Talk to me about pugs (rescue) please

[Windanddrizzle]

There's a small chance that I may get a rescue pug to join my other 2 rescue dogs. What do I need to consider?

What other dogs have you got? We have a pug and they are really awesome. They will play with any other dogs, lovely with kids. Definitely go for an adult pug as puppies are an absolute bugger to toilet train! You can't go wrong with a pug I don't think.

We have a pug, he's pretty old now but has been very healthy his whole life. He's a bit yappy but extremely friendly and has been wonderful with our kids and now my grandson.
Be aware they can be predisposed to respiratory probs. But like I said our has never been ill and even coped fine with transatlantic flight! We got him in USA when we lived there and flew him over when we moved back to UK.
They can be greedy buggars so watch their weight.
Don't cope well with heat.
I adore our old boy and they are lovely dogs with real characters.

The main concern for me would be health. A pug in rescue is pretty unlikely to have come from a decent breeder who breeds for health as a priority.

This page has a pretty comprehensive list of what health conditions (both those that can be tested for and those that can't) are present in the breed. This page gives a more detailed breakdown of some of those conditions.

You can look out for signs of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (which affects a very high proportion of pugs to some degree) when you meet the dog or talk to the rescue. Extremely narrow nostrils, noisy breathing, rapid breathing or breathing through the mouth even at rest, grunting, loud snoring are all indicators that there's a problem. None of these things are normal for a healthy dog and mean that breathing is compromised as a result of the extremely flattened face. Laryngeal collapse can occur as a result of BOAS so it's important to always attach leads to a harness on pugs, never a collar.

Other conditions though you either have no way of telling whether the dog may be affected at some point or you would need a DNA test (for pug dog encephalitis and degenerative myelopathy) or an x-ray (for hemivertebrae) to rule them out.

If there have been signs of any health issues previously you may well struggle to get insurance which fully covers everything.

Thanks - I've got a greyhound and a staffie x - they're both good with other dogs. I've always liked pugs, but would never consider getting a puppy.

Do pugs like walking? One of my concerns is that my other two love their walks which are predominantly over muddy fields in winter. I read somewhere that pugs don't like going out in the rain.

Best dogs ever. So good natured, fab with children, total companion dogs.

Mine is just a pup, hes very naughty and greedy! He chews everything, my sofa now has two holes🙈

My dog had quite bad breathing problems so he has had an operation to help. He also seems to be allergic to cleaning sprays. yeah, no more ckeanibg

We 💜him.

Thanks trionic that's really useful information. I couldn't take on a dog that was uninsurable.

My pug will walk and walk but really they aren't supposed to go out for more than 30 mintues and not at all in hot weather.

My pug will try and refuse to
Go in the garden if its raining. He will walk in any weatger.

Before you rule him out, see what you can find out about his history.