Boston Terrier

A real Yankee-Doodle-Dandy! Although he owes a little of his ancestry to the British Bulldog, the Boston Terrier actually came into being in the late nineteenth century in the eastern states of America when, in 1893, a mix of bull and terrier types produced the first pair of dogs that were to become the foundation of the breed.

Source: The Kennel Club

The Boston Terrier Club of America: About Boston Terriers

AKC Video Link

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BOSTONTERRIER

DOMARKOMPENDIUM 2019 (Swedish)

• Bostonterrier

Country of origin: United States

Parent breed club: Boston Terrier Club of America

Health, statistics, and history for the Boston Terrier

There are numerous breed standards.

The basis of breed/conformation shows is the judging of pedigree dogs against the 'Breed Standard', which is a picture in words that describes the range of features that are deemed appropriate for the breed.

Three of the major international standards are:

The American Kennel Club

The Kennel Club, UK

FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale)

1. Boston Terrier registration statistics, 2004 UK-KC Health Survey, and breed specific articles (see Downloads)

2. Finnish Kennel Club Database: Boston Terrier

Also see the JTO for multi-country registrations data: https://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/RotuPDF.ashx?R=140&T=2

3. Swedish Insurance Data
Breed-specific information on rates of disease and death from Agria Pet Insurance (Agria Djurförsäkring) is available for many breeds. This breed has information on Veterinary Care Events.

Health/Breeding Strategy Documents and Links:

1. The Kennel Club, UK: Breed Watch (Category 2)
2. Sweden: Breed-specific Breeding Strategies: (in Swedish) and/ or English summary
3. Finland: Bostoninterrierin jalostuk sentavoiteohjelma 2014–2018 (in Finnish) (internal: bostoninterrieri.pdf)
   1. BOSTONINTERRIERIN JALOSTUKSEN TAVOITEOHJELMA 2020–2024

Health Surveys:

1. UK/KC 2004 Health Survey
2. OFA Survey https://www.ofa.org/about/educational-resources/health-surveys /  Boston Terrier Health Survey Results

Other Health-Related Information:

1. OFA/CHIC Tests: CHIC tests recommended by the AKC parent club, The Boston Terrier Club of America, include: Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist; Patellar Luxation; and Congenital Deafness (BAER)
2. The Kennel Club: Eye screening scheme (BVA/KC/ISDS) &  DNA test - HC-HSF4  - Find lists of tested dogs
3. Nordic Clubs BSI: Bostonterrier – brachycephalic and small molossoïd breed

• General construction: Overly short body, roach back, diminutive tail, too short and flat in muzzle. Heavy and coarse head.
• Breathing: Problems which can be linked to narrow respiratory channels: insufficient room in pharyngeal cavities and/or ribcage and pinched nostrils. Look for sound breathing, the correct formation of the head/skull and the dog’s proportions.

Tomlinson F, O’Neill E, Liu N-C, Sargan DR, Ladlow JF (2024) BOAS in the Boston Terrier: A healthier screw-tailed breed? PLoS ONE 19(12): e0315411. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315411

"In this study, one-hundred and seven Boston Terriers were prospectively recruited from the UK dog population and underwent clinical assessment, respiratory function grading and conformational measurements. Whole-body barometric plethysmography was used in a smaller cohort of dogs to compare the quantitative differences in respiratory parameters between both affected and unaffected Boston Terriers, and control mesocephalic dogs. When compared to an equivalent study population of French Bulldogs and Bulldogs, it was found that Boston Terriers have a significantly higher proportion of BOAS Grade 0 dogs at 37.5% compared to 10% and 15.2% respectively (p<0.01). Within the breed, more extreme brachycephalic conformation was found to be associated with an increased risk of BOAS: specifically, nostril stenosis, facial foreshortening, abnormal scleral show, and higher neck to chest girth ratio. However, there is considerable overlap between measurements of affected and unaffected dogs in these variables. Therefore, the use of respiratory function grading is likely to be more advantageous for owners, breeders, and veterinary surgeons in accurately selecting unaffected dogs."

We are listing sites for breed clubs with health or other information that might be helpful. Follow links below.

Australia: Australian National Kennel Council: Boston Terrier
Finland: Finnish Toy Dog Society
Finland: Boston Terrier Club - Tervetuloa Suomen Bostonit - Finnish Bostons ry.n internetsivuille
France (SCC): Terrier de Boston
France: Club Francaise du Boston-Terrier et du Carlin
Germany (VDH): Club für Boston-Terrier in Deutschland e. V. http://www.boston.zuchtmanagement.de/

• Database
• Breeding regulations documents

Ireland: The Irish Kennel Club - IKC Boston Terrier Page lists the All Ireland Boston Terrier Club's contact information.
Italy: The Italian Kennel Club (ENCI): Boston Terrier
Norway: Norsk Boston Terrier Klubb
Sweden: Svenska Bostonterrierklubben
UK: The Kennel Club: Boston Terrier
UK: Boston Terrier Breed Clubs
USA: Boston Terrier Club of America (BTCA)

• BTCA's Health section
• BTCA's News Page
• Latest information on studies and health clinics.
• Also see The Boston Terrier Club of America's Voluntary Health Certification Program - dogs receiving health certifications defined by the program are individually listed by year from 2003 to current (2015 is time of publication).
• BTCA - Illustrated Breed Standard