11 Reasons Not To Get A Boston Terrier if You Live In An Apartment

Before I got my first Boston Terrier in 2009 I looked up “Are Boston Terriers Good For Apartments?”

Looking back eleven years later, I realize the folly in my search logic.

What I realize now is, at the time I posed this question I had not yet made up my mind to get one and I was just “making sure” I was making the right decision.

Truth be told your Boston Terrier could live on a boat. In a trailer. In a tiny home. Some have even been known to live in a truck trailer and hotel rooms when they belong to a cross country trailer.

See now that I’ve had three of these lovable gremlins I realize it’s not the dog that dictates if your living conditions are good for them… its how YOU are as their dog owner, dog parent, dog handler, best friend in the whole world are.

But if you’re reading this and you live in an apartment or smaller space and are wondering if Boston Terriers are good apartment dogs then this article is for you. I’ll address all the reasons why they won’t work in a small space … and tackle it from that angle instead.

1. You don’t have time to walk your dog twice a day

I can attest that my three Bostons, Zoey, Maggie and Orbit are active dogs. I walk them 3 to 5 miles every morning and then another mile or so in the evening.

If you cannot adjust your life to wake up earlier or spend time with them when you come home from work then your Boston Terrier will be under stimulated.

Under-stimulated dogs get in trouble.

– They chew furniture
– They chew boxes
– They chew shoes
– They get into garbage
– They do their business in the house

You get the point – under stimulated dogs get into trouble.

If your dog is being naughty while you’re gone that means that you are not doing enough to stimulate them.

Stimulation comes in many forms. You can walk them (physical exercise) and then you can do trick training or canine enrichment games for mental exercise.

Truth be told unless you’re a surgeon or have a career that keeps you away, then you can find two hours a day to spend with your Boston Terrier.

The bonus is that walking them this often will have a positive impact on not only your mood but your health.

2. You leave your dog alone for more than 8 hours a day

If you work a job that has long hours, you may want to reconsider getting a Boston Terrier.

Because these long hours will prevent you from your daily walks and remember under stimulated Bostons get really naughty. Especially when they are puppies and they are puppies for 3 to 4 years.

If you have long hours but must get a dog, then get one that is more sedentary. My sister has a shitzu and Miss Pepper as we like to call her, is happy as a clam being a house dog.

She likes the occasional walk but to her a walk might be no more than 100 yards down the block.

Boston Terriers LOVE to interact with the world outside the house and your long hours will not be fair to your dog.

3. You can’t afford someone to walk your dog or bring them to doggy day care if you work long hours

Now on the other hand, if you can afford to bring your dog to a doggy day care or hire a walker, then it won’t matter how many hours you walk.

When I got my first Boston Terrier Zoey, I worked long hours.

I would be in the office at 7:30am until 6:30pm.

Luckily for me there was a doggy day care near my home so I was able to drop her off so she could socialize and play with her friends all day.

She ended up being the most balanced social dog ever. Which I attribute to the great team at Dog Days San Diego.

And so the insight I can share with you is, yes you can get a Boston Terrier if you work long hours as long as she or he has some where to go while you’re working.

Otherwise you may want to reconsider and get a cat instead of a dog.

4. You’re not active

You don’t have to be a super athlete to have a Boston Terrier but it helps if you love to be outside and take long walks.

They don’t have to be far in distance, but I found that an hour out each time … yields a relaxed dog at home.

If I don’t walk my two for an hour they come home and they are restless.

But if we walk a hour + in the morning and then again in the even then they are are more balanced and calm through out the day and less likely to bark at noises outside or get into any mischief.

So if you are not an active person that likes to go on walks and you prefer a more relaxed and sedentary life, then a Boston Terrier might be too much dog for you.

5. You don’t hire a trainer

Just like kids need an education from teachers, so do dogs from trainers.

As part of your budgeting process, set aside money to work with a trainer.

The puppy classes that the Humane Society does are excellent for getting a grasp on the basics as well as puppy socialization.

Ongoing training is fantastic because your Boston will go through an adolescent and maturity phase and you need a professional to guide you through their growing pains.

Yes dogs have growing pains. Or should I say behavioral shifts as they grow from being a puppy to an adult.

Trainers depending on your city can run you anywhere from $300 to $2000 a month (depending on what level and amount of training you need).

6. You have a room mate that is careless

If you happen to have a room mate – they factor into the equation not in the sense that they are responsible for your dog, but rather in the way that their actions may or may not impact your dog’s life.

