COLORED BOSTON TERRIER TRUTHS

tHE TRUTH ABOUT COLOR HISTORY, THE STANDARD, AND HOW COLOR FADS AFFECT THE BOSTON TERRIER

ARE THEY PUREBRED???

Let's discuss some facts about the breed itself and how and where they could have come from
ARE THEY PUREBRED? The quick answer is no. Though they may have AKC papers and AKC parents and a pedigree, that does not mean they are purebred. AKC relies on the honor system for most registrations. It is not difficult to "hang papers" on a mix, it is done often by unethical breeders in the pursuit of marketable characteristics in purebred dogs. Once this is done somewhere in the history of a dog to obtain the color, it is difficult to see where the faux registration occurred a few generations later, yet the color and color genetics remain. Not every breeder is ethical and honest, especially when money is involved. The appearance of so many colors in such large quantities at a time when they were popular and sold for high prices, was anything but coincidental or "natural"... Especially considering the very few that were in the breed to start with and how they were eliminated for so many decades before their popularity erupted out of the blue a century later. Is it POSSIBLE some are purebred? Unfortunately there has been so much abuse of the gene pool in pursuit of color, it's impossible to know anymore if a colored dog didn't stem from lines that had a dishonest origin or perhaps an "oops" breeding. There have been cases of colors showing up in show lines, however nearly every case has traced back to specific lines of questionable background, or straight back to the breeding program of a fad color breeder. If there are a few (and they would likely be red) that are purebred and NOT from questionable lines from existing color breeding programs, it would be an extreme rarity. If someone believes they have such a rare dog, you are encouraged to send a pedigree to thebostonterrierbreed@gmail.com so the possibilities may be researched.

what about dna testing?

Colored Bostons will often now test as "purebred" though novelty tests such as Wisdom and Embark. How does that happen? DNA testing kits that are meant to identify a dog's breed, are only accurate for about three generations. This means that there could be a grandparent of a completely different breed that introduced the coloring and the DNA test would still say "100% Purebred Boston Terrier". It has been two decades since the fad first surfaced. That is plenty of time to breed back to purebred Bostons and establish blood that will test as "purebred" with a DNA test. It's also a long enough time that type can be improved and many can now appear to be purebred. The fine print on most of the packaging on these tests will tell you it is for entertainment purposes and is not meant to determine purebred status of any dog. This is why registries do not accept the tests as proof that a dog is purebred. Even registration papers do not determine that a dog is purebred, as there is human error as well as human dishonesty.

Some facts to consider:

Colored Bostons do not have the required pigment for the Boston Terrier, so the breed was never "meant" to be red and blue or any other color than the preferred colors. This was considered such a major fault in the breed, it is one of the VERY FEW disqualifications for breeding and showing. (see the HISTORY page for sources for these references) * The disqualified colors were deemed "extinct" by the 1930's by breed expert and author Vincent Perry * The disqualified colors were never favored and early breeders routinely tried to breed away from the colors. * Very few disqualified colors were even registered with AKC. This means many of the early colored offspring wouldn't have had any impact on the breed's future and genetics. * Though there is mention of one blue dog in the early foundation of the breed, there are no registered blue Boston Terriers in the early years and development of the breed, making it unlikely he had much influence in the color genetics of the early Bostons. *Colored Bostons became popular and profitable starting around 2005, along with colored Frenchies and other fads and designer breeds. *Colored Bostons in the early years of the fad didn't look like purebred Bostons, the blues and reds often resembled pit bull mixes with floppy ears and long tails and long noses and we still see some of these characteristics today (see our page on TAILS to learn more about why this means they are not purebred). *Colored Bostons in the early years often came from puppy mill type breeders with multiple breeds, selling on sites such as PuppyFind and Kijiji. *Once blues and reds were fading in popularity, other new colors became more popular, following the market, not natural genetics. *While reds and blues tended to resemble Pit Bull mixes, creams and fawns usually resembled French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas, which are breeds that could be mixed with the Boston to get these colors. *Many of the breeders involved in the colored Bostons in the early years, are the same breeders now breeding merle and tri color, a Boston that is admittedly mixed to obtain those marketable colors. If they will mix now and lie on registration, why wouldn't they have done the same 10 or 20 years ago with red, blue, cream, fawn, etc? * The numbers of colored Bostons immediately showing up in breeding programs as soon as they became popular and profitable does not add up to "natural colors". NOTE: Though colored Bostons are likely the result of mixed or profit motivated breeding, this isn't to say that they do not deserve the same love and wonderful homes as any top AKC show dog of a standard color. If they are already here, they deserve the best. But they should not be bred, nor should the colors be bred for. This goes against the desires of the founders of this breed and against over a century of preservation of the Boston Terrier. Please do not support or encourage fad breeding. Please support the Boston Terrier breed and its history.
THE BOSTON TERRIER STANDARD
This is the complete Boston Terrier Standard as put forth by the parent club The Boston Terrier Club Of America and supported by The American Kennel Club.
BOSTON TERRIER HISTORY
Explore some interesting facts about the Boston, their start as the first American made breed, some common misconceptions, and the history of color in the breed.

ALLOWED COLORS

The Boston Terrier Standard is very clear about colors for the breed. There is some variation between the shades and amount of brindle but all require black pigment and this page shows you examples of those subtle variations.
DISQUALIFIED COLORS
Learn the facts about what coat colors are and are not accepted for the Boston Terrier, and how breeding these dogs affects the breed overall. Learn the difference between naturally occurring color and introduced color.

CORRECT EXPRESSION

Breed type and expression separates the Boston from many other breeds. Described as the "God Love It" expression by Vincent Perry, the deep dark eyes of the Boston are a hallmark of the breed.

DAMAGE TO THE BREED

This page discusses the long term effects of fad breeding and why breeders should not be ignoring the qualities required by the Boston Terrier Standard.
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?

Were Bostons Fighting Dogs?
were the first bostons larger?
Can Bostons Have Long HAir?
what's wrong with "too much" white?
can bostons have long tails?
what's wrong with blue eyes?
are longer noses healthier?
can merle bostons be purebred?

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