Pugs, like no other breed, have some of the best qualities. But before you get a four-legged friend, you need to correctly assess the possibilities. To do this, you need to know the pros and cons of the pug breed.
There has always been a fashion for dogs. If earlier they wanted to have large guard dogs, now it is fashionable to have a small companion who will touch the hearts of acquaintances and attract attention with an unusual appearance.
A little about the breed
The pug is an ancient breed of dog.
Even in ancient China, pugs lived in the palace, and for their fold, reminiscent of a hieroglyph, they were called imperial. The dogs were the favorites of the emperor and courtiers. In the middle of the 16th century, dogs came to Europe and gradually became popular.
- But only wealthy people could afford to keep a pug. The main purpose of the pug was to serve as a companion dog.
Pugs are decorative breeds; their height does not exceed 33 cm and their weight is 7 kg. The dogs have a small, square muzzle and large, bulging eyes.
The main distinguishing feature is the folds, which make the dog look like a little funny miracle that you want to hug and kiss. But like everyone else, pugs, in addition to their advantages, also have their disadvantages.
Pros of Pugs
Usually, when choosing a breed, owners pay attention to positive qualities, which is quite understandable, because many associate a dog with the pleasant moments that a future pet can bring.
Positive character and quick adaptation of the family
Pugs have been known for centuries, because they were kept in ancient China at the court of ruling and influential dynasties. In that era, they were used as decorative dogs so that they would amuse nobles with their presence.
Therefore, it is not surprising why these creatures are so curious, friendly and self-centered. Once they arrive in the house, they quickly adapt to the family’s lifestyle. People who often go for walks will especially like pugs. Although if you like to lie in front of the TV, then in this case these dogs will keep you company. Considering their small size, pugs do not pose a potential threat to humans , but do not forget that they are very inquisitive and attentive creatures, so they react to any movement and will immediately notify you about it.
Kindness towards children
Pugs can be a great friend for your children, because they can tolerate even their little mischief and pranks. You can rarely hear a loud bark from these animals . Therefore, if your child decides to fall asleep in the middle of the day, the pug will not wake him up. Elderly people will not be disappointed with this dog either; all pugs are very calm and affectionate and, if necessary, can take part in the game.
Leisurely walks
Some may consider pugs to be lazy creatures, however, regular walks in the fresh air are quite natural for them:
- in the warm season, their duration should be from 30 to 60 minutes;
- in the cold season, the walking time can be reduced to 15 minutes.
These features will be appreciated by those owners who have children and older people. After all, you don’t have to spend a lot of energy walking your pet. Walking for pugs is very important , because such exercise allows them to maintain their muscles in tone, prevent weight gain, and also maintain breed standards.
This should not be neglected, because dogs of this breed eat a lot, and if they lead a sedentary lifestyle, they may face the problem of being overweight, which can ultimately lead to health problems. Obesity is dangerous for pugs because it negatively affects the respiratory system and joints. In cold and inclement weather, it is allowed to shorten the duration of the walk. The main thing is to give your pet the opportunity to relieve itself. Therefore, if for some reason you do not have enough time to spend on walks, then pugs will be an ideal choice for you as a pet.
Brushing frequency and feeding
This point should also be considered one of the advantages of keeping pugs. Busy people will appreciate it first of all, because you can take care of the coat once a week , brushing it with a brush with stainless steel teeth in the direction of hair growth. Sometimes you may need to bathe your dog, but doing this at least once a week is sufficient.
Pugs are quite versatile animals in terms of feeding, which is confirmed by reviews. After all, they can absorb both natural products and dry food. Therefore, when choosing the type of food, be guided by your capabilities . If you want your dog to get sick less often and remain cheerful longer, then make sure that he eats high-quality food. Among the possible natural food options, it is recommended to give your pugs solid food:
- raw meat;
- vegetables;
- boiled cereals;
- whole wheat bread.
This is important because of their small stomach, which cannot accommodate too much liquid food. Raw meat is more preferable due to its high nutritional value, as it contains more nutrients.
Why do they love pugs?
Undoubtedly, one of the advantages of pugs is their compact growth. Dogs can live even in a small apartment and feel comfortable.
In addition, dogs of this breed, while at court, were supposed to be calm, friendly, and cheerful. Therefore, if a puppy in the litter showed aggression, it was culled. And so it turned out that the distinctive features of the breed were:
- equilibrium
- kindness
- cheerful disposition
- Gratitude
- devotion to the owner
Moreover, pugs are kind to not only their owner and family members; dogs love almost all people. The pug also behaves loyally towards other dogs. The dog even tries not to offend cats. The pug adores children, he will never bite them, no matter what the kids do to him, but maybe, if they really torture him, he will hide.
