Our Boston terriers are generally very sweet natured dogs who get along well both, with people and other pets, but like all other living creatures each dog has its own individual personality, and one of the traits could be the little “green eyed monster” that we know as jealousy.
If you have a Boston terrier as well as another pet, or even children in the house; you may find your Boston starts to get a little jealous of the attention you pay to them, and this can trigger aggression in some dogs.
If, for example, you’ve got two Boston terriers, one may feel that you are paying the other more attention and, therefore, start getting aggressive with the other.
On the other hand it may just be that the dogs have established a pecking order in their own doggy ways, and the aggressor may be the one that has become the alpha dog.
There are steps that you can take to try and ease such a problem
One of the things you should avoid is, paying all of your attention to the “underdog” who is being bullied by the dominant one, as this could trigger even more jealousy and make the problem worse.
Instead, pay attention to the aggressor - this does not mean rewarding him with treats and fuss when he gets aggressive, but handling him to try and stop the behaviour.
Another important step is to try and get the two dogs involved in activity together. This could mean getting another person involved and taking the two dogs for long walks, where both are receiving attention.
Taking them to fun obedience classes can also help, as they may form a closer bond through being involved in fun activities together. Obedience classes are also a good way to get your dogs to acknowledge…. YOU are the leader of the pack…and this could encourage the dominant dog to better obey you, and make your life easier!
You also need to consider the age and sex of your dogs, as this could have something to do with the aggression.
Make note of whether the aggression occurs on a random basis or at certain times, such as meal times or when the dogs are playing with toys. Again, this could help to determine the cause of the aggression.
39 responses so far ↓
1 tonia // Jun 30, 2008 at 5:51 pm
my mingus is a male, a little over a year and a half and he’s an only dog. He is almost always sweet and lovable, but lately he’s been getting jealous when we are at the dog park. If I start showing another dog attention, he will come running and start barking at the other dog and will not let up. Also last week, i was giving attention to my friends baby and he barked at me and kept jumping up until I allowed him to sniff the baby’s feet and gave him a bone to gnaw on. Any suggestions?
2 Admin // Jul 3, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hi Tonia,
I will be writing more about how to try and tackle an aggressive Boston Terrier pretty soon…so watch this space.
3 Jeff // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:17 pm
My Boston is a 2 yr old male, Bobby, who is so wonderful with people but not with other dogs. We have a Beagle who is 4 and they get along fine. Bobby seems to respect other Alpha dogs but will definitely check it out to see who is the alpha. If another dog is a sweet type then Bobby will bite if we do not have him on his leash. We have not been to the dog park for over a year now because of this. He will do this to large breeds and they are afraid of him because they do not understand why he doesn’t want to play. We are sad about all of this. Any suggestions?
4 janice howard // Jul 5, 2008 at 12:21 pm
My 9 year old Boston, Muffin, bit me yesterday when I was holding one of the cats. I know she needs more attention, but with a lover who’s had 3 heart attacks and whose dad is about to die, and 3 cats (we just got rid of 4 kittens!), it’s easier said than done. Help! shy
5 kajuncandee // Jul 5, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I have two boston girls that are both 4 years old. One (Madison) is very loving and kisses everybody and everything. The other (Morgan) is in a class all her own. If i try to get them to go outside the aggressive one will not go until I send the other one outside and come back and kiss her. Then she is more than willing to go out. She also bullies the other when playing. I cannot and do not make a difference in them at all. I refuse to give her treats when she acts this way and believe me she knows when she has done wrong. She is very smart and she knows that she is far smarter than the loving one. Anything she can get away with she will. At one year old we found out Morgan was born with a shunted liver and was not expected to live very long. I brought her home to die. She had lost a lot of weight and had become very frail. Seizures were and still are the norm. To make a long story short, a friend had gotten a Boston too. She brought her over for a visit and never left. The sick dog suddenly had the will to live. Thank God for Madison. Morgan now weighs 23 pounds and is healthy as a horse. It is a miracle! It is amazing what another Boston can do for a sick Boston.
