You still fondly remember the day you first brought your Boston Terrier home. It still warms your heart just thinking about it. Recently, your family has decided it might be fun to add another dog to the family. You’re all for it, but you have some concerns. Are Boston Terriers good with other dogs?
Boston Terriers will often not only get along well with other dogs, but cats as well. It helps if you raise the terrier with the other pet when they’re both young. Do know that in some instances, the Boston Terrier will bark at other dogs, but it’s mostly out of friendliness.
If you want to learn more about the temperament of the loveable Boston Terrier, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will talk more about whether your Terrier will peacefully coexist with another dog as well as cats and even children. Keep reading, as you won’t want to miss it!
Will My Boston Terrier Get Along with Another Dog?
Bringing another dog into you family is always a challenge if you’ve already had your first dog for a while. That dog is likely to feel threatened and even jealous by the new addition. This could be the case with your Boston Terrier, as they quite love attention from their favorite people.
That said, it’s certainly possible for your Boston Terrier to learn to like the other dog. This breed has a rather friendly personality. Sometimes your Terrier will even show that friendliness in a way that may seem strange to you, such as barking at other dogs.
In fact, Boston Terriers aren’t fearful of bigger canines. They’ll bark at them, too. To you, it may seem like your Terrier is trying to alert you to a threat or make themselves look intimidating in front of the other dog. What they’re really doing is saying hello.
If it’s possible for you to introduce the second dog shortly after you get your Boston Terrier, that’s ideal. You might be able to skip some of the speedbumps that come with adjusting two strange dogs to one another (which we’ll talk about later). Even if you can’t raise the dogs together, they should still become pals with time.
Are Boston Terriers Good Around Cats?
What if besides another dog, you have a kitty in the house as well? Should you be concerned with how your Boston Terrier might react?
Not necessarily. Most Boston Terriers are okay with having a feline friend. They don’t tend to bark at the cat like they would another dog, but the two will get along well enough. Like with the case of acclimating another dog, it helps if the cat and the Boston Terrier grow up together, but it’s not mandatory.
The average cat is 18 inches before you accommodate for their tail. A Boston Terrier is about 16 to 17 inches. They also weigh between 20 and 25 pounds at most depending on gender, with males often heavier. Cats are about nine pounds on average.
Your cat and Boston Terrier are mostly evenly sized then. This is a good thing, because Boston Terriers should not be kept around other smaller household pets. They will try to chase and make a snack out of the animal. That’s doubly true of rodents, in which Boston Terriers get very predatory.
Should You Get a Boston Terrier If You Have Kids?
Okay, so you feel confident having another dog and even a cat in a household with a Boston Terrier. You still have another question, though. How will the dog behave around your children?
One of the best traits of the Boston Terrier is that it’s not an aggressive dog. That said, it’s very important you take your dog out and have them spend time around other people, even strangers. This shows the Terrier that strangers are not necessarily threats. If you don’t do this, then the Terrier can get territorial and very possessive over its family. Should someone else outside of the family come to visit, your dog might display some aggression. If raised properly, you shouldn’t expect aggression from your Boston Terrier, though.
The body of a Terrier, although small, is well-built. Even though children tend to be bigger than them, with their stature and build, the Boston Terrier doesn’t feel intimidated by kids. This isn’t often the case with small dogs, making the Terrier exceptional.
It’s important that your children know how to treat and care for a dog. Then the Boston Terrier will quite enjoy spending time with the little ones. Even still, you shouldn’t take a relaxed approach to leaving the children with the dog.
It’s always better to keep a watchful eye on your Terrier when they bask in the children’s company. Otherwise, injuries have been known to occur on the part of your Boston Terrier to the kids. These are never deliberate, but they could strain the relationship between dog and child.
Tips for Acclimating a New Dog to Your Boston Terrier
While Boston Terriers have a sweet temperament, you can’t expect them to be adjusted to the new dog from the minute you bring them home. You have to acclimate the new dog into the life of your Terrier carefully and slowly.
Here are some acclimation tips to follow in the early days of owning more than one dog:
• Have the first meeting occur outside. While Boston Terriers aren’t super territorial, if they have a spot that they deem theirs and another dog walks all over it, this could be a bad start to their new friendship.
• Always keep the two dogs leashed up during the first few meetings. You never know how either dog can react, especially if they’re feeling stressed or threatened.
• Bring treats with you and offer them to the dogs for their good behavior. Remember that good behavior in this instance could just mean eyeing down the other dog without jumping up or barking.
• Don’t let the two dogs spend too much time together the first few times they meet. It’s okay if they make contact, and smelling each other is normal as well. The longer they spend together this early though, the more potential for disaster to strike.
• Set up baby gates or dividers in your home. Keep your new dog in one room and your Boston Terrier in another. In the meantime, continue with the small meetings between the dogs.
• Gradually increase the length of these meetings, watching out all along for unwanted or aggressive behavior. These include displays like bared teeth, growling, and body stiffness. As soon as you spot these reactions in one or both dogs, separate them for a while.
• Wait several weeks before you leave your Boston Terrier and the new dog alone together. Stay close by when this happens, such as in another room, so you can see if anything goes wrong. Then you can jump into action immediately.
• If all continues going well, then you can eventually leave the two dogs along together while you’re not at home.
The key to acclimating two dogs is time and patience. Don’t put too much pressure on your Boston Terrier during this period. Yes, they’re nice canines that generally get along with dogs and other animals. That doesn’t mean they’re going to become BFFs with the new dog overnight. Give them both their space at first and the Terrier will come around to your new dog and vice-versa.
Conclusion
Boston Terriers are small, sweet dogs that can adjust to having another dog in the house. Even if you introduce a cat, the Terrier can learn to live with it as well. With its non-aggressive attitude, Boston Terriers are safe around children, although don’t leave then unsupervised. While the Terrier must still go through the acclimation process with the new dog just like any other breed would, eventually, the two pups could enjoy years of happiness and bonding together. Best of luck!
Author Nicole Malczan