pug info

shell10

hey everybody!
i'm new to this so bare with me!

was just wonderin did anyone own any pugs or know any helpful info on them??!
absolutly mad about them but doin my research first:)!!!

smilerf

Pugs are said to have alot of health issues... some people believe a puggle is a better option

portgirl123

My advice keep away. To many health problems. We had one growng up and while she was the most loving dog ever she also broke my parents with vet bills. Also she was soooooooooo hyper.

tulipi

I have a pug and she's fabulous. I love her to pieces and haven't had any health issues with her so far. One thing I would say about her is that her nose isn't quite as smushed in as is typical of the breed. She's a full breed but definitely doesn't have the breathing problems that some pugs have. I went to a pet shop the other day and there was a couple with a little pug puppy. Cutest little thing but it was only about 2 months and it was already struggling to breathe. As they get older it does get worse so I can only imagine the difficulties the little guy would have in a little while.

If you do want to get one I would say go here: pugspot.com i've found it to be a really helpful website. There are people from all over with pugs and they can give some really helpful advise.

Another thing is you need to find a good breeder that is breeding for health and temperment and when you go view the puppies do the regular things like check that their eyes are shiny and healthy, they don't look dirty etc. but also lift the puppy up to your ear and listen to his chest. If you hear anything abnormal then don't go for that one. If it's already struggling to breathe at a young age, stay away etc etc. If their eyes are extremely bulgy then that might look really cute but at the same time they can easily damage their eyes if they bang into something or when investigating in bushes.

They are the sweetest little dogs though. Really nice temperment, great with kids, really friendly. If you're willing to take the risk of extra expense, which if you're careful when choosing your puppy may not be a problem (as has been the case for me) then you'll be very happy with your choice of breed.

tulipi

One other thing, i wouldn't say that getting a puggle will help in a way. All breeds have their issues and while beagles may be a sturdier breed they are quite different to pugs. Pugs were bred to be lapdogs and beagles are hound dogs and always want to follow a scent. It can therefore lead to problems because you have a dog that always is trying to follow a scent but has a smushed in nose and can't smell as well as a pure bred beagle.

Maybe I'm a purist but I'm not sure about all these designer dogs. Not that I'm saying pure breeds are perfect

shell10

thanks tuilip that really helped alot!!!

i've read about the breathin alright but didn't think it effected them til a later age!!

also about the eyes i've heard that they can get scratched even off there food or if theres somethin on the floor!

they just seem lik such lovable dogs which they prob are but is it worth havin to watch a dog struggle!

tulipi

Well if you choose the puppy and breeder carefully then you shouldn't come across big health issues. If the puppy is struggling to breathe at 2 months then I would say that the breeding has gone wrong somewhere and they are probably breeding for profit rather than the health of the dogs. Other pugs I have met have not had breathing issues so young - or at all. (that i noticed at least) most pugs do snore though

I haven't had any breathing issues with my pug. If you do get a pug and then it does have breathing issues there are things that can be easily done to fix them. When the dog is neutered you can get the Vet to check their nasal passages and see if they have an elongated palette. If their nasal passages are very small they can use a laser to expand them, or can do so surgically. It's not that bad and after a week or so the dog looks the same but can breathe a lot easier. Same with the elongated palette. If they find that the dog has that they can use a laser or sugically shorten it to make breathing easier. I don't konw about the expenses but my impression (from the Americans on that site I mentioned at least) is that it's not that expensive and is a fairly simple procedure.

In terms of the eyes. My dog goes to daycare 2 days a week. At first I was worried thinking that if another dog was rough maybe they'd scratch her eye or something. I haven't had any problems. Not that it could never happen but she's been fine.

Cherry Blossom

Your looking at this from a very good perspective OP, pity more people would't do the same! Make your self a pros and cons kist as you are doing your research, and do the same with a few other breeds you might consider as an alternative, this might help you make your decision. You give the impression a little bit that you think it's ok fo the to develop these issues as they get older as long as they are healthy as pups It is never ok to breed irresponsibly and you should make sure you only get a pug from parents that have been fully health tested and have good results. Even then they are still likely to develop a lot of these problems.

There are so many breeds of dog out there and sometimes it's hard letting your head rule your heart so good luck with it! Personally, I consider pugs to be one of the breeds that was a horrible mistake on someones part to develop in the first place, the poor little things are just so rife with genetic problems wouldn't touch one with a bargepole personally.

tulipi

Forgot to mention about the eyes. You just need to pick the right bowl for food - it's not like they're scratching their eyes off everything at all. But in terms of food if the bowl is quite deep but the diameter is small then they can find it hard to get to the food because they don't have a longer face like other breeds. Since they love food so much then they try to push further in to reach the food and if the bowl moves around then they can hurt their eyes. All you need to do if find a shallow food and water bowl which has a wide diameter. then you'll be grand.

