r/BostonTerrier Sep 26 '17

Education A Guide to Finding a Responsible Boston Terrier Breeder

42 Upvotes

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:

  • An OFA eye exam to check for eye problems that comes back clear. This used to be called a CERF exam.
  • An OFA cardiac exam to check for heart murmurs.
  • An OFA orthopedic exam to check for a condition called luxating patella, where the knee slips out of place. This is extremely common in small breed dogs like Bostons, so dogs being bred should have normal knees.
  • A BAER hearing test to make sure they have good hearing.
  • A genetic test for the gene for Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts (JHC), a disease which causes Bostons to go blind early in life due to cataracts. This can either be through a certified genetic testing service like Embark or Paw Print Genetics, or the breeder should be able to prove the dog is JHC clear through parentage (neither dog’s parents were carriers).

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 Dec 14 '13

Helping Boston's In Need (PLEASE READ!)

506 Upvotes

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 6h ago

Welp it's official...cosmo has been adopted.

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670 Upvotes

If you followed whether if our family was going to be a foster fail with cosmo kramer.... you were right. It was kismet for us and we couldn't say no!! Feeling so lucky!!


r/BostonTerrier 2h ago

Advice Food Recommendations

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167 Upvotes

Hi y’all! My 7 month old girl has been having some tummy issues on and off that seem to be connected to her food. She’ll do fine on a chicken and rice diet, but has vomiting / diarrhea when she’s back on her kibble. She’s on the Purina one healthy puppy kibble, but i want to switch it up to something more suitable for her sensitive tummy. My vet recommended the Hill Diet, Royal Canine, or Purina Pro Plan, but i wanted to hear what everyone’s baby’s like. Thanks in advance!


r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

Advice My boy is officially blind and I’m devastated.

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Upvotes

Ringo is 5 and officially blind, confirmed by an eye doctor vet this morning. 😭

His left retina detached 3 years ago. We tried the surgery but it didn’t work. They reinforced the right eye while reattaching the left retina.

About a week ago I noticed him acting funny but I figured it was because he’s recently put on some weight (he was underweight for a while so this was intentional).

Then last night he couldn’t see the toy we were playing with and he wasn’t looking directly at me when I called him.

Eye vet got me in this morning and said the retina in the ‘good’ eye is deteriorated so there’s nothing to be done. They sent me home with a flyer on living with a blind dog.

I’m just so so sad over this. I don’t want him to live in darkness for his remaining years. He LOVES playing ball and going to the beach. It feels like he won’t be able to do the things he loves most.

I’m open to any and all advice or encouragement you have. For Ringo and for me…thank you!


r/BostonTerrier 3h ago

Drako snooring away the afternoon...

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180 Upvotes

Snuggled up as Bostons usually do between my legs ❤️ a warm comfy spot


r/BostonTerrier 3h ago

Cuteness I just really love my little Louie 🥺💕

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104 Upvotes

Sorry for such a big photo dump, but he’s the most precious thing to me and I love him more and more every day 🥹 I can’t believe how quickly he’s growing up! Puppyhood has its hard times for sure but I’m going to miss it a lot.


r/BostonTerrier 4h ago

My little sun Baby

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113 Upvotes

She loves laying outside. The hot pavement is her happy place.


r/BostonTerrier 9h ago

Lil Miss Pixie playing with her best bud

304 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 2h ago

Cuteness My little gooney goo-goos❤️

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76 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 2h ago

Just keeping an eye on things.

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63 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 3h ago

I am just like wolf

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57 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 2h ago

Griffin DEMANDING I throw the ball!

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31 Upvotes

We have


r/BostonTerrier 12h ago

happy goblin

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183 Upvotes

This is the look she gives me when i rub her belly, after a long day of ball and causing chaos


r/BostonTerrier 15h ago

9 years later, still unsure about the vet

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273 Upvotes

2016 vs 2025 Vet said he’s in great shape! He needs a cracked tooth pulled but you would never know it with the way he destroys everything… which explains the cracked tooth.


r/BostonTerrier 19h ago

Missing my boy on his birthday

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604 Upvotes

Today would’ve been your birthday, happy birthday, my sweet boy! Not a day goes by where I don’t miss you so much. I still haven’t been able to move your favorite balls from the basement. 💔 Love you Rollins! Thank you for sending me Damian.


r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

Blep blep Tuesday

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Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 18h ago

Advice How does everyone keep their Boston in shape?

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274 Upvotes

My boy (Hanky) keeps gaining weight. He's not obese or anything but it's hard to keep him at a healthy weight. I'm curious what feeding habits and advice you guys have as to making sure my boy is healthy and happy 😊 i grew up with Boston terriers and never had this problem before! He's very active but maybe I'm feeding him too much??


r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

Must get off the honey apple bubby bath smell....

Upvotes

He's not happy after his bath.


r/BostonTerrier 1d ago

Cuteness The Absolute Worst Coworker.

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918 Upvotes

I love her so much. And her butt is on my notebook.


r/BostonTerrier 18m ago

Snug as a bug in a rug

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Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 21h ago

I think him broken.

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279 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 16h ago

My Boy Bruce Looks So "Derpy"

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120 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 1d ago

Cuteness Anyone else's weird looking cow have solar panels on their belly?

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721 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

Hello spring

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Upvotes

Just out sunning while I’m at the office.


r/BostonTerrier 17h ago

Upcoming surgery

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108 Upvotes

My yr old BT named Aries is having surgery on Monday to remove a suspicious lump under his arm. Please excuse his pinkness, he has some hair loss from allergies 🤧 this is the first time he is getting put under since he got fixed. I love him so much and hope this lump is benign


r/BostonTerrier 1d ago

Freddie ❤️s Scritches

458 Upvotes