Best products from r/BostonTerrier

If you're a first time owner, I definitely recommend reading up on training techniques. This isn't specific to Bostons, but to all dogs. You'll want an especially well-behaved dog if you're living in an apartment. Don't just rely on the internet here. Go find a book or two. I've had really great results with positive reinforcement and click training. I liked This Book because it talks about how to deal with a puppy as their brains are developing. Alternately, consider adopting an older dog that's already well-mannered.

Also note that if you get a puppy they require a lot of attention. Leaving them at home (Even crated) for an 8+ hour work day is not a great way to start them off and it's going to make your training job much more difficult. Someone needs to get home to give them a lunch walk, or plan to hire a walker. With puppies, the early weeks require even more attention for housebreaking.

Now onto the breed. You'll need to provide exercise and/or mental stimulation every day. The dog park is great for this. So are walks. You can get by with indoor mental stimulation on rainy days. Training, food toys, other games etc. These can all tire your dog out. Generally, I find that I get better behaved dogs from the mental stimulation than the physical. (They're not getting bored). That dog park you mention is going to be fantastic since it gives dogs both mental and physical. But do plan to use it daily.

Now onto the Boston Terrier:
Bostons have a tough time in the heat or cold. You can help with the cold a bit with some dog clothes. The heat is a little tougher to deal with. I find that over 80 degrees F I have to take it easy on them (shorter, slower walks). Over 90 and we generally stay indoors.

They are an awesome breed. They are very playful and full of energy, right up until they're not. Then they just want to cuddle. It's probably possible to train them not to be on furniture, but at least for mine, that would have been a difficult thing to train. So just give in now and expect that they're going to curl up under the covers, probably right between you and your girlfriend.

My family's big into Bostons...my mom has had 8 total in her life. They are notorious toy destroyers. My first Boston is 1 1/2 now.

The owner at a pet store in town advised that we have "play" toys, and "chew" toys... so if we notice her chewing on a "play" toy, we take it away. For chew toys, I've given up on a lot of things and I advise either getting an edible antler or a bully ring It's completely digestible and doesn't mess with their stomach.

I've had some good luck with Chuck-It. As for balls, my BT loves this huge one, which is pretty durable because it's twice her size: kick fetch ball They also make small rubber balls and "indoor" balls that work well.

My BT loves fetch so we got her both a Kong and Chuck-It frisbee. They've lasted a while but we take them away from her once we're inside, otherwise she'll destroy them.

There's also this company called Helping Udders that is fairly durable toys, made from recycled stuff, and you can donate 15% of your purchase to a BT rescue. Mine loved those :)

Last bit of advice: if a toy doesn't last very long, take a picture and write the company a letter. I've done this a couple times and without fail, the company will send you a more durable product to try out. With one, it turns out it was a design flaw that they had fixed; the new product lasted much, much longer.

Good luck!

I know you said no balls, but one of our guys loves Chuckit balls. When he isn't just chewing on it, he'll push it around with his nose and make it fall off of the couch and down the steps then chase after it. And these things are indestructible. They make a bunch of different types, but his favorite is the original. We got the medium size and it's perfect.

If you have room for her to run, invest in the chuckit ball launcher. It makes throwing the ball so easy (and you don't have to get your hands all slobbery!)

Well it depends. I give them probably about a tablespoon but I've seen my gf feed them and she probably does 2-3x that amount, she says they like it. They eat regardless though, lol. I just eyeball it and once stirred in it just lightly coats the food. The bit of water also helps thin it out so it coats all the food.

Local grocery place sells the big cans (28oz?) of pumpkin for $2.50 each so we usually buy about 8 cans at a time. Just make sure you're grabbing pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling because most stores put them right next to each other.

I've ordered Nutiva Coconut Oil from Amazon, it was $62 shipped when I ordered it last. Seems like a steal considering it is virgin oil and USDA organic. Big container but you can transfer in small amounts to a mason jar as needed because buying it in this size saves a lot of money. Had we kept buying it from a local pet store at $26 per 16oz, a gallon would have cost $208.

I know what you mean I have a boston of my own and she goes through some toys like there made of tissue paper.

The one we did get her that she loves and is still like new (minus a few chew marks) is a rubber Bamboo shoot and she just loves playing and chasing that thing all over our apartment.