In terms of scratching their eyes on the ground... I think that's a bit extreme. They might have an issue if they're going into bushes and trees but my dog is always getting into shrubbery and she's grand.

They're clever dogs, it's not like they don't realise they can close their eyes and avoid the item. My dog's had a few knocks but she's been grand. If you find that your dog has banged an eye or notice a bluish glow to the eye then take the dog to the vet. it'll usually be a corneal ulcer and they can fix it for you so it doesn't get worse. if it does the dog can lose some of their sight in the eye. Like I say, i haven't had this issue with my pug though.

shell10

ya see its very hard to find breaders these days that aren't in it for the money !! my boxer was cleary bread for money and is absolulty crazy!!

i don't want to get a dog that is goin to have severe health issues not just because of the vet bills but i wouldn't have the heart to watch over them strugglin!!!

very true about wat u were sayin about makin sure to get the health record of the parent dogs thats a brilliant idea!! thanks for that!!

i know every dog has problems at sum stage but still at the end of the day u need to minimise it as much as possible!!

good idea about the pros and cons aswel comparin them to other breeds !! that'll def be a must for me!!

Discodog

There are lots of pros - they are super little dogs.

But they have one of the highest Vet bills of any breed. My friend's really did their research & spent a fortune. Their pug has had an eye op, ear problems & they have a constant worry with the risk of eye injury.

I have had 4 Boxers. They are all a little crazy but they need consistent firm handling. Then they become utterly adorable.

shell10

oh don't iknow it!! had one for 12 years and he was never nothin but a gentle giant wouldn't have hurt a fly but this one is soon enough begin to coop on when he does somethin bold and has resorted to cuddlin up to us the whole time no harm he's a bit too big for it hahaha

he came from a bad home and we took him when he was 4 months so no wonder hes still a bit distructive poor thing!!

crally

hi. saw a prog that the poor little buggers are being bred but have breathing problems! i have a cav cross n he has the hip problems of hte cavaliers. i am a dog lover and will never get a pure breed again. the crosses are likely to have less of the defects of the breeds. Cavs have bad hips, and lots of other conditions that humans have created (n my opinion) by wanting them to have cute faces. i am sure you know the puppy farm syndrome!! designer dogs. i was walking my very cute mutts and a traveller asked me if i wanted to buy a pug for 350! i said i would expect to get a car for that. so some poor female pug is being kept and is popping out pups that make someone rich. NO THANKS. i feel that the public need to be informed of this as it is cruel. if you really want one go to a recognised breeder. the other worry, for me, the cuter/expensive the dog the more likely it is going to be stolen! sorry for being so direct but that is the reality of it!

shell10

i think the very same but its very hard these days to find true breeders that aren't in it for the money! lik fair enough everyone wants there dog to be cute but some breeders go down the wrong way altogether to make sure there puppies are the cutest!!

heard about the puppy farms and its absolutly hurendous !! turns my stomach!!!

found a pug on done deal that was 700 euro!!!!!!!!!!

andreac

Please stay clear of donedeal if you are looking for a pedigree dog. That website is full of irresponsible breeders and puppy farmers so be very careful.

Pugs are quite expensive and you would expect to pay anything from 800-1200 for a pug so if you really are intent on getting one i recommend you contact the breed club for a list of breeders with litters planned in the next while.

DBCyc

Our pug is grand and healthy and we have not had to pay out any ridiculous vet fees luckily. His breathing is fine and he is quite the athlete (for a pug!) as he always tries his best to keep up with our staffy which is quite impressive. As for the eyes, we have had no problems so far either.

Any other pug owners that we have met have not had any significant health problems with their dog, but I suppose there is always a risk of some sort of medical issue with any dog. I wouldn't necessarily steer clear of the breed for that reason but you need to be aware of these issues before you get one. Obviously if you wanted a dog to go on runs with you etc, a pug is not for you!

I would reiterate what has been said regarding cheap pugs for sale. Don't fall for it - pugs are difficult to breed and that is why they are so expensive. Good breeders will not try to make money out of selling pups, they will generally just recover their costs.

So if a pug is really the breed for you be prepared to pay over €1,000, be prepared to wait for your pup from a good breeder as they are not that popular and also be prepared for any potential medical issues by taking out insurance for your dog. Best of luck

pugsnotdrugs

We have a 3 year old pug and he's the best dog ever. He's such a little clown, always making us laugh

He's very hyper though unless he gets enough exercise so be prepared to walk your pug every day or he will drive you crazy at home.Our pug is actually a lot more hyper than our staffy, even though the staffy would be considered a pretty high-energy breed!

