Does anyone have a pug?

[Mimi Q]

My DD will be 12 years old in May and my DH told her she could get a dog for her birthday. She did some research on various breeds and has decided to get a pug. I don't really know much about this breed. I was hoping someone on this board that has one could tell me about their temperament with children and cats. We have another DD that will be 2 years old next month and two house cats. Our extended family have small dogs that stay in the house, and our younger DD does not bother them. I have contacted a breeder from the referral list on the Pug Club of America website.

 

[Pop Daddy]

I dont have a pug dog, but I think women who have pug noses are cute

 

[LarryE]

I have a Pug and a Boston and both make excellent house dogs


Watch out during the summer though, pugs get over heated fast, and mine always sheds

 

[jrmasm]

I don't have one so I can't speak to how they are with children and cats. However, two live across the street from me and they are by far the loudest dogs in my neighborhood that is populated by many, many dogs. That includes my two 90lbers one of which is a very territorial Doberman. I don't know if the noise made by these dogs is typical of the breed. Might be something to look into.

 

[MerryPoppins]

I knew a family who had a pug named Puggy Sue. She was darling and well behaved. That's been my only experience with a pug.

 

[llebrekniT]

We have 2 Pugs, a fawn male named Little Bob and a black female named Belle (yes after Disney's Belle). To us, they are the perfect dog. They are the largest dogs in the "Toy" category. They are only in this category because they are small and primarily a companionship dog. They are tough, very tough little dogs. They love to play! They will play catch until your arm falls off. They will chase you and run laps around your coffee table. They bond very quickly. You should not get 2 at the same time or they will bond to each other instead of to you.

They do not do well in hot climates, we live in Ky and the summers here do not bother them. On really hot days, they just stay in and we do not walk them if it's too hot.

They are NOT loud dogs. I don't know what's wrong with the Pugs mentioned above. Probably lack of discipline or neglect. They are very trainable, you just have to take the time to do it. Our dogs do not bark unless someone knocks on the door or they are outside and they see another dog while they are in our fenced yard. If they are being walked, they do not bark at all. They love everyone! They are very friendly with the neighborhood cats. They want to play with them just like everybody else they see.

They will run off if given the chance. We keep our dogs fenced or under constant watch.

They shed year round! If shedding bothers you, these are not your dogs. The fawn sheds more than the black, the fawn is softer than the black.

Our female, the black one, is so much smarter than our male. Our fawn male is almost 6 and still playful, but much calmer than our female who is almost 3 and still getting into things. She has FINALLY stopped picking up everything she sees and chewing on it. She did this until about 6 months ago.

Pugs are never full. They will eat until they die. That is why we often call them pigs. You have to moniter their food intake closely. Our female often gets up to 25 pounds and we have to diet her all the time. For some reason our male never seems to gain like her, but he never gets tired of eating. Although they say Pugs weigh around 18 pounds, they both weigh between 20 and 25.

Go to a good breeder and you will have the best dog you will every own! They are playful and tough, a lap dog after they tire or when they are older than 2, a good watch dog (not a guard dog, due to size) easily trainable and you will grow to love that little face!

Good luck

 

[KathyFP]

My friend has three.

 

[llebrekniT]

Here they are. As you can see, the black pug does not photograph well.

Aren't they the cutest things you ever saw?

 

[Mimi Q]

Thanks for the replies. I am a little nervous about getting a dog as I have never had a small dog in the house.

llebrekniT- The picture is adorable. The shedding won't be a problem. We have a persian and a himalayan cat in the house, so unfortunately we are used to it. I appreciate you taking the time to post your experiences with your dogs.

 

[RUDisney]

We have 2 pugs, both fawn females... well, they are actually "it's" as they have both been spayed. Puggles will be 8 in December and Prancer turned 5 in May. They are the two sweetest animals on the planet. Prancer breaths much louder than Puggles, as her pallate is shorter. They sometimes scare small children when they come into our house because the kids think the pugs are growling. They aren't growling... they are just breathing.

The best website I've ever found about pugs is at http://www.mumm.ac.be/~serge/www-pug/ . There is an email group that you can sign up for either as individual emails or in digest form. The people who subscribe to that list really love their animals and will be very honest in answering any questions you have.

I second the motion to buy from a good breeder. We bought Puggles in a pet store, before I knew that all pet shop dogs come from puppy mills. We actually got lucky with her, and she is relatively healthy. Her only problems are that she's allergic to wheat and that she's starting to develop pigmentary keratitis (PK).

Prancer, OTOH, I bought from a breeder who was hoping to show her. At 6-months, she wasn't developing into the show dog they wanted, so they sold her to me. She is wall-eyed, which is just too cute on a pug. She is allergic to just about everything under the sun and for awhile, I had to make kibble for her (my own recipe after reading multiple dog nutrition books.) Luckily, I found one food that I can get online that works for her. She also has a severe case of PK and needs drops in her eyes 2X per day. She is going blind because of this, although she gets around great and you wouldn't know there is a problem until you see her sometimes walk into something.

Puggles weighs 17 lbs and Prancer weighs about 14 lbs. Baby carrots are their primary treat... they get about 3-4 carrots per day in addition to 1 cup of food each in the morning.

IMO, you won't go wrong with a pug. My kids love our pugs to death. They are real snugglers, so the only problem is that we sometimes fight over who is going to get to hold which pug on our laps.

Pugs are an addiction, like the DIS. Just as there are DIS meets, people host pug parties for other pug friends. I've never hosted one, but I've been to them.

If you have any other questions, post them here, or PM me.

Oh, as for pugs being a small dog... they certainly don't believe they are small.

 

[Mimi Q]

RUDisney,

Thanks for the great web site. I'll share that with my daughter when she gets home from school this afternoon.

 

[llebrekniT]

Just wanted to stop in one more time and say good luck and please let us know if/when you get your pug.

BTW, I don't know very many people who own just one!

 

[RUDisney]

Originally posted by llebrekniT
BTW, I don't know very many people who own just one!

Truer words were never spoken. They are addictive buggers, that's for sure.

 

[Dax]

Let me chime in....I love my pugs...

Its true yopu cant only have one...

They are big dogs trapped in little dogs bodies..LOL...


They are awsome....

Pug Snorts

Thats a message board for all things Pug...you can get some info or just support.

Also, the pics of my two sweeties below...

 

[Mimi Q]

Dax,

Your pugs are just adorable, too.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Dax and llebrekniT: both of you have cute little pugs

 

[llebrekniT]

BUMPING SO MORE PEOPLE CAN SEE MY CUTE PUGGIES!

 

[deadheadbelle]

My Brother has 2 pugs, they look alot like llebrekniT's. My 4 year old son thinks they are quite funny, what with the snorting & all. We have two larger dogs, a basset hound and a Rottweiler, so my 10 month old is used to being around dogs, but the pugs freak her out. Of course, cats do too, so I think it is just the size that she seems to have issues with. Overall, I think pugs are good dogs. I am partial to big dogs, but if I was forced to get a small dog, I would choose a pug.