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A breed standard is a breed organization’s blueprint of what the ideal dog should look and act like. This is what a show dog like a purebred Boston Terrier is judged against. Instead of being compared to the other dogs in the ring, the dog is compared to how well they fit the breed standard. This is usually what breeders strive to achieve in their breeding programs. A breed standard is the Holy Writ of the dog world.

Consequentially, not many Boston Terriers come anywhere near matching the breed standard and are cut from breeding programs or abandoned because of their imperfections. If you find a cute little black and white dog in your local shelter and wonder what breed he or she could be, a look at the Boston Terrier breed standard can help. Identifying a shelter dog’s breed can help let you know what you are getting yourself in for.

The breed standard also reveals another reason why the Boston Terrier is so popular. They are small, but not so small as to jeopardize their health. They are robust, but portable. Although you may find some Boston Terriers outside the lines, they are usually fifteen to twenty-five pounds and only about fifteen inches high at their shoulders. They are most famous in black and white, but also come in seal and white and brindle and white. The breed standard is quite strict on the distribution of white around the body, which disqualifies a lot of Boston Terriers from the ring.

The breed standard also emphasizes sturdiness. They are not to have physical weaknesses like swaybacks, spayed legs, very slow gait or look overly muscular. Their bodies should look sturdy but everything should be in proportion. And the tails are naturally very short, although occasionally a purebred is born with a long tail. The ears are perky and most of the time they are pointed (occasionally a floppy eared one comes along).

Sadly, other breeds like Rottweilers, Boxers, Dobermans and Pembroke Welsh Corgis have to have docked tails in order to show. Another fault is being too big - Boston Terriers are only supposed to be fifteen inches high at the shoulder and twenty-five pounds at the most.

Boston Terriers look and act like a toy dog, but they are shown in the non-sporting group. Their looks are just as charming as their personalities, colors and lack of tail. They are smooth-haired, strongly built without being too muscular like an English Bulldog. They have large, expressive eyes and a lively walk. They have a blunt nose, but usually not as flat as a Pekingese nose. The breed they most look like is the French Bulldog.

The Boston Terrier breed standard not only tells you what to look for in a champion show dog, and how hard it is to find one, but also lists common physical faults of the breed. This can help you identity a dog in a shelter that you might want to adopt.

Although the dog might not match the physical description exactly, you’ll know they have the temperament, which is the most important aspect of the Boston Terrier breed standard.