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
around 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.

Next: The Boston Terrier Cluban Early Standard
Previous: The Boston Terrier Club By-laws

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The Boston Terrier Club The Revised Boston Terrier Standard