Dogs Worldwide

The Pug is a small robust toy dog breed with a compressed, wrinkly face. It is a perky, outgoing little dog, it has been referred to as “Multo in Parvo” meaning “a lot of dog in a small space”.

Pugs have four color variations: fawn with a black mask and ears, entirely black, silver, or apricot. The silver or apricot-fawn colors should be decided so as to make the contrast complete between the color and the trace and the mask. The Pug generally stands between 10 and 11 inches (25-28 cm) tall at the withers with an ideal weight range of 14 to 18 lb (6.3 to 8.1 kg).

The Pug’s appearance is characterized by a flat, wrinkled face, compact body, and curled tail. The pug is also the largest of what are described as toy dogs.

Fawn” is the most common Pug color, black is rare, and both silver (which is an almost white coat with no black guard hairs) and apricot are extremely rare. Silver is often confused with “smutty” which is undesirable and is characterized by a dark head and sometimes chest and forelegs. Most fawn Pugs have black facial masks.

The Pug while sociable dog, is also quite stubborn.

While the Pug sheds substantially more hair than other dogs of its size it is none-the-less a very popular house-pet. It has one drawback as far as children are concerned, the Pug likes to consider himself ‘king of the castle,’ so where there are small children who do not understand to treat a Pug correctly they can cause the animal to become scared, defensive or shy.

For those wanting a ‘lap dog’ look no further than the Pug. The Pug enjoys nothing more than to take over the owners lap.

While they may be a fantastic ‘lap dog’ they do require regular exercise and once out they will really enjoy themselves, often walking for an hour or more. However the owner should be observant as the Pug can quickly overheat. Because of their short noses.

Some Pugs, like many dogs, can suffer from separation anxiety; that is, when they are left alone more they are comfortable with, they bark and whine.

Don’t expect Pugs to be high achievers. Like all breeds they are intelligent and can learn very quickly according to the experts they have only a fair ability to pick up new commands and it is difficult to get them to obey for the first few times.

Pugs generally do not bark excessively. Many Pugs make a grunting nasal noise, which increases when they get excited. Nearly all pugs sometimes snort, almost as if they are sneezing, showering anyone who is too close. All may snore, especially if overweight. Pugs have an array of interesting noises they will make during play and rest and these noises, even the grunting and snorting, tend to grow on the owner and it becomes a fun trait of the Pug.

Because they have extremely short snouts and no skeletal brow ridges, Pugs can easily scratch their corneas (corneal ulcer) or puncture their eyeballs. Their short noses can also cause them to develop breathing problems. They are also prone to skin infections if the crevices in their faces are not kept clean. Additionally, Pugs may be prone to skin allergies, which if not treated can lead to infection as the Pug scratches the inflamed areas. The breed’s characteristic flat face may also contribute to tooth and mouth problems.

Pugs typically love to eat, and so are prone to obesity; they can quickly reach unhealthy weights. It is therefore important for Pug owners to make sure their pets get regular exercise.

A healthy Pug can be expected to live 10 to 13 years, although many well cared for Pugs have reached 18.

Tags: dog breeds, pug, pugs

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 16:21 and is filed under Breeds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.