If you’re interested in finding out what your Boston Terrier’s learning style is, take this fun & simple quiz to find out. It will only take about 5 minutes- PROMISE!

Have fun!

Post your Boston terrier’s learning style in the comments section below–Good luck with training everyone!

Related posts:

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2. 34 Reasons Dogs (Boston Terriers) Are Better Than Men!
3. 10 Things Boston Terriers Do NOT Appreciate

Why Won’t My Boston Terrier Listen To Me?

This is a common question that most first-time Boston Terrier owners ask me. Before I answer your question, let me ask you a few instead:

If your answers are mostly in the negative, its time you seriously reconsider your role as a sincere Boston Terrier trainer and an ideal pet parent.

Learn how to bond with your Boston Terrier with this free mini course.

Get Your Boston Terrier To Listen To You

Before you begin any training, you must first establish yourself as the “ALPHA dog” of your family. Your Boston Terrier must know that you’re the leader of the pack and it is YOU who is in charge.

Here is a list of simple DO’s and DONT’s that you must follow if you want to be the Alpha:

Once you successfully established yourself as the Alpha, training your Boston Terrier and making him listen will be a lot easier than you can imagine. Remember, if your Boston Terrier does not learn to “listen”, all your training efforts will be in vain!

Does your Boston Terrier know his name? Does your Boston Terrier look at you whenever you call him by his name? This is the first and the most critical step involved in Boston Terrier Training. If your Boston Terrier doesn’t respond to his name, you cannot have his attention for teaching him any other commands.

To make sure that your Boston Terrier recognizes his name, take a treat in your hand and hold it away from your body. Call your Boston Terrier’s name. He is most likely to look at the treat in your hand. Continue calling his name until he turns and looks at your eyes. Give him the treat immediately. Repeat this exercise by holding the treat in the other hand. Once you’re sure that your Boston Terrier has learned to recognize his name, just call his name and reward him for looking at you by petting or with a hug.

You must understand that Boston Terriers respond far better to positive reinforcement than they do to coercion or force.

Learn how to train your Boston Terrier better with this free mini course.

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1. Basics of Boston Terrier Training

If you have trouble walking your Boston terrier, welcome to the club.

Walks are one of my daily battles with Lucy. Every time she sees a cat, bird, or lizard she starts pulling! But everyday I work on it, and so should you!

You may want to address some basic training issues first, and then Cesar Milan says in order to prevent this behavior, we should establish ourselves as the pack leader. Here are a few of Cesar’s tips to ensure pack-leader status when you’re walking your dog:

Walk In Front

Make sure that you are leading your dog when you walk him. Your dog should not be walking in front of you. This goes for walking in and out of doors as well. You should always lead, and your dog should always follow.

Use A Short Leash

A shorter leash, offers more control and will allow you to correct your dog’s behavior more easily. Cesar recommends the illusion collar.

Consider The Length Of Your Walk

Dogs like to be walked in the morning. You should try and make morning walks anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

Set The Tone Of Your Walk

Make your dog walk properly for a few minutes before allowing him to sniff around and relieve himself. Once your dog has the right “mindset” for the walk, allow him to have his fun!

Maintain Your Leadership Status

When you get home, continue to be the pack leader. Your dog should wait for you to put away the leash, take off your shoes, etc.

Reward Your Dog For A Job Well Done

Reward your dog with food and water after a good walk. This will give him the idea that he must “work” for food.

If you have any dog walking tips, or other useful training tips, please feel free to share them by leaving a comment in the form below! Also, please take some time to introduce your Boston terrier, I would love to meet him/her!

Happy dog walking!

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1. 10 Ways to Welcome Your Adopted Boston Terrier
2. Put An End To Your Boston Terrier’s Jumping Problem
3. Traveling with Your Boston Terrier

You may have learned to live with having your Boston terrier jump all over you—morning, noon, and night … but I can’t guarantee your non-dog owning friends will be as understanding.

To solve this problem you first need to understand why your Boston terrier is jumping on people in the first place.

Your Boston Is The Pack Leader

Most likely your Boston terrier is jumping on you and your guests because she thinks she’s the pack leader.

