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Boston Terrier breeders

About the Boston Terrier The Boston Terrier is a small, smooth-coated dog in the Utility group of The Royal Kennel Club (RKC).

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Advertise your Boston Terrier puppies, litters and stud dogs

Boston Terrier breeders and stud owners: list with us

If you breed Boston Terriers or stand a Boston Terrier stud dog, create a profile so buyers can find you. A basic profile shows your kennel or business name, website, social media, location and breed categories. A paid subscription lets you advertise Boston Terrier puppies for sale, promote your Boston Terrier stud dog and set out your eye, HC-HSF4 and breathing grade results in full. Add your listing or see pricing.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

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Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Boston Terrier

About the Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier is a small, smooth-coated dog in the Utility group of The Royal Kennel Club (RKC). The RKC calls it the smallest of the bull breeds, meaning it carries Bulldog blood alongside its terrier ancestry.

Origin

The breed takes its name from Boston in the United States, where its first club was set up in the 1890s. According to the RKC, its reputed founding father was Hooper's Judge, a cross between a Bulldog and an English White Terrier that was born in Liverpool and later exported to America. The RKC traces the breed's brindle-and-white colouring to those two ancestors: the brindle from the Bulldog and the white from the terrier.

Size and appearance

The breed standard sets a maximum weight of 25 lb (about 11.4 kg) and splits the breed into three weight classes: lightweight (under 6.8 kg), middleweight (6.8 to 9.1 kg) and heavyweight (9.1 to 11.4 kg). A Boston should be compactly built and well balanced, with a square, flat-topped head, a short, wide muzzle, small erect ears and large, round, dark eyes set wide apart. The standard strongly discourages eyes that are too prominent.

Coat, colour and grooming

The coat is short, smooth and glossy. The RKC suggests grooming about once a week and lists the breed as one that sheds. Brindle, seal or black, each with white markings, are the standard colours; the RKC lists blue and white and red and white as non-standard. The Boston Terrier Club warns buyers against puppies marketed on "rare" colours.

Exercise and home

The RKC puts exercise needs at up to an hour a day and says the breed can live in a flat, with a small or medium garden. Life expectancy is given as over ten years. The Boston is a flat-faced (brachycephalic) breed. The RKC's brachycephalic hub explains that some flat-faced dogs develop a lifelong breathing problem and are at higher risk of heatstroke on hot days, so plan walks around the weather.

Temperament and suitability

The breed standard describes the Boston as lively, intelligent, determined and strong-willed. It tends to suit owners who want a small dog with plenty of character and who are prepared to train consistently and patiently. Compare it with other Utility group breeds, find Boston Terrier breeders, or read our buyer safety guide before you contact anyone.

Boston Terrier health tests

Boston Terrier health and testing

The Boston Terrier is in Breed Watch Category 2. The RKC asks judges to watch for two points in this breed: a missing, screw, inverted or tight tail, and faulty hind construction or poor movement behind.

As a flat-faced breed, the Boston is one of the breeds covered by the Respiratory Function Grading (RFG) scheme, which the RKC runs with the University of Cambridge. A trained vet listens to the dog's breathing at rest and again after three minutes of brisk exercise, then gives a grade from 0 (no respiratory signs) to 3 (severe signs). Dogs can be assessed from 12 months of age. The RKC recognised the test for Boston Terriers in August 2026 and says it will be added to its Health Standard and Find a Puppy from January 2027.

The Boston Terrier Club's health page covers juvenile cataract and patellar luxation (slipping kneecaps), and the club runs eye testing at its annual championship show.

Tests the RKC lists for the breed:

  • Good practice: eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme
  • Best practice: DNA test for hereditary cataract (HC-HSF4)
  • Best practice (recognised August 2026): breathing assessment for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) under the KC Respiratory Function Grading scheme

Health testing reduces risk but cannot guarantee a healthy puppy. You can look up a registered dog's results on the RKC Health Test Results Finder.

Choosing a Boston Terrier breeder

Choosing a Boston Terrier breeder

A careful Boston breeder tests both parents before the mating and is willing to show you the certificates or let you check them online. The RKC only recognised Respiratory Function Grading for the breed in August 2026, so ask whether the parents have been graded and what their grades mean. You should see the puppy with its mother and littermates in the place where it was bred, and the breed club advises against buying a puppy younger than eight weeks. Be wary of adverts that lead with "rare" colours rather than health and temperament. Ask about a written contract, RKC registration papers at collection, a diet sheet, and whether the breeder will take the dog back or help rehome it if your circumstances change. In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in a 12-month period, or who breeds dogs and advertises a business of selling them, normally needs a licence from the local council under the 2018 licensing regulations, so ask for the licence number where it applies.

Questions to ask the breeder:

  • Have both parents had an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme and an HC-HSF4 DNA test, and can I see the results?
  • Have the parents been assessed under the Respiratory Function Grading scheme, and what grades did they receive?
  • Can I meet the mother and see how she breathes after some play?
  • Will the puppy be RKC registered, with the paperwork ready when I collect?
  • Will you take the dog back, or help rehome it, at any age if I cannot keep it?

Boston Terrier questions

Is the Boston Terrier a flat-faced breed?

Yes. The Royal Kennel Club's page for the breed includes guidance on health issues in flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs, and the Boston is one of the breeds covered by the Respiratory Function Grading scheme, which assesses breathing for signs of BOAS. The RKC recognised the scheme for Bostons in August 2026.

How big does a Boston Terrier get?

The breed standard sets a maximum weight of 25 lb (about 11.4 kg). Bostons are shown in three weight classes: lightweight under 6.8 kg, middleweight 6.8 to 9.1 kg, and heavyweight 9.1 to 11.4 kg.

Which health tests should a Boston Terrier's parents have?

The RKC lists an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme as good practice, and a DNA test for hereditary cataract (HC-HSF4) plus a Respiratory Function Grading breathing assessment as best practice. Ask to see the results for both parents.

How much exercise does a Boston Terrier need?

The RKC suggests up to an hour a day. The RKC also explains that some flat-faced dogs are at higher risk of breathing problems and heatstroke, so avoid exercise in the heat of the day and keep walks gentle in warm weather.

More for Boston Terrier owners and breeders

Official sources