As some of you know, I own Boston Terriers and I love the breed to pieces. I have written a couple of articles about them. This one is about different colored Boston Terriers. Enjoy!! 
As you know, I own Boston Terriers. I just love the breed silly. I'm also fascinated by the history and the future of the breed. This is what a Boston Terrier should look like...
Stunning isn't he? He exemplies what a Boston Terrier should be. Now take a lookie at this...
If you think you're looking at Boxers, you're wrong. These are supposed to be Boston Terriers. Specifically red/fawn Boston Terriers that a lot of people are going nuts over. People are selling dogs like this claiming they are rare, when they aren't, and selling them for insane amounts of money.
Back in the days when the breed was in it's infancy, a lot of breeds and mixes were used to create the Boston Terrier. These breeds include the now extinct White English Terrier, Bulldog, French Bulldog, maybe Pit Bulls, maybe Boxer but mostly various "bull" and "terrier" types. Considering how many breeds and mixes were thrown together, it stands to say that a variety of color would be introduced to the breed. Then again, the originators of the breed were more concerned with establishing type than establishing color.
The Boston Terrier became a recognized breed in 1893. This is a standard for the breed that was noted to be in existence by 1891..
OLD STANDARD
GENERAL APPEARANCE AND STYLE: The general appearance of the Boston Terrier is that of a smooth, short-coated, compactly-built dog of medium station. The head should indicate a high degree of intelligence and should be in proportion to the dog's size; the body rather short and well-knit, the limbs strong and finely turned, no feature being so prominent that the dog appears badly proportioned. The dog conveys an impression of determination, strength and activity. Style of a high order, and carriage easy and graceful.
SKULL: Broad and flat, without prominent cheeks, and forehead free from wrinkles.
STOP: Well defined, but indenture not too deep.
EYES: Wide apart, large and round, neither sunken nor too prominent, and in color dark and soft. The outside corner should be on a line with the cheeks as viewed from the front.
MUZZLE: Short, square, wide and deep, without wrinkles. Nose black and wide, with a well defined straight line between nostrils. The jaws broad and square, with short, regular teeth. The chops wide and deep, not pendulous, completely covering the teeth when mouth is closed.
EARS: Small and thin, situated as near corners of skull as possible.
NECK: Of fair length, without throatiness and slightly arched.
BODY: Deep and broad of chest, well ribbed up. Back short, not roached. Loins and quarters strong.
ELBOWS: Standing neither in nor out.
FORELEGS: Wide apart, straight and well muscled.
HINDLEGS: Straight, quite long from stifle to hock (which should turn neither in nor out), short and straight from hock to pasterns. Thighs well muscled. Hocks not too prominent.
FEET: Small, nearly round, and turned neither in nor out. Toes compact and arched.
TAIL: Set-on low, short, fine and tapering, devoid of fringe or coarse hair, and not carried above the horizontal.
COLOR: Any color, brindle, evenly marked with white, strongly preferred.
MARKINGS: White muzzle, blaze on face, collar, chest and feet.
COAT: Fine in texture, short, bright and not too hard.
WEIGHT: Lightweight class, 12 and not to exceed 17 pounds; middleweight class, 17 and not to exceed 22 pounds; heavyweight class, 22 and not to exceed 28 pounds.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Docked tail and any artificial means used to deceive the judge.
As you can see, it's a rather vague standard and this is where some people who breed for "off colored" Bostons go nuts. They claim that the original standard allowed for these colors and they are right but they seem to forget that the standard was revised in 1914.
REVISED STANDARD
GENERAL APPEARANCE: The general appearance of the Boston terrier should be that of a lively, highly intelligent, smooth coated, short headed, compactly built, short tailed, well balanced dog of medium station, of brindle color and evenly marked with white.
The head should indicate a high degree of intelligence and should be in proportion to the size of the dog; the body rather short and well knit, the limbs strong and neatly turned; tail short and no feature being so prominent that the dog appears badly proportioned. The dog should convey an impression of determination, strength and activity, with style of a high order; carriage easy and graceful.
A proportionate combination of "Color" and "Ideal Markings" is a particularly distinctive feature of a representative specimen, and dogs with a preponderance of white on body, or without the proper proportion of brindle and white on head, should possess sufficient merit otherwise to counteract their deficiencies in these respects.
The ideal "Boston Terrier Expression" as indicating "a high degree of intelligence," is also an important characteristic of the breed.
"Color and Markings" and "Expression" should be given particular consideration in determining the relative value of "General Appearance" to other points.
SKULL: Square, flat on top, free from wrinkles; cheeks flat; brow abrupt, stop well defined.
