Things we use... Prefer... Recommend...
(we do not get paid for these recommendations)
Food
This isn't a simple recommendation. We rotate food often. We have fed raw, raw/kibble combination, kibble, kibble with canned, etc. What we have found is that many different foods work great. Since the reports of cardiac issues related to grain free brands, we have decided to stick to some basic rules but not completely attach ourselves to one particular brand.
We rotate kibble brand periodically. It may be silly but the idea is that if a particular food is lacking or too high in something, we won't be feeding it long enough for it to affect our dogs long term in a negative way. We will occasionally feed grain free but not long term. We favor variety, but keep within a few guidelines:
We avoid corn and prefer rice or oatmeal. We prefer lamb and beef over chicken. We avoid any form of peas which are often ultilized to replace the grain in grain free foods. Peas are hard on a dog's digestive system.
We also avoid salmon and sweet potatoes due to the high levels of Vitamin A, but this is mainly due to breeding concerns as excess Vit A has been linked to midline defects. Pets should be able to have those two ingredients without issues.
Brands of kibble we have used and prefer:
ProPlan
Instinct
Nature's Recipe
Blue ~ Wilderness
Victor
Dog Lover's Gold
Royal Canin
Merrick
We also have used and recommend:
Raw from "Beef For Pets" here in the Pacific Northwest
Stella and Chewy's (frozen raw and dehydrated)
Honest Kitchen
PetFresh
Also hightly recommended for healthy guts and building strong immune systems:
Tripett ~ Canned Green Tripe.
Show Equipment
I highly recommend show leads handmade by Flammini Designs. I will rarely use anything else but these leads now. They are lightweight, classy and the beads aren't clunky. The designer is a perfectionist and the leads are always the best quality.
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As far as regular collars and leashes, I never recommend a harness to solve a training issue. Harnesses were made to enable an animal to pull. A pulling dog will not be fixed by putting on a harness, it will just enable them to pull harder with their shoulders without hurting their necks on a collar. A well trained dog should be able to walk on a thin loose lead. Pulling is not an equipment issue, it's a training issue.
Puppy Training
Litter Box Method
From 5 weeks forward, our puppies learn how to use a "puppy potty box". We use newspaper pellets and a cat litter box in their pen. They take to it quickly. When puppies go to their new homes, we often send along a baggie of these pellets to sprinkle in the area of your yard your puppy should potty in, and it helps them make the connection. There are many brands that seem to work equally well. SoPhresh, Yesterday's News, Vibrant Life, ExquisiCat, etc. Some breeders use alfalfa pellets as well. I don't recommend wood pellets as they tend to break down and make a huge mess of sawdust.
You can also use one in their puppy pen as a backup for the times you may not be home in time to let them out, or those middle of the night potty needs. Puppies can hold it for only about 1 hour per month of age, to a maximum of about 5 hours. So your 12 week old puppy shouldn't be expected to hold it more than about 3 hours at a time, expecially when awake and active.
Puppies are started on house breaking here before going to their new homes, weather permitting. However realize that when we have a litter and multiple puppies in a group, it is not easy to predict each one's individual bathroom needs at the right times and get them each outside quickly enough. The majority of their potty training is done once they are in their individual homes.
Tennis balls
First, a warning that too much chewing on tennis balls can wear down a dog's teeth. Bostons LOVE to chase tennis balls and play fetch, so play time without "over doing it on" the tennis balls is recommended.
Bostons are masters of tearing apart toys and tennis balls are no different. I recommend NOT getting the ones made for dogs as they often can be skinned, cracked open, and chewed apart piece by piece. Get actual tennis balls. I have found that Penn brand will last a long time. They do not "skin" easily, and the price is not much higher than the others.
Vaccinations
We prefer, due to recent studies, to keep vaccines to a minimum, while still protecting our puppies and dogs against disease. Begin vaccines at 8-9 weeks, giving three puppy shots (5 or 6 way) 3 weeks apart. Then Rabies at 6 months (unless traveling and required by law earlier). We give one more booster (5 way) at a year old, and rabies boosters as required.
We do NOT recommend the Lepto vaccine for Boston Terriers due to a higher risk of reactions to it. However we do encourage you to discuss the risks with your vet and if the risk of lepto for your area is higher than the increased incidence of bad reactions for this breed, that is a decision to be made between the two of you. Likewise with any flea and tick medications. We do not have issues with fleas and ticks in our area and Washington state does not experience heartworm due to the cold weather, so our dogs have their initial vaccines
Spaying / Neutering
Due to more recent research in the health effects of early spay and neuter, we recommend waiting until at 12 - 18 months of age before spaying or neutering. This requires you to be vigilant in keeping your females away from intact males during their heats, and your males away from any intact females to avoid any unwanted litters. And in the case of our puppies - to prevent breaking our contract. Research has found that they need those hormones for development and health.
You may read online that there is increased chance for testicular cancer, mammary tumors, and pyometra however these things typically do not occur in the first two years of a puppy's life. These are concerns we have later in a dog's life, therefore allowing them to keep their hormones for growth and sterilizing them afterwards, in our opinion, is in their best interest and completely safe - provided the owner is responsible in preventing unwanted litters.
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Our Location
NEWMAN LAKE, WA
(20 minutes east of Spokane, WA)