Boston terriers are lively, gentle dogs with the best of intentions, but like all dogs they can have accidents in the house, which may leave you feeling frustrated and annoyed with potty training.
Of course, the odd accident is inevitable, especially with younger pups, and this is where stringent housebreaking can prove invaluable.
However, if your dog is getting a little older now, has grown out of puppy-hood, yet continues to have fairly regular “accidents” in the house then you may have a problem on your hands.
First of all, there are some important steps that you need to take in order to reduce the risk of your Boston terrier using your home as his own personal toilet. Make sure that he is let out first thing in the morning, as soon as you return home in the evening, and last thing at night, as well as after every meal.
Hopefully he will get into the habit of going potty at certain times rather than meandering around and dropping one whenever the fancy takes him!
Also, make sure that he is taken on regular walks, and given some sort of stimulating activity to enjoy on the walks, such as a game of ball in a safe and secure area. This will stimulate his body, and if you leave him outside for a short while after his walk, he may do his business then before he comes in.
If you take your Boston for a gentle stroll you will find that his body is stimulated more “slowly”, and once you get back home his body relaxes and he may then take a pee or poo on your best carpet!
You need to remember the importance of confining your dog to his crate, or his designated area when you are not around, as this can help to teach him where he can and cannot poop - it will save you worrying about what is happening to your carpets and furniture when you are away.
Whilst you are around make sure that he does not wander off into another room, as he may relieve himself when you are not looking, whereas if you are present he is less likely to do so.
In addition to this if you find that your dog is doing his business in the same place all the time then it is worth getting the carpet or piece of furniture professionally cleaned, as the lingering smell may be enticing him to continue using that spot as a loo.
Face it…we all worry when anything appears to be wrong with our pets, especially if they are only young and more vulnerable to certain health problems.
If you have a Boston terrier pup who looks to have blood spots in his poop then there could be a simple explanation, but it is important that you get it looked into as quickly as possible so that treatment could be arranged.
If your pup appears to be happy and healthy, and is eating normally and playing, then often the reason behind blood in the stool is because of certain parasites.
Whilst these can usually be easily treated, if you leave the problem to fester it can get out of hand so it is worth getting your pup to the vet as early as possible to have tests carried out.
Do bear in mind that there are a number of parasites that can cause blood spots in the stool, and these are not always picked up in in-house tests. Therefore it is worth asking your vet to get the stool sample sent off for external testing where specific parasites can be looked for.
There is no one treatment that will treat all parasites, so the parasite will have to be identified before the appropriate treatment can be administered.
Remember, you may find that your vet does an in-house test on the pup’s stool sample, and this may show as being clear, but it could be that it just hasn’t picked up on the parasite.
So, if your vet is unable to identify the cause of the problem with an in-house test, you should ask for an external laboratory test to be performed to be on the safe side.
Whilst a “de-wormer” may be able to deal with the more common parasites, there are other parasites that your Boston Terrier may have that will need specific treatment prescribed.
As cute and adorable as Boston terriers are, the last thing you want is to have your dog wandering around your beautiful home and relieving himself on your furniture.
Unfortunately he/she may find toilets in a range of places around the home, and much to your dismay you may find that your favorite armchair, or your sturdy writing desk has become a firm favorite with your dog to lift his leg and take a pee!
If you find that your he is wandering off in order to lift his leg and urinate on the furniture in another room there are some steps that you can take.
It is important, first of all, not to let him wander off into other rooms where the room is empty, as he is then free to urinate on the furniture without anyone there to reprimand and stop him. This will result in him getting into the bad habit of being able to lift his leg with no consequences, thus in a way encouraging him to do this.
Whenever you are not around, keep your Boston terrier in a designated place or his kennel where there is no furniture for him to urinate on.
This will get him into the habit of doing his business in the proper way rather than leaving you with damp smelly furniture, or soiled carpets! Also, you need to remember that in a dog’s world there is a definite “pecking order”, and it’s important that you establish yourself as being at the top of the pecking order.
