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The recommended tests for Boston Terrier breeding dogs, what each test screens for, when it is done, and the questions and red flags that separate careful breeders from the rest. Full profile: the Boston Terrier breed profile.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog is unwell, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 for urgent concerns. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines.
Boston Terrier testing is built around three examinations the parent club names for the breed, plus one DNA test that has changed how the breed handles its best known eye disease. The Boston Terrier Club of America list, as the AKC publishes it, is a patella evaluation, an eye examination by an ophthalmologist, and BAER testing, which is a hearing test that measures the brain's response to sound. Deafness in one or both ears is a recorded problem in the breed, and it cannot be spotted reliably by watching a puppy react to noises at home.
The DNA test covers juvenile hereditary cataracts, an early onset form of cataract caused by the HSF4 gene change. The Kennel Club Health Standard places that DNA test at its Best Practice level for the breed, alongside the eye examination at Good Practice. A DNA result tells a breeder whether a dog can pass the condition on, while the eye examination itself catches the wider set of eye problems this round eyed, flat faced breed can develop. The two work as a pair, and careful breeders run both.
Breathing deserves a plain word in this breed too, even though no breathing grade appears on the Boston's American test list. The breed is flat faced, and the Kennel Club has moved to add a Respiratory Function Grading assessment to its Best Practice tier for the breed from 2027. A buyer today can still ask the underlying question directly: how do the parents breathe on a warm day and after exercise, and can you watch them do both? Testing covers hearing, knees, eyes and the cataract gene. Your own ears, on a visit, cover the rest.
These are the tests the sources listed at the foot of this page set out for this breed. Tests are done on the parents before breeding, not on the puppy you take home, and the point of every one of them is the same: to lower the chance of puppies inheriting a condition that testing could have flagged.
| Test | What it screens | When it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Patellar luxation evaluation (OFA) | Kneecaps that slip from their groove, a common fault in small, compact breeds. | In the adult dog before breeding; a normal OFA result is recorded from 12 months or older. |
| Eye examination (by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist) | Inherited and developmental eye disease, including cataracts, in a breed with prominent eyes. | Good Practice in the Kennel Club Health Standard; repeated, as findings can change with age. |
| BAER hearing test | Congenital deafness in one or both ears, measured by the brain's electrical response to clicks. | Once, usually as a young dog; the result states hearing in each ear separately. |
| Juvenile hereditary cataract DNA test (HSF4) | The inherited early onset cataract specific to this breed's known gene change. | Once in a lifetime, at any age. Best Practice in the Kennel Club Health Standard; two carriers are never paired. |
Ask for the BAER result in writing and read it ear by ear, because a dog deaf in one ear behaves almost normally and only the test shows it. The patella and eye results should be findable in the OFA database under each parent's registered name, and the HSF4 result comes as a laboratory report stating clear, carrier or affected. Check the eye examination date: in a breed with prominent eyes, a certificate from several years ago says little about the dog being bred now.
Two habits protect you in every breed. First, match names: the dog on the certificate must be the registered parent of the litter, permanently identified, not a relative with a similar name. Second, respect dates: joint grades have minimum ages, eye certificates expire, and heart results in at risk breeds age quickly. A result that was true three years ago may say little about the dog being bred today.
None of this replaces meeting the dogs. Watch the parents move, breathe and settle, ask how long their parents and grandparents lived, and take the paperwork home to check before money changes hands. A careful breeder expects exactly that. Back to the full Boston Terrier profile for size, temperament, costs and care.
The parent club list published by the AKC is a patella evaluation, an eye examination by a veterinary ophthalmologist and BAER hearing testing. Careful breeders add the HSF4 DNA test for juvenile hereditary cataracts, which the Kennel Club Health Standard places at Best Practice.
BAER stands for brainstem auditory evoked response. Electrodes measure whether the brain responds to click sounds in each ear, which gives an objective hearing result for each ear separately. It is how congenital deafness, including deafness in just one ear, is properly identified.
A carrier has one copy of the gene change behind juvenile hereditary cataracts and will not develop that form of cataract from it, but can pass the copy on. Breeding a carrier to a clear dog cannot produce an affected puppy.
The DNA test covers one named condition. The examination covers the rest of what an ophthalmologist can find in this breed's prominent eyes, including other cataracts and developmental faults, and it reflects the eye as it is on the day.
Search the OFA database by each parent's registered name for the patella and eye records, ask for the BAER printout, and ask for the HSF4 laboratory report. All four are documents a testing breeder holds as a matter of routine.
Last updated: November 2026. Every test listed on this page comes from the sources above. How we work: our methodology.