What can you do to change this?

You need to portray yourself in an assertive and calm manner. You should also avoid praising your dog when you get home, this causes “big head syndrome.”

Your Boston terrier will begin to believe she is the center and leader of the home, which is a BIG problem.

The 3 Main Reasons Your Boston Terrier Jumps On People

1. Gain Attention
   Dogs identify people and things by smelling them; when they jump on people, this is one of things they are trying to accomplish!
2. Assert Dominance
   People usually react when a dog jumps on them. In your dog’s world, if she gets a reaction out of you from jumping, whether positive or negative– she’s won.
3. Receive Rewards
   Either directly or non-directly your dog has been rewarded for this bad behavior (jumping). Therefore, your dog associates jumping on people, with positive things.

Always Correct Bad Behavior

Make sure you always correct bad behavior—and make sure you do it right away.

This will help your Boston terrier learn about boundaries and that she is submissive to you. Withholding attention from your Boston terrier when she jumps on you usually works the best. You should turn your back on her or leave the room when she jumps on you. This will enforce the fact that jumping is not acceptable behavior.

If you have company over, instruct your dog to sit quietly. She may not listen at first, but once you have the whole ‘pack leader’ vs. ‘pack follower’ roles down, this should be a piece of cake!

Remember, the most important thing of all is to be consistent. If you’re not consistent with your leadership role, you will cause confusion and anxiety in your Boston terrier.

How To Stop The Jumping!

Before going any further, you should make sure that your Boston Terrier knows 2 very basic commands, SIT and OFF (follow the links for additional information).

If your dog looks like she’s about to jump on someone, command her to SIT.

You’ll begin to familiarize yourself with your dog’s body language. Dogs often send out signals that they’re about to jump. Some dogs crane their necks, others prepare their hind legs, and some wag their tails, etc.

So if you see this signs, be ready with the SIT command!

If you don’t catch your dog in the first stages of jumping to prevent it, use the OFF command.

Ultimately, prevention is the best strategy in stopping your dog from jumping on people.

The basics of this training can be summarized with this one simple sentence:

“Reward your dog for positive outcomes, and reprimand her for negative ones.”

What To Do When Other People’s Dogs Jump On You

I have a fair bit of experience in this area, as I frequent the dog park on a regular basis.

If there’s one thing I have learnt from dog parks it’s this: NEVER wear white pants to the dog park! There is bound to be some unruly renegade at the dog park that won’t be able to resist jumping on you and your white pants.

It’s somewhat futile to try to train someone else’s dog, so don’t waste your time. Teaching the “no jumping” command is a fairly long process that will need to be a part of the dog’s everyday life.

REMEMBER: You’re not doing anybody a favor by letting a dog jump on you. Never encourage someone else’s dog to jump on you!

What Next?

One of the training techniques mentioned above is pretty much guaranteed to work. In most cases, you should be able to see results in a matter of days.

The good thing about Boston terrier jumping problems is that they’re usually a quick fix. If you’re determined to put an end to this annoying behavior, and you’re consistent with your training, you’re on the right track.

Tell me your story. Have you been through this before? What did you do to fix it?

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It’s essential for Boston Terrier parents like you to know certain basic factors that determine your relationship with your Boston Terrier and can go a long way in training him effectively.

Before you begin training your Boston Terrier, it is absolutely essential that you build a loving bond with him. This is important as it helps you to understand his needs and instincts and also allows your Boston Terrier to have complete trust in you.

Know more about Boston Terrier care from this free mini course

Let us see how…….

How To Bond With Your Boston Terrier

Building a bond with your Boston Terrier is the first and the most crucial step involved in training him successfully. As soon as you bring your Boston Terrier home, you must first try to develop a caring and loving relationship with him in order to win his trust and confidence.

When Boston Terriers are secure in the knowledge that they belong to the family, they are more likely to respond better to their owners’ training commands. Just like with any relationship, there must be mutual trust and respect between you and your Boston Terrier.

Trust takes time to develop and respect comes from defining boundaries and treating any breach of those boundaries with firmness and fairness.