EYES: Wide apart, large and round, dark in color, expression alert, but kind and intelligent; the eyes should set square across brow and the outside corners should be on a line with the cheeks as viewed from the front.
MUZZLE: Short, square, wide and deep; free from wrinkles; shorter in length than in width and depth, and in proportion to skull; width and depth carried out well to end. Nose black and wide, with well defined line between nostrils. The jaws broad and square, with short regular teeth. The chops of good depth, but not pendulous, completely covering the teeth when mouth is closed. The muzzle should not exceed in approximate length one-third of length of skull.
EARS: Small and thin, situated as near corners of skull as possible.
HEAD FAULTS: Skull "domed" or inclined; furrowed by a medial line; skull too long for breadth, or vice versa; stop too shallow; brow and skull too slanting. Eyes small or sunken; too prominent; light color; showing too much white or haw. Muzzle wedge shaped or lacking depth; down faced; too much cut out below the eyes; pinched nostrils; protruding teeth; weak lower jaw; showing "turn up." Poorly carried ears or out of proportion.
NECK: Of fair length, slightly arched and carrying the head gracefully; setting neatly into shoulders.
NECK FAULTS: Ewe-necked; throatiness; short and thick.
BODY: Deep with good width of chest; shoulders sloping; back short; ribs deep and well sprung, carried well back of loins; loins short and muscular; rump curving slightly to set-on of tail. Flank slightly cut up. The body should appear short, but not chunky.
BODY FAULTS: Flat sides; narrow chest; long or slack loins; roach back; sway back; too much cut up in flank.
ELBOWS: Standing neither in nor out.
FORELEGS: Set moderately wide apart and on a line with the points of the shoulders; straight in bone and well muscled; pasterns short and strong.
HINDLEGS: Set true; bent at stifles; short from hocks to feet; hocks turning neither in nor out; thighs strong and well muscled.
FEET: Round, small and compact, and turned neither in nor out; toes well arched.
LEG AND FEET FAULTS: Loose shoulders or elbows; hind legs too straight at stifles; hocks too prominent; long or weak pasterns; splay feet.
TAIL: Set-on low; short, fine and tapering; straight or screw; devoid of fringe or coarse hair, and not carried above horizontal.
TAIL FAULTS: A long or gaily carried tail; extremely gnarled or curled against body.
(Note: The preferred tail should not exceed in length approximately half the distance from set-on to hock.)
COLOR: Brindle with white markings.
IDEAL MARKINGS: White muzzle, even white blaze over head, collar, ***, part or whole of forelegs and hindlegs below hocks.
COLOR AND MARKINGS FAULTS: All white; absence of white markings; preponderance of white on body; without the proper proportion of brindle and white on head; or any variations detracting from the general appearance.
COAT FAULTS: Long or coarse; lacking lustre.
WEIGHTS: Not exceeding 27 pounds, divided as follows:
Lightweight: Under 17 pounds.
Middleweight: 17 and not exceeding 22 pounds.
Heavyweight: 22 and not exceeding 27 pounds.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Solid black, black and tan, liver and mouse colors. Docked tail and any artificial means used to deceive the judge.
And here's the current standard...
General Appearance - The Boston Terrier is a lively, highly intelligent, smooth coated, short-headed, compactly built, short-tailed, well balanced dog, brindle, seal or black in color and evenly marked with white. The head is in proportion to the size of the dog and the expression indicates a high degree of intelligence.
The body is rather short and well knit, the limbs strong and neatly turned, the tail is short and no feature is so prominent that the dog appears badly proportioned. The dog conveys an impression of determination, strength and activity, with style of high order; carriage easy and graceful. A proportionate combination of "Color and White Markings" is a particularly distinctive feature of a representative specimen.
"Balance, Expression, Color and White Markings" should be given particular consideration in determining the relative value of GENERAL APPEARANCE to other points
Size, Proportion, Substance - Weight is divided by classes as follows: Under 15 pounds; 15 pounds and under 20 pounds; 20 pounds and not to exceed 25 pounds.
The length of leg must balance with the length of body to give the Boston Terrier its striking square appearance. The Boston Terrier is a sturdy dog and must not appear to be either spindly or coarse. The bone and muscle must be in proportion as well as an enhancement to the dog's weight and structure. Fault: Blocky or chunky in appearance.
Influence of Sex: In a comparison of specimens of each sex, the only evident difference is a slight refinement in the ***'s conformation.
Head: - The skull is short, flat on top, free from wrinkles, cheeks flat, brow abrupt and the stop well defined. The ideal Boston Terrier expression is alert and kind, indicating a high degree of intelligence. This is a most important characteristic of the breed. The eyes are wide apart, large and round and dark in color. The eyes are set square in the skull and the outside corners are on a line with the cheeks as viewed from the front.
