Breed # Boston Terrier The Boston Terrier is a non-sporting breed from United States, standing 9–15 in at the withers, weighing 6–25 lb. Recorded lifespan is 11–13 yrs. ![A photograph of the Boston Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/boston-terrier.webp) Breed group Non-Sporting Origin United States Height 9–15 in Weight 6–25 lb Lifespan 11–13 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Boston Terrier is taller than 10% of the measured breeds, heavier than 11%, one of 22 in the Non-Sporting group, one of 39 from United States. Compare the Boston Terrier with another breed ## Living with the Boston Terrier Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Boston Terrier’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 5 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 3 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 5 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 2 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 2 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Boston Terrier on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/boston-terrier/)[Boston Terrier on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/boston-terrier) ## Breeds that look like the Boston Terrier A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Boston Terrier. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/japanese-terrier.webp)Japanese Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/japanese-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/jack-russell-terrier.webp)Jack Russell Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/jack-russell-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/mcnab-shepherd.webp)McNab Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/mcnab-shepherd/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/rat-terrier.webp)Rat Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/rat-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/american-staffordshire-terrier.webp)American Staffordshire Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/american-staffordshire-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/kerry-beagle.webp)Kerry Beagle](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/kerry-beagle/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Boston Terrier9–15 in 2. Japanese Terrier8–13 in 3. Jack Russell Terrier8–15 in 4. McNab Shepherd18–25 in 5. Rat Terrier10–18 in 6. American Staffordshire Terrier17–19 in 7. Kerry Beagle22–24 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Boston Terrier6–25 lb 2. Japanese Terrier5–10 lb 3. Jack Russell Terrier14–18 lb 4. McNab Shepherd35–65 lb 5. Rat Terrier10–25 lb 6. American Staffordshire Terrier50–80 lb 7. Kerry Beagle110–132 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Boston Terrier11–13 yrs 2. Japanese Terrier12–15 yrs 3. Jack Russell Terrier12–14 yrs 4. McNab Shepherd13–15 yrs 5. Rat Terrier12–18 yrs 6. American Staffordshire Terrier12–16 yrs 7. Kerry Beagle10–14 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Boston Terrier on the breed map Read about the Boston Terrier on Wikipedia