These loyal, playful compact dogs are loved the world over! Also known as Chinese Pugs or Dutch Bulldogs among other names, they are comical and loving but can be demanding too.
Pugs are loyal, comical and affectionate which means everyone falls in love with them! They love attention and company but can be high maintenance as they need lots of mental stimulation and can suffer separation anxiety if left alone for long periods. They are highly intelligent and confident so demand time and attention from their owners, with lots of games to keep them happy.
This popular, loving toy breed doesn’t need a huge amount of exercise and as pugs are highly adaptable, they are equally at home in a city flat as a country house with a garden. Their grooming needs are simple to take care of as their coats are short, but they do shed quite a bit so they are not hypoallergenic.
Pugs do tend to snore quite loudly as they have a short muzzle which can cause breathing difficulties and snuffling. They also have a reputation for suffering from wind!
Pet profile
A loving, playful, highly sociable small dog with a big personality!
- Size: Small at 25 – 35.5 cm tall (9.8 – 13.7 inches at the shoulder)
- Weight: 6 - 8 KG (13 – 17.6 Ibs)
- Life expectancy: 12 - 14 years
Exercise and nutrition
Highly intelligent little dogs, pugs need plenty of mental stimulation and variety in their games even if they don’t need huge amounts of exercise. They do need daily walks to maintain fitness and once fully grown will enjoy a couple of 20 mins walks per day. Pugs love getting out and about, seeing new things and meeting new friends!
They need handling firmly but gently as they can be naughty at times! Training time is essential to end up with a well-rounded, well-behaved dog. Puppy classes are a good idea, so your pug gets used to meeting other puppies and is well socialised.
They are compact, square-ish looking dogs with a short muzzle and curly tail, bulging eyes and an undershot lower jaw. You need to keep the folds of their faces clean, so sores don’t develop.
They love their food and as they are small, owners should be careful not to over-feed them as obesity can create serious health problems for this breed. Feed them a good quality small dog food twice a day once they are fully grown, and check their weight with your vet regularly to help maintain a healthy weight.
Their short muzzles mean they can over-heat easily in warm weather, especially after exercise. Make sure you monitor them carefully as they can suffer breathing difficulties if they exercise too much for the weather conditions and are over-weight, or it is very hot.
Common health problems and illnesses
The gene pool for pugs is quite small so it is crucial you buy your pug from a reputable breeder. It is sensible to find a breeder who is part of the Hemivertebrae Scheme and has had both parents x-ray screened before breeding for this condition. Buying your puppy from a reputable, licenced breeder who screens their breeding dogs for hereditary diseases is the best way to ensure your puppy is healthy. A good breeder will also microchip the puppies and have wormed them and started the vaccination process before they are old enough to leave their mother.
To ensure your pug has the best health care if they have an accident, fall ill or develop one of these conditions, take out dog insurance while your puppy is young, before they develop any problems.
This information about conditions that can affect pugs is not designed to replace a vet consultation so if you ever think your dog is ill please consult your vet immediately.
This deformity of the bones of the spine is seen fairly often in pugs. It results in wedge shaped vertebrae that do not align correctly with neighbouring vertebrae. This can lead to instability of the spine which can cause damage to the spinal cord resulting in pain, wobbly hind legs or a loss of use of the hind legs and incontinence. In some mild cases surgery could help.
Ensuring the puppy you buy has parents x-ray screened for any spinal abnormalities is one way you can reduce the risk of your puppy developing this distressing condition.
This is a serious inflammation of the brain seen in pugs. It is thought to be hereditary. Most pugs who suffer from this condition develop the illness between 9 and 19 months of age. There are 2 types of the condition; slow progressive disease in which dogs suffer seizures but doesn’t exhibit any other symptoms between fits. The seizures can last a few seconds or as long as a few minutes and happen repeatedly.
Rapid progression disease also results in seizures, but the dog doesn’t return to normal between fits but will show difficulty walking, disorientation and depression.
It is not known what causes the condition, but it is thought that it could be an autoimmune disease. The symptoms besides the seizures are pacing in circles, lethargy and loss of coordination, weakness, confusion, neck stiffness and pain, staring into space, behavioural changes. Unfortunately, both types of this condition are fatal.
This condition occurs when the knew cap slips out of the groove that it should slide back and forth in. Effectively the knee cap becomes dislocated and can cause a pug to skip or hop from time to time while walking, or pause to straighten a leg and then favour the other one. It is a hereditary complaint so it’s important to check your puppy’s parents don’t suffer from this condition before you buy.
It can also be brought on by being over-weight. Pugs do love their food so it is important to make sure your pug doesn’t become obese or this leg problem could develop. If the condition is severe, surgery might be necessary which will mean your pug has to remain in-active for some time after the operation.
Dogs with short noses such as pugs, can suffer from this condition. Breeding has reduced the length of the nose skeleton, but they have normal amounts of soft tissue and skin. You can see this in the skin folds on their faces. There are similar folds of excess soft tissue inside their faces, which can obstruct their airways. Specifically, their overly long soft palate is too long for their face and it can obstruct the back of the throat causing them to snore when they breathe, awake or asleep! In the worse cases it can obstruct their breathing severely and can also cause digestive issues due to the work they have to put in to suck air into their lungs.
All pugs will suffer from this condition to some degree. Some will show few symptoms while the most severely affected dogs can collapse when taking the gentlest of exercise. Many dogs with short muzzles are sleep deprived because of difficulties breathing while asleep.
It is possible to improve a pugs breathing through surgery to open up the nostrils and shorten the soft palate. Many dogs who have this surgery have a good outcome.
Fun facts
- They are an ancient breed from China, so beloved by Emperors that ‘commoners’ were not allowed to keep them.
- A pug called Pompey saved the life of his owner, William of Orange in 1500’s and so they are the official breed of the house of Orange.
- Josephine Bonaparte had a beloved pug called Fortune who reputedly bit her new husband Napoleon on the leg when he tried to get into bed with his wife!
- Queen Victoria loved pugs and frowned upon the fashion for cropping their ears.
- Pugs have starred in popular films and tv series such as Men in Black, Pocahontas, the Secret life of Pets and The Crown.