We haven't had any major health issues with him but we have him insured just in case he ever needs the vet. I think pet insurance is very important to have, regardless of the breed.

Also, fawn pugs have a double coat and shed like CRAZY! Black pugs don't have the double coat so don't tend to shed as badly. Just something to bear in mind.

Good luck with your pug. I wish I could get another one! :P

pugsnotdrugs

DBCyc wrote: »

Our pug is grand and healthy and we have not had to pay out any ridiculous vet fees luckily. His breathing is fine and he is quite the athlete (for a pug!) as he always tries his best to keep up with our staffy which is quite impressive. As for the eyes, we have had no problems so far either.

Any other pug owners that we have met have not had any significant health problems with their dog, but I suppose there is always a risk of some sort of medical issue with any dog. I wouldn't necessarily steer clear of the breed for that reason but you need to be aware of these issues before you get one. Obviously if you wanted a dog to go on runs with you etc, a pug is not for you!

I would reiterate what has been said regarding cheap pugs for sale. Don't fall for it - pugs are difficult to breed and that is why they are so expensive. Good breeders will not try to make money out of selling pups, they will generally just recover their costs.

So if a pug is really the breed for you be prepared to pay over €1,000, be prepared to wait for your pup from a good breeder as they are not that popular and also be prepared for any potential medical issues by taking out insurance for your dog. Best of luck

Another pug and staffy. What are the odds!!

hazelhoff

Hi shell, please dont be scaremongered into thinking pugs are really unhealthy dogs. I have three and never a problem with any of them. the only time we had to bring george the male to the vet was when lily the female scratched his eye when playing with him.

there the best dogs ever!!! all ours are full breeds and yes that means they wont the life expectancy of a mut but still there great dogs, I love them to bits. There breathing is tight just because there brains and noses are so small but there fine once you dont bring them hiking or for hours long walks in the heat. you will know anyway because pugs are very lazy and wont make themselves too out of breath.

there great wit kids too and my nieces and nephew pull out of the dogs and they would never snap. our male george is fawn and black and then lily is black much smaller and really cute and then we have a new edition from george n lil, their pup doug the pug ha! hopes this was helpful if you love them then get one, there the most loyal dogs i have ever had (had a boxer like yourself too) they love cuddles and snuggling and love their food (prob too much) but all in all a great family dog and would get on great with your boxer as there not territorial at all or vicous. i adore mine and wish i would have 100 :pac:

hazelhoff

sorry couple of more things, obviously your going to get millions of diff opinions on this but we got both our pugs off donedeal and the thing is our fawn one we got was off the loveliest country family ever and he was crying handing him over (note to self, caring lovable family who bread their dogs, not in it for the money) he was 750 got 50 back for luck of the country---- then when my sister got our black pug lily, she met him the fella in blessington and she said he had the dogs in a barn (which made her want her even more to get her outta there) but my sister got charged 1500 for lily mostly more because she was black which was unusual at the time and she was female. youll get the right vibe off the right people also you have to remember your saving a lil pug if you get those types that are just in it for hte money.

about the eyes there fine but when bringing them for walks buy them a harnace so the lead is not pulling at their necks, we were told that was the best option. no other worries though. happy shopping i want another one now too!

hazelhoff

pugsnotdrugs wrote: »

Another pug and staffy. What are the odds!!

love your username!

Zapperzy

hazelhoff wrote: »

sorry couple of more things, obviously your going to get millions of diff opinions on this but we got both our pugs off donedeal and the thing is our fawn one we got was off the loveliest country family ever and he was crying handing him over (note to self, caring lovable family who bread their dogs, not in it for the money) he was 750 got 50 back for luck of the country---- then when my sister got our black pug lily, she met him the fella in blessington and she said he had the dogs in a barn (which made her want her even more to get her outta there) but my sister got charged 1500 for lily mostly more because she was black which was unusual at the time and she was female. youll get the right vibe off the right people also you have to remember your saving a lil pug if you get those types that are just in it for hte money.

about the eyes there fine but when bringing them for walks buy them a harnace so the lead is not pulling at their necks, we were told that was the best option. no other worries though. happy shopping i want another one now too!

Correct me if Iv picked this up completely wrong but are you suggesting that when you buy from a puppy farmer (people who are just in it for the money) you are saving a pup? You couldn't be further from the truth! When you hand over that €1500 for that pup then yes you are saving that one pup (which most likely would have been bought by another person anyways) but that money goes towards buying in more bitches to breed litter after litter, so in actual fact you are condemning loads more dogs to a cruel life.

