As dog owners or future owners, we don’t ever want to have our pets hurt someone inappropriately. Some dog breeds are known for being bitters and having an aggressive temperament. When a person is considering buying a Boston Terrier or is raising a new one, should you be concerned with biting?
Adult Boston Terriers are not generally biters or aggressive with people who are meant to be there. When it comes to dogs or people who are not part of their pack, they will react in a protective way toward their families. Boston Terriers are great family dogs for first time owners.
Yes, it’s true that any dog can bite but some breeds are more prone to it than others. Boston Terriers are the type of dog that has been bred over the past many years as a perfect family pet. We are the owner of two Boston Terriers and are close to families who also own Boston Terriers. If you would like to read more about our experience with Boston Terrier biting, check out the article below.
Are Boston Terriers snappy, here is what we have seen
To give a little background we own two Boston Terriers who are both right around 2 years old at the time of writing this article. So as puppies like all dogs I have owned they will play and bite when they play. As they have grown older both of the dogs have grown out of this phase and do not use their mouths to interact with the family.
I say that but I realize both of my Boston Terriers are not 100% the same. So I will write about our female first name Ruby. She doesn’t bite when playing at all. Even if you play a little rough with her she will not open her mouth.
What she will do when playing is run around and act crazy. She will jump on you and attack with kisses. She is much more content just laying on you and letting out a little gas to show you she loves you.
Our second Boston Terrier is a male and spent most of his life playing with my son who is 19. To say that they play rough with each other is an understatement. So when they play I will be honest and there is a little play biting involved. I know I am supposed to train the Boston Terrier not to bite.
What I have found without male Boston is that he is smart enough to know when and when not to play at that level. For example, if my daughter plays with him he never gets that way. If on the other hand my son or wife tries to play rough with him he plays rough back.
Are Boston Terriers aggressive with other dogs?
In most cases, Boston Terriers are good with other dogs. Although this is the typical breed standard an owner should still introduce any new dogs in a neutral area. This will take away any territorial issues from the introduction.
One thing that I have seen from my Boston Terriers and others I have been around is the aggressive stance. When another dog comes close to our yard the dogs will puff up their chest and run to the edge of the yard. They will try to look as tuff as possible in such a small frame.
Then if you take the same Boston to a dog park, they just want to play. So like the title of this article suggests Boston Terriers will bite and be aggressive when it is appropriate. They will try to protect you and keep you safe.
There was one time that I saw a Boston Terrier become aggressive with another dog. when I looked back on the situation I understand now how it was our fault. We introduced the dogs inside of one’s territory and the dog we introduced the Boston Terrier had a high motor.
The combination of the dong running around, being bigger than the Boston, and introducing them in a none neutral location was a recipe for disaster. They got into a little fight which had to be split up.
A few weeks later we introduced the Boston Terrier to the other dog again. This time we did it in a more open location and there were no leeshes. We also did it without people in the area who would react to the dogs. They did fine this time and have had no issues since.
How do you teach a Boston Terrier not to bite?
Boston Terriers are a very intelligent breed. They can be trained not to bite by doing a few things. First, don’t play with them and allow them to bite. Distract them from biting you to biting a toy. Second, alert them when they do bad with a clicker or with words, and reward them when they stop trying to bite you and instead bite a toy.
Just like with any dog breed they are going to learn from you as the pack leader what is acceptable. If the entire time they grow up playing rough is what is acceptable then they will grow up and continue this behavior.
The great quality of Boston Terriers is they are loyal and intelligent. The issue with this is that they are too smart for their own good. This means they will sometimes not listen to you. This is when they are pushing the line to see where it really is. Do not waver when they do this especially with biting.
If you are having trouble training your Boston Terrier to not bite we recommend you get help from a trainer. What you will learn are things you are doing wrong. I always laugh when people get trainers because they are surprised how much of the issue was on them and not the dog.
The truth about Boston Terriers and their bitting
Of all the Boston Terriers we have been around, none were aggressive with humans. There was one case of a Boston Terrier who just did not get along with other dogs outside of his pack. All of the Boston Terriers were great with their own family and pack.
When a person asks me are Boston Terriers biters it’s very easy for me to say no they are not. I usually laugh because I have watched my female try to bite when she was younger. I am not sure if she has enough mouth to actually bite a human or another dog. .