Pugs

[Myusernameisunique]

So DH and I have been looking for a family pet for a while now. We've settled on a pug after a lot of research. I've been on touch with an amazing and very knowledgeable breeder who has recommended a breeder to us who has pups that are ready to go. She knows the breeder well and her dog was the stud for this litter so I feel like we'd be making a good choice taking on a pup from this line.
We go to visit in a few days with the possible plan of bringing him home if we decide we want to take him.
I now need to hear from you all about pugs. I would like owner experiences and want to know everything. The good, bad and the ugly! I think it will be a lot more helpful than the articles I've read online. Anything is appreciated so thank you very much in advance!

I'm so torn now. I have really done my research and was fully aware of the health problems these little guys can face but the more I read and the more articles I read the less I'm sure. I really want one because of their nature and the fact they arent the kind of dog you need to walk for hours a day. Also they are perfect for us size wise as I don't want a huge dog. There are some here saying their pugs are healthy and always have been and that's what i hope for but what if they're not? Neither of the parents have ever had health problems but the pups still could. I really didnt think id be left feeling like this especially after all the research ive already done!

Perhaps you should look at some other breeds maybe Miniature schnauzers , bichons or a Shih Tzu .

There is no such thing as a healthy pug. They live their lives in permanent respiratory distress, the breeding of them should be banned and phased out unless some radical cross breeding is introduced to produce a dog that is capable of living and breathing without struggling for every breathe.

Can anyone tell me what insurance they use? I was looking into pet plan I have 2 cats insured with them and they've always been great.

I've got pet plan with lifetime cover. I have pet plan for my spaniel but didn't get the lifetime cover which has proved a costly mistake!

My parents got hit that way with their spaniel as well so it was lifetime cover I'm looking at. It doesn't seem that steep, just over £30 a month. Have you used yours for you pug @Strawberryshortcake40?

Yes that's how much I'm paying. Less than my spaniel was as a pup, which is interesting. I was expecting it to be more. We had four weeks free puppy cover with them and just extended it afterwards.

Please please do not buy and support flat face pet.

I just wish and hope one day the Kennel club will change its motto to Health then Beauty and enforces it.

If it ever dose that it will get a lot of public support and affection.

Please please do not buy and support flat face pet.

I just wish and hope one day the Kennel club will change its motto to Health then Beauty and enforces it.

If it ever dose that it will get a lot of public support and affection.

Pugs can be predisposed to some conditions, as all breeds can.

I would highly recommend joining the group "pugfest" on Facebook, it's a massive group of pug & pug/cross owners and fans.
So much experience on there - it's a super friendly group and people are more than willing to offer first hand advice - minus any judgy tones that you get on here.

I have a pug and a pug cross - no health issues whatsoever, the only things that drive us mental (and seem very specific to pugs)

• They react to the TV, I know every advert from the past 8 years that contains an animal and I fantasise about shutting the marketing department behind them in a locked room with my two non stop barking!

• They don't read other dog signals well, both were socialised from 8 weeks, puppy class - the lot. Both will still charge up to any and every dog (if allowed) to say Hi, even if said dog is clearly not extending an invitation. Not a violent bone in their body - they just think everyone is their friend. Can make for stressful walking.

• They shed so much, even with daily brushing. Everything I own is covered in hair.

Otherwise, they are funny, loving and obedient. They are great with kids, full of cuddles and such special little dogs who are full of character.

Get a good insurance policy - just in case and prepare to have your heart stolen.

We had a pug she was AMAZING with children, not a bad bone in her body. However at age 4 she developed a skin problem that cost over a thousand pounds to investigate and still couldn't be sorted. We had to make a heart breaking decision to let her go as she was so itchy all the time so I would get a lifetime insurance with no limit on a specific illness.

I woukd never have a flat faced dog, no matter how lovely their personality. The amount of health problems are too great and it’s so horrible when your dog is unwell. At least when my dog is ill I know she’s going to recover.

Someone upthread beat me to it, but I was going to suggest a bichon. I have a Pomeranian, she’s utterly lovely but they’re not a bread suitable for having with young children (because of the risk of accidental injury to the dog) but if I ever got another dog I’d probably go for a bichon.

I've looked at all other toy breeds but I'm not as keen on any of them. There's just something about pugs that draw me to them and it's not just the look. Mumsnet can be a great place for advice but also quite judgemental which is kind of what I'm linking such a negative response to here although I do know that a lot of what people are saying is true. There are so many breeds with problems linked to them that I think this is just another case of that. The dog were going to see isn't very bulgy eyed and doesn't have a completely flat face. Mum and dad are the same. I really don't know now! Have asked DH to Google and read articles today then give me his honest opinion on it all. I'm going to join the Facebook group @positivepineapple thank you.

Mumsnet can be a great place for advice but also quite judgemental

You need to ask yourself WHY posters appear ‘judgemental’ about pugs. There are very good reasons for this. You sound like a responsible owner and no one has discouraged you from getting a dog, the ‘judgement’ is not aimed at you - it’s focussed on preventing suffering in your pet and heartbreak for you family. The evidence for constant suffering in brachycephalic breeds is overwhelming. How would your family cope if your pup needed repeated vet visits, face-altering surgery, or collapsed in the heat? Such events can be terrifying for owners.