6 Admin // Jul 6, 2008 at 7:05 am
Kajuncandee,
that’s the most amazing story I’ve heard. It really does sound like a miracle
I’m glad Morgan’s doing so well now. This is a truly inspiring story…I hope others read about the change in Morgan.
Jeff and Janice, as I wrote above to Tonia, I will be writing more in depth about tackling the problem of aggression in Boston Terriers. I’ll let you know when it’s up.
7 esther // Jul 7, 2008 at 6:31 pm
thank you so much for your mail. i really appreciate all the tips you send me. I have a boston that is a year and a half. I also have another dog that is nine years old and weight 95 lbs. I usually have to keep them apart because the boston always wants to hit the other dog in the face, and then she gets very annoyed and i’m afraid that she will bite him and hurt him. How can I get him out of the habit of hitting her. Again, than you for all your tips.
8 Karen // Jul 8, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I have a Ripley’s Believe it or Not Boston that weighs in at 45 lbs, named Winston. He’s not fat at all, just really big - almost like a Boxer. His parents are only 25 lbs., so I’m not really sure what happened. I’ve taken Winston to all the PetsMart classes and an aggression class, where he challenged even the Great Dane! He is extremely reactive on a leash and will charge out at any dog we pass. I can’t take him to a dog park either, since we always end up leaving pretty embarrassed for bullying the other dogs. I always thought the problem was that he wasn’t socialized in his first 6 months, (I didn’t have him then) but there may be other reasons behind it. He does ok off-leash with one other dog, sometimes. Pretty unpredictable and he has even snapped at people. I’d love any suggestions you have at this point.
Thanks!
9 Jan // Jul 21, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Anyone have a spiteful Boston? She’s nearly 2 years old, very sweet, listens great. But if I leave her out, even for 10 mintes while I go down the street, something in my house gets eaten. She’s not the Alpha Dog, and gets her fair share of attention and exercise. Thought she might outgrow it, but seems more spiteful than anything, that’s she mad she got left. Anyone see this behavior, or have any tips on how to address it?
10 rachel // Jul 31, 2008 at 2:24 am
my boston cross, Lucky is great with my other dog but as soon as he sees any other dog, he literally tries to eat them. this little guy weighs about 20 pounds and he attacked a german shepheard.
I love animals and want another dog some day, but I don’t want to put them in danger.
please, please help me.
11 Kathleen // Nov 9, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Recently adopted a puppymill rescue BT. He is beautiful. After he was rescued he went to the rescue lady until he was healed from neuter, etc. 3 yrs old. 18 lbs. He does not have any use for my 4 yr BT that is the best little guy ever. They will go to it into a blood bath, sometimes 3 wks apart, usually over a toy, raw hide etc. It breaks my heart as I do not want to give up the adopted newbee but I can’t continue to have Otis torn into. I’m thinking Bark Busters but they are very expensive. Or can u suggest something else?
12 Keisha // Jan 25, 2009 at 5:06 am
I have a lovely 2 year old Boston, that is just sweet and nice to everyone, just like me! I never thought that I would encounter a mean Boston, most of them being known for their sweet nature. I work in a pet store, where today, I was bitten in the face by a Boston that was huge like a boxer! I think he bit me because I paid too much attention to his brother, who was all over me. He jumped up and bit me right in the face and the owner and my co- workers blamed me for getting bitten! I am so distraught about this that when I came home from the hospital, I couldn’t even give my Boston baby any attention and I’m feeling really guilty about that now. Any tips you can give me so that I can know how to sense when a dog will want to bite? He just came up to my face sniffing and then— Owww!
13 ray albieri // Feb 19, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I’ve found nothing does the trick with Bostons like a good swift kick in the haunches. They’ll yelp and scamper away. Repeat as necessary.
Grabbing them by the scruff of the neck works too. Holding them up and exposing that underbelly takes the wind out of their sails.
