Would a Boston Terrier puppy be good as a first dog?

[PoisonousSmurf]

I've been researching dogs for months and don't want a labrador or any of the designer breeds.
But for some reason a Boston Terrier seems to be the perfect dog. Small, energetic but friendly and easy to train.
Do any of you have one? Are there some pitfalls?

[CornflakeHomunculus]

Are there some pitfalls?

Health mainly, you need to be extremely careful when looking for breeders. They're not usually quite as bad as some of the other brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds but they are still prone to breathing issues and some also have quite protruding eyes which leaves them at risk of injuries/corneal ulcers. Hemivertebrae can be an issue in the breed and , because of their large head and narrow hips the vast majority (I believe over 80%) of BT litters are born via c-section. They can be affected by two kinds of hereditary cataracts; early onset which there's a DNA test available for, and late onset which has no DNA test available so dogs being used for breeding should have an annual BVA eye test to check for any signs of the condition. Lastly, they can be prone to luxating patella which is a condition where the knee cap is unstable and can spontaneously pop out of place, this can require surgery to fix.

There will be breeders out there who are aiming for a more moderate (i.e. less exaggerated) dog and are doing all the necessary health screening but chances are, like with the other brachy breeds, they're few and far between.

[Mumsnut]

They are very, very windy

[Lordofmyflies]

This is ours. She's a delight. Very trainable, smart, doesn't shed, can keep up on a run and brilliant with people. You do need to do your research - we waited about 18months for our pup to be born from a family that we knew had done the necessary tests, had parent dogs that we had met and were going to be bringing the litter up in a family home. She really is a lovely dog and much easier than other breeds we have had before.

[Lordofmyflies]

Can be windy, but I find switching to raw feeding has really reduced this.