My Boston survived parvo as a pup and has had tummy issues ever since. We feed her Primal. She does really well on it. This was a good resource when we were looking for better food for her.

You may want to get a harness and leash that loops over the headrest. I was druving with my little guy going about 45mph and a guy in on coming traffic decided to pass the car in front of him and almost hit us. I hit the brakes and slowed to about 25mph, but even just that decrease was enough to send him into the dash. It wasn't really hard, but it couldn't have felt good. (He's okay).

Pettogo 2 Pack Dog Seat Belt, Adjustable Dog Safety Vehicle Seatbelt Fit All Car Headrests, Adjustable Nylon Fabric Vehicle Headrest Restraint Safety

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FFP4ML5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_ZZ4VqZ3lVtPOJ

The outer shell is the Scooter's Friends Puffy. I'm not completely sure this is going to work for him as it seemed to irritate his shoulder/foreleg area. Perhaps it is a fit issue; we'll see. I have other brands; ruffwear is always good.

The inner shell (yes, he's layered up here), is the Gold Paws Duluth Double Fleece. Keeps him super warm.

My guy loves planet dog toys. We also have a shark http://www.amazon.com/Tuffys-Shack-Shark-Sea-Creatures/dp/B002O4W14I that is holding up well.

Antlers are amazing for chewing.

We like these a lot- they are super gentle so it's not a big deal if you get close to the eye!

https://www.amazon.com/Earthbath-All-Natural-Specialty-Wipes/dp/B0018CIRVI/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1510245923&sr=1-2&keywords=eye+wipes&dpID=41fyCOlpp-L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

The breeder we got ours from was feeding him this, which we continued to feed him but he never seemed that keen on it. He started to have issues with scratching his eyes and ears so one of the measures we took was to change his food, to some wet stuff. His scratching cleared up but his poops were quite soft and we often needed to clean him up after he'd been for a poop. We then changed again to this, which firmed things up but he would skip meals often.

Around 6 months ago we changed to this, and it was remarkable how different things were almost immediately. Like I say, number of poops per day were reduced and they were healthier looking. He also eats the full bowl as soon as it is put out 99% of the time.

Just trial and error really, try some different foods out and see how he/she responds.

I also use caps on my cat like these. I always get the colored ones so I can easily tell when I need to replace them.

My Bostons leave my cat alone for the most part so I really do not worry about them.

Try and introduce them as slowly as possible and be sure your cat has some way to escape if the dog goes after it. Cat trees are always great.

We have has amazing luck with the "Chuck It" balls. They are literally the only toy Shamus has ever had that didn't get destroyed instantly. In fact, we've had the same one for about a year now. The have them in small, medium and large, I believe.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F4AVPA

My 11 year old absolutely loves this little orange toy we got her. You're supposed to fit treats into it but we've never bothered buying replacement treats. She's extremely picky with toys, and the ones she will play with, she destroys within days. But this toy has lasted us since we got her when she was 3 years old! It's definitely worth looking into. Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F0J84N6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4l4Ezb3P65R0B

How bout a pullover fleece jacket? We use this one for our BTs in the winter. It's a little thin, but it keeps them warm when we go for walks. I live in the Midwest and it gets pretty cold here.

These orange and blue balls ( Chuck it, Ultra fetch balls )are the only ball Our Dude has been unable to destroy. He's had that one for a year. The most he has done is pop out the hole where the mould was injected, but now we can put treats in it.. so it is actually a plus. He'll chew on it for hours without putting so much as a mark into it. Plus the hole makes it whistles when I throw it, which helps him keep track of it if I throw it far.

http://i.imgur.com/OuDB4.jpg

As I'm sure we all know, our fur babies can break any tennis ball in half and destroy every kong product within days.

Those orange balls are amazing.




*edit: added link, spelling

That's impressive! They are chuckit balls. My friend has a larger one for his 90lb old English bulldog whose a chewer, and he has never pierced one. My boston will play tug of war with it. They can take a lot of pressure.
http://www.amazon.com/ChuckIt-Medium-Ultra-2-5-Inch-2-Pack/dp/B000F4AVPA

https://www.amazon.com/Chuckit-Bounces-Floats-Bright-Available/dp/B000F4AVPA/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=chuckit&qid=1574120721&sr=8-2