14 Kristin // Feb 25, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Advice needed: Our 14 month old boston terrier is sooo sweet with people and our cat, but he is a nightmare with other dogs. At the dog park, he will lurch at other dogs and snap at their faces, clinging on to their jowls. He constantly tries to tackle other dogs (in a very agressive way) and he is extremely agressive with any submissive or young dogs that he knows he can dominate… in fact he is dangerous to these types of dogs. We have tried so hard to socialize him, discipline him, and even worked with trainers too, but his behavior is getting worse. We tried citronela sprayers on a remote but that doesn’t work either. We are curious to know if we have any alternatives, such as medications, supplements. Any advice?
15 Brenda // May 27, 2009 at 1:36 pm
I’ve had Boston Terriers since I was born. Seriously! My parents had one when they brought me home. And she was very jealous. Once she strewed my baby clothes up and down the hallway, but never touched my parents clothes. She never did anything to me, but she was extremely aggressive towards cameras. Any picture taken of her usually was of her face and teeth.
I have also had some who were aggressive alpha dogs, but basically I laid down the law that I was the boss. I just love the dogs. There is something so special about each one that I have had.
16 Lisa // May 31, 2009 at 5:48 pm
My situation is similar to Karen’s above. My Boston is 30 pounds (both of his parents were about 25 pounds), and while he’s sweet and overall a really good dog, he has been aggressive with other dogs over the course of the past six months. My buddy–and my only pet–is 1 year and 10 months old, and he has long legs like a Boxer. I’ve taken Hamlet to all the PetsMart classes and an aggression class, where he challenged a Pit Bull/Bull Mastiff mix! He often is reactive on a leash and will charge out at any dog we pass. Off of a leash (for example, at a dark park or in doggy day care), he is much better, but I became upset yesterday when we went to a dog park and he “attacked” two different dogs–both Boxers. I left embarrassed for Hamlet’s bullying the other dogs. He also has snapped at some strangers. I’d love any suggestions you have at this point. Getting concerned…
Thanks!
17 Gia // Jul 29, 2009 at 5:01 pm
My Boston is extremely large also–34.8 lbs according to the vet’s scale yesterday. When on a leash he tries to attack other dogs that walk by. I have purchased one of those collars that wrap around the waist and shoulders as his fat neck aids his collar slipping off. I have caught him in the back yard attacking snakes, armadillos, possums, turtles….anything he can get his paws on. He has gone to the vet for four different injuries this year and I believe all from his hunting escapades. The funny thing is….my brother’s baby can repeatedly pull his rawhide bone from his mouth and he doesn’t blink an eye . My mother’s Dachshund cleans his face almost daily. It has never made sense to me other than the older he gets the worse he gets and I have to take more precautions to keep he and the other dogs safe. He is the most submissive and loving dog in all human circumstances. I too am troubled with this issue with other dog.
18 Toscani // Aug 27, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I have a 3.5 yr old male Boston. I named him Bossman for obvious reasons. He was rescued from a puppy mill shelter. He is extremely loyal to our immediate family. But, when you bring other dogs or strangers into the mix… watch out! He seems to have issues with anybody (except me/family) touching the underside of his neck. It seems like people don’t believe me when I warn them about this! He has bitten several people including a vet, even-though I told the vet to muzzle him first. I’m frustrated by people not hearing my warning. He never goes after anyone, unless they reach around his neck. Has anybody had any luck with muzzling their aggressive Boston? He’s great with everyone except strangers that think he’s cute. Helpful suggestions please!!
19 THIS REALLY WORKS!! // Sep 9, 2009 at 4:31 am
I find if my BT acts up, I politely tell him, “No-No Simon, must not be mean” and if that doesn’t work, I gently pick him up and lovingly carry him to the yard. I prop the sweet little thing up on the picnic table. I gently stroke him under the chin… I look him in the eyes, and say “now Simon, if you don’t behave, do you know what you’ll get?” I then proceed to get a rolled up paper, and beat the living sh*t out of him!! Sometimes beating him to a pulp with a bag of oranges, works well. A belt and garden hose works nicely too! (always aim for their head!) You can try tying all their feet together, tape their mouths and bungee them off your roof for an afternoon! If he tries to run away, I’ll tie him up, and kick him in the ass 50 - 100 times. I also find holding his head under water works wonders. And after all that, if his attitude doesn’t change, I lock him up in a garbage can for a couple of days and only force feed him jalepeno peppers and old scotch. His outlook and behavior usually improves. As a last resort, if he really, really needs to be punished bad, I’ll chain him to the sofa, and make him watch Joan Rivers on TV for a few hours. After that, he is usually begging for another chance! Try these techniques, they really work!