Pugs may be small dogs, but they are very brave. They will defend their beloved owner, even if the enemy is three times larger and stronger.
But not only courage and boldness are the positive qualities of the breed; their intelligence and intelligence can be considered an absolute plus. Therefore, pugs are easy to train and obedient.
The owner's word is law for dogs. The dogs try to please him in everything. If the owner comes home tired and upset, the little plush ball will silently, devotedly look into his eyes and try to cheer him up.
The dogs adopt the owner's lifestyle. If the owner likes to take long walks, run, or hike, the pug will happily accompany him and it will seem like this is his favorite activity.
But if the owner prefers to spend the entire evening sitting in a chair, watching TV, then the little rogue will peacefully doze off on his lap.
A pug puppy quickly gets used to the daily routine in the house, and as an adult it will never break it. The dog will not jump in the morning and wake up the family. The pug will snore peacefully next to you, patiently waiting until his beloved owner deigns to wake up.
For many, the life expectancy of a little friend is important. So, pugs live on average 14 years, which can also be considered a plus.
Reviews
Advantages of the breed according to owners
Having collected numerous reviews from owners of dogs of this breed, we have identified the most common advantages:
- — the appearance of pugs attracts the attention of dog breeders and other people always and everywhere;
- - the breed is small in size, which is why they can be comfortably kept in an apartment. They do not need a lot of space or a separate enclosure, like large breeds;
- — Pugs have a very strong attachment to their owner, he will always be with you;
- - no difficulties in caring for a pug. Their coat is short and smooth, so it does not require daily brushing. Care is overshadowed only by the need to periodically clean the folds;
- — Pugs get along well with other pets and children due to their nature. They are very friendly and inquisitive;
- - wonderful character of pugs - they are very attentive to their owner, playful, sociable;
- — the diet of pugs does not have any special features; they can be fed both ready-made diets and natural food.
Negative features of the breed according to owners
Although owners usually list a large number of positive qualities of pugs, they also highlight some disadvantages:
- — there are some health problems, for example, with the respiratory system. They also react very sharply to air temperature. When it is very hot or very cold, they do not feel well;
- - although in general caring for pugs is not difficult, it is necessary to constantly monitor the cleanliness of the folds on the face, as dust and dirt collect in them. Over time this leads to irritation;
- — the breed is not suitable for active people, since pugs are not active and get tired very quickly;
- - intolerance of loneliness. Pugs' attachment to their owner is so strong that they crave his constant attention and do not like to be left alone at all;
NOTE! The main disadvantage that almost all pug owners highlight is their snoring. This is due to the structural features of the nasopharynx;
- — since these dogs lead a sedentary lifestyle, they are prone to obesity. The owner must constantly monitor the frequency of feeding and portion sizes;
- — there are reviews about pugs being stubborn, which makes them difficult to train. But they are very smart and learn quite quickly.
Character Cons
It seems that pugs have just the perfect character, but there are still disadvantages. Although there are few disadvantages, the future owner should know them:
- Kindness, trustfulness. A pug loves any person, so he can easily be offended or stolen. A stranger can lure the dog and he will happily run after him.
- Stubbornness. Sometimes pugs show truly asinine stubbornness; it is difficult to force them to do anything against their will. Therefore, if you want your dog to follow commands, you need to teach it obedience from childhood.
- Cunning. Pugs always try to achieve what they want, using charm to achieve this, pretending to be sick and unhappy. But it is worth showing firmness and being able to refuse, otherwise this may have a bad effect on the health of the cunning person.
- Pugs do not tolerate loneliness well. If a dog is left alone for a long time, then out of boredom it may start doing small things. If from the first moment a puppy appears in the house you are involved in its upbringing, then these disadvantages can be avoided.
Features of a pug
I will call these features, since some will see advantages in this, and others will see disadvantages.
The pug almost always sleeps on the bed with its owners in cool weather. At the same time, he snores, constantly changes location, tosses and turns and lies on his owners. I don't mind this, especially if it's cold at home. But some people may not like it.
The pug is a beggar. While preparing food, he stands on his hind legs next to the table and begs, even if he is full. Besides this, if we sit in the living room, have dinner or drink wine and cheese, he will stand and beg for more than an hour until he gets tired. Again, even if the dog is full.