You can find training your Boston terrier with these proven methods will help with the “peeing problem”, as you can then assert yourself if he tried to wander off into an empty room - and if he’s been well trained he will listen.
In the meantime, remember not to leave doors to other rooms open when you are with him, as it is all too easy for him to slyly slip away when you are not looking, and start taking his revenge on your beautiful furnishings!
As most Boston owners, we absolutely adore ours. “Chewie” who aptly EARNED her name, is 1 1/2 years old and female.
She has ruled the household until one month ago when she generously made room for Graciela, our newborn daughter. However, it’s a good thing that Gracie has her own bassinet, because Chewie demands to sleep with her parents in the bed, of course.
Chewie loves everyone and most other dogs. She dutifully protects us (loudly!) from all floor-cleaning tools, including the Dust Buster, brooms of all varieties, and even my husband’s 5-iron….Of course, we thank her for her job well done (once we’ve regained our hearing).
Just a note to add her to the group. We beam as proudly about Chewie as we do our daughter.
Boston terriers, amongst other dogs, have dew claws which are like the front claws but grow higher up on the paw, thus not making contact with the ground.
These are not dead claws, as they can help a dog to grip light things, but many people decide to have them removed. If you have a Boston terrier puppy then the best time to have the dewclaw removed is when the pup is between three and five days old.
If, however, you decide to get the dewclaw removed when the Boston terrier is a little older then you can do so, but the dog will have to go under general anaesthetic to have the procedure carried out.
It is therefore a good idea to consider having this done when you take the dog in for neutering, as he can then have the two procedures carried out at the same time, thus avoiding having to go under anaesthetic on two occasions.
However, do bear in mind that your dog’s recovery time will be longer if you do this, as he will have two procedures to recover from rather than just the one.
There are “conflicting views” on whether the dewclaw of the dog should or should not be removed. Some argue that the dewclaw helps the dog to gain traction when running, but in some dogs the dewclaw scrapes on the flaw when they run, and this can result in the nail wearing down.
You may also find that if your dog’s dewclaw does not wear down in this way you need to keep on top of the claw trimming, otherwise he will end up with a nail like a spike sticking out of his dewclaw!
Another argument in whether a dog’s dewclaw should be removed is that it can be prone to damage and injury. Your dog’s dew claws are loosely attached to the paw, and this means that if he is running around or gets himself into a scrap he could end up getting it caught.
This could result in the dewclaw ripping, or your dog could damage it and get some sort of infection.
This is something that you may want to bear in mind when considering whether or not to get your Boston terriers dew claws removed.
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.
Boston Terriers are incredibly cute, loyal, and loving dogs, but just like any other animal - or human - can quickly develop bad habits or behavioral patterns. For example, they love to interact and play, and it is important that you dedicate the time to play with them.
If, however, they become unreasonably demanding - such as expecting you to play with them every time you go into the garden or expecting any visitor to the house to play with them - then you need to address the issue, as this can become an annoying problem.
For example, most Boston Terriers love nothing more than a good game of tug or ball, and it is important to engage them in such activities both for their health and fitness and in order to maintain a strong bond between your dog and you.
However, if there are certain toys or games that your Boston Terrier becomes a little obsessive about, wanting you to play them every time you set foot in the garden, then you need to divert his attention and avoid playing those games altogether for a while.
Boston Terriers rely on interaction so you should not simply withdraw your attention from the dog. Instead, hide the toys in question and you will be surprised how quickly the dogs will forget about them and turn their attention to something else - hopefully something that will not require you to be on hand around the clock!
For instance, one good idea is to invest in some soup raw bones. These will last forever, are cheap to buy, and will keep your dog happy and occupied for hours.
You should think of your Boston Terrier like a child - they are brimming with energy, thrive on your attention, and need regular interaction.
They can also have their attention diverted surprisingly easily and therefore you should find that getting them focussed on chewing that raw bone, rather than scampering over to you with their balls and toys every five minutes should be relatively simple.
