CAN BOSTONS HAVE LONG TAILS?
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The short answer is NO, purebred Boston Terriers cannot have long tails anymore
WHY?
Though in early years of the Boston Terrier breed you will see photos of dogs with full tails or somewhat longer tails than we have today, this trait has been bred out of the breed over the past century. The first Boston Terrier to sport the first true "screw tail", which was highly desired, was Bernard's Tom. The screw tail likely came from the Bulldog influence in the breed, and then was a trait specifically selected for moving forward.
"Barnard's Tom" 1877
The first to possess the desired "screw tail" and one of the most important contributors to the breed.
THE DVL2 GENE
"The DVL2 variant was completely fixed in Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs. Deletion homozygotes and heterozygotes were additionally discovered in ASTs and SBTs. Furthermore, heterozygotes were found in Dogues de Bordeaux, Olde English Bulldogges and American Bulldogs. Overall, the carrier frequency in these five breed cohorts ranged from 18.2% to 50.0%; however, sample sizes were highly variable (from 4 to 708). Finally, the variant was absent in the seven other breeds."
SOURCE: PubMed
Recent studies have shown that the screw tail, due to the DVL2 gene, has been "fixed" in the breed as the gene is now homozygous. This means Boston to Boston crosses will not result in any full tails. They might be a few inches long and kinked, but they cannot be full tails as pictured.
Additional Facts About The Boston Terrier and Its History
Can Boston Terriers Have Long Hair?
Are Merle Bostons Purebred?
Can Boston Terriers Have Long Tails?
Are Boston Terriers With Longer Noses Healthier?
Did Bostons Used To Be 40-50 Pounds?
Is There Anything Wrong With White Headed Bostons?
Are Boston Terriers With Blue Eyes Okay?
Were Boston Terriers Fighting dogs?