Pugs 101: the Pug Standard

Pugs are about the most unique looking breed of dogs you will come across. It's pretty hard to mistake a purebred Pug or even a Pug mix for anything else. Pugs are basically miniature Mastiffs with Pekingese faces. They average about seventeen pounds and are built a lot like furry bricks with legs and extremely curly tails. They average about ten or eleven inches in height at the highest point of their shoulders (called the withers).

Pugs come in a few colors, but two are the most recognized. One is solid black, and the other is fawn with an all-black face. The rarest acceptable color is called silver, which is a light grey body and a black mask. In the history of the Pug, many other colors popped up, but these are the only three colors now accepted by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Many black pet Pugs have small white patches on them.

Look directly into the potential Pug's face. You should be turned into a puddle of warm goop inside. Pugs were bred to be cuter than nature intended a cute dog to be. They have big, lustrous black eyes, a button nose, a pushed in face with a nearly flat profile, and wrinkles all around the face. They have a slightly undershot bite and thin little semi-floppy ears. Due to the construction of their faces, they should make a lot more noise than the average dog.

The head will look too big for the legs, but will seem to be in proportion to the body. The skull should be round, broad like a little Bulldog and solid. The body should also be a bit round and broad like a little Bulldog. The top line (spine) should be level, with a curly tail. Ideally, the tail should completely curl, but this doesn't happen in all Pugs. Their legs look too short for their bodies, but not so stunted like a Dachshund's legs.

Pugs come in three colors, but odds are you'll only see two in your lifetime. The one color is all black and the other is an apricot or fawn with a black face. The third color is silver (a light grey), which is considered very rare. In the Pug's history, there were many other colors, and sometimes they crop up in future generations. They would not be allowed as show Pugs.

Most Pugs have temperaments as distinctive as their appearance. Since they were bred to be companion animals, they do their utmost to get along with everyone, no matter what their This good temperament is also part of their breed standard. They are charming, ready for fun, thrive on being adored and levelheaded. Their eyes are literally and metaphorically bright and full of life. Pet Pugs often have dewclaws and straighter tails than their tightly curled show brothers. No matter what they look like, Pugs make great pets.

Jenny Donaldson loves everything having to do with dogs, including Pugs. A purebred Pug can be found available for adoption from a Pug breed rescue. If people knew basic Pug information before they bring a puppy home there would be a lot fewer abandoned Pugs.