Pug

What is a Pug?

A small, square, flat-faced companion dog of 6.3-8.1kg with a curled tail and a deeply wrinkled face. They were bred for company in the Chinese imperial court and have never had another job. The temperament is superb. The structure is the problem.

History and origins

One of the oldest companion breeds, kept by Chinese emperors and brought to Europe by Dutch traders in the sixteenth century. William III brought them to England in 1688. Queen Victoria kept and bred them, which is when the modern British type took shape - and when selection for a shorter face began in earnest.

Nineteenth-century photographs show Pugs with visible muzzles. The modern flat face is a recent choice and it can be un-chosen.

Appearance and size

25-33cm, cobby and thickset. Fawn with a black mask, or solid black. Deep wrinkles across the face, a very short nose, prominent round eyes, and a tightly curled tail. The Kennel Club standard was revised to require "relatively short" muzzles with open nostrils, precisely because the extreme had gone too far.

Temperament and personality

Cheerful, stubborn and endlessly entertaining. They want to be with you and they are not subtle about it. They snore, they grunt, they wheeze in their sleep, and owners find this endearing - which is part of the problem, because a great deal of it is laboured breathing.

Intelligence and trainability

Bright and food-driven, but they see no reason to do a thing twice. Short sessions with high-value food. House training is slow. They are not a breed for competitive obedience and would find the suggestion undignified.

Children and other pets

Very good. Patient, sturdy for their size, and not remotely aggressive. The caution is their eyes: a Pug's eyes sit proud of the skull and a poke or a scratch during play can cause a corneal ulcer, or worse, proptosis. Supervise, and teach children not to grab at the face.

Health problems

Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is the defining issue and it is severe in this breed. Narrowed nostrils, an over-long soft palate, a narrow trachea. Ask for the parents' BOAS grade under the Cambridge/KC functional grading scheme - Grade 0 or 1, and listen to them at rest. A Pug that snorts continuously while standing still is not "being a Pug", it is working hard to breathe.

Eyes. Corneal ulcers, pigmentary keratitis, dry eye, and proptosis, where the eye comes out of the socket. Any squint, cloudiness or pawing at the face is a same-day vet visit.

Spine. Hemivertebrae - malformed vertebrae associated with the screw tail - can cause progressive hind-limb weakness. Screening X-rays exist; ask.

Pug Dog Encephalitis (necrotising meningoencephalitis). A fatal inflammatory brain disease almost unique to the breed. A DNA test identifies raised risk.

Skin. The facial folds need daily cleaning and drying or they become infected.

Heat. Pugs die in warm weather. Not "struggle" - die. No exercise in the heat of the day, no car without air conditioning, and most airlines will not carry them in a hold for this reason.

Daily care routine

Two short walks in the cool parts of the day. Folds wiped and dried daily. Eyes checked. Weight watched closely: every extra kilogram makes the breathing measurably worse.

Grooming and coat care

A weekly rubber mitt. They shed heavily for a short coat, especially the fawns, and there is no avoiding it. Nails, ears and folds are the real routine.

Exercise needs

30-45 minutes a day, on the flat, split, and never in heat. They enjoy sniffing and short problem-solving games far more than distance.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals, £20-£30 a month. They are relentlessly food-motivated and will eat until something stops them. A slow-feeder helps with the air-gulping that comes with a short face.

Price

£900-£1,800 from a breeder grading for BOAS and screening the spine. Setup £250-£450; ongoing £70-£130 a month with insurance, which is expensive and which frequently excludes BOAS surgery if it is deemed conformational. Read the wording.

Buying advice

Look at the parents and listen to them. Open nostrils, a visible muzzle, quiet breathing at rest, no exercise intolerance. Ask for the BOAS grade in writing. Ask about hemivertebrae screening and the NME DNA result.

There is a growing movement of breeders deliberately selecting for longer muzzles and open airways, sometimes crossing out and back to do it. If you want this breed, they are the people to buy from.