Boston Terriers and Children
 
 By: Eleanor K. D. Dunnam

First, I will give you a short answer to the question “Are Boston Terriers good with children?”  Yes, Boston Terriers are great with children.  I have two Bostons and three small children 11, 9 and almost 5 years old, and they all get along beautifully.  There needs to be some training on both sides – the puppies/dogs and the children.  The key is getting a Boston Terrier from a good breeder that has dogs with good temperaments.

Now here is my long answer to the question!  I was raised with pugs.  They were good dogs, and we also had a beagle and a terrier mutt during my childhood.  I have been married since 1990 and have three wonderful and beautiful, human children in addition to my two canine children.  In 1997, my older two children really wanted a dog.  We only had an old, but beloved cat, named Pierre at the time.  In 1997, I began researching what type of dog would be the perfect pet for our family.  In 1998, our third child was born so I knew I needed a dog that would be wonderful and trustworthy with children, especially young children.  I had some basic criteria for our dog –   #1 on my list was a dog that would be great with children and fit into our family.  We wanted a small to medium sized dog, short haired, easy to keep, and as I would say “I want a dog that is smarter and more athletic than a pug.”  I bought a book called “The right dog for you” in addition to several other dog books and so my research began.  After consulting with my vet and many other people over the course of a year, I decided a Boston Terrier would be the perfect dog for our family.  Not knowing much about Bostons, I started my quest for knowledge and did a lot of research and reading about Boston Terriers.  I learned the breed’s most common health concerns – cataracts, patellas, etc.

After all my homework we were ready for our first Boston Terrier.  I thought I had found a good Boston Terrier breeder and we bought puppies in the fall of 1998.  The breeder encouraged us to buy two puppies at the same time since we ultimately knew we wanted to have two Bostons.  Looking back, I now know that getting two puppies at the same time was a mistake.   My vet later told me that she encourages buying one dog, and then waiting at least 6 months to a year to buy another one.  When you purchase two puppies simultaneously they bond to one another, rather than to you and your family.  If there is some time between the two purchases, the first puppy will bond to you and your family; and when you purchase the second puppy, it will do the same.  Long story short, both of the puppies were sick from the time of purchase and we lost both puppies after a long and costly battle with Parvo.  It was a heart wrenching experience for our whole family.  The second time around I decided to step back and do more homework on breeders.  I had done a lot of research and homework on the type of dog we wanted – Boston Terriers - but did not do enough research and homework on the breeder.  I did not give myself enough time to find the right breeder.  When buying a puppy, take your time, this will be a member of your family for ten to fifteen years.  Through the fall of 1999 and winter of 2000, I found a person in Houston who referred me to a breeder/judge in Phoenix, Arizona who has had Bostons all of her life and been breeding Bostons since the 60’s and showing Bostons since the 70’s.  She knew a lot about Bostons and strongly encouraged me to take my time in finding the right Boston and the right breeder.  Health was her biggest concern, and as I now know, health and temperament are very important.

In May of 2000, we purchased our first truly, well-bred Boston Terrier.  He is wonderful with our children, but I certainly spent the time training our dog and our children on how to handle, play with and treat each other.  I do think it is important with small children that puppies and children are raised together.  As my vet once said, “Your dogs will think being dressed up and played with by children is the way life should be.”  Our first Boston, Bandit, is the most wonderful dog my husband and I have ever had, and we both had dogs growing up.  Bandit is smart, friendly, outgoing, athletic, obedient, laid back, wants to please and is very loving.  We were sold on Boston Terriers.  If they were going to all be like Bandit we wanted another one.  In the spring of 2001, we purchased our second, truly well-bred Boston terrier, Daisy.  Daisy is equally as wonderful a Boston Terrier in a few different ways.  Daisy is even more tolerant of the children than Bandit, and is the sweetest dog I have ever known.  I learned on our second Boston to let the children have a larger care taking role of the dogs.  Daisy is more bonded to the children than Bandit because I tried to step back and let the children be more involved in the feeding, treating, walking, and caring of Daisy.  Daisy also sleeps with the children and Bandit always sleeps with my husband and me.

It is important to teach your children to be kind to animals, especially your own dogs.  We have never had a problem with my children or any other children over visiting our home with our Boston Terriers.  My vet made a few suggestions to me early on that I think are very important.  

