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

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz

yes. Brachy ( flat faced) breeds usually have a section
all the way through the pandemic- idiots were mining their doggy gold for breeding. We were supposed to be doing only emergencies. ( and we would have given most of our PPE /certain drugs/O2 etc to hospitals!)
but no , there we were : doing a million fucking sections. Either booked in by a half educated breeder or at 3am after the bitch had been struggling on and had a puppy stuck.

all breeds should be bred to be the best, healthiest versions. Pugs have such a lovely nature ....:(

Well it’s certainly interesting it commonly seems to be that particular breed, round where I live anyway, perhaps it’s different elsewhere. I also see a lot of cockapoos and labradors but it’s only a small handful of them that are for the same reasons as frenchies. Many of the frenchie owners had previously taken their dogs from a young age to obedience classes or had taken them to social groups/meet-ups and were definitely not clueless about dog owning. I have of course also met many people who treated them like they were babies and not dogs or got them in lockdown so their dog missed out on vital experiences as a puppy.

French bulldogs were originally fighting dogs. I think people forget that and just see them as cute lapdogs. A local dog trainer I know says a lot of them have “little dog syndrome” and she would never recommend one as a family dog for people who had never had a dog before.

Thats so sad about all the c sections in lockdown. Just so the breeders could be coining in the money for dogs with so many health problems 😡

Ugh, I hate these horrid, freakish little dogs, barrelling about the place, snuffling like mad. A pause would be an excellent thing.

Working dogs, mainly - but they are generally not easy pets and require a lot of exercise as well as mental stimulation.

I'm a dog walker am around dogs daily - and the healthiest dogs overall I know are beagles, spaniels (cockers and springers), border collies, and working line labradors.

I personally have a beagle and he's never had a single issue health wise, though epilepsy and SRMA are both fairly common in the breed.

Norway has already outlawed the breeding and selling of pugs and King Charles Cavaliers, on animal welfare grounds.

I think all brachycephalic breeds should be on the banned breeds list, I regularly see dogs wheezing and struggling for breath and it's awful. Breeding in general should be licensed. I have 2 Greyhounds and whilst they are bred to be working dogs and a lot of Greyhound lovers think racing is cruel if they weren't bred predominantly for racing they'd be badly bred like the vast majority of other large breeds. For example in Greyhound terms they are the only large breed to not generally suffer from hip displaysia, as a bitch/ dog with issues there wouldn't be bred from because they can't race with that. They are bred to breathe and function well or they can't race/ aren't profitable. Not to say all Greys do race well, but failed racers are neutered/ spayed and then rehomed by decent trainers and that is regulated by the GBGB, the regulatory board. As all pups are tatted after whelping they're generally traceable to the breeder/ trainer. If we did this for all dogs more people would be accountable for the horrible breeding and homing that takes place.
Greyhounds do suffer corns, bad teeth and Osteosarcoma in slightly higher levels than other large breeds. The first 2 can be dealt with by responsible owners, the 3rd is more prevalent in successful racers, but is generally only an issue later in life.

I think it would be a great shame to lose the breed entirely as they have a nice temperament. I think it comes down to the kennel club to enforce healthy breeding. I don’t believe that all breeders are just in it for the money, many puppies come from responsible breeders and have a great start to life.
munchkins are not recognised by the GCCF, I’ve never seen them for sale in the UK.

Yes. Banning and losing the pug breed would be such a shame, as they are amazing family dogs. If the KC breed standards were to change to make then healthier again, they would be the perfect dog.

French bulldogs have different temperaments to pugs and I agree with the poster who said that nowadays many have behavioural problems (in addition to health problems).

KC breeding itself needs a serious overhaul and the standards changed. So many breeds are bred to an unhealthy standard and when breeds have working versions, bred to those standards. We have a basset hound who is more working and we regularly get comments about how she’s small, fast and energetic for what they think they are. The show version would never be able to work in a field all day and I’d never want to contribute financially to anyone knowingly breeding unfit dogs just because it’s KC registered.

The snobs at the kennel club prefer pure bred dogs like these to cockerpoos. Always harping on about defects and puppy farms.

Who is right?

I'd rather have a doodle then be cruel by owning a dog that can't breathe.

i should imagine pugs will go up in price now, for those desperate to own one while they are still available

There's quite a few people on here saying 'I've got a pug'. I hope those people adopted, rather than shopped, for their dog. If you are buying a deformed, brachy-faced dog from a breeder then, frankly, you are part of the problem. This awful situation won't change while consumer demand for these type of breeds is high.

