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.

Overall, a Boston Terrier is a toy-sized black and white dog with large ears, a level back and huge eyes. They look somewhat like a French Bulldog and a black and white cat. They usually have short hair and short noses, but not as short as a Pekingese's. They are easily portable and weigh only about fifteen to twenty-five pounds. Oddly enough, the Boston Terrier is one of the very few breeds that often have naturally really short tails (although occasionally a long tail pops up).

Boston Terriers look like they have docked tails, as they are very short. However, when you look at the breed standard, it says that docked tails are not allowed. This is one of the few breeds that naturally have tiny tails. 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.

Knowing as much Boston Terrier information as you can absorb will help you not only get along with your Boston Terriers, but decide if the breed is right for you in the first place. The breed standard emphasizes a short, smooth coat, so that tells you that Boston Terriers are easy to groom and don't need to be clipped.

The breed they most look like is the French Bulldog.

In looking at the Boston Terrier breed standard, you can see not only if your shelter dog is a Boston Terrier (or mostly Boston Terrier), but also get to see how hard it is for a show dog to win a class. But their winning personalities often get them out of trouble in new homes that they got into in their previous homes.

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.