1. Do not let your dogs be food or treat aggressive in any way – have the adults take the food away from the dogs on and off while they are eating – at the beginning or middle of a feeding from time to time.  If they growl at all tell them “No” and make it clear that growling is not acceptable at any time.  Feeding and food/treat time is when many dog accidents occur, especially with children.  Let your children feed and give the dogs treats some times, but under close adult supervision.  Once you know there is not a problem, then the children can give the dogs treats after adult approval.  Teach your children not to bother a dog while it is eating.  I let my children feed my dogs, not bother them while eating.  I do not want my children feeding or bothering anyone else’s dogs while they are eating.  My nephew was severely bitten in the face by a very friendly family dog (Lab) that was eating.  It was my nephew’s fault, but I think children need to be told to not bother, touch or do anything to a dog while it is eating.  You just do not know if other people’s dogs are food aggressive.  I feel comfortable with my children feeding and treating our dogs, but I do not want my children to do it with any other people’s dog.  My Bostons are not food or any other type of aggressive at all.  The only aggression I have ever seen in my male Boston, not my female, is when other dogs jump on my children and Bandit feels he needs to protect his/my children.  It has never caused a problem, but you can tell Bandit wants to protect our children.

2.  Socialization is the key to a great family dog.  Our vet suggested we take our puppies in the car to drive carpools from the time they were 10 weeks old.  This way they were exposed to lots of children and became accustomed to their ways.  Again, and as always, making sure the children were kind to the dog.  Our Bostons go everywhere with us, and have done so from the time they were little.  Our vet told us not to take them to public parks or public places until they were fully vaccinated (at about 4 to 6 months) but before then you can take them in your car and out and about as long as their feet do not hit the ground.  Once they are fully vaccinated we take our Bostons everywhere - to soccer games, basketball games, football games, baseball games, the park, on trips, carpools, dog shows and any other places they allow dogs.  Bandit and Daisy are calm relaxed dogs because they have been exposed to so many different situations.  I can’t say enough about socializing a dog, the more the better.  Bostons are a companion dog; they want to be with people all the time.  They are not outside or kennel dogs.  They are sociable dogs and want human interaction as much as possible.

We also had a dog trainer come help us a couple of times with our first Boston.  She was adamant about never letting a puppy think it is alright to touch human skin with their teeth - meaning puppy teething on human flesh was not acceptable, ever.  She told us to hold their mouth closed and tell them “no bite,” even if it is a play bite.  Do not let a puppy mouth you or your children’s flesh.  They need to learn this is a no-no from the get-go!  Our Bostsons have never bitten anyone.  If you treat your dog with love and kindness they will treat you the same way.  They need to learn your family’s rules – whatever they might be – no jumping, no begging, etc.  I love my human children and my canine children.  We are thinking about adding one more Boston Terrier to our family so we will be three and three.  Both our Bostons are AKC Champions.  I got bit by the show bug when I started showing Bandit.  We love our dogs dearly and they love our family back dearly.  Bostons are wonderful with children and I could not ask for a better family dog.

Finding the right Boston Terrier breeder with dogs with good temperaments for your family is key.  Check out the breeder and the temperament of their dogs.  I want to see the mother of each puppy I am considering purchasing.  If possible, I would also like to see the sire of the puppy.  Visit the breeder’s home to see how and where the puppies are raised.  Ask the breeder to give you the names of people who have purchased puppies from them and call them.  Ask lots of questions.  The puppy should be CERF clear for cataracts and I like to know that Mom and Dad are still CERF clear within the last year as well.  If Mom and Dad have nice temperaments the puppies will most likely be the same.
 
Having given you all of the above reasons for children and Bostons being excellent companions, I would be remiss if I did not also include my thoughts on some of the positive results that occur for children who are fortunate enough to be a companion to a Boston.  Children learn responsibility when they have the task of feeding the dog.  They learn to be patient when they are taught to wait outside until the dog has done its  "business" before bringing it back inside the house. They learn that touching can be a positive experience when they are taught to pet the dog after each successful task that the dog has performed.  I think learning to care for an animal is a wonderful lesson/skill for children, teaching them responsibility as well as compassion.  I feel that there are so many positive aspects to children having a dog! The child receives as much "good" from having the dog as the dog receives from being a loved family member.  Good luck!  I am completely sold on Boston Terriers – they are terrific.