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Breed guide · Dogs
She was bred down from fighting dogs to fit on a lap. She fits on mine, under the air conditioning.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
They greet the whole building like old friends, then follow you from room to room.
What's going onBostons were bred as companions, and wanting to be near you is normal. If they are truly upset when you leave, that is a reason to contact your vet.
At home
Full of beans on the walk, then suddenly flat on the pavement.
What's going onThey are lighter and livelier than a Pug or a Bulldog, so they will run on when their airway has had enough. If they suddenly flop, or their breathing turns loud, that is the walk done. Get them somewhere cool.
At home
Snorts when excited, snores at night, and now and then a loud, honking sneeze backwards.
What's going onSome Bostons make a reverse sneeze (sharp snorting breaths in). Loud breathing at rest, or breathing that gets louder over time, is worth telling your vet about. Snoring at night is worth filming and showing your vet too.
At home
Quick to learn, quicker when you are laughing, and keen to make you smile.
What's going onThey are bright and learn fast. Short sessions with small rewards keep them keen, and keep them cool.
At home
They run, lift one back leg for a few steps, then carry on as if nothing happened.
What's going onIt looks like a funny run. It can be a kneecap slipping out of place and back again. Tell your vet, keep them lean, and cut out repeated jumping.
At home
Big, round and set right out in front, watching everything you do.
What's going onTheir eyes sit forward and take knocks from grass, branches and other dogs' paws. Squinting, rubbing or a weeping eye is worth showing your vet straight away.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their brief
Built for: Company, a fighter's descendant made small and gentle.
In Dubai: Company in a flat, which suits them.
Their cooling
Built for: Panting, through a short nose and a narrow airway.
In Dubai: A summer that runs from May to September.
Their eyes
Built for: Big and round, out in front of that face.
In Dubai: Grass, branches and other dogs' paws.
Their breathing usually ends the walk, and they are too keen to tell you in time.
You cannot change their face. You can plan their day around it, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Boston Terrier at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Heat is the thing their airway handles worst, and they will not always slow down by themselves.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Heat is the thing their airway handles worst, and they will not always slow down by themselves.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark only, and keep it short. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, and never leave them in the car.
Extra weight makes their airway work harder and puts more load on knees that are prone to slipping.
Every age, most of all 2 to 7 years
Why
Extra weight makes their airway work harder and puts more load on knees that are prone to slipping.
What to do
Measure their meals and count treats as food. You should see a waist from above and feel their ribs without pressing. Weigh them once a month and write it down.
A collar pulls on their throat, the part of them that already works hardest.
Every age
Why
A collar pulls on their throat, the part of them that already works hardest.
What to do
Use a harness that sits across their chest. Keep a collar for their tag if you like, and never clip the lead to it. Refit the harness as they grow.
They will play on after their airway has had enough, and scrambles with bigger dogs risk their eyes.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
They will play on after their airway has had enough, and scrambles with bigger dogs risk their eyes.
What to do
Short bursts of play with rests between. Stop before their breathing gets loud. Keep their games with dogs their own size, and away from thorny hedges.
Snoring and restless sleep are easy to miss as signs of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (the flat-faced breathing problem).
Every age, screening as a puppy, evaluated again as a juvenile
Why
Snoring and restless sleep are easy to miss as signs of Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (the flat-faced breathing problem).
What to do
One night, film two minutes of them asleep, sound on. Note snoring, pauses in their breathing or waking with a start, and show your vet. Their airway is screened as a puppy and evaluated again as a juvenile.
Many Bostons swim poorly. Their nose is short and they tire quickly in water.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Many Bostons swim poorly. Their nose is short and they tire quickly in water.
What to do
Fence the pool or keep them out of the pool area. Near water, on a boat or at the beach, put them in a dog life jacket with a handle, and keep your hand on it.
In a warm room they have no way to shed the heat they build up.
Every age, more so every year from 7
Why
In a warm room they have no way to shed the heat they build up.
What to do
Keep their room air-conditioned from May to September, with a tiled spot or a cooling mat, and water in two places.
Their eyes sit forward and scratch easily, and cataracts (clouding of the lens) can start young.
Every age, cataracts from 6 months on
Why
Their eyes sit forward and scratch easily, and cataracts (clouding of the lens) can start young.
What to do
Each evening, look at both eyes in good light. Wipe away any discharge with a clean, damp cloth. For squinting, rubbing, a weeping eye or any cloudiness, contact your vet.
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is common in the breed from puppyhood.
Every age, most of all under 4 years
Why
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is common in the breed from puppyhood.
What to do
Put rugs down where they run on marble, use a ramp or lift them down from the sofa, and cut out repeated jumping. If they skip a step with a back leg, tell your vet. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan from six months to four years.
They are quick and keen, and long sessions leave them panting.
Every age, easiest under 2 years
Why
They are quick and keen, and long sessions leave them panting.
What to do
Two or three minutes indoors, paid with pieces of their dinner. Teach them early to let you look into their eyes, hold their face and brush their teeth every day. It makes eye drops, health checks and tooth brushing easy later on.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Three sizes
Bostons range from very small, under 6.8 kg, up to 11.3 kg. Whatever the size, it is the same friendly, lively dog in the same tuxedo, with the same need for a cool room.
Colours
Bostons come in brindle, seal (a black with a red glow in bright light) or black, usually with white on the muzzle, between the eyes and across the chest. That white is the dinner suit the breed is known for.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline screening of their breathing and regular evaluations of their eyes, skin and heart. Keep play to a few minutes at a time, indoors in summer, because puppies overheat fastest.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Give them an air-conditioned room with a tiled spot or a cooling mat, and water in two places. Put rugs down where they run on marble, a ramp up to the sofa, and a gate across any way to the pool.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder how both parents breathe, and how their eyes have been. It shapes the whole life of the puppy you take home.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep claiming your lap. Walk them before sunrise, then let them have it.
Before they were yours.
Around 1870
A Boston man called Robert Hooper bought Judge, a cross between an English Bulldog and a white English Terrier. Nearly every Boston alive today traces back to that one dog.
What they still carryA bulldog's face on a lighter, livelier terrier body.
1870s to 1890
Breeders in Boston made Judge's descendants smaller and gentler, a companion rather than a fighter.
What they still carryThe friendly, lively dog who is easy in a flat.
1891 to 1893
The Boston Terrier Club of America formed in 1891, and the American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1893, one of the first breeds developed in the United States.
What they still carryThe neat black and white markings, and their nickname, the American Gentleman.
Today
In the UAE a Boston lives as company in a flat or a villa, in a city where summer runs from May to September.
What they still carryA small, lively dog who feels the heat quickly, which is why their day is planned around the cool.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Boston suits you, so might these.
French BulldogThe same kind of dog: a small, flat-faced companion with bat-like ears, a little heavier and quieter.
PugAnother flat-faced companion who loves people, with a wrinkled face and a coat that sheds more.
Bichon FriseThe same lively, friendly temperament with everyone they meet, in a fluffy white coat that needs daily grooming.
CavapooA similar size and the same need to stay cool in summer, in a soft, low-shedding coat that needs regular grooming.
