The pug dog breed is a pet with very special characteristics and character. It is small, robust and with a plump animal appearance. Its temperament stands out for its joy. It is playful, friendly and is very smart. This dog loves to be with the family and among the children. At Petlifey, we explain everything about the Pug or Pug breed.
Character of the Pug
The pug dog has a charming character, with a lot of dignity and intelligence. With a balanced , sensitive, tender, loving temperament and is always cheerful, optimistic and lively. Although sometimes it can be a bit stubborn.
Small but robust and strong, the pug is a breed of companion dog with its own personality. It is very cheerful, always ready to play and not lacking in temperament.
Essentially happy dog, optimistic and always ready to do things. The pug is characterized by its very lively, playful behaviour and shows its state of mind with movements, sounds and gestures that can be very comical.
All pugs are characterized by their unconditional love towards people and by their predisposition to please them, but there are theories that defend that there are differences in temperament between one and another based on their coat color.
Thus, those of black tonality would be, in principle, more active and more energetic than those of sand color or tawny tone, although there is no conclusive evidence that this is true.
What is evident is the difference in character between males and females, since the latter tend to be more affectionate and cuddly.
This dog loves to be at home, in the constant company of its family (just like the French bulldog ), so there is no problem in having them in a small apartment, in a semi-detached house or in a large country house, since it adapts perfectly to living in any environment.
Obviously, if it has some land in the house, it appreciates it because it takes advantage of it to play and run freely there, because, despite what it may seem, this is an active dog and in need of exercise. A few good daily walks on the leash may be enough in principle, but from time to time it is important to be able to let them run freely in a confined and safe place so that it burns off excess energy and accumulated stress.
On the other hand, life in an urban community, surrounded by neighbours, does not pose any problem, since the dog immediately includes neighbours, relatives, acquaintances of the family and anyone who crosses its path on its friend’s agenda. path.
Likewise, its behaviour with other dogs and with pets of other species is unbeatable. Something similar also happens with the English bulldog .When it comes to relationships with children, it is difficult to find a better playmate. It is always ready to follow the little ones in the house on their adventures and with enough spirit to even put themselves in front of them, take the initiative and play all kinds of games. Something that the poodle also does .
As always when it comes to small breeds of dog, it is essential to make children understand that their puppy is not a toy, but a living being that deserves proper, respectful and fair treatment, something that is sometimes forgotten with the pug because it is a very robust and agile animal.
Despite its small size, this is a good watchdog, always alert and attentive to everything that happens around them to warn of any strange presence, movement or sound, but of course it cannot be expected to defend, because it cannot it has neither strength nor capacity for it.
Despite this aristocratic origin, it cannot really be considered a lapdog at all. Always alert and eager to make its presence known, it is a fun and easy breed, with few cosmetic maintenance needs and an extraordinary relationship with people.
- Energy: It is an active, playful and energetic animal that loves to be always busy in some activity.
- Temperament: sensitive, cheerful and tender, it is very affectionate, optimistic and gesticulating. It can be somewhat stubborn.
- Adaptability: It adapts to living anywhere as long as it can be in close contact with its family.
- Sociability: It loves its owners, it loves to play with children and it gets along well with strangers Nor does it pose problems in its relationship with other dogs or animals.
- Health: Shows a tendency to gain weight and often suffers from respiratory problems.
- Longevity: a Lives between 12 and 15 years, although it can exceed this age.
- Utility: companion dog.
- Use: company.
Characteristics of the Pug
Regarding the characteristics of the pug dog breed, it is a small animal with a square and plump appearance. With a compact, robust frame and well-built proportions, it has hard and strong muscles.
The first breeders of this breed, to define it, coined the motto multum ni parvo , or “much in little”, since, certainly, its physical appearance often hides a great dog, and it is a real delight to contemplate its waste of energy and of happiness.
Its body is small, with a robust and compact complexion, and a square structure, since the length of the trunk does not exceed the height at the withers, which is located about 30 cm from the ground.
Its proportions are well built and it has strong and hard musculature that provides the dog with joy and liveliness in its movements.
The head is large and rounded, with a broad skull, a wrinkled forehead, and a short, square muzzle without edges. The nose has very open nostrils.
The pug’s eyes are dark, round, large and separated from each other, they are bright, lively and have a sweet expression that sometimes seems worried due to the wrinkles on the forehead.
It has thin, small and soft ears. They are shaped like a triangle and are bent, often in the shape of a button, with the tip attached to the skull and covering the ear canal.
Under strong, straight legs, the feet are not too long but not too round. Their fingers are quite wide apart and have thick black nails.
Set high, the tail is not very long and curls over the rump in a fairly tight loop. Sometimes this twist turns twice.
The pug’s hair is soft, short and shiny. It can be pigmented in various colors, from silver to black, through apricot or fawn. It sports black markings and mask.
Let’s now see in more detail what the pug and the breed standard look like:
Pug breed standard
- General appearance: compact and square in structure, it is robust, plump, and has strong, hard musculature.
- Size: small size dog.
- Height at the withers: between 29 and 30 cm for males and between 27 and 29 cm for females.
- Weight: between 6 and 8 kg for males and between 5 and 7 kg for females.
- Origin: China / UK Patronage.
- Other names: Pug / Carlin / Mops.
- Body: it is robust, short and solid, very collected.
- Head: It is large, broad and round, although the position and shape of its ears make it appear a bit square.
- Skull: it is broad and the skin forms clearly defined wrinkles.
- Muzzle: it is short, wide and square in shape, but without curving upwards, and with wide and deep wrinkles.
- Nose: it is flat and the nostrils are wide open.
