From what I’ve researched Bostons burp, fart and snore he should fit right in around me.
Crating is an easy way to housebreak dogs. Dogs won’t soil there own space, unless desperate.
I wouldn’t crate a puppy under 15 weeks. They just don’t have bladder control. Making them piss on themselves is cruel. Also, I’d arrange for a potty break every three hours. A young pup that holds that long is doing good. Eventually they can go all day without peeing.
I used absorbent puppy papers with my last dog until it was 16 weeks old. Then transitioned to crate training.
Almost forgot…
I put the crate in my laundry room when I got my pup. Crate door open with bedding & toys inside. He’d go in whenever he wanted to sleep. There was nothing else soft to sleep on. 
Come out to piss and then back in the crate to sleep. It became his home.
When I began crate training, I’d close the door. At first for 30 minutes. He didn’t care. Gradually adding time.
Even as an adult, my dog goes in the crate when he doesn’t want to be disturbed. We never bother him or pet him in the crate.
Bostons are prone to most of those same issues, as are pretty much all your brachycephalic (smush-faced) breeds. Bostons actually have a pretty sizable snout compared to other brachy breeds, so they’re less likely to need corrective surgery than, say, an English bulldog, but it’s something you have to keep an eye on. Your various terriers are also prone to allergies, both food and inhalant, which makes them more prone to skin and ear infections than dogs without allergies. This is usually manageable with very inexpensive antihistamines, but we have a couple of Bostons at work who have to have prescription food and allergy injections.
Shop carefully when you’re looking at pups. Check out Mom and Dad, and talk to your breeder about these sorts of issues. If your breeder objects to you seeing the parents, or pooh-poohs your concerns, or can’t/won’t tell you about common medical problems within the breed, FIND ANOTHER BREEDER. A good breeder, one who knows, loves, and wants to improve the breed, will understand and welcome you wanting to know for sure what you’re getting.
I’ve read that greyhounds are actually one of the best dogs for apartments, as long as they get enough exercise outside. But while inside they basically lounge around and are very quiet.
My brother had greyhounds for a while. Two of them were pretty laid back. The third was more active, but even he would settle in for a good snooze pretty often.
Retired racers are grateful for the opportunity to be pets. And greys do need daily exercise sessions. They are very sweet, quiet dogs, who enjoy attention but are basically couch potatoes. They have very fine coats, so it’s essential not to let them get too hot or too cold, and they can be sunburned if they are exposed to too much sun.
Good point! I looked at some Boston puppies up in Maine and they were not even full blooded Bostons. They were adorable but they some had a full tail and the father was large and too big for a Boston. There was something else thrown in the mix and not knowing what the combo was I wouldn’t purchase a pup. The Mom also had skin problems.
Knowing the breed well and the breed standard of the dog you want is important when going to look at puppies. Ask to see the parents because the puppy will resemble the parents. If the parents are both breed standard your ok if one is off even if your puppy looks normal it should not be bred. Like tails on Bostons are not normal so this dog should be sold only as a part Boston pet.
Size of an apartment matters to some breeds and it’s unfair to keep a large dog in a small apartment. Some dogs need to run in wide open spaces and it is like putting them in jail. Some dogs don’t need much exercise and an apartment is enough room. Even some small dogs like Beagles love to go hunting and would not enjoy being confined. They need to roam or at least have a yard.
Another good point is Bostons don’t do well in heat and cold. They like it 70 degrees or average house temperature. You can’t tie them outside on a 100 degree day or they will die. You also can’t leave them outside in the snow like a Husky or they would die. I have air conditioning and Percy appreciates it on hot days.
Boston owner checking in!
Just lost my 12-year-old boy, but still have my 14-year-old female.
Had them in apartments for years and they are awesome in small spaces. They pretty much just want to be smooshed up against their people anyway, so all you really need is enough space on the couch for a 20-pound dog.
They are very smart and very trainable, but they can be stubborn, so you kind of need to know what you’re doing and be very consistent with the training. Once you’ve trained them, they are super easy.
Minimal grooming, minimal shedding. Mine gets a baf about every three weeks or so.
What else do you want to know?
Oh! I know. Great BT website.
I found that crating was absolutely necessary until my pup was almost 2 years old. They are high-energy dogs and get bored easily, which translates to very destructive. And now you know where my user name came from: My BT was dubbed “dogzilla” after eating my date’s glasses. Hey, he left 'em on the couch, wasn’t her fault! 
She was fine being left in the crate for 8 hours at a time. She did better if I was able to come home at lunch and take her out for a little energy-spending walk, but she could hang for the whole work day.
A tired dog is a good dog, so mine got 4 walks a day, with the evening walk being nearly an hour long. They are great little travelers and very good in the car or in hotel rooms or whatever.
But yeah, my little girl was about 2 before I could trust her alone in my apartment for hours on end.
Now the rescue I had (just died three weeks ago :(), could not be crated. He’d spent the first five years of his life as the stud dog in a puppy mill :mad:, and was not socialized at all. He had severe separation anxiety (once he bonded with me) and I tried crating him at first because it’s so hard to housebreak at 5-year-old dog. I would come home to find him panting, drooling, hyperventilating, howling, crying, whining and just generally completely freaked out. He’d poop and pee in his crate, so several times a day, I’d have to drag the crate outside, hose it off, throw all his bedding in the washer (with hot water and bleach), and give him another bath. Finally, I just gave up on crating him because he was well past the destructive puppy stage and it wasn’t worth it to put him through all that every day. It was easier to clean poop off the tile than it was to clean him, his crate, and his bedding 3+ times a day.