20 Lisa // Oct 1, 2009 at 11:31 am
We also have a 35 lb Boston Terrier that nips at faces and shows aggression to visitors. He seems overly protective. I have found there is a parallel breed to the BT that is called the Boston Bulldogge. This is the stock breed from which the BT originated. Basically it is a giant BT and this is the original old breed, which was bred for fighting. Our dog was a rescue from a backyard breeder and I am thinking that is what he really is. He does resemble a scaled down boxer but has the attitude of a pit bull sometimes.
21 Bella // Oct 7, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I have a 3 year old female BT, her name is Bella. I love her to death but she is extremely aggressive towards our labrador who is only a year old. She fights with her over food and is jealous when we pay the lab attention. I don’t know what to do, the fighting is horrible.
22 John // Oct 28, 2009 at 12:43 pm
We have three Bostons. Zoey almost 2. Bella about 1 1/2 and Cedric 1 year. they have always got along fabulously until recently. Zoey has taken to attacking Cedric for no explainable reason He being the male and about 26 pounds takes it for awhile then unloads on her 18 pounds. He has had her by the throat and drawn blood. The fights are more often and far more violent. They walk together, eat together and sleep together, but Zoey has gotten aggressive and jealous for no reason in middle of day towards him. Any suggestions or answers?
23 Tom // Oct 29, 2009 at 4:23 pm
We have a Boston Terrier named Bolt. He’s 22 months old and very good natured. I think the reason he is not aggressive with other dogs is because we put him in a ‘dog day care’ once a week. For about 8 - 9 hours during that day, he’s having supervised play with a dozen or more dogs. When we pick him up he is usually beat and will rest/snooze until the next day. He does have scratches and cuts, but I think that’s from the play….dogs have some pretty sharp teeth.
24 GNea // Nov 24, 2009 at 10:10 am
I have a 6 year old beautiful female Boston who is a delight in every way. She came to me as a birthday present from my nephew. Yes, it is one of the best gifts I’ve received. She is always full of energy and so loving. My little angel. Now here’s the flipside, My mother is the owner of two large males. 7years and 2 years . She has a female who is the mother of the younger. The two males fight only when myself and my children a 13 year old girl and 14 year old boy come to visit. The males actually bring blood to one another. Is this dominance being shown or jealousy? Any suggestions would sure make my poor moms life a lot easier.
25 Jeanne // Dec 16, 2009 at 11:17 pm
To whoever posted: “This Really Works” :I hope you are either completely kidding, or you desperately need to be in jail for animal abuse !
26 Toscani // Dec 30, 2009 at 12:23 am
To whoever posted: “This Really Works” I wish that I would have the good fortune of meeting up with you… I would greatly enjoy inflicting some serious pain on you. I enjoy cage fighting as my main hobby. Please email me, so I can show you what I think really works.
27 Kay // Jan 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Has anyone had experience with female sibling Boston puppies? Good idea? Impossible to predict what they will be like together?
28 Luke // Jan 12, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I have two Boston Terriers. Mickie(8 years) is sometimes unsociial and most of the time feeling aggressive by my other boston terrier, Sadie(6 years) and plays our little game called Raba. Thats when
29 Jon // Jan 16, 2010 at 2:46 pm
We just recently got a purebred Boston female pup. Love her and do not want to put her up for adoption. But now, at 7 months old, she has gotten quite aggressive towards our other female dogs…two zhitzus…and sucker punches them in full attack mode. She is totally loving towards the other male dogs we have, but has a love/hate relationship with the females. All the dogs are fixed except her. Here’s hoping that getting her spayed will fix her aggressive behavior…
In all regards, she is loyal and loving…but the “out of nowhere” aggression is getting a bit old.
