Pugs not “classed as dogs” anymore

[Soubriquet]

Stupid headline, and stupid phrase but the idea is good.

Experts are saying that pugs should no longer be bred from and sold unless their noses are sorted to be longer than what is currently being sold.

Frankly all short nosed breeds should have the same thing. They are now so badly bred that some suffer hydrocephalus and nearly all of them struggle to breathe, especially in the summer.

The breed standard from 50 years ago, is vastly different from the standard today. It’s a shock to see really.

Link

Completely with you!

Pugs are lovely natured dogs, and deserve to have adequate bodies. And flat faces are utterly incompatible with that.

If the KC were any use, it would be announcing a series of changes to the breed standards of all brachycephalic breeds, and instructing judges to prefer those with maximum length snouts.

I'm not exactly sure how you control it as dog owners fuel the demand for these breeds with structural health issues like pugs, frenchie, bulldog types, cavaliers & dachshunds etc etc and they often aren't buying from KC reg show breeders where there has been pressure to improve and is easier to monitor.
Look how many dogs are now being imported (or DIY) with ears cropped even though that's been illegal in UK very long time.

I'd like to stop seeing these breeds used in fashion and media campaigns as cute for starters and more emphasis put on health and what must be like to live with body where can't breathe well, get dry damaged eyes, itchy skin folds, have spinal issues, losing use of legs. Many owners don't recognize when their pets are in pain & dogs are amazing at just getting on with life.

that would be great.

I think people who buy pug puppies are extremely selfish and have no love of dogs. (Obviously I’m not talking about those who have realised a pug).

I hope the ban more of these breeds too - french bulldogs for example.

TBH I would like to see much stricter controls on dog breeding generally. Many purebred dogs experience serious health issues due to generations of breeding for certain physical characteristics, and that goes well beyond flat-faced dogs. So-called ethical or responsible breeders are often anything but IME.

We have a Jug that was my daughters and came from gypsies. He lives with us as she has moved and her working hours are different. He absolutely adores our dogs.

He is not a dog I would EVER have considered.

He has the colouring of a pug but is fortunate to not have a flat face or have any breathing problems and doesn't even snore!

However even with the introduction of a Jack Russell Terrier to his genetic make up he has an underbite which causes him to make a mess when eating or drinking much to the disgust of our other dogs who don't like eating and drinking from the same bowls as him!

What is sad is that when he sleeps his tongue comes out because the tongue is the correct size for a Jack Russell but his shortened face means that when he relaxes the tongue comes out which makes me wonder if it's uncomfortable when he is awake and he perhaps has to hold it in.

He is loved but in all honesty he is an abomination in how he has been bred to look.

In fairness he is built like a small tank and at the age of six and a half has never been ill or suffered any injury!

I was at the vets once and ear wigging and heard a conversation about a pregnant French bulldog being booked in for a Canadian as the large heads of the puppies could cause injury or death during a vaginal birth!

A caesarean not a Canadian!

Agree completely. There is a little pug on my estate and in the summer you can hear it coming a mile off it's breathing is so bad, poor little thing. And pretty much everyone I know with a Frenchie, their dog has health problems of one sort or another. It's cruel.

I also think Shar Pei's should be banned / allowed to die out - we have a rescue one and whilst I love my dog dearly, they have a lot of character traits that really aren't very desirable, and so many of them have skin problems, they have to have their eyes tacked (often more than once) etc. Because they are so adorable as puppies people take them on then dump them when they realise insurance costs an absolute fortune (and some insurance companies don't insure them at all), and that they can be very difficult dogs to manage. And then they end up in rescue, where their bio has to include multiple caveats about the sort of home they can have, which makes them less likely to get a home. It makes me so sad.

He is loved but in all honesty he is an abomination in how he has been bred to look

yet I see so many people recommending crosses like this because they want a pug and are told a “Jug” will be a healthier version.

the so called designer crosses are often the worst of both breeds.

like pp have said though, the KC can try and introduce measures to improve breed standards, but people just buy from back yard breeders and puppy farms.

Good, I’m all for them stopping breeding them until they can work on the issues. And I say that as a pug owner!!

I do know for a fact though that pugs are slowly improving in terms of breathing issues, French bulldogs however are an absolute horror show of problems.

People buying a flat faced dog should be made aware of the problems and the medical costs. Might put some of them off!

Last summer I read on Facebook of at least three dogs that dropped dead in the heat and two were bulldogs and one was a French bull dog and all owners were so shocked they were sharing on Facebook so that no one else has to go through what they had gone through.

All down to ignorance of their dogs breathing abilities in hot weather.

All had said they had taken water in the walks! That's just not enough!

We should ban all dog breeding in the UK until we can significantly reduce the number of rescue dogs living, often long term, in animal shelters.

Unfortunately, due to fashion, designer breeds, status symbols, greed and money, this is sadly never going to happen :( :(

I am all for breeding pugs with longer noses and longer legs. We have a pug, but he is quite tall and slim for the breed and (touch wood) doesn't have any breathing issues. He's very fast and loves to run around and he almost never snores compared unlike our previous dog (a poodle). Temperament wise though, you cannot get a better dog than a pug, so I would love to see the KC improve the breed specifications to make it healthier, but would hate to see the breed banned. It's literally the nicest temperament and most amazing dog in a small package. 🥰

Good lord is that true, any vets that can verify?

Because if it is then anyone who buys a FB pup should be pretty ashamed of themselves.

So so sad for these poor dogs bred basically as fashion accessories

Our neighbours have a FB (they admitted, with no shame, before getting her as a pup that she was for cute Insta pictures 🙁) who barely even gets walked and is left on her own most of the day (occasionally overnight 😡).

Meanwhile we are continuing to jump through a million hoops desperately trying to adopt while some people really don't give a shit about their dogs.

Its a well known problem in English bulldogs.

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz

It may not be true for all French Bulldogs but because of the way they've been badly bred to meet a popular demand, some have very small bodies and massive heads and the vet advice for that particular dog my vet was talking about was to have a Caesarean presumably because it had scans on the size of the puppies

I'm really pleased about this - I can't stand seeing dogs like pugs and Frenchies who can't breathe - it's horrific. In fact, as a dog walker, I won't even take them for longer than 30 minute walks as I really worry about the risk to their health as soon as the weather warms up.

Yeah, it's a pretty well-known issue for all bulldog-type dogs, sadly.

Unfortunately this is quite common.

Certain breeds are known to have to born by c-section as they just don’t work properly anymore

I have a pug but I agree completely. They are amazing little dogs so to give them a better quality of life would be amazing. We are lucky that ours has not had any health issues yet and can walk for miles with no breathing problems, doesn't snore either but he's still young so who knows. Some pugs I see have extremely deep wrinkles with their noses completely inside the folds. It's really sad to see.

French bulldogs have an alarmingly high c-sec rate. It's something like 80%

Totally agree - I have a (rescued) pug and his nose is less squashed than some I’ve seen but he has sleep apnoea and really struggles in summer. Breeding them should be banned, same with English bulldogs. That wouldn’t stop people doing it illegally though unfortunately.

Worried insurance costs and reputation will mean pugs get dumped now.
Bloody humans.