Pugs: Well built though compact, peaceful yet playful & comical, may bark at every ring at the door-bell yet welcoming & amicable and last but not the least `hungry for love’, are a few words that best describe this immensely dog breed with large innocent eyes enough to set ablaze tender feelings of love, care and devotion to all they touch and see.

Thinking of pug Adoption?

Some points you may want to consider before going ahead.

• Pugs fit well even in small sized apartments. They do not require much space and are quite peaceful and dormant while indoors.

• Pugs may shed a lot of hair.

• The short and flat face poses respiratory problems. Therefore do not expose it to cigarette smoke & avoid the use of house hold chemical cleaning agents. Due to the shape of the face pugs don’t do very well in extreme weather conditions. It is advisable to keep it indoors most of the time when it is too hot or cold outdoors. A Y-shaped harness will be a better choice for walking the dog as it would put less pressure around the throat/windpipe. This breed snores, snorts, wheezes and drools, so the owner must get used to these odd sounds. Also a short faced dog swallows air while eating food that leads to gassiness.

• The folds on your pug’s face must be cleaned using a pet wipe after every meal. Never leave the folds moist/wet, make sure to dry its face properly.

• It may be resistant to housebreaking. Pugs are difficult to train to excrete/defecate outside or in a specific spot.

Breed History and Origin:

The birth place of pugs is stated to be China, the origin of this breed dates back to B.C 206 during the reign of the Han dynasty. Pug, a relative of the Tibetan Mastiff was proudly owned by the Chinese emperors, it resided in lavish accommodations and where soldiers were stationed to guard their existence.

China’s trading relations with European continent began in the end of 1500’s; it was the Dutch traders that introduced Europe to the Pug breed and fondly called it Mopshond.

Pugs were a favorite with the royalty, French nobility Marie Antoinette owned a Pug by the name of Mops before she walked down the aisle with Louis the XVI. Josephine Bonaparte wife of Napoleon Bonaparte owned a pug named Fortune.

Pugs marked their entry in England in 1861, and increasingly gained popularity at the time of the Victorian era. Paintings, pictographs, small statues and figures belonging to that period often depicted the royal breed sporting huge bowties and attractive collars around its wide & small neck. Queen Victoria a lover of apricot-fawn colored pugs was known to even breed them; Basco was her darling of all the pugs she had. Lady Brassey another pug patron set the trend for owning black pugs in 1886 which she carried back with her from China.

United States witnessed the entry of pugs after the Civil War, with the American Kennel Club awarding it recognition in 1885.

Breed Temperament/Bio Features:

Pugs were purely bred for the purpose of companionship. A lap dog that is hungry for its master’s love and affection. An otherwise playful dog and often seen displaying humorous antics.

While choosing a pup the aspiring parent must meet the mother and if possible other relatives /siblings of the puppy. The idea is to pick one with a healthy temperament, a pup that is curios to explore; comfortable around humans and frivolous are usually considered one with a good & accommodating nature.

Temperament of any dog breed depends on a variety of factors namely genetics, early socialization and training techniques.

Socialization will include introducing the puppy to new experiences, noises, visitors at home and people in the neighborhood/outdoors.
Breed Size & vital stats:

Male & Female weight ranges between- 14 to 18 pounds.

Height- 10 to 14 inches tall

Life span- 12 10 15 years

A toy breed ages at a faster pace as compared to a larger dog. A 6 year old pug is considered to be equivalent to 40 human years. To know more on how a pug ages visit: http://www.petpugdog.com/pug-dog-age-growth
Breed Maintenance and upkeep:

The diet of a pug would greatly be ruled by factors like level of activity/play, size, metabolism and obesity issues. Pug is a petite breed hence more prone to gaining those unnecessary pounds. A judicious pet parent must space the meals and encourage physical activity/exercise. Healthy eating habits must include good quality dog food and nourishing treats & snacks to be given occasionally especially if your dog is battling obesity.

Recommended daily food intake must include- Half to a cup full of superior quality dry dog food at least twice a day. Also ½ cup of nourishing home-made food is equivalent to 1 small bowl of packaged food available in the market.

Puppy diet must consist of- 28.4 grams of foodstuff for every pound of total weight.

Adult diet must include- half ounce of food for each pound of body weight.

Grooming

Pugs are predominantly fawn or black colored with a short double coat. During summer months this breed experiences heavy shedding. Bathe your little fellow once a month and brush its coat as often as you can to limit the shedding process.

The folds on a pug’s flat face must be dried properly after baths using cotton or pet wipes.

Also another feature that requires special care to avoid hurt and protection from soaps and chemical shampoos is the set of jutting out eyes.

Brushing the teeth every alternate day will prevent the pet from painful gum disease. Also grooming practices must include cleaning your pug’s ears once a week and trimming the nails as and when required.

Grooming your dog will help the owner look at any signs of redness, swelling or sores that may arise due to skin infections. Also infections can occur in the eyes, nose, paws and oral cavity that should be treated at the earliest.

Health and diseases:

In this section we will discuss some common health conditions found in pugs. However, pet parents need not fret as your four legged family member may never suffer from any of these ailments.

• PDE- also known as Pug dog encephalitis is a disease found only in pugs. A fatal disease characterized by the swelling of the tissue surrounding the brain. It is difficult to detect this disease and practically no treatment is available for it. Although there are some obvious symptoms such as loss of sight, circling, pressing of the head against items and seizures. It is believed that PDE has something to do with genetics.
• Walking Dandruff- This leads to excessive dandruff around the centre of the back area. It is a contagious form of disease caused by tiny bugs.
• Epilepsy- Idiopathic epilepsy is a condition that causes seizures. The reason of this is however still not known even to medical science. In such a scenario the pet must be rushed to a vet for the suitable treatment procedure.
• Brachycephalic syndrome- Pug has a short flat face, due to this the soft extra tissues get crumpled up in the head blocking the air passage. Symptoms include heavy breathing, loud snoring, breathlessness and the dog may even faint.
• Nerve degeneration- Affects the aged Symptoms such as difficulty in jumping, stumbling and dragging the hind legs are noticed.
• Aortic Stenosis- Aorta is the blood vessel that carries fresh blood enriched with oxygen from the heart to the other parts of the body. In Aortic Stenosis the aorta is very narrow that leads to the blood flowing back to the heart. Symptoms may include the dog being very lazy and even fainting.
• Corneal Ulcers- A pug’s large eyes are prone to developing ulcers on the eye’s clear part known as the cornea. This may lead to redness, teary eyes and squinting. In the absence of timely treatment the dog may turn blind.
• Sensitivity to vaccination- It is important to keep a watch on your pug after the routine vaccinations are administered. In case it shows signs of lethargy, swelling of the face and discomfort, contact the vet immediately.
• Dry eye - It is characterizes by a lack of moisture in the eyes due to the inability to produce the adequate amount of tears. Keratitis and Keratoconjunctivitis sicca are common conditions found in the breed that require permanent care and lifetime treatment.
• Hip Dysplasia - This illness is caused by a combination of factors namely poor diet and inherited genes among some other external factors. The problem of abnormal hip joint construction can be tackled with effective veterinary intervention.
• Patellar Luxation -A dislocation of bone at the knee joint is a painful situation, where the knee joint in most cases of the rear leg slips in and out of the position.

Famous Pugs around the world:

Scottish actor Gerard Butler owns a pug named Lolita

Model and actor Kelly Brook IS GUILTY TOO.

India’s very own Italian hunk Hrithik Roshan too is a #PUGlover and

he has aptly named him “PUGGY”