When selecting a dog, it’s important to get the right breed for you so that the experience is a positive one. There are many things you should consider before you even begin your search. My hope is that this artical will help you decide whether YOUR personality and lifestyle fits with the nature and characteristics of the Pug breed. Please consider the downsides carefully before deciding if a Pug is right for you. Health Issues: The Pug, if not well bred, can require more veterinary care than the average breed of dog. So please keep in mind that you may be spending more time and money at your vet with a Pug. Not every Pug will require frequent vet visits, but some do. If this scares you, then a Pug may not be for you. Let the FUR fly: Pugs shed a lot! It doesn’t matter that they have short fur or if you wash them weekly. Pugs shed!… I am still not sure why our little ones aren’t bald! So please keep this in mind. If having your house and wardrobe spotless is your top priority, then a Pug may not be for you. Potty training: Pugs are not the easiest dogs in the world to housetrain. They tend to have a stubborn streak making it a bit harder. It may take 3 to a full 12 months to housetrain a Pug. If this sounds like more than you barganed for, then a Pyg may not be for you. The clingy Pug: Pugs were bred to be companion dogs and as such need human companionship to survive. They will want to be close to you at all times. Even if you have more than one Pug, they still want YOU, that just means you have more than one Pug as your shadow. If you are the kind of person who would be bothered by this, a Pug may not be for you. Pugs Don’t do exercise: Pug weren’t made for speed. Their short snout makes breathing harder for them. Pugs cannot tolerate high temperatures and humidity. This type of weather is unhealthy for Pugs, and over exposure to this type of weather can cause immediate or long-term health problems ranging from heat stroke to organ damage.Pugs are more of the “lets cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie” kind of dog. If you are looking for a dog that wants to spend a lot of time outside running around… A Pug may not be for you. Pug, the maintenance manual: Because Pugs don’t spend a lot of time running around outside, their nails tend not to get worn down as they would on other dogs. Therefore you do need to make sure they are kept clipped. The wrinkles on a Pug may looks sweet to you, but they bo need to be kept cleaned so they don’t get infected. This is the same for their ears, about once a week or so they need to be cleaning out with a clean moist facecloth. If this isn’t something you want to do regularly, then a Pug may not be for
Pugs are cute, cuddly, and … smart? Yes! Pugs are smart. They love doing silly things in order to get your attention, and that’s probably why some call them ”the clowns of the animal kingdom”. Pugs are a lot more intelligent than they look (Thank God!) and they are fast learners when it comes to things that excite them… like FOOD or making you laugh. Some Pugs may be hard to train, but I have found that our Pugs will do anything for treats. Pugs are STUBBORN! Pugs are usually very stubborn. If you enjoy having a teenager in the house that ignores you when you call them, yet can hear the crackle of a food bad from 1,000 yards… you will love a Pug. Pugs SNORE, SNORT, FART and SHED! Pugs make lots of weird noises, due to their small nose and flat face. Almost all Pugs snore, snort and while some consider this to be kind of charming, others might find it annoying. Pugs tend to be gassy. Finally, don’t let a Pug’s short soft coat fool you. Pugs do shed a lot. Pugs are NOT outdoorsy dogs and don’t do exercise Pugs are really vulnerable when it comes to both heat and cold. Most dogs have a long nose which they use to cool their bodies. Pugs do not have this, which means that they basically don’t have any way of regulating their body temperature. As a result they can easily overheat. (Pugs can even succumb by being out less then half an hour on a hot and humid summer day). If you want a dog that you can play with in the yard, that fetches tennis balls and sticks and that can accompany you when you’re out jogging, please don’t get a Pug. Pugs get tired pretty fast and since they do not have a great mechanism for cooling themselves, they can easily overheat. Pugs are NOT great guard dogs Looking for a dog to guard your house? A Pug might bark and alert you if somebody is coming. The risk of your Pug licking the burglar to death is probably bigger than the chance that he actually scares him off. Pugs are nosy and sleepy Pugs are curious explorers by nature. They are nosy and like to smell and taste virtually everything they have not seen before. However, they also love a good nap, or two, or three… Black