Doodle dogs can have terrible temperaments though (prone to anxiety etc) whereas the pug is a well-known family dog with a superb personality. But the KC breed standard needs to change to allow their snouts and legs to be longer.

I would agree. I own two gundogs from working parents, in a breed where the show/ work split is just starting to be noticeable, and that shouldn't be allowed to happen. But the KC, which could be a massive force for good, is presiding over a reduction in drive and functionality. And with the narrowing of type to please the show ring comes a narrowing of the gene pool, and along with that ill-health.

If the KC would be more supportive of controlled out-crossing to fix issues due to genetic defects, conformational problems and high inbreeding they could help secure the future of pedigree dogs. As it is they tinker around the edges while judges are allowed to reward extremes, and place dogs from working breeds that would have not have a bat's chance in hell of doing what the breed was developed for. Lard-bucket Labradors, neurotic GSDs with dodgy backs, and dachshunds that are incredibly extreme compared to the working version.

PS I love working bassets - the natural eyeliner probably helps!

KC breeding itself needs a serious overhaul and the standards changed. So many breeds are bred to an unhealthy standard and when breeds have working versions, bred to those standards.

Completely agree with this. The difference between a working cocker and a show cocker is massive....

Why is shar pei skin so bad @majorquimby? Is it just the folds? Our hairdresser has one and he comes and lies in the shop window. He's a nice dog as long as you are calm around him. But his skin is terrible. She's spent thousands on treatments, allergists, special diets, etc. He was okay last time I saw him but he's had weeping sores in the past. You can't give him any kind of dog treats because of his skin, but he can have a piece of banana (???).

Cat morphology is less flexible than dogs so you get the health problems sooner. My friend got a very flat-faced persian kitten. Honestly its eyes stick out further than its muzzle. My other friend who is a vet couldn't help herself commenting on her facebook post with something like 'hmmm....very cute but I don't like to see them quite that flat-faced'. Friend 1 was not impressed.

It is - it's an Arabian and the breeders got a whole load of flack for producing a horse with such an obvious deformity.

It's actually not that horse (which someone else posted a picture of later in the thread). It's his father: showing how even when his father was obviously 'deformed' someone thought it worth using him to breed a more extreme version...

But the choice isn't "get a deformed dog or get a doodle".

You can own a pure bred, KC registered dog that's perfectly healthy with no health issues.

The issue with doodles isn't that they're generally from dodgy breeders and puppy farms, and there's also zero guarantee over things like coat colour, texture, temperament or appearance.

I've said it numerous times on here but I walk numerous cockapoos and they all look completely different. If you put them all in a line-up, then you'd think they were all different breeds of dog.

My vet friend hates treating them.
she says they are very feisty and hard to examine but it’s dangerous to restrain them as their skeletons can be fragile due to the extreme shape of them and they also can’t breathe

Rescues around us are flooded with these gorgeous little things at the moment. DD would love one but as much as I would love one too, I'm not prepared to make the adjustments to the house and garden for him/her.

So we keep looking

All those saying their 'ugly' no, they're PUGLY

Until you have a Pug (rescue only!) you just can't know how completely adoring they are - I call myself 'your elderly Chinese lady' to mine

They have brilliant personalities, they're very cuddly and sweet, mine sleeps on my shoulder in bed - they're very comical - mine makes funny Barky wow....wow...wow.. noises when he chats to the TV

They're also pretty intelligent - gives my Scottie a run for her money in the intelligence stakes

You know that game from Frazier they did on Eddie ? Where you put the towel on its head and you can't tell how smart the dog is by how quickly it takes the towel off?

My pug snuggled under the towel and went to sleep

No respect for anyone who has a “Frenchie”, pug or similar.

Am i the only one who finds it amusing how many people state how unkind and horrible it is for the dogs but then go on to tell us they own or have owned one. Surely if you dont agree with miss breeding these poor animals you make sure you dont fuel the issue by having one. Take away the demand and the breeders will stop.

I shudder to think what the human equivalent of this would end up like. I am sure there are horror films on the subject.

No one on this thread has said they've BOUGHT one of these dogs

EVERYONE is talking about their rescues