Is The Pug Dog Breed Your Perfect City Companion?
AppearanceThe Pug dog breed should have a stocky compact body. Almost square. They have straight and strong legs, which gives them a very distinctive gait. Their very dark eyes can be quite expressive. A Pug's coat is soft and sleek and comes in a variety of colours; fawn, apricot, black and silver. Their muzzle however should always be black. Talking about the muzzle, the Pug dog breed has a very distinctive undershot bite. Their tail lies on their back in a curl. Some Pugs even have a double curl in their tail. They have a short back, so you don't have to worry about your Pug needing to take the stairs.A Pug normally weighs anywhere between 13 to 20 lbs (6 to 9 kg). Still small enough to carry, though maybe not for longer periods of time. Their heights should be between 10 to 14 inches (25 to 36cm).TemperamentThe Pug dog breed is generally very affectionate and loyal. They're also very playful, smart and can be quite mischievous. A Pug is a very intelligent dog. Which makes it easy to train, just put some variation in the training. Otherwise they'll get bored very easily.They're very sensitive to your tone of voice. So don't be to harsh when you need to punish your Pug.Make sure your Pug knows you're in control as they can be quite willful and try to make you do what they want you to. If you're not the strong leader they need, they have the tendency to become jealous and start guarding food, toys, places in the house. It's easy to correct this behaviour if you become the packleader and are consistent with the rules.Other than that, the Pug dog breed makes a good watchdog but is not as yappy as some other small dog breeds. They get along great with other pets and dogs. Children and visitors are greated friendly.This breed is a great dog if you live in an apartment. They're not that active indoors and will do just fine without a yard. They do need a daily walk though. You can keep them in good health by exercising regularly. Don't over do it though, as soon as your Pug starts to wheeze, give him a break.HealthcareThe Pug dog breed unfortunately has quite a few health problems. They don't do well in hot and cold weather and can catch a cold quite easily. If you need to take them outside in the cold make sure you give them a warm coat to protect against the cold. If it's too warm, keep your dog inside. Buy a coolpad if you don't have airconditioning and your house or apartment gets pretty warm in the summertime.Pugs are allergy-prone and their short muzzle causes chronic breathing issues (and a lot of snoring and snorting).As for their eyes, they tend to weep a lot. There's also a huge chance of inflammation of the cornea or even ulcers on the cornea.Skin problems are also quite common in the Pug dog breed. Their coat is easy to groom and should only be washed when necessary. Make sure you dry the coat quickly after washing to prevent as your Pug can catch a cold quite easily. Even though they have a short coat, they shed quite heavily.Keep the creases on the face clean.A Pug generally doesn't know when to stop eating. So don't overfeed it as obesity will shorten their lifespan considerably.Their life expectancy is 12 to 15 years.Another huge health problem is Pug Dog Encephalitis or PDE. At around 2 or 3 years old the Pug's brain can become inflamed. Unfortunately, very little is known about this illness. Because of all these health issues, I strongly advise you to look carefully for a Pug dog breeder. In my opinion, health and temperament should always outweigh appearance.
Breed BackgroundThere are different stories as to the origin of the Pug dog breed. Some say it's a descendant from the Pekingese, others believe it's a descendant from a small Bulldog or a miniature version of a Dogue de Bordeaux.The breed certainly goes back to before 400BC and it become popular in the 16th century in European Courts. In 1885 the breed was recognized by the AKC. It has been a popular companion dog ever since. Click Here To Read The Tao of Pug Return from Pug dog breed to the list of small dog breeds Return to the small dogs and the city homepage
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