Yes pugs are fantastic little dogs, but unless their breed standards are significantly revised they will suffer.

What about posting a picture of the ‘type’ of pig you’re looking st? That might at least enable us to see which end of the brachycephalic spectrum they’re at - the risks increase with more extreme conformation.

I would recommend going out and meeting some of the other breeds like Bichons if you haven't already. They can be off putting with the grooming needs and that "fluffy white thing" reputation.

FYI Shih Tzus are also technically a flat-faced breed, less extreme than Pugs but can have a bit of a snort about them if they're poorly bred.

Or maybe go completely out of the box and look at a Greyhound. Yes they're huge BUT they don't have the high energy levels and are happy with two average walks a day. Some can even be cat friendly.

“You need to ask yourself WHY posters appear ‘judgemental’ about pugs.“

Exactly... any forum with a dog section or forum for dog lovers will get the same reaction - how likely is it that people who like dogs have randomly taken against one breed?

Pugs are one of the very few small dog breeds I always like, they’re such a friendly, funny and full of character breed... but most of them aren’t fit for purpose, and given that their sole purpose is just to be a dog, what does that tell you about the state of the breed?

I’d also be slightly concerned that not needing hours of walking is one of their selling points for you because that isn’t true of healthy pugs, read back through the pug owners with healthy pugs posts on this thread even, where they mention how long their pugs walk for and how lively they are.

The reason pugs aren’t considered to need much exercise is because most of them can’t physically cope with it, healthy ones do need decent walks and are full of beans.

I must agree with tabulahrasa above. I got back from the school run and it was raining and the wind was getting up so I did consider ignoring the bouncing pug and waiting until it improved outside. Then I thought about how much work I might actually manage to do while he tried to convince me that it was walk time. Needless to say 45 mins later he is now having a snooze while I get on with stuff but by early afternoon he’ll be ready to go out again. Then a short walk this evening plus a playtime before he takes himself off to bed at about 8.

That kind of walking is fine by me. I just don't want a dog that I'll have to walk for hours a day!

it was lifetime cover I'm looking at. It doesn't seem that steep, just over £30 a month.

Be warned pet plan prices now rise steeply. My Cavalier was just over £30pm in first year, second year renewal was over £43pm (perfectly healthy dog, with no issues). I actually thought there had been an error since my brother's dog had been insured with them for years (and had some very large claims) but had only risen by a total of £4 in all that time. But petplan said my huge increase was normal. Then a couple of months later my brother's renewal came through and his had risen by nearly 30%. It appears it's petplans new way.

So I would budget for it to double by a couple of years in and triple as the dog ages further.

You will get a distorted view if you look on pug owner forums as nobody really wants to admit that they have an unhealthy dog . For example the poster upthread who said her pug is very healthy just snores , healthy dogs don’t snore , my dog snores because he’s got tracheal problems , if he hadn’t he wouldn’t snore . Pugs snore because they can’t breathe adequately .

Tabulahrasa, I so agree

Pugs are cute and funny and full of personality. I like them, also because they don't have small-dog-syndrome. They like to play with dogs 3 times their size.

Don't know a single healthy pug though, out of the 4 I know all have health issues

Such a shame

Floralnomad I don't fully agree. If you ask "do you like pugs, should I get one?" The answer will of course be biased.

However, reading what people post will give the OP a very real view of the actual issues pug owners face on a day to day basis. It's not all rainbows and cute puppies.

Pugs are known to be lovely little dogs with a sweet and friendly temperament and I think most people would understand why pug owners love them. But it's also well known that the vast majority of them have health issues, usually breathing related.

It's not a breed I'd want to own as I couldn't live with an animal that had to struggle to breath. Read somewhere that if you want to know how a pug feels, stick 2 straws in your nostrils, stuff your nostrils with cotton wool, keep your mouth closed and breath, or not.

All that apart, a 'breeder' having dogs available to take home immediately and without any checks on the person buying the puppy is absolutely typical puppy mill practice and something a reputable breeder would not do. Their puppies are usually spoken for before they're even born, or conceived in some cases.

Don't be fooled by papers saying the pup is KC registered. The people who trade in these poor dogs are onto that one and can provide you with all the (forged) documents you want.

@pigsDOfly i wish I could say more without outing myself but I can't but the breeder who provided the stud for this litter and grilled me before putting me in touch has a reputation to withhold so there's absolutely no way in this world this is a badly bred or a puppy mill puppy. DH and I actually spoke to a lab breeder today, a friend of DH, who told us to go and see the pup and go for it as long as it's eyes aren't bulging or the parents eyes and nose length are ok. He told us that all breeds have their downsides and health problems but they're no different to any other. I'm still wary but hearing that from a breeder makes me feel better.

Well, I hope it goes well for you, whatever you decide.