The Boston Terrier: An All American

The Boston Terrier, nicknamed The American Gentleman, is the first dog breed to be developed in America. They were bred specifically to be companion dogs to human beings. However, their ancestors were fighting dogs, including their original type of the rare breed the Olde English Bulldogges. This ancient breed was thought to have been created from crossing the English Bulldog and the long-gone English White Terrier.

Dogs were already well established in North America by the time the very first European settlers arrived. However, anything having to do with the Native Americans was seen as shocking, savage and unfamiliar. So the Native American dogs, along with their owners, were ostracized from new America. Boston was one of the biggest shipping towns in New America, and still had close ties to Europe. Therefore, the Boston Terrier came from predominately European bulldog lines.

The founding sire of the Boston Terrier breed is thought to have been a jaunty little dog called Hooper’s Judge, owned by Robert C. Hooper of Boston, who bought him in 1870. This pivotal dog was imported from England and made a big impression on not just the female dogs of Boston, but their owners as well. He was thirty-two pounds, which is a lot heavier than the Boston Terriers of today. He also is described in old America Kennel Club records as having a well built, high-stationed body, being a dark brindle with a white blaze down the nose.

No matter what kind of bitch Hooper’s Judge was put to, the puppies took on mostly his characteristics and not hers. Nobody spayed or neutered their dogs back then, as there was usually a need for more dogs, and no sign of the pet overpopulation problem of today. Also, veterinary medicine for dogs was pretty primitive back then. Soon, the Boston Bull Terrier was known outside of Boston.

Judge’s offspring was put to successively smaller dogs and often crossed with French Bulldogs. Over the years, there have been squabbles about the breed’s name. According to some Boston Terrier information experts, the breed’s name should be changed yet again to just Bostons.

Various name permutations have included the Bull Terrier (which ticked off the emerging breed of the same name), the Boston Bull and the Boston Bull Terrier.

The breed as we recognize it today wasn’t seen until about 1900. That was when top breeders formally set down their breed standard. Although there were strict physical standards for a Boston Terrier to make it in the show ring, there were also strict standards on temperament.

Despite all of the generations of fighting dogs in him, a Boston Terrier is more inclined to run away than pick a fight.

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