Disqualify: Eyes blue in color or any trace of blue. The ears are small, carried erect, either natural or cropped to conform to the shape of the head and situated as near to the corners of the skull as possible.
The muzzle is short, square, wide and deep and in proportion to the skull. It is free from wrinkles, shorter in length than in width or depth; not exceeding in length approximately one-third of the length of the skull. The muzzle from the stop to end of the nose is parallel to the top of the skull.
The nose is black and wide, with a well defined line between the nostrils. Disqualify: Dudley nose.
The jaw is broad and square with short regular teeth. The bite is even or sufficiently undershot to square the muzzle. The chops are of good depth, but not pendulous, completely covering the teeth when the mouth is closed. Serious Fault: Wry mouth.
Head Faults: Eyes showing too much white or haw. Pinched or wide nostrils. size of ears out of proportion to the size of the head. Serious Head Faults: Any showing of the tongue or teeth when the mouth is closed.
Neck, Topline and Body - The length of neck must display an image of balance to the total dog. It is slightly arched, carring the head gracefully and setting neatly into the shoulders.
The back is just short enough to square the body. The is level and the rump curves to the set-on of the tail. The chest is deep with good width, ribs well sprung and carried well to the loins. The body should appear short.
The tail is set on low, short, fine and tapering, straight or screw and must not be carried above the horizontal. (Note: The preferred tail does not exceed in length more than one-quarter the distance from setting on to hock.) Disqualify: Docked tail. Body Faults: Gaily carried tail. Serious Body Faults: Roach back, sway back, slab-sided.
Forequarters - The shoulders are sloping and well laid back, which allows for the Boston Terrier's stylish movement. The elbows stand neither in nor out. The forelegs are set moderately wide apart and on a line with the upper tip of the shoulder blades. The forelegs are straight in bone with short, strong pasterns. The dewclaws may be removed.
The feet are small, round and compact, turned neither in nor out, with well arched toes and short nails. Faults: Legs lacking in substance; splay feet.
Hindquarters - The thighs are strong and well muscled, bent at the stifles and set true. The hocks are short to the feet, turning neither in nor out, with a well defined hock joint. The feet are small and compact with short nails. Faults: Straight in stifle.
Gait - The gait of the Boston Terrier is that of a sure footed, straight gaited dog, forelegs and hind legs moving straight ahead in line with perfect rhythm, each step indicating grace and power. Gait Faults: There will be no rolling, paddling, or weaving, when gaited. Hackney gait. Serious Gait Faults: Any crossing movement, either front or rear.
Coat - The coat is short, smooth, bright and fine in texture.
Color and Markings - Brindle, seal, or black with white markings. Brindle is prefered ONLY if all other qualities are equal. (Note: SEAL DEFINED. Seal appears black except it has a red cast when viewed in sun or bright light.) Disqualify: Solid black, solid brindle or solid seal without required white markings. Gray or liver colors.
Required markings: White muzzle band, white blaze between eyes, white forechest. Desired markings: White muzzle band, even white blaze between the eyes and over the head, white collar, white forechest, white on part or whole of foreleg and hind legs below the hock. (Note: A representative specimen should not be penalized for not possessing "Desired Markings".) A dog with a preponderance of white on the head or body must possess sufficient merit otherwise to counteract its deficiencies.
Temperament - The Boston Terrier is a friendly and lively dog. The breed has an excellent disposition and a high degree of intelligence, which makes the Boston Terrier and incomparable companion.
For those who don't understand how standards work, let me break it down to you. A standard is what a breed should look like. People who create the breed have the "perfect specimen" in mind and they write it down and breed to that. A standard can be changed and revised and the way it's usually done is that members of a breed club, such as the Boston Terrier Club of America, agree to it and vote on it with the majority winning. If you look at the revised standard and the standard of today, you can see how detailed it is compared to the old standard. Check out the Disqualifications. Note that it says "solid black, black and tan, liver and mouse colors". For those who don't know, liver is also another term for red/fawn/brown. Mouse is another term for grey/blue.
Now I have no idea why these colors were excluded but *I* think it has to do with expression. Expression is very big in the breed. A lot of dogs that are red or grey tend to have light colored eyes and noses. That takes away from the expression. Here's an example...*
Here's an example of "expression" per the breed standard...**
Another reason could be that the Boston Terrier is considered the "American Gentleman" and that it's markings are supposed to take on a "tuxedo" look. Here's an example...***
Since most tuxedos are black and white, I can see why these colors were excluded.
