Two thousand years old
Pugs were kept by Chinese emperors more than two thousand years ago, and lived in luxury.
Small dogs · Time every day
Pug
Toy dog · from China
A small, square, fawn dog with a black mask, a wrinkled flat face, big dark eyes and a tightly curled tail.
- Size
- 25 to 33cm at the shoulder; 6 to 8kg
- Lives for
- 12 to 15 years
- Suits
- People who want a companion more than a walking partner
Trots after you, snorting. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the pug
A double curl
The tail curls tightly over the hip. A double curl is considered the best.
A royal favourite
A pug is said to have saved the life of a Dutch prince by barking at intruders. Queen Victoria kept dozens.
A grumble of pugs
A group of pugs is called a grumble.
A struggle to breathe
The very flat face that people find appealing makes breathing hard work. Many pugs snore, snort and overheat.
A lot in a little
The breed's Latin motto, multum in parvo, means a lot of dog in a small space.
The real thing
Photos of the pug
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
Looking after one
A pug needs two short walks a day, never in the heat. Clean the folds of its face daily and watch its weight closely.
Before you get one
Vets ask buyers to think hard before choosing a flat-faced breed, and to pick parents with longer noses and open nostrils. Pugs are loving and funny, and often need costly care.
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