The pug is a creepy “sticker.” He constantly walks behind. Any movement around the apartment is accompanied by a dog clicking its claws. After eating, he takes a toy and follows me and asks me to play with him. Even if he ran around on the street before eating and somehow made it home. Sometimes it's annoying, especially if there are other things to do. If during a walk someone catches the eye of a pug and smiles at him, he will definitely run to this person.
Pugs are very kind. Passers-by are usually happy to meet him. Children ask to pet the dog, adults simply smile. No dog evokes so many positive emotions. This is very important, because if you are walking with a shepherd or bull terrier, passers-by always think that your dog is dangerous, and if such a dog is released without a leash, be prepared to listen to the negativity of passers-by. Not so with the pug. He can walk safely without a leash. However, he does not go far.
The pug is a very kind dog. During all this time there was not a single sign of aggression towards people or dogs from him. However, he may growl when you take his toy away. But he never bites painfully. All bites are weak and playful.
The pug loves guests. If someone comes, he gets excited and has fun with the guests. Guests generally like it.
Pros and cons of care
Caring for and feeding pugs is not difficult. The baby's coat is short enough, so it does not need to be constantly combed, cut off tangles, or washed.
It is only necessary to periodically brush the fur with a comb-glove, and washing it once a month is enough.
The downside is that during shedding, which happens twice a year, the fur will be everywhere and it will be quite difficult to remove it.
Therefore, people prone to allergies are better off not getting this breed.
The nasal folds of skin that adorn a dog so much are also difficult to consider as a plus. Folds require additional ongoing care.
The owner will have to treat them with a disinfectant at least twice a week. If this is not done, bacteria will begin to multiply in the folds, which will eventually lead to disease.
Pug in the apartment
I have a pug!!!!
I adore him, he’s such a cool, plush dog, loving, everyone loves him, and what’s most interesting is that absolutely everyone loves him, they can’t even pass by without cuddling him))))))))
For your questions:
At home he sometimes barks for 30 seconds at the mirror (we have a mirrored cabinet) or at the TV if a dog barks there. It’s easy to fight—you just need to divert the dog’s attention to something else.
She never pees or poops at home!!! She endures it courageously, even if everyone overslept, we walk with her in the morning at 10-11, in the evening at 9-10, after walks I wash her paws, because... she loves to lie on sofas. Her favorite pastime is to sleep with her head on a pillow)))) At first they taught her to her own place, but she sleeps there only when everyone goes to work, and at night she always comes to sleep with her sister))) But she taught her herself - she likes it.
We adopted her as a 2 month old puppy, at first she peed and pooped, of course, but not until she was 6 months old, of course. About a month or 2, until I got used to walking. At first we walked him 4 times a day, at 8, at 1 pm, at 6 pm, and late in the evening before going to bed - fortunately there was such an opportunity, they took him in the summer, I didn’t work, my sister was on vacation. But the dog was immediately taught by the breeder to do things on the newspaper, so even if she peeed at home, it was on the newspaper that we had for her in a special corner for the first time, until she grew up.
Of the minuses - it sheds 2 times a year, as expected, there is a lot of fur, we comb it out, but still everything is covered in fur, a vacuum cleaner saves us, we vacuum everything every 2 days.
The dog is not smelly at all, which is good, with a soft plush skin, it is a pleasure to cuddle with her.
The dog is very active, agile, playful, and enjoys being trained.
An important point - pugs are terrible beggars, they can eat all day long))))) But they cannot, the dog cannot be overfed, otherwise it will get fat and become clumsy and slow, and this is very harmful for the pugs’ heart. Our pug weighs 6-7 kilograms, he is an adult dog - we are 3 years old. We feed 2 times a day dry food (50 grams) mixed with a third of a bag of usually meat dog food such as pedigree (almost anyone can eat it, 30 grams) + during the day a piece of cheese (I’m ready to sell my soul for cheese) and any treat (and in the case of a pug these are cucumbers, onions, and bananas - in general, everything that is on the table), but it is a piece from each family member for an action (give a paw, sit down, lie down, bring slippers, etc.). In the summer she hangs out at our dacha, she loses a lot of weight there, because she moves and swims a lot, now she weighs 6 kilos, in the winter she gains weight to 8 - this is her upper limit, because... After 8 he starts sleeping a lot.
In general, this is a great dog, at first I didn’t want a pug - my grandmother chose him, and now she is as happy as an elephant, and would never want another))))))))))))))))
