The Dogs

The Labrador Retriever, more commonly known as “labs” are the most common breed of dog in the United States. Labs are large dogs, normally around fifty to seventy five pounds.

Labs come in three colors - black (Black Labs), brown (Chocolate Labs), and yellow (Yellow Labs). Yellow labs can vary from nearly white to fox red, but the other two colors are pretty much all the same.

Labs are excellent swimmers, and most greatly enjoy the water, even in the winter. For this reason, labs make great duck hunting or fishing dogs. A lab’s coat is relatively resistant to water, which helps it in water activities.

Labs are very friendly, loving dogs, and generally love being around people and children, making them a great family dog. Being large, active dogs, Labrador retrievers need plenty of exercise and activity.

Labs are generally easy to train and very responsive. Labs are rarely overly aggressive (though they will normally bark at intrusions), hyper, destructive, or overly territorial. They are great to get along with.

Labs do like chewing on things, so they often must be trained to chew on the correct things and not your furniture.

Labs, as mentioned before, love people. Most labs can’t get enough human attention. Labs especially love retrieving, whether it be a ball, stick, or whatever. Most will continue bringing back a ball as long as you will throw it for them.

Labs generally live about twelve to thirteen years, and are not overly prone to many health problems. Labs do have some susceptibility to hip dysplasia, ear infections, or knee problems. Probably the most common problem is gaining too much weight, though. Labs love to eat, and their food intake must be controlled carefully.

Overall, labs are an excellently well rounded, even tempered dog. Really, they are great for anyone, as long as you can give them enough exercise.

For up to date Dog Health Info check out DogFlu.ca your one stop destination for Dog Health Information.

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To compete with your Boston Terrier you will need to understand the requirements and procedures used for judging. The American Kennel Club releases breed standards for each breed of dog and the Boston Terriers specifications can be found here. You can also check more specialized clubs for the information about required standards for your Boston Terrier. The American Kennel club is currently revising these standards.

If you want your Boston Terrier to take part in dog shows then you will need to understand the standards and how they relate to your dog. If you already own or are thinking about owning a Boston Terrier and would like to compete (or show off your dog) here’s a guide to understanding breed specifications.

It’s important to note that these are descriptions of ideal Boston Terriers.

Competition ranking systems: Dogs are judged out of a total 100 score. When judging Boston Terriers this score comprises the following elements:

- General Appearance

- Size, Proportion, Substance

- Head - skull shape, characteristics of eyes, ears, muzzle, jaw shape.

- Neck, Topline and Body

- Forequarters

- Gait

- Coat

- Temperament

- Faults in the breed: can lead to instant disqualification

General Appearance

Boston Terriers are intelligent dogs. General appearance needs to be well-balanced; this means all limbs are in proportion. Boston Terriers have a smooth coat which is generally brindle, seal or black. The dog must have even white markings.
The body is short and the limbs are strong. The tail is short.

Size, Proportion, Substance

This refers to your dog’s weight. There are several official weight categories but the dog’s weight cannot exceed 25 pounds.

The Boston Terriers legs should be proportioned to give it its characteristic square appearance. The dog looks sturdy and muscular.

In general the only difference between the male and female is that the bitch generally has more refined features.

Head

The skull is short and flat on top. There should be no wrinkles. The cheeks are flat and the stop is well defined. Boston Terriers should have an alert _expression; reflecting their high intelligence. The eyes should be wide set and large. Boston Terriers with blue eyes - or any hint of blue in their eyes will be disqualified immediately. The ears should be small and stand upright.

The jaw is square and wide with short teeth. The bite is even.

Neck, Towline and Body

The neck should be slightly arched and carry the head gracefully. The neck of the ideal Boston terrier should display an image of balance.

Topline refers to the shape of the dogs back. The back should be shaped in such a way that it completes the square shape of the body.

The chest should be deep with a good width, ribs etc.

