Hi ! My name is Betsy Boston and I'm here to help you with suggestions and helpful hints to make your life with a Boston Terrier more comfortable...and fun !
ITCHINESS
To temporarily relieve doggy itchiness, mix mint flavored Listerine (must be mint) half and half with water in a spray bottle. Spritz the poor guy down liberally. If he/she objects to spraying, sprinkle it on by hand. This hint came from the ladies in my vet's office.
SKUNK REMEDY
Recipe #1 For light colored dogs. Peroxide has a bleaching effect.
A formula for neutralizing skunk spray developed by Illinois chemist Paul Krebaum:
1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide,
1/4 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of liquid soap.
Apply it to the sprayed areas, then wash off with tap water. The solution must be mixed as needed; it can't be contained in a bottle.
Recipe #2 Recommended for darker colored dogs.
1 pint hydrogen peroxide
2/3 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon liquid soap, preferably citrus based
Mix this up at the time of use (will not work if not "right now fresh"). Sponge on dog. Let sit two to five minutes then rinse with plain water. If a second dose is needed mix a new batch from scratch. The mix reacts with the mercaptans (smelly chemicals in the skunk spray) and oxidizes them. If the mix is not fresh, the reaction will not work.
PUPPY PLAY PEN
If you are in need of a play pen for your new litter of little Bostons and you have a standard 8 panel exercise pen, it can be converted into an adjustable play pen just for puppies. The exercise pen (X-pen) when opened up is usually a 4' X 4' pen. If its a 3' tall pen letting the pups play on the floor makes it difficult to bend over and feed or clean up. The solution is to make an adjustable floor for the pen. Set up the pen in a 2' X 6' arrangement. Then cut six pieces of 1" PVC into 2'4" lengths. With a skill saw cut or notch the PVC 2" from the end. These pieces of PVC can then be locked into place on the horizontal wires of the x-pen at the height desired. Space these pieces of PVC evenly along the length of the pen.
Go to the local home improvement store and get two pieces of plywood 2' X 3' (usually a pre-cut size). Place these pieces of plywood on the PVC pieces as the new floor. Cover the floor with a rubber matting and add your own crate pads. Place newspaper at one end of the pen and the mats on the other end. This set up gives the puppies six feet of running room and you can still bend over and feed and clean after them. As the pups grow older you can lower the floor accordingly.
SHOW SHEEN
Mix one part Listerine with one part waterless shampoo. Add two parts water. Pour into a spray bottle. Mist the Boston lightly and wipe down before going into the show site. This helps cut down on skin flaking and makes the Boston smell great as well.
Dear Betsy Boston,
Have you seen that new Puppy Handbook that the Health Committee has put together for new puppy owners? It has more ideas in it that you can believe for raising a happy, healthy Boston Terrier puppy. It contains every helpful hint that the 16 authors could think of on how to train, feed, travel with, give medicine to, and love a little Boston Puppy.
Some of the cartoons by George Hunter are pretty silly, but you will love them.
If you want to order a copy an order form is available on the opening page of the Boston Terrier Health Site. Check with me for special quantity prices for members of Boston Terrier Clubs.
Trudy Sample
If You Own A Boston, you should:
1. Know your Boston’s birthday
2. Buy your Boston 7 birthday gifts per year
3. EARN the respect of your Boston, not demand it
4. Understand their language, they might want out
5. Have stepped in it at least once in the night
6. Give your Boston a pedicure at least twice a month
7. Have doggy treats on the grocery list every week
8. Take naps with your Boston in your easy chair
9. Knit a warm sweater for your Boston for the winter
10. Take your Boston with you to see Santa Clause
11. Kiss his (her) boo boo when they get a thorn in their paw
12. Introduce your Boston to oral hygiene at an early age
13. Scratch that special spot that they can’t reach
14. Let them have friends over to play
15. Make sure their bed is located where the morning sun will hit it
16. Understand that all shoes, socks, and other cloths are toys if left on the floor
17. Understand they will investigate all open closets for more toys
18. Buy them a kitty cat
19. Take your Boston fishing, even if they bark a lot
20. Never forget your Boston after they are gone, they can never be replaced…only remembered with love.
SHOW TRIMMING WHITE COLLAR HAIR
Many times when trimming the whilte hair around the collar of a show Boston Terrier, it is hard to keep from also cutting the black hair that is underneath. If you will simply take the index finger of your free hand and press down softly on the inside edge of the white hairs, this will raise them above the black ones just enough so you can easily and cleanly trim the white hairs. This will work on the collar hair or places where the hair is thick. It will not work on the legs where the hair is thinner and not so long.
