The Boston Terrier Club The Revised Boston Terrier Standard

The present Boston terrier standard was adopted by the Boston Terrier Club

on October 7, 1914, as a result of a revision recommended by a committee

appointed by the Boston Terrier Club.



It was felt, in view of the fact that the dog had become established all

over the continent among breeders and fanciers not as familiar with the

ideal of the breed as were the original breeders and friends of the dog

aroun Boston, that a more explicit, definite standard, one that could be

more easily understood by the great body of the dog's admirers of today,

should be adopted.



It will be readily observed by a comparison of the old standard, which has

practically been in existence since the formation of the club in 1891,

that no vital point has been really changed.





REVISED STANDARD OLD STANDARD.



Point Values Scale of Points.



10 GENERAL APPEARANCE: The 10 GENERAL APPEARANCE AND

general appearance of STYLE: The general

the Boston terrier appearance of the Boston

should be that of a Terrier is that of a

lively, highly smooth, short-coated,

intelligent, smooth compactly-built dog of

coated, short headed, medium station. The head

compactly built, short should indicate a high

tailed, well balanced degree of intelligence and

dog of medium station, should be in proportion to

of brindle color and the dog's size; the body

evenly marked with rather short and

white. The head should well-knit, the limbs

indicate a high degree strong and finely turned,

of intelligence and no feature being so

should be in proportion prominent that the dog

to the size of the dog; appears badly

the body rather short proportioned. The dog

and well knit, the limbs conveys an impression of

strong and neatly determination, strength

turned; tail short and and activity. Style of a

no feature being so high order, and carriage

prominent that the dog easy and graceful.

appears badly

proportioned. The dog

should convey an

impression of

determination, strength

and activity, with style

of a high order;

carriage easy and

graceful. A

proportionate

combination of Color

and Ideal Markings is

a particularly

distinctive feature of a

representative specimen,

and dogs with a

preponderance of white

on body, or without the

proper proportion of

brindle and white on

head, should possess

sufficient merit

otherwise to counteract

their deficiencies in

these respects.



The ideal Boston

Terrier Expression as

indicating a high

degree of intelligence,

is also an important

characteristic of the

breed.



Color and Markings and

Expression should be

given particular

consideration in

determining the relative

value of General

Appearance to other

points.





12 SKULL: Square, flat on 12 SKULL: Broad and flat,

top, free from wrinkles; without prominent cheeks,

cheeks flat; brow abrupt, and forehead free from

stop well defined. wrinkles.



2 STOP: Well defined, but

indenture not too deep.



5 EYES: Wide apart, large 5 EYES: Wide apart, large and

and round, dark in round, neither sunken nor too

color, expression alert, prominent, and in color dark

but kind and and soft. The outside corner

intelligent; the eyes should be on a line with the

should set square across cheeks as viewed from the

brow and the outside front.

corners should be on a

line with the cheeks as

viewed from the front.



12 MUZZLE: Short, square, 12 MUZZLE: Short, square,

wide and deep; free from wide and deep, without

wrinkles; shorter in wrinkles. Nose black and

length than in width and wide, with a well defined

depth, and in proportion straight line between

to skull; width and nostrils. The jaws broad

depth carried out well and square, with short,

to end. Nose black and regular teeth. The chops

wide, with well defined wide and deep, not

line between nostrils. pendulous, completely

The jaws broad and covering the teeth when

square, with short mouth is closed.

regular teeth. The chops

of good depth, but not

pendulous, completely

covering the teeth when

mouth is closed. The

muzzle should not exceed

in approximate length

one-third of length of

skull.



2 EARS: Small and thin, 2 EARS: Small and thin,

situated as near corners situated as near corners

of skull as possible. of skull as possible.



HEAD FAULTS: Skull

domed or inclined;

furrowed by a medial

line; skull too long for

breadth, or vice versa;

stop too shallow; brow

and skull too slanting.

