is a member of the American Kennel Club and is also the
National Club which represents, protects, and furthers
the interests of the breed and its owners throughout the world.

Boston Terrier Ears

According the AKC Standard, The Boston Terrier's ears are small, carried erect, either natural or cropped to conform to the shape of the head and situated as near to the corners of the skull as possible.

Due to being carried erect, they are not as prone to certian ear infections or yeast that some dropped eared dogs are.

However, there can be a high incidence of sensorineural deafness in Boston Terriers. If puppies have been BAER tested the breeder can tell you what the status of their hearing is. Puppies that are unilaterally deaf (deaf in one ear) will not show the defect in any discernable way and will make good family pets. These puppies must not be used for breeding as they may have a higher percentage of deaf offspring and may produce a bilaterally deaf (deaf in both ears) puppy who cannot hear at all. Bostons with over l/3 white on their head and/or body may also produce deaf puppies and should not be bred but they can make wonderful pets. We know that in some parts of the country unilateral deafness in Boston Terrier puppies may run as high as 4 to 6 percent or more of the puppies produced. Bilaterally deaf puppies are "special needs" puppies and do not make good family pets without special training.

Make sure your breeder has had your puppy BAER tested and ask to see records of the puppies parents BAER test results.

From the OFA site 6/04 ~ out of 73 dogs tested, 6.8% have abnormal hearing (and not all dogs that test abnormal get reported to OFA)

A BAER test needs to be given only once in the life of a dog. The recommendation is that you test any Boston Terrier before it is bred (if it has not been previously tested) and all puppies should be tested before they go to their new homes. Testing can be done as early as 7 weeks. (Boston Terriers do NOT need to be anesthesized for this testing. You can hold the dog on your lap.)

Here is the List of BAER testers for hearing tests:
Baer Site

If you live in an area where it is difficult to find a BAER tester, contact the local Dalmatian people for any clinics that may be planned for your area or that will be held in connection with shows.

Following is a great article on Deafness:

Deafness In Boston Terriers (pdf)

 

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