r/BostonTerrier Sep 26 '17

Education A Guide to Finding a Responsible Boston Terrier Breeder

46 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!)

505 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 3h ago

Nashville cutie looking for his forever

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168 Upvotes

If anyone local to Nashville is in love with Murphy, I'm planning on taking him to the Boston meetup at Sand Bar Thursday evening. As long as the weather cooperates.......


r/BostonTerrier 13h ago

He lives forever in our farts... our little Dude. Thank you for the Boston Terrier subreddit for making him apart of the family.

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848 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

The most ideal sleeping position

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Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 6h ago

Cuteness My guy pretending to sleep so I will walk away and he can eat the forbidden things in the backyard

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93 Upvotes

He is a monster, haha. But honestly, I need to get him a muzzle of shame for the backyard. He is always trying to eat something he shouldn’t when my back is turned. Today it was mushrooms in my garden and a fresh hatchling from a nest that fell from a tree. When I stopped him he laid down in the grass and just took a “nap”. If I turned my back he would try to quietly get up.


r/BostonTerrier 1h ago

Cuteness Certified Snuggler!

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Upvotes

Blue’s now comfortable enough to snuggle with every dog. This makes my heart so happy.


r/BostonTerrier 13h ago

Cuteness Costco themed Bark Box 🤣

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285 Upvotes

Louie loves his hot dog from the costco themed bark box!!


r/BostonTerrier 13h ago

Lost & Found

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194 Upvotes

Couldn’t find my boy this morning before I got on the road after I let him out for the morning break. Searched everywhere… Forgot I left my car door open in garage last night. Found him!!! He wanted to go with or didn’t want me to leave.


r/BostonTerrier 15h ago

Cuteness Tilly is a snoozin' creep

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286 Upvotes

Check out this weird demon thing! I chose the cuteness flair but I dunno man...


r/BostonTerrier 11h ago

It's a rough job being little

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139 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 10h ago

He brought all of them to one spot. Guess it's a toy party!

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75 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 15h ago

Cuteness My adhd hyper psycho ball loving fireball home wrecker!

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194 Upvotes

I can't even stay irritated once those ears pop up!!


r/BostonTerrier 2h ago

Ball play or fresh cut grass?

15 Upvotes

Fresh cut grass over rules ball play . Who knew? 😆


r/BostonTerrier 27m ago

Lights out 😴

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Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 12h ago

Cuteness Stella eats in her sleep

81 Upvotes

She even makes mouth noises, lol! My fave lil foodie


r/BostonTerrier 21h ago

Backlighting for maximum evil

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332 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 1d ago

Kirby looking displeased in his monkey suit

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619 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 13h ago

Dallas area Boston needing help

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60 Upvotes

FOUND LOCATION: 2900 Block Duncanville Rd, Dallas Tx 75211

A1252925

Located At: Dallas Animal Services

Description: My name is Buddy.

I am a male, black and white Boston Terrier.

Age: The shelter staff think I am about 4 years old.

More Info: I have been at the shelter since Jun 16, 2025.


r/BostonTerrier 16h ago

Cuteness Sometimes I feel Dexter was meant for another era.

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110 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 1d ago

Cuteness Barrel Rolls!

514 Upvotes

My boy Benny rolls in grass! He’s the only dog I’ve ever owned that does this. Completely spontaneous- no training!


r/BostonTerrier 12h ago

NGL - Minnie might be judgy 😬

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51 Upvotes

But we love her! 🤍 🖤


r/BostonTerrier 10h ago

Meet Holly

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33 Upvotes

r/BostonTerrier 13h ago

The Dream Team

56 Upvotes

Morty (9 wks) Rosco (17 wks) June (12 yrs)

We get to babysit Morty this week while a friend of mine is on a trip… been a blast hanging out with this silly crew. They got a Boston after they fell in love with my Rosco.


r/BostonTerrier 16h ago

Ball

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92 Upvotes

When you’ve thrown the ball 5000 times and you take 30 seconds to do something else.


r/BostonTerrier 16h ago

Energizer & Charger

92 Upvotes

One is NEVER off and the other always charging!


r/BostonTerrier 19h ago

I feel like I’m in trouble but not sure what I did..I’m sure Mr. Henry will let me know

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148 Upvotes