Please Help with Boston Terrier

by Melanie
(Indiana)

I have a 15 month old Boston we bought off craigs list when he was 10 months old. When we first bought him he would pee and poop in his crate. We have finally broke him of that. We are gone for 8-10 hrs monday thru friday, so he is crated. We started to leave him out and he did really well for 3weeks. Then one day we came home and he had tore the trash, chewed shoes and pooped in the house, so I put him back in his crate. He broke out of it and tore the trash up and drug it all over the house. I don't know what to do with him. I don't want to have to get rid of him - any suggestions?

Comments for
Please Help with Boston Terrier

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 09, 2012
 cruel!!!!
by: Anonymous

Are you kidding...10 hrs a day?
THAT'S SO INSANE. OMG..so so mean

crate is normal? really. ok I guess if you're
a INSECT...these are not pets, they are soulful
alive spiritual beings..not a dang "car" or
tv set. Are you really telling yourself this is
fair? really? GO TO THE POUND. SEE IF THOSE
"LOCKED UP ANIMALS" seem cool to you?

PLEASE PLEASE ADOPT THEM OUT..be fair..be
noble..be less egocentric, let them be free!


I am begging you..let them go.. be free
to a home with active kids, or p/t home!
Sep 06, 2011
 Please help with our Boston Terrier! NEW
by: Anonymous

We adopted our Boston. He will be four this December but we have went through four beds. He keeps tearing them to shreds. We have a pug also so he has a play mate and a doggie door. They go and come as they please. He's never locked up in his cage.. any suggestions??
Nov 29, 2010
 Bored, troublesome boston! NEW
by: Anonymous

I as well work 12hrs shifts, my boyfriend does too, so our boston is alone sometimes 6-10hrs a day. We do not crate her but keep her blocked off in the kitchen with pee pads so this way she can stretch her legs and have some room to play. When my boyfriend or I travel I do not like leaving her blocked off overnight, then again ALL day long while one of us are at work, so thats when doggie daycare comes in! It's great! You drop them off and pick them up and pay a daily rate or you can buy package rates! And they get socialized skills and get to play all day with other dogs! They get walked and sometimes depending on what daycare, they'll shampoo them/clip their nails. So, your pup won't be trashing up your house, they'll be playing while your working! So less stressful! :) (be sure you find daycare that WALK the dogs and let them play and not just crate them all day, thats just pointless).
Oct 20, 2010
 sounds like a Boston NEW
by: Anonymous

We went through this same thing with our male. A lot of Boston Terriers are known to have seperation anxiety, he is missing you and he is letting out nervous energy. It is true he is probably bored because they are very social dogs and need that interaction with people. I totally agree with the advice about Walmart gates, this would be better than crating him for 10 hours a day at least he could get some room to stretch and play and you will still be keeping him confined to one room of the house. The good news is he will grow out of the tearing up stage, don't forget he is still a young dog and some do not grow out of this until they are at least two years old. In the meantime leave lots of chew toys for him to take his energy out on this will help prevent him from tearing up your stuff, with our dog we found if he had something like a rope to shake he wasn't near as likely to chew on our furniture and rugs. Good Luck!!
Oct 20, 2010
 Bored? NEW
by: Mary

+
You should keep anything he can get into up high on the counters or behind a cabinet door that stays closed. Also, keep about a zillion toys on the floor that he can chew up and be ready to clean up when you come home.

One other option is to get him a playmate...Bostons are better in pairs! (Sometimes)

There are "pet sitters" that can come over and let him out of the crate for you and doggie day-cares.

If he is neutered that helps, some say. Also, take him for walks everyday on a leash. That rather teaches him that you are the boss. Plus it rids him of some extra energy. If you could do this in the morning before you leave that would be great but it can be anytime. Our Bostons calmed down quite a bit after they were about a year and a half old and had been in our house for over a year.
Oct 20, 2010
 help NEW
by: Linda Galway/TurnerME

Eight to 10 hours is a long time to be alone; if you could find someone to stop by in the middle of the day, take him out for a brief walk where he can at least pee, then perhaps he'd be better to settle down and nap the remainder of the time. His destructive behavior is probably coming out of boredom and anxiety about being left alone for so long. Physically, on most days, I would say he can "hold" it, but having a brief break during the day, even if it's only a couple of hours after you've left, would give him something to do. Keep him crated at first, and then you can try letting him out of the crate so he has the run of a room rather than the entire house. Less to destroy until you can trust him again.

Baby gates at Walmart are often on sale for around $11. I'd pick up a couple and keep him confined to a room (kitchen/bathroom?) before allowing him more of the house. Good luck.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Forum - Boston Terrier Characteristics (& Behavior)