Dog Profile: Teacup Boston Terrier
The teacup Boston terrier is quickly becoming one of the more popular “teacup” breeds around. For those of you that don’t know, the term “teacup” is used to describe any type of purebred dog bred to be so small that it is capable of sitting inside a teacup, or a size similar to this description. The teacup Boston terrier is not its own specific breed, but rather the result of breeding the smallest puppy in a litter (often referred to as the “runt”) with the smallest puppy of another litter. This process is kept on until the desired size of dog is achieved. Although many so-called runts make excellent pets, they do still run the possibility of lacking in health or strength. The reduced bone size and muscle mass often makes teacup puppies very fragile.
Luckily, the Boston terrier is one tough breed of dog, which is why I think they make an excellent teacup-sized dog. Although a teacup Boston terrier will usually not weigh anymore than 10 pounds, you can expect most of that weight to come from muscle and a sturdy bone structure. The Boston terrier is a very muscular breed of dog, but because they are also compact in size they can often surprise you at weighing much more than you would expect just by looking at them. A typical full-sized Boston terrier will weigh anywhere from 10 to 25 pounds if it has a healthy diet and an adequate exercise routine.
All Boston terriers, like the pug breed, have very short snouts and a wide skull, giving the overall impression of having a smashed face. While this appears adorable to many of us, this deformation does in fact cause this breed a great deal of stress. Snorting, wheezing, and slobbering symptoms are just a fact of life for this breed. If a Boston terrier is exposed to smoke, air freshener or other sprayed-on cleaning products, and even pollen in the air could cause a Boston terrier to have a respiratory fit, as this particular system in his body is already under daily stress. Levels of high humidity or heat could also result in a heatstroke because this breed is unable to cool off fast enough through panting. The best way to combat this is to simply keep the dog indoors on hot or humid days and to make sure that he doesn’t become over excited. Smoking outside and putting the dog outdoors while you clean (if using chemical sprays) are other options to consider.
You can expect a teacup Boston terrier to have the same personality as a normal-sized dog of this breed. They are very smart and can be pretty stubborn or headstrong if they are not trained from an early age. The cheerfulness or seriousness of this breed varies a great deal; it really just depends on how the dog is raised. A Boston terrier would be perfectly happy to have a family of children or other dogs to romp around with and entertain if that is the environment he is raised in. Alternatively, a Boston terrier could also become quite a loyal companion and one-master dog if he is raised to be such. That is often why many of us have mixed views of this breed—we can see them as both spunky and affectionate or regal and standoffish.
Training and home environment have a lot to do with how this dog reacts to noise, as well. They usually aren’t very weary of strangers, yet if raised in a quiet home with minimal daily “background noise”, they could bark quite a lot when they hear something suspicious. Many people have successfully trained their Boston terrier to remain quiet when company calls, and frequent visitors or a good-sized household will go a long way in desensitizing the dog to noise, if that is your goal.
You should be pleased to know that a teacup Boston terrier will require very little grooming. They have short fur that doesn’t really need clipping, but they will need to be bathed regularly (say, once or twice a month) and have their claws clipped or filed as needed. If you want to avoid the salmon-colored stains on the fur under their eyes and around their jowls, you may have to run a warm, moist cloth over the area on a daily basis. Remember that this breed’s face is sensitive, so you should be as gentle as possible when doing this.
A Boston terrier of any size can be a wonderful addition to nearly any household, especially if introduced at a young age. Due to their flexible personality, this terrier can suit young couples, large families, and the elderly all the same.