Please be cautious when dealing with puppy producers who market "rare" colored Boston Terriers for profit. They are not "rare," in fact, the images further down on this page are of homeless dogs listed on puppymill auction sites and rescue sites. Please do not allow yourself to be misled and ripped-off by people who sell these dogs at exorbitant prices. If you feel you MUST own a Boston of a non-standard color, please check Petfinder or your local pound. In my area they can be adopted at the shelter for as little as $25.00.
These "rare" dogs are sitting in shelters across the country as you read this.
The standard accepts Black, Brindle and Seal (black with some brown hairs visible in sunlight) only. In addition, red, liver, brown, fawn, blue or white are not acceptable colors in the Boston Terrier standard. Merle is a pattern associated with deafness, blindness and birth defects; a pattern that should NEVER be purposely produced in a Boston. (Merle also comes from mix breeding in the Boston.) Deep black pigment should always be present on eyes, lips, nose, pads, and ears. Yellow and blue eyes are a major fault and completely ruin the soft "god love it" expression that is so crucial to the purebred Boston Terrier. Stewards of the breed have worked for countless generations to preserve and perpetuate this soft expression that defines the breed. A dog of a disallowed color should never be incorrectly registered as seal.
The intentional introduction of dilute colors such as "blue" create problems such as color dilution allopecia (balding or thinning/hair loss) and an increased sensitivity to certain vaccines such as Leptospirosis.
Splashed, Mismarked or Overmarked Bostons
"Splashed" dogs that exhibited white markings or patches were used in the very early development of the breed. Over 100 years later we very rarely see the occasional splashed or patched Boston with too much white; this comes from these early ancestors. More common is the mismarked boston that may have a half white head or white overlapping an eye. A mismarked dog may occasionally pop up in even the most conscientiously bred litters.
Mismarked Bostons have a higher incidence of deafness linked with lack of pigment. As mentioned previously, mismarked dogs with blue eyes and white ears do occasionally occur in well-bred litters, however, if the person producing your potential new puppy is PURPOSELY breeding mismarked or splashed dogs together, run. Deafness was said to be a major problem in the White English Terrier (an ancestor of the Boston) and may have been a contributing factor that led to its extinction. Responsible breeders respect and learn from the mistakes and trials of the past.
Mixed Breeds with Fancy Names
There is no such breed as an "Old Fashioned Boston Terrier," "Boston Bull," etc. The dogs that existed over one hundred years ago are long gone. If someone claims to be breeding an "Old Fashioned Boston," they should be able to tell you which dogs in their pedigree lived to be over 100 years old and still produce a litter of puppies. Many of these dogs that I see are Boxer, Pit Bull or Staffordshire Terrier mixed with a Boston, or oversized Bostons of very poor quality. The docked tails, drop ears, long muzzles, and odd colors you see on many of these dogs are a sure sign that other breeds have been thrown into the mix. There are many dog paper selling "registries" cropping up in the U.S. that will "register" these mixed breeds as Boston Terriers.
Producers of mixed breeds are selling these dogs at prices comparable to well-bred health tested puppies from AKC champion parents. Please do not fall for the marketing and designer label placed on these dogs. Shelters and rescues across the country are filled with these same mix breed dogs, homeless dogs adopted out at a tiny fraction of the price. Please view the Boston Terriers or Staffordshire Terriers listed on Petfinder to see many examples of these larger Boston mixes waiting for their forever homes.
We take great pride in our breed's standard and feel that as stewards of this wonderful breed, owe much gratitude and respect to the forefathers of the breed who devoted their lives to developing the Boston Terrier. We feel that those who are now trying to create their own version, color, or pattern of Boston Terrier because of their own selfish ideas and greed are creating a tremendous and selfish disservice to our beloved breed; putting in complete disregard the original vision and goals these great dog men set out to accomplish as set forth in their earliest drafts of the standard.
Resources
For more information on the foundation and history of the Boston Terrier breed, please visit our
For more information and photographs please visit: Elite's Colored Boston Terrier Page
Off-Colored, Non-Standard, and Disallowed Boston Terrier Colors and Markings
A consumers guide to the Boston Terrier.
Don't be mislead by unscrupulous puppy sellers...
Correctly marked black brindle Boston puppy with deep black pigment and dark eyes lending to her soft expression
Incorrect coloring with light red pigment and yellow eyes. All incorrectly colored dogs lack the proper expression that defines the Boston Terrier as a breed.
A red dog being sold at a puppymill auction for pennies on the dollar. Her puppies will then be sold to unsuspecting buyers at an extremely inflated price.
Example of a mismarked dog with a white ear and white overlapping one eye. Notice the lack of pigment in the eye and ear on the center dog.
Example of a splash marked dog. A pattern that is at higher risk for producing deafness and should never be purposely bred.
Example of a red dog. Note the long docked tail, lack of breed type and harsh, incorrect expression.
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Left: Black Right: Seal
Seal is one of the correct colors of a Boston Terrier. Seal is not the same as an incorrect red, chocolate, brown or fawn dog.
Note the dark eyes, nose and pigment on the seal dog, the same pigment as her black mother on the left. The coat on these two dogs appear black in normal lighting. You can see a slight contrast to the seal dog's coat as the light directly above her reflected off her coat. This same slight color variation is more noticeable in bright outdoor light.