Another thing I've noticed about "off colored" Boston Terriers is that very few of them actually resemble Boston Terriers. The majority look like miniature Boxers, American Staffordshire Terriers and mixes of those breeds. Look at the pictures I've posted. Some of those dogs have obviously docked tails which leads me to believe either they are not purebreed or someone didn't read the breed standard where it says docking is a disqualification in the breed.
There isn't any health issues associated with them, not counting the ones that afflict ALL Boston Terriers, however a lot of irresponsible breeders are churning out all white Boston Terriers. This is a Boston Terrier with a lot of white...
This is Ch. Lady Dainty. That's correct, she's a champion. Now, if she were to enter the ring today, she probably wouldn't go far if make champion at all. This is Samuel Adams...****
Now there's a thing with white Boston Terriers. A lot of white on a Boston Terrier, especially on the head, can indicate deafness. Deafness was introduced to the breed by the White English Terrier. It is believed that the majority of that breed were deaf and it's the main reason why the breed went extinct.
With all that said, a lot of people are breeding for these colors with hopes that the BTCA will allow them. Let me rephrase that, very few people are breeding these colors in hopes that the BTCA will recognize them. A lot of people are breeding these colors because they know if they can market them as rare there will be an uneducated puppy buyer who will pay $3000 for one.
I've been on various message boards and have spoken to various people over 10 years. A lot of people are claiming that one day the BTCA will recognize these colors yet they really aren't doing anything about it. They're talking the talk but aren't walking the walk.
First off, the BTCA will NEVER recognize these colors. If the first revision included the exclusion of these colors what makes them think that they're going to be included now? Not only that, there is talk that the BTCA is going to revise the standard again and it's going to define the standard even more to a point to not to include these colors.
Secondly, these colors will never be included if the majority of dogs being bred look like miniature Boxers. Very few look like Boston Terriers.
Thirdly, if you're wishing for the recognition of these colors while hanging out on message boards/classifieds boards that allows everyone and their mother to hawk irresponsibly bred puppies, don't be too surprised when people don't take you too seriously when it comes to doing something that will help get these colors recognized.
Fourthly, in all honesty, the best bet for the "off colored" BT folks is to create a separate breed. It worked just fine for the White German Shepherd Dog folks. Considering that the BTCA does not want these colors included in the standard, this may be the only way to go. And it can be done. Quite a few new breeds have been created in recent years. But that's if they want it to happen. And it's not going to happen if you're breeding a 30lb red Boston Terrier that looks like a Boxer and all you do is complain about how mean the BTCA is for not allowing red to be a recognized color. It will only happen when you get better breeding stock, you know a red Boston Terrier that actually looks like a Boston Terrier, utilize health testing to make sure it doesn't have any congenital defects and get together with like minded folk who want to do right by the dogs and are willing to write a standard, breed towards that standard and petition for recognized by a reputable kennel club.
I'll be honest when I say, that I highly doubt this will ever happen. A lot of people have no incentive to do this when people are more than willing to pay big bucks for an irresponsibly bred dog that looks like an Amstaff so why should they strive to create a new breed? It's much easier to irresponsibly breed dogs and rake in money while complaining about the BTCA yet claiming one day these colors will be recognized yet you aren't doing a damn thing to achieve that.
So to make a long story short, don't believe the hype. While I'm sure there are responsible "off colored" breeders out there, they are in the minority just like responsible breeders of "recognized colors" or of ANY breed are in the minority. These colors are not rare, they are not worth the price tag of what a show quality Boston would cost and until people take action, they will never be recognized by the BTCA nor will they ever become a separate breed.
*Special thanks to Rachel from the Woofboard for allowing permission to use Ross' picture.
**Special thanks to Danielle from Campbell Clan Bostons for allowing permission to use Dylan's picture.
***Special thanks to Pamela from ChriMaso Bostons for allowing permission to use Taison's picture.
****Special thanks to Jess from the Woofboard for allowing permission to use Samuel Adams picture.
For further reading, check out these linkages....
The Boston Terrier Club of America.
The Boston Terrier Club of America FAQ(They speak about off colored Boston Terriers).
The Boston Terrier and All About It. (This is an old school online book about the Boston Terrier written in 1910 by Edward Axtell. It's an excellent book about the breed).
Boston Terrier History (A nice website that speaks of Boston Terrier history and has lots of pictures of Boston Terriers in the early years).
Brown or Red and White Boston Terrier Board (This is a message board for brown/red/off colored Boston Terriers. Please be aware that they allow people to advertise puppies for sale and stud services. I am not posting this link because I support those actions. I am posting this link for those who are interested in learning more about off colored Boston Terriers by speaking to those who have them. Because they allow people to advertise on there, and if you are looking for an off colored Boston Terrier, please do research before you buy a puppy. This goes for any color dog and any breed of dog).