If they are careless and go in and out of the apartment leaving the door open as they bring grocery indoors, or if they like to smoke recreationally, then this might impact your dog’s safety.

Evaluate if your room mate will be on board to put your Boston’s safety top of mind before bringing your puppy home.

7. You don’t stimulate their minds

It’s equally important to enrich your dog’s life by stimulating their minds. If you like to come home and get on your phone watching TikTok videos and not take care of your dog then your dog’s potential is limited through lack of stimulation.

There are severals ways you can enrich them:

Nutritionally: Give them a chew. I like the ones from Real Dog Box
Mentally: Turn on DOGTV. Yes the program are scientifically designed to spark their brains.

You can also play a host of brain games with them. I wrote an article:

How To Keep My Boston Terrier Busy Indoors

Alternatively you can also do trick training with them. It’s not as if you want them to be circus dogs, but rather have an activity that you can do together. I love the AKC Trick Training videos that easily break down the steps on how to work with your dog.

8. You leave your Boston Terrier home alone on weekends and evenings

I was in my late 30s when I got my first Boston Terrier. My days partying with my friends were behind me.

I loved to come home from work, change out of my work clothes and go on urban adventures with my Zoey.

If you’re still in the single mindset in meeting up with friends and going out every waking minute to hang out with them (I did that too in the life before dogs) then it’s best to not get a Boston Terrier while you’re in that phase in your life. It just wouldn’t be fair to your dog.

9. Your neighbors don’t like barking

Guess what Boston Terriers bark. They don’t yap like other breeds might but they certainly will alert you to anything that bothers them.

Boston Terriers are bred to be companion dogs. In their mind, alerting you to other people outside is part of their job.

It won’t be a long bark and it might literally only be two or three barks to alert you.

And this is where your neighbors come in. Because some people are cat people or pet rock people or pet fish people and have never owned a dog so they don’t understand why dogs alert bark.

Or it could simply be they work the opposite shift from you and they are a nurse with a graveyard shift so sleeping during the day is their thing.

There is no one grumpier then that who has been woken up from slumber unexpectedly.

And you’d hate for them to call your landlord to complain so make sure you consider the space around you when you get your Boston Terrier.

10. You have heavy feet and live on the second floor

Boston Terriers LOVE to play. It might be fetch, tug, or zoomies around you.

And most likely you’ll be chasing and playing your Boston Terrier.

If you have elephant feet and walk so that those below you can hear you… and start running around with your Boston it might trigger a call to the landlord who will blame the dog for the sound disturbance so be mindful of the noise generate to neighbors.

11. Your world doesn’t revolve around your Boston Terrier

Last but not least, if you live in an apartment and don’t adjust your world to revolve around your Boston Terrier then this breed is probably not for you.

I would like to think that Boston Terriers have the unique ability to capture even the coldest of hearts. But I’m realistic as well.

I have met dogs that are of the independent type. Such as Shibas or live stock guardian dogs.

These dogs like to think independently and like to do their own thing.

And some people… like that kind of relationship with their dog.

Boston Terriers on the other hand are bred to be companion dogs so if you are thinking about getting one and live in an apartment, you need to be aware your life will change and you will be spending a lot of time with your dog.

This is a wonderful thing but there has to be that lifestyle – to dog breed and temperament match.

Final Thoughts.

It’s not where you live that will impact your dog.

Your dog doesn’t care what address you have, or what you do for a living.

Your dog, your Boston Terrier, is looking for the best human companion just like you’re looking for the best canine best friend.

So if you live in an apartment and you’re ready to create and live an active life together … then YES by all means get that Boston Terrier because it will be the best decision you will ever make.

Did you like this article?  Here are more about Boston Terriers

Why Are Boston Terriers so Gassy?

10 Reasons Your Boston Terrier Loves To Lick You

How To Get Ready For a Boston Terrier Puppy

Are Boston Terriers Born With Tails?

Should I Get A Second Boston Terrier?

Boston Terrier Lifespans

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hello, my name is Hannah and I dance with my dogs.

I am a Boston Terrier Breed Advocate.  I started this blog because there isn’t enough space to tell our story on our Instagram.

My mission is to bring Boston Terrier dog parents the best, most accurate information to help your dogs live happier, healthier lives.

I have two Boston Terriers of my own. Maggie is my socially awkward heart dog while Orbit is my shadow and soul dog.