Without enforceable limitations, respect can’t be developed. And when there is no respect, building a bond with your Boston Terrier is almost impossible.

4 Golden Rules To Building A Relationship With Your Boston Terrier :

Love Your Boston Terrier and He Will Love You back

Once you’re succesful in building a bond with your Boston Terrier, you can rest assured that training him and teaching him new and clever tricks will be a cakewalk.

Learn how to bond with your Boston Terrier with this free mini course.

How Your Boston Terrier Learns…

Your Boston Terrier’s learning period can be divided into five phases:

The Teaching Phase – This is the phase where you must physically demonstrate to your Boston Terrier exactly what you want him to do.

The Practicing Phase – Practice makes Perfect. Once a lesson is learnt, practice with your Boston Terrier what you have just taught him.

The Generalizing Phase – Here you must continue practicing with your Boston Terrier in different locations and in an environment with a few distractions. You can take your Boston Terrier out for a walk, or to a nearby park and command him to practice whatever you’ve taught him.

Practicing the learned lessons in multiple locations and in the presence of small distractions will help him learn and retain lessons better .

The Testing Phase – Once you’re sure that your Boston Terrier has achieved almost 90% success….he responds correctly almost every time you give a command, you must start testing his accuracy in newer locations with a lot of distractions.

Example: Take him to the local shopping mall and ask him to obey your command. He may not come up with the correct response the very first time you do this, but you must not lose hope.

The idea is to test your Boston Terrier to see how he responds in an environment which is new to him. Set-up a situation where you are in control of the environment and your Boston Terrier.

There are only 2 possibilities:

Keep on testing until he succeeds. Follow the rule of the 3 Ps – patience, persistence, praise.

Internalizing Phase - Finally, comes the extremely rewarding phase where your Boston Terrier does everything he is taught to do even without your commands.

Remember:

Learn how to train your Boston Terrier better with this free mini course.

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Dog parks seem to be a somewhat controversial subject for a lot of dog owners. Some people think dog parks are best things since sliced bread, while others thing they are dangerous and traumatizing places for dogs.

Your local dog park is a great place for you and your dog to get exercise and have fun, provided that it’s well maintained and well monitored.

However, be warned that not all dogs that go to the dog park are social creatures. You should always be on the lookout for a possible rebel!

Dog parks often have a sense of community amongst them. A group of “regulars” usually monitor dog park behavior and make sure that problems are kept to a minimum.

You may also have heard of membership dog parks. These are dog parks where people are required to pay a membership fee to use the park … the funds go towards the up-keep of the park. Membership parks have certain advantages such as: they usually offer more supervision, and screening before dogs are granted dog park privileges.

Dog Behavior

Your dog should be:

• Friendly and out-going
• Confident and social
• Well-mannered
• Responsive to basic commands
• Healthy

Human Behavior

If you’re considering taking your dog to the dog park for the first time, it may be a good idea to go by yourself first. Check out the park “culture” and see if you think it will be a good fit for your pup.

If you decide that you think it might work, go during non-peak hours the first few times.

Here are a few basic rules to follow:

• Always obey posted dog park rules.
• Don’t bring young children.
• No treats, toys, or food (this may cause conflict between other dogs.)
• No puppies under 4 months of age.
• Always supervise your dog’s behavior and be ready to intervene if necessary.
• Always, always clean up after your dog.
• Don’t take your dog into the dog park on a leash (mixing dogs on and off the leash sometimes causes aggression).

Video of Boston Terriers Playing At The Dog Park

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1. Does Your Boston Terrier Misbehave At The Dog Park? Mine Does.
2. Puppy Biting and Nipping
3. Put An End To Your Boston Terrier’s Jumping Problem

If you’ve just adopted a Boston Terrier, Congratulations! I wish you all the best. Now here’s a list of 10 things you should do to make your Boston Terrier feel at home.

1. Get to know your dog. Gather as much information you can about your dog. Ask the shelter personnel about the dog’s behavior and daily routine. Try to stick to the dog’s feeding, exercise, and grooming routine.

