My Boston Terrier snaps and growls at me & my BF

by Joanne
(Queens, Ny)

So we recently purchased two 3 month old male pups! One yorkie & on BT! They get along great! No complaints about the yorkie! But Mr. Boston has issues with being told what to do! He seems stubborn. When he doesnt want to do something he snaps! Like taking him into the backyard! To get him back in the house is such a process! The yorkie comes with just calling his name! But he ignores us! We call his name try to give him a little push on his behind but he just continues on sniffing and running around! So then after a couple of minutes we go in & try to physical bring him inside!

Then he snaps! He growls at first then snaps in to biting mode! We tell him no in a stern voice even smack his little nose! But it just gets him even more upset! Other then these little out burst he is a really great dog! Any advice??

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My Boston Terrier snaps and growls at me & my BF

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Dec 09, 2011
 Boston Biting and not wanting to come in.
by: Anonymous

Hi,

A three month old Boston is still very much a baby and needs a lot of attention and training as you would a toddler. They are extremely sensitive to loud voices and being hit. I never use physical punishment to teach my Boston because they might think this is a form of play and not understand what you want. This could lead to a biting and aggressive Boston. Try to not compare the other dog because each dog is different. The Yorkie has this command down and the Boston has not yet. Like the other poster treats are invaluable at this stage and they will do what you want for a treat. it is very common for Bostons to play the come and get me ploy for attention. So to stop this you must take the Boston out on a leash to do his business and when he is done go inside and give him a treat and praise him. If he nips you at any time say No in a slightly loud voice. No should always mean, stop what you are doing. When he does you give him a treat and praise. Do not hit him anywhere especially in the face area. Bostons are very protective of their faces and that is why it is so hard to wash their face. You may want to try a basic puppy training class like they have at Petco. Best of Luck
Sep 23, 2011
 JUST POSITIVE ENFORCEMENT
by: Anonymous

I am a boston mom so I understand sometimes they can be stubborn but nothing works better than gentle patience way of correcting them. Bostons are so sensative and it takes time for them to learn everything. Yours is so young so you can not expect he does everything perfectly just because the yorkie responds differently. They need so much time and patience to get what we expect of them. They need to be trained for it. The frustration you may feel will certainly add to the boston response to you because they feel our feelings. Besides boston puppies and all other breeds are playful with low attention span as they get distracted so easily. Since he is still so young and needs training, I would put harness and lead on him and go with him to the back yard. After he is done potty, I would lead him (walk in front) and come inside. If he still resists, I would use treats, I hold treat in my hand and as he follows you, walk inside and as soon as he does, praise him and give it to him. If you do this on regular basis, he knows that there is treat saved for him each time. Another word of advice is that you need to be super patient with him as he is a little puppy and you need to train him first. They dont know what expect of them unless they are taught in positive way. Dont use any nose touching or negative way as it has bad impact on them. Your puppy doesnt have a clue and can not relate why you say no to him and touch his nose because he cant understand the reason is him not coming inside. Poor thing has no idea and when you get upset and try to correct him, he reacts to you. So u have to use ways that communicate with the puppy. Hope it helps. Bostons are the best dogs ever. Good Luck.

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