vs. Fawn It’s all about genes passed down from parent to offspring. Genes come in pairs and reside on a chromosome it calls home, and it has its very own address. Each member of a pair of genes can have a different form. With Black or Fawn coats in Pugs, one can call for the Pugs coat to be black, and one can call for it to be Fawn with the black markings around the face and ears. But no matter which call the genes make, the black one makes the decision if it has any say in the matter and because of that it is called the dominant gene. If in this gene pair both members call for black, the Pug will be black. If in this pair one member calls for black and the other for fawn, the Pug will still be black because the black one rules. The only way for a Pug to be fawn is if both members of the gene pair call for
Skin / Coat Care Brushing your Pug once a week may cut down one the amount of shedding it does. However, it won’t eliminate it, so you better like the color tan or black, because it will be on everything you own. Bathing regularly will also help. We have found that “Mane and Tail” is a good shampoo and conditioner. It can even be found in Wal-mart now. Wrinkles The wrinkles and ears of a Pug need to be cleaned weekly as well. Some Pugs tend to hold lots of moisture in their wrinkles, which can cause itching, irritation and sometimes even infections. But don’t worry. The wrinkles can easily be cleaned. Just take a soft tissue and clean out the wrinkles on a regular basis. Nails As most other dogs, your Pug’s nails should be cut regularly. Long nails can make it painful for your Pug to walk. If you don’t feel like cutting the nails yourself, there are plenty of vets and grooming places out there that can do it for
The history of the pug as found on Wikipedia Origins Bred to adorn the laps of the Chinese sovereigns during the Shang dynasty (before 400 BC), in East China, they were known as “Lo-Chiang-Sze” or “Foo” (ceramic foos, transmogrified into dragon, with their bulging eyes are very Pug-like). The Pug’s popularity spread to Tibet, where they were mainly kept by monks, and then went onto Japan, and finally Europe. This breed may also be referred to as a “Lion Dog” or “Foo(orFu) Dog”” due to its resemblance to Chinese guardian lions just like the Pekinese dog breed from China of similar origin and resemblance to Chinese guardian lions which are considered a guardian spirit. Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries The breed was first imported in the late 16th and 17th centuries by merchants and crews from the Dutch East Indies Trading Company.] The Pug later became the official dog of the House or Orange. In 1572, a Pug saved the Prince of Orange’s life by barking at an assassin. A Pug also traveled with William III and Mary II when they left the Netherlands to ascend to the throne of England in 1688. This century also saw Pugs’ popularity on the rise in other European countries. In Spain, they were painted by Goya, in Italy Pugs dressed in matching jackets and pantaloons sat by the coachmen of the rich, and in Germany and France. Pugs appear several times as footnotes to history. Sometimes, they were used for Scent hounds. They were used by the military to track animals or people, and were also employed as the guard’s dogs. Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries The popularity of the Pug continued to spread in France during the eighteenth century. Before her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine had her Pug, Fortune, carry concealed messages to her family while she was confined at Les Carmes prison. The pet was the only recipient of visiting rights. The English painter William Hogarth owned a series of Pugs, to which he was devoted. In 1745 he painted his self-portrait together with that of his Pug, Trump, now in the Tate Gallery,London. In nineteenth century England, Pugs flourished under the patronage of the monarch Queen Victoria. Her many Pugs, which she bred herself, included Olga, Pedro, Minka, Fatima and Venus. Her involvement with the dogs in general helped to establish the Kennel Club, which was formed in 1873. Victoria favoured apricot and fawn Pugs, whereas the aristocrat Lady Brassey is credited with making black Pugs fashionable after she brought some back from China in 1886. The Pug arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century (the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1885) and was soon making its way into the family home and show ring. In 1981 the Pug Dhandys Favorite Woodchuck won the Westminster Kennel Club show in the United States, the only Pug to have won since the show began in 1877. The World Champion (Best in Show or BIS) at the 2004 World Dog Show held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was a Pug, Double D Cinoblu’s