2. Outline responsibilities in your home. Figure out who is going to be in charge of walking and feeding the dog. Also establish boundaries for your dog. Is she or isn’t she allowed on the furniture? Make sure everyone in the household is on the same page.

3. Get a “check-up.” Take your new dog to the vet for an exam. Have her checked for heartworms and make sure he/she is spayed or neutered.

4. Relax. Give your dog a few days to get used to his new home before introducing him to new people and
pets.

5. Protection. Make sure your pet feels safe and secure. If he’s used to sleeping in a crate, make sure he can do so at your house too.

6. Take him outside. When you adopt a new dog, regardless of what the shelter has told you, you should assume the dog is not housetrained. Take him out frequently, to prevent accidents.

7. Be Active. Your new Boston Terrier wants to be your friend and play with you. This will help strengthen the bond between you.

8. Find a school. Even the dog is well trained, you should consider enrolling your new dog in obedience classes; learning together establishes you as the leader.

9. Use a leash. If you’re forced to chase your dog, escape will become a game to your dog. Trust me, this is not good!

10. Patience. Your dog will adjust to his new life, but it may take some time … so be patient and you’ll have yourself a happy enduring relationship in no time.

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There are numerous ‘positive reinforcement’ training methods you can teach your Boston Terrier to develop better communication with him/her.

Most behavioral problems are a result of a lack of communication between you and your pet. So you should work at developing a trusting, life-long relationship with your pet.

First and foremost you must be patient with your pet. You should never yell, hit, use choke collars or electric shock collars on your dog. If you use any of these techniques, your dog will develop a fear of you, which may result in aggression and behavioral problems.

Training and Play

Boston Terriers love to play. Make sure that whenever you have a training session, its fun and playful. Reward your dog with treats and praise. Every time your dog exhibits the correct behavior, you should reward her. Also remember to be consistent. You don’t want to confuse your dog.

Association and Repetition

Dogs need lots of repetition when learning new things. When teaching your dog something new you should be consistent with the words you use and the actions you take. Eventually your dog will learn to associate the words with your actions. And always end a training session on a good note- when your dog has done something right!

Stay Positive

Some dogs learn quickly, and there are those that don’t. Never show anger or frustration … your dog will pick up on your negative energy, and in return will exhibit negative behavior.

Never Stop Training

Dogs will always need to be positively re-affirmed. If you don’t continue using positive reinforcement techniques, your dog may forget a ‘learned’ behavior. So have fun with it, and you’ll find you have yourself a loyal friend for life.

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2. The Fundamentals of Training Your Puppy

If you’re trying to decide between a collar or a harness for your Boston Terrier, you should definitely chose the harness.

I started out using a collar on my puppy, and that was a huge mistake.

After about a year of using a collar, I switched over to a harness. The harness works much better, and now I don’t feel like I’m choking my dog every time we go out.

Harnesses distribute the weight around your dog’s body as she pulls, preventing that choking effect that collars can have on dogs that like to pull.

Your Boston Terrier may be at risk for neck or trachea injuries while simply going for a walk! Believe me. this is not a risk that you want to take.

Another plus is that with the use of a harness you don’t have to worry about your dog slipping out of her collar when she sees lizards or birds around the neighborhood.

Say No to Choke Chains

“Choke chains” should also be avoided if you have a Boston Terrier.

Boston’s have enough breathing issues without having a metal collar cutting off their air supply. 99% of people that use choke chains do not use them correctly, resulting in severe injuries to your precious pooch.

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Teaching your Boston Terrier to lay down is a fun experience!

Follow these 6 steps to make the training process go smoothly:

1. First have your dog sit down.

2. Dangle a treat in front of your pet

3. Lower the treat to the floor and say lay down as you are doing this. Your dog should follow the treat all the way down to the floor.

4. Only give her the treat once she’s on the floor. Repeat the words “lay down” several times for re-inforcement.

5. Say something like “Good girl, lay down you good girl.” You’re laying down!”

Practice the command “lay down” several times during the day, and over several days in 5 minute increments … any longer and your pet will lose focus!

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3. Teach Your Boston Terrier to Turn Around