Forequarters

The shoulders should be laid back and should slope. IT is this shape which gives Boston Terriers their stylish movement. The elbows should be straight and not protrude in any way. The dewclaws may be removed.
Gait

This refers to the way in which your dog carries himself. The ideal Boston Terrier is sure-footed and straight gaited. The forelegs and hind legs should move in a straight line with perfect rhythm. Each step should be that of grace and power.

Coat

The coat should be short, smooth and fine in texture. Color must be brindle, seal or black with bright markings. The Boston Terrier must have a white muzzle band, white between the eyes and a white chest.

Temperament

The ideal Boston Terrier is friendly and lively. The dog is known for its high intelligence.
Faults in the breed (grounds for disqualification)

Any traces of blue or blue eyes - eyes must be dark

Dudley nose - This means a loss of pigmentation in the nose and it is pink or flesh colored, however when Boston’s are first born and up to 6 months their nose will be pink. It will change to the color black so don’t let this hinder you from buying a Boston with a pink nose.

Docked tail - This refers to the practice of cutting tails. It is an outdated practice and your dog will be disqualified.

Lack of required markings

Other serious faults

Wry mouth - one side of the mouth is longer than the other.

Any showing of the tongue/teeth when the mouth is closed

Other faults

Blocky or chunky appearance

Overshot bite/undershot bite - much like human ‘faults’ this just means an over or under bite.

The Boston Terriers make a great family pet. They are highly intelligent, loyal, great with children and very easy going. They are not considered fighters but definitely can hold their own. If you don’t plan to show your Boston then these qualifications don’t mean a thing. Boston Terriers are the perfect all around companion just the way they are.

Steve Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders along with his brother Gary. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu’s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies they occasionally has for sale at All My Puppies Online Steve is also the co-author of two consumer guides, Carpet Secrets and Moving Secrets Guide

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1. Continuous rapid barking, midrange pitch: “Call the pack! There is a potential problem! Someone is coming into our territory!” Continuous barking but a bit slower and pitched lower: “The intruder [or danger] is very close. Get ready to defend yourself!”

2. Barking in rapid strings of three or four with pauses in between, midrange pitch: “I suspect that there may be a problem or an intruder near our territory. I think that the leader of the pack should look into it.”

3. Prolonged or incessant barking, with moderate to long intervals between each utterance: “Is there anybody there? I’m lonely and need companionship.” This is most often the response to confinement or being left alone for long periods of time.

4. One or two sharp short barks, midrange pitch: “Hello there!” This is the most typical greeting sound.

5. Single sharp short bark, lower midrange pitch: “Stop that!” This is often given by a mother dog when disciplining her puppies but may also indicate annoyance in any dog, such as when disturbed from sleep or if hair is pulled during grooming and so forth.

6. Single sharp short bark, higher midrange: “What’s this?” or “Huh?” This is a startled or surprised sound. If it is repeated two or three times its meaning changes to “Come look at this!” alerting the pack to a novel event. This same type of bark, but not quite as short and
sharp, is used to mean “Come here!” Many dogs will use this kind of bark at the door to indicate that they want to go out. Lowering the pitch to a relaxed midrange means “Terrific!” or some other similar expletive, such as “Oh, great!” My cairn terrier, for example, who loves to jump, will give this single bark of joy when sent over the high jump. Other dogs give this same bark when given their food dish.

7. Single yelp or very short high-pitched bark: “Ouch!” This is in response to a sudden, unexpected pain.

8. Series of yelps: “I’m hurting!” “I’m really scared” This is in response to severe fear and pain.

9. Stutter-bark, midrange pitch: If a dog’s bark were spelled “ruff,” the stutter-bark would be spelled “ar-ruff.” It means “Let’s play!” and is used to initiate playing behavior.

10. Rising bark: This is a bit hard to describe, although once you’ve heard it, it is unmistakable. It is usually a series of barks, each of which starts in the middle range but rises sharply in pitch - almost a bark-yelp, though not quite that high. It is a play bark, used during rough-and- tumble games, that shows excitement and translates as “This is fun!”

Melanie Bosano has had years of hands on experience caring for and training dogs. This dog lover also writes for http://www.all-about-yorkshire-terriers.com.

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