Now, on the bright side, she is a FAST little dog, runs like a demon and her heart has given her no trouble. When she tires out, she gets a drink of water, takes a few breaths and is back playing in moments. You would never know she has those problems. She’s probably about 4 years old and we have had her for a year. I am sure when she’s a senior citizen we will have to do a heart screening on her and keep a close watch, but old age affects most dogs some way or another.

The stinking breeder who had her told the shelter where we adopted her that she was only 18 months old, but she had plaque on her teeth, which takes a good three years to develop. Thats’ how we estimate her age.

Being a smaller dog, BTs live a good long while. Mine is very silly and puppylike even at her age and delights in teasing the other dog regularly. She loves toys and took to obedience training pretty well. Her teeth are odd.. almost like her jaw is too small for all those teeth, but they’re bright white and healthy and she only uses them where she should (unless she is left alone near a shoe or a wastebasket for too long).

If there was even one complaint I could make about Bostons, it would be the *******. They do get the toots here and there, and they’re NASTY… but so does my husband.. you get over it.

Speaking of that area of the body, her **** glands have abscessed three times since last summer, but that should be manageable just by having a groomer express them perhaps every three months or so. Not very expensive where I live.. she’s easy to bathe and the coat needs no special care. Do invest in a good coat or sweater for your BT if the weather is cold where you live, and don’t leave them outside during extremes of cold or heat. They’re indoor dogs and they do not tolerate extreme temps very well at all.

Last but not least, bracheocephalic (short nose pug type) dogs often have breathing problems and such… but BTs typically have a real, though not very long, snout or muzzle and are a little luckier than the pugs and bulldogs and similar smooshfaced dogs. That does not mean that Bostons don’t snore.. they DO! Like crazy. And they snort, as well. It’s actually more funny than annoying; Daisy sleeps on the bed with me every night and I am not bothered by noise.

Hope this was helpful. I know I am not alone when I tell you that owning a Boston Terrier-ist is one of the most joyous parts of life. I’ve never met anyone who had one who didn’t feel the same way. Good luck.

They can live up to 15 years or more, but the average is around 13 years.

The Boston, like other short-snouted breeds have an elongated palate. When excited, they are prone to a “reverse sneeze” where the dog will quickly, and seemingly laboriously, gasp and snort. This is caused by air or debris getting caught under the palate and irritating the throat or limiting breathing. “Reverse sneezing” episodes won’t hurt a Boston in the least, but it will scare the dog, and maybe its owners, a good deal. The quickest way to stop these episodes is to talk to them calmly, and cover their nose with the palm of your hand, which will force the dog to breath more slowly and deeply through its mouth.

Because of their short snouts, they do tend to snort and snore. These can be signs of serious health issues. Due to the Boston’s prominent eyes, some are prone to ulcers or minor injuries to their cornea.