- Eyes: they are dark, very large, somewhat bulging and with a certain shape of a globe. Very bright, they reflect great vividness when the animal is nervous and its expression is between sweet and worried.
- Ears: they are thin, small and soft, as if they were upholstered in velvet. There are two types, the so-called “pink”, which are small, hanging and fold back, exposing the ear canal, and the so-called “button”, which fold forward, so that the Tip slopes toward the skull and covers the ear hole, pointing toward the eye.
- Jaws: the lower jaw is wide and slightly prognathic. The incisors are placed almost in a straight line.
- Neck: slightly arched, strong and thick, long enough for the animal to carry its head raised with hauteur and pride.
- Chest: robust and powerful, the thorax is broad, deep and provided with good ribs.
- Back: with the top line well leveled, it is straight and horizontal.
- Forelimbs: very strong and straight, of medium length and well positioned under the body. The shoulders are tilted back.
- Hindquarters: also very powerful and of medium length, they are straight and parallel, especially when viewed from behind. The legs are strong and well positioned under the body. Its knees are well angled.
- Feet: neither too round nor too oval, their toes are quite wide apart and their nails are black.
- Tail: set high, curled very tightly on the rump, sometimes turning even twice.
- Hair: short, fine, soft, smooth and shiny, it can be silver, albancoque, light fawn or black, with a dark mask and a black list.
- Color: with respect to the colors of the pug , they can have a silver, apricot, light fawn or black coat, and they always present a black line that extends from the occiput to the curl of the tail, and a very dark mask. Well-defined and black marks also tend to appear on the ears, cheeks (in the shape of moles) and the forehead (drawing a kind of rhombus that originally was said to be very similar to the Chinese pictogram corresponding to the word “prince” ).
- Movement: when moving, the pug raises the front limbs, pulling them forward with force and lets them fall straight below the shoulders, keeping the feet directly forward, without diverting them inwards or outwards. The hind legs move freely, bending the knees well. A slight rocking of the hindquarters is characteristic when walking.
- FCI Classification: FCI No. 253. Group – 9 Companion Dogs. Section 11 – Small Molossian.
Pug puppies
If you are considering the adoption or purchase of a pug or pug puppy, there are a number of considerations and aspects that we believe may be useful to you and that you should take into account before making the final decision.
The pug enjoys all the activities that are proposed to them, especially if they are outdoors and in the company of its family members. They can start their socialization from a very young age to get to know other places, noises and other pets.
Pug puppies have a very tender and affectionate expression, to which their round and bright eyes and the multiple wrinkles that form on their face contribute, which denote a certain sadness.
Very sociable and affectionate, the pug does not present problems of coexistence with other animals or with neighbours, so it adapts very well to living in an urban environment. However, it appreciates being out in the fields and outdoors.
The pug’s coat, very short and shiny, can come in various colors, from black to silver, through apricot and light fawn. A black stripe running from head to tail and a dark mask are common.
Since they are puppies, the legs of this breed are short and robust, but their gait is loose and agile. It is common to detect some swaying in the hind legs, while the front legs stretch well forward.
Pug education and training
Regarding how to educate a pug, this dog likes to get into all the trouble and be in permanent company of its family. It is also very intelligent and loyal, which is why it is very easy to train.
Its only problem is the lack of perseverance due to the fact that it gets bored easily if it is not given a wide variety of jobs to do, and also its tendency to stubbornness if it perceives that it can impose its will on that of others.
Therefore, when working with them you have to be constant and consistent, and not be convinced by its attempts to win the will of its owners through cheeks and gestures.
However, it is a suitable dog for all types of families, as it does not pose great training or behaviour problems.
In addition to being very intelligent, this dog is also very sensitive and perfectly captures the different nuances of the different tones of voice.
You don’t need yelling or abuse to get her to do the things that are asked of her. It is better to obtain their trust and their commitment through the mechanism of conviction. For this, the ideal is to always maintain a balanced, coherent and well-directed line of work.
In this sense, inexperienced owners who do not know very well how to face the education of their pet, can greatly benefit from the advice of a professional trainer or the members of a work club, because there dog owners share their experiences each.
Pug breed diet
Regarding how to feed a pug, this dog is passionate about eating and has a great tendency to gain weight. It is very important to avoid being overweight, as it increases the incidence of respiratory problems, which can be fatal.
Thus, the best advice is to keep it at its proper weight using a balanced and healthy food, and providing adequate exercise.
Fortunately, today, it is very easy to buy pug food in specialized pet stores, or to buy it online.
Pug health and diseases
The Pug is a breed with a longevity above average. Cases of specimens that are well over 15 years old are common, and in general it is a healthy dog, although there are some pathologies that occur more frequently than others.
For example, due to the special conformation of its head, its short snout and the shape of its nose, respiratory problems are frequent, which when excessive heat or cold can lead to severe episodes of stress.
In addition to being responsible for their general tendency to snoring, perhaps one of the few drawbacks for those who live too closely with their pet, because although this peculiarity may be comical at first, it is sometimes really annoying.
And, as always, the best health strategy for the owner of a pug is to act preventively, regularly going to the vet to complete the relevant vaccination and deworming programs, both internally and externally.
Also, for it to check the state of the animal’s mouth, eyes , ears, skin and hair, in addition to keeping a strict control of the evolution of its growth and its weight in the different stages of its life.
Specific care of the Pug breed
This breed of small companion dog does not require special care regarding its hair and hygiene. It is enough to brush them once a week very gently to keep its coat looking good.
As for how often a pug should be bathed, it is advisable to bathe it only when the animal is really dirty.
It should be done using a neutral Ph shampoo and avoiding getting into the eyes. Rinse with plenty of water so that no remains remain and dry the dog well.