Eyes small or sunken;

too prominent; light

color; showing too much

white or haw. Muzzle

wedge shaped or lacking

depth; down faced; too

much cut out below the

eyes; pinched nostrils;

protruding teeth; weak

lower jaw; showing turn

up. Poorly carried ears

or out of proportion.



3 NECK: Of fair length, 5 NECK: Of fair length,

slightly arched and without throatiness and

carrying the head slightly arched.

gracefully; setting

neatly into shoulders.



NECK FAULTS: Ewe-necked;

throatiness; short and

thick.



15 BODY: Deep with good 15 BODY: Deep and broad of

width of chest; chest, well ribbed up.

shoulders sloping; back Back short, not roached.

short; ribs deep and Loins and quarters strong.

well sprung, carried

well back of loins;

loins short and

muscular; rump curving

slightly to set-on of

tail. Flank slightly cut

up. The body should

appear short, but not

chunky.



BODY FAULTS: Flat sides;

narrow chest; long or

slack loins; roach back;

sway back; too much cut

up in flank.



4 ELBOWS: Standing 2 ELBOWS: Standing neither

neither in nor out. in nor out.



5 FORELEGS: Set moderately 4 FORELEGS: Wide apart,

wide apart and on a line straight and well

with the points of the muscled.

shoulders; straight in

bone and well muscled;

pasterns short and

strong.



5 HINDLEGS: Set true; bent 4 HINDLEGS: Straight,

at stifles; short from quite long from stifle

hocks to feet; hocks to hock (which should

turning neither in nor turn neither in nor

out; thighs strong and out), short and straight

well muscled. from hock to pasterns.

Thighs well muscled.

Hocks not too prominent.



5 FEET: Round, small and 2 FEET: Small, nearly

compact, and turned round, and turned

neither in nor out; toes neither in nor out. Toes

well arched. compact and arched.



LEG AND FEET FAULTS:

Loose shoulders or

elbows; hind legs too

straight at stifles;

hocks too prominent;

long or weak pasterns;

splay feet.



5 TAIL: Set-on low; short, 10 TAIL: Set-on low, short,

fine and tapering; fine and tapering,

straight or screw; devoid of fringe or

devoid of fringe or coarse hair, and not

coarse hair, and not carried above the

carried above horizontal.

horizontal.



TAIL FAULTS: A long or

gaily carried tail;

extremely gnarled or

curled against body.



(Note: The preferred

tail should not exceed

in length approximately

half the distance from

set-on to hock.)



4 COLOR: Brindle with 8 COLOR: Any color,

white markings. brindle, evenly marked

with white, strongly

preferred.



10 IDEAL MARKINGS: White 4 MARKINGS: White

muzzle, even white blaze muzzle, blaze on face,

over head, collar, collar, chest and feet.

breast, part or whole of

forelegs and hindlegs

below hocks.



COLOR AND MARKINGS

FAULTS: All white;

absence of white

markings; preponderance

of white on body;

without the proper

proportion of brindle

and white on head; or

any variations

detracting from the

general appearance.



3 COAT: Short, smooth, 3 COAT: Fine in texture,

bright and fine in short, bright and not

texture. too hard.



COAT FAULTS: Long or

coarse; lacking lustre.



--- ---

100 100



WEIGHTS: Not exceeding WEIGHT: Lightweight class,

27 pounds, divided as 12 and not to exceed 17

follows: pounds; middleweight

Lightweight: Under 17 class, 17 and not to

pounds. exceed 22 pounds;

Middleweight: 17 and not heavyweight class, 22 and

exceeding 22 pounds. not to exceed 28 pounds.

Heavyweight: 22 and not

exceeding 27 pounds.



DISQUALIFICATIONS: DISQUALIFICATIONS: Docked

Solid black, black and tail and any artificial

tan, liver and mouse means used to deceive the

colors. Docked tail and judge.

any artificial means

used to deceive the

judge.