if your dog has inherited this condition.   
  • Patellar luxation. This is a condition comparable to a trick knee in humans. Have your dog checked out by a veterinarian to see if they have this condition. 
  • Congenitaldeafness. Puppies of this breed should be tested for hearing problems when they’re six to eight weeks old. 

Also, the breed can struggle to give birth naturally. In the United Kingdom, 90% of births reported to the kennel club needed C-sections.

There are a few particulars to keep in mind before you decide that a Boston terrier is the right dog for you. They’re fairly easy to train, but they’re also sensitive. You should praise them heavily when they succeed and be gentle with the criticism when they fail. 

This breed is also known to be gassy, and there are mixed reports about how much they drool. The AKC ranks them as a breed with small amounts of infrequent drool — but some veterinarians warn that individuals could end up drooling a lot. 

Boston terriers also have tiny nostrils and narrow tracheas — or throats. This means that they often snore. This also causes them to reverse sneeze — a process where your dog will rapidly force inhalation through their nose. 

This isn’t dangerous for the dog but can be an annoying trait at home. Rub their throats and keep them out of the heat and humidity to help soothe these symptoms.  

On a positive note, they rarely bark unnecessarily and don’t shed very much. Plus, the AKC gives them a five out a five for being good with kids. Generally, a Boston terrier’s temperament makes for a fantastic family dog — even in a city apartment.   

As their name suggests, the ultimate sire of all Boston terriers comes from Boston, Massachusetts. This original sire was named Judge. He belonged to Robert C. Hooper — among others — and lived in the U.S. around the 1870s. 

Judge was a mix between a bulldog and the now-extinct white English terrier. His puppies were bred with french bulldogs to produce pretty much every Boston terrier in existence today. 

Judge was created at a time when people were making a large number of bulldog-terrier crosses in order to create a dog that could win at ratting contests and pit fights. But — in the subsequent generations — Judge’s nature as a bulky fighter was transformed into the friendly companion dog that we know and love today. 

The breed was accepted into the AKC in 1893.

In 1979, Massachusetts made the Boston terrier their official state dog.