30 nwmum2003 // Jan 28, 2010 at 12:42 pm
for that person who kicks thier dog how dare you..you should not have a dog. I know Bostons can be spiteful but no animal should be hit or pulled at for punishment.
my boston is a 5 year old female and if she get mad at me or jealous she pees on the rug I yell at her and she knows what she did wrong but please dont ever put your handle on such gentle creatures if you cant handle the dog get rid of it
31 Melissa // Feb 5, 2010 at 2:26 pm
My dog is a female she is about 2 years old we have a lot of other dogs and small kids in th house and she dont have a problem with any one exept a female dachsund that is about 3 years old most the time they act like best friends sleeping together and cleaning each other, but then they will just start fighting for no reason over nothing at all. I dont know why they fight but it gets very bad, they are starting to hurt eachother badly. What can i do to get the fighting to stop?
32 Lesley // Apr 10, 2010 at 9:20 am
I have 2 BT’s, Tundra (2 years) and Dexter ( a year). Tundra was bought from a puppy mill type pet store and I believe may have been a runt. He is very short and weighs about 17lbs. Dexter was bought from a friend who’s BT had puppies. Dexter very tall and 30 lbs is so sweet. Tundra bit my 6 year old daughter on the upper lip on Thanksgiving morning, we thought maybe the stress of getting things ready for the holiday may have stressed him out and maybe she had done something to him. 8 stitches later to her face we decided to keep Tundra. Yesterday, I told Tundra to get down off the sofa and into his crate…he became very aggressive towards me and even tried to bite my arm. Anytime I would walk closer to him he would show teeth and pin his ears back. I wanted to lie him on his back to show him I was boss but he was not going to let that happen. I opened my door and said go potty, he went outside and when he came back in, it was like the same lovable dog was back….What the hell? I have no idea what to do with this dog! He is a family member but I can not let him bite again..any suggestions?
33 Debbie // Apr 21, 2010 at 6:41 pm
I have posted here before about my Boston Terrier, Bella. I ended up having to surrender my Labrador to another good home due to the fact the two spayed female dogs kept fighting and hurting each other. I could not deal with it any longer. My Boston is now an only child and I feel sad that it has to be that way but the fighting was horrible.
34 Lorraine // May 9, 2010 at 7:01 pm
My four year old Boston is very loving one minute and the next minute he becomes very aggressive toward my 12 year old who usually just stands and looks away when approached, at time he responds and attacks. However, if I come into the picture the four year old attacks me. What should I do. I was considering the collar that shocks when he misbehaves?
35 Jessica Harrison // May 22, 2010 at 8:19 pm
My 2 year old Boston is an angel. Ive worked and am still working hard on training her with manners and she dose tricks.
The only thing is that she nips in the face when shes playing. Shes totally just playing, not being agressive but Im afraid a parent will complain if she dose it to another child. Is this a boston trait.
36 Marie E Houk // Jul 25, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I have 2 female boston terriers who are around the age of 1 year. When ever each dog has a glimps of the other the tend to go into fights to the death. Can anyone please give suggestions to solve this crisis.
37 martha turner // Aug 1, 2010 at 11:40 pm
i have 6 boston terriers.3 males 3 females. 2 of my female bostons are spayed. the problem i’m having is that the 2 females fight at the sight of each other.they almost kill each other, keeping them seperate is so hard. any suggestions? i’ve had bostons for 35 years. my oldest just died at the old age of 15.
38 I need some major help! Please - Boston Terrier Forums // Aug 4, 2010 at 10:07 pm
[...] http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-inform…-behavior.aspx http://www.bostonterrierinfo.com/blo…oston-terrier/ There are others, but most say it may be health related, jealousy or dominance. Bostons fighting [...]
39 nancy simmons // Aug 10, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Help! I have a BT almost 8 mos old and she is spayed and truly loved. But Starlett is very aggressive towards others, especially in the car. I read about them being so friendly, but mine is definitely not! Getting rid of her is not an option, she is my best friend (obviously not aggressive to me or my husband or others she sees time after time. But I don’t want an aggressive dog! Please help!
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