FLOPPY EARS IN OLDER PUPPIES
As a breeder, I am often ask how to get my puppy's ears to stand up. After the puppy is old enough for the ears to be standing and they are not, it would be wise to give them just a little help in developing so they will stand on their own. We use painter's masking tape to help in this situation.( Painter's masking tape does not have a lot of glue on it so it won't pull the puppy's hair when removing it). With a cotton ball that has been moistened with alcohol, clean the inside and outside of the puppy's ears to remove any oils. Then take a two inch piece of painter's masking tape and roll it lengthwise to produce a flexable, but stiff roll of tape. This will make a flexable type of splint. Place this on the inside of the puppy's ear. Now tape it to the inside of the ear with another piece of painter's masking tape. This will need to be replaced at least once a day and the ear cleaned each time a new splint is put on. Once the ear is standing on its own, stop using the splint. Be aware that when the puppy's ears are standing and they start to get their adult teeth, the ears MIGHT fall once again. Do not be alarmed...the ears will return to a standing position in a few days on their own.
2. Buy your Boston 7 birthday gifts per year
3. EARN the respect of your Boston, not demand it
4. Understand their language, they might want out
5. Have stepped in it at least once in the night
6. Give your Boston a pedicure at least twice a month
7. Have doggy treats on the grocery list every week
8. Take naps with your Boston in your easy chair
9. Knit a warm sweater for your Boston for the winter
10. Take your Boston with you to see Santa Clause
11. Kiss his (her) boo boo when they get a thorn in their paw
12. Introduce your Boston to oral hygiene at an early age
13. Scratch that special spot that they can’t reach
14. Let them have friends over to play
15. Make sure their bed is located where the morning sun will hit it
16. Understand that all shoes, socks, and other cloths are toys if left on the floor
17. Understand they will investigate all open closets for more toys
18. Buy them a kitty cat
19. Take your Boston fishing, even if they bark a lot
20. Never forget your Boston after they are gone, they can never be replaced…only remembered with love.
SHOW TRIMMING WHITE COLLAR HAIR
Many times when trimming the whilte hair around the collar of a show Boston Terrier, it is hard to keep from also cutting the black hair that is underneath. If you will simply take the index finger of your free hand and press down softly on the inside edge of the white hairs, this will raise them above the black ones just enough so you can easily and cleanly trim the white hairs. This will work on the collar hair or places where the hair is thick. It will not work on the legs where the hair is thinner and not so long.
FLOPPY EARS IN OLDER PUPPIES
As a breeder, I am often ask how to get my puppy's ears to stand up. After the puppy is old enough for the ears to be standing and they are not, it would be wise to give them just a little help in developing so they will stand on their own. We use painter's masking tape to help in this situation.( Painter's masking tape does not have a lot of glue on it so it won't pull the puppy's hair when removing it). With a cotton ball that has been moistened with alcohol, clean the inside and outside of the puppy's ears to remove any oils. Then take a two inch piece of painter's masking tape and roll it lengthwise to produce a flexable, but stiff roll of tape. This will make a flexable type of splint. Place this on the inside of the puppy's ear. Now tape it to the inside of the ear with another piece of painter's masking tape. This will need to be replaced at least once a day and the ear cleaned each time a new splint is put on. Once the ear is standing on its own, stop using the splint. Be aware that when the puppy's ears are standing and they start to get their adult teeth, the ears MIGHT fall once again. Do not be alarmed...the ears will return to a standing position in a few days on their own.