I was about to get rid of my crate because I don’t see why my 14-year-old needs a friggin’ crate. The other day, I watched her wander over to it and snuggle in for a little nap. So she still uses it and it’s “her house” and she likes it. So I left it where it is for whenever she wants to go lay down in there.
They are, indeed, snorty little fellas. No shortage of belching, farting and snoring. I can no longer sleep without the relaxing sound of my dog snoring next to me. I’ve never met one who isn’t a bit snorty.
Look up a reputable rescue (not a shelter) and rescue instead. Breed-dedicated rescues exist and they will be reliable judges of the individual dogs they hold – and they generally will never be able to find homes for all of them, so they concentrate their efforts on finding homes for the *best *candidates.
I’m the first person to advocate breed-specific rescue, because my poor little guy was a rescue. The national BT rescue organization is here. You can look up your local chapter from that page.
I have to caution anyone considering this to know what you are getting yourself into. Adult rescues come with a completely different set of issues than a well-cared-for puppy. I’ll try to summarize:
•Behavioral issues - separation anxiety, OCD, difficult if not impossible to housebreak, sometimes dominance issues, strong prey drive, food guarding, sometimes not good with other pets or little kids or old people. My rescue was an angel with dogs, cats, kids, and old people, he was never a food guarder, and did not have to be alpha dog. He never so much as growled at anyone or anything in his life. He was not a barker at all, but would howl when I left him. He had horrible separation anxiety and in the end, I think that’s what killed him. (He was upset from being kenneled, got overheated 'cause it’s hot and his airway closed due to brachycephalic syndrome.)
•Medical issues - Can range from skin allergies to really awful terminal conditions. Rescues are often poorly bred and not tested for congenital problems that lead to luxating patella, cataracts, deafness, and other conditions. My rescue had had heartworms (successfully treated without killing him), sarcoptic mange, bad teeth from malnourishment, and terrible skin problems. Later, he developed irritable bowel syndrome and hypothyroidism, which may be autoimmune-related. That dog practically had a wing at the vet’s office named after him, we were in there so much.
There are not a lot of resources for dog owners who rescue and discover problems like this after the fact. Many rescue adoptions go swimmingly and the owners don’t encounter any problems. However. You have to do your homework, know how to deal with difficult dogs, and if necessary, have an animal behaviorist located if it comes to that. (I had to hire one.) Learn as much as you possibly can about the dog’s background and what kind of conditions it has known because that will help you help the dog adjust to its new home. My BFF also had one BT he raised from a puppy and one he rescued. His puppy-raised dog lived a few years longer than his rescue, like mine. We have a theory that rescued BTs really pay harshly for mistreatment when they are young with shorter life spans and more medical problems. They don’t seem to live as long or do as well as mutt rescues from the pound.
Anyway, I don’t want to discourage anyone from rescuing, but I want to encourage people to contact rescue organizations, talk to people who have been rescuing for a while, research, do the homework, and know what you are doing. As much as I loved my rescued Sweetie-Pumpkin Smooshy-Face, if I had to do it all over again, I would have gotten a puppy. In the long run, it might have been less work and less heartache… and possibly less rewarding, but somehow I doubt that.
Obligatory Cute Dog Links:
Old Dog - raised from puppy
Rescued Dog - Scratching his own ass on the futon leg, while moaning, snorting and grunting. Hilarious.
I have 2 Bostons. I adore this breed! This quote couldn’t be more wrong, IMO.
My girl only barks at the doorbell (I taught her). My boy, 2 years old, has never barked! Ever!
Grooming is super easy - I put mine in the tub and am done in 5 minutes. I wash their faces with a cloth. No biggie.
My previous boy, he was hyper at times. These two- very mellow.
None of my dogs ever cared for a walk that was longer than a block.
This.
When my boy died, I missed his snoring so much.
A lot of Bostons, if you are ok with it, love to sleep under the covers no matter how hot.
Another thing about Bostons. Most of the people I know have two.
Dongle is gone? I’m sorry to hear that. He was quite a pup.
wow Lynn. I am really touched you remembered.
He came down with a drastic case of what could be best described as Dog Lupus. In less than a week and two blood transfusions, he was gone.
This happened the year after my divorce - so, it was devastating to say the least.
It’s the silly personality of these dogs that I love.
Hip Hop Boston Terrier
I got mine two years ago. Everyone loves their pet (failings and all) but I can honestly say mines great. I live in a small townhouse but he wouldn’t be out of place in an apartment. Mine is more active than most but he comes to the shop with me and is around people most of the day. He’s smart, sensitive, playful and his eyes and ears make up the expressions most dogs use their tails for. House training took longer than expected, but he learned quickly what wasn’t chewable. I didn’t want a pet that couldn’t be on the couch or bed with me as those cuddling times are why I have an animal in the first place and his short fur isn’t a problem and he doesn’t stink.
I’ve heard from other owners Bostons can be obstinate, I don’t get that from mine really but I can see the tendency in the breed. He farts, but I stopped noticing it until my wife points it out. Sometimes he snores but it’s really quiet and kind of cute. Mine doesn’t drool.
If I could change anything about my dude it would be to make him less aggressive towards strangers. Despite socializing young and often new people scare him and he barks until I shoot him with the squirt bottle.
Another thing about Bostons is that they are small, but not “embarrasing” to have as a man. A lot of guys would never own a fou fou dog but will have a Boston.
Our Boston has a miilion facial expressions. Our Westie has 2 or 3.