The best thing you can do is walk away from anyone who has bred a litter purely for profit. If noone buys the pups then they will not breed another litter simple as.

andreac

I have to agree with Zapperzy, by buying puppies from these farmers, you are only keeping them in business, supply and demand. If there was no demand for them they would stop breeding these poor dogs over and over again.
Its us the public that are keeping them in business so thats why its up to you as a dog owner to do plenty of research before buying a pup to make sure you arent going to line the pockets of these horrible people who have no consideration for the dogs, only to make a quick buck.
So the best thing you can do is walk away and not buy a pup from someone like this.

lrushe

hazelhoff wrote: »

we got both our pugs off donedeal and the thing is our fawn one we got was off the loveliest country family ever and he was crying handing him over (note to self, caring lovable family who bread their dogs, not in it for the money) he was 750 got 50 back for luck of the country---- then when my sister got our black pug lily, she met him the fella in blessington and she said he had the dogs in a barn

What health testing were done on the parents of these dogs???
I understand that when people see 'breeders' who are upset when handing over a pup as verification that they did all the right things and maybe in their minds the did but ignorance is no more an excuse to breed unhealthy dogs than money is.

shell10

andreac wrote: »

Please stay clear of donedeal if you are looking for a pedigree dog. That website is full of irresponsible breeders and puppy farmers so be very careful.

Pugs are quite expensive and you would expect to pay anything from 800-1200 for a pug so if you really are intent on getting one i recommend you contact the breed club for a list of breeders with litters planned in the next while.

how do i find that??? id done deal very bad?

shell10

they sound lik brill dogs even tho there prone to problems but as what was said already most dogs are prone to problems!

i've never heard about the done deal thing and its makin me a it worried cause i'm sure not everyone on the site is purely in it for money!

also i agree on both sides about gettin the wrong feeling about buyin off the wrong family because even at the time u just want to save that pup ye are right with sayin that it just lets them keep going!! if i got aa bad feeling off the people i definitly wouldn't buy for the sake of it! i'd be wise lik that!
if ye could recommend different sites it'd be a great help!

thanks for all ye're help aswel its really helpin me out!! want to get as much info as i can cause i'm smitten by them!!

Cherry Blossom

shell10 wrote: »

how do i find that??? id done deal very bad?

The best breeders don't advertise their pups because they have more demand than they can supply, they have waiting lists far in advance for their pups. You have to seek them out

You could start by contacting these people:

http://www.clodanapugs.com/

I know nothing about them though and I see no reference on their site as to whether or not they health test the parents, this is the first thing I would ask them. If they don't have any litters due soon, they may know of someone else. Another place to seek out reputable breeders is too go along to a few IKC shows and talk to some of the pug owners that show.

The IKC website has a list of all the breed clubs on their site. The Irish Pug Dog Club should be able to put you in contact with a breeder.

http://ikc.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=17&Itemid=32

Ìrish Pug Dog Club
Mr. W.R. Kilpatrick
Kerronmor House, Woodrooffe, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
(052-35288)

hazelhoff

Zapperzy wrote: »

Correct me if Iv picked this up completely wrong but are you suggesting that when you buy from a puppy farmer (people who are just in it for the money) you are saving a pup? You couldn't be further from the truth! When you hand over that €1500 for that pup then yes you are saving that one pup (which most likely would have been bought by another person anyways) but that money goes towards buying in more bitches to breed litter after litter, so in actual fact you are condemning loads more dogs to a cruel life.

The best thing you can do is walk away from anyone who has bred a litter purely for profit. If noone buys the pups then they will not breed another litter simple as.

I understand where your coming from but thats like saying that about anything in the whole world that is cruel or wrong, im not going to be able to stop it by standing against it on my own i would rather have a march about it to get the point across to loads of people and make people aware of it, because I think that would serve a bigger purpose. And I personally would buy a dog from one of those people or a genuine person (but I would never give a pup of mine to a person I wasnt 100% on) because like every cruel thing in the world, it isnt going to stop by me saying no to a pup bread by a certain a-hole, drugs dont stop from one person saying no to it etc I could go on forever, bigger things need to happen for things like that to stop. I would just rather pay the money just to be able to help one dog if i can rather than none at all!!!

hazelhoff

andreac wrote: »

I have to agree with Zapperzy, by buying puppies from these farmers, you are only keeping them in business, supply and demand. If there was no demand for them they would stop breeding these poor dogs over and over again.
Its us the public that are keeping them in business so thats why its up to you as a dog owner to do plenty of research before buying a pup to make sure you arent going to line the pockets of these horrible people who have no consideration for the dogs, only to make a quick buck.
So the best thing you can do is walk away and not buy a pup from someone like this.

Shell I'm not saying to actually go out and purposely buy from these people but just in the sense that your not going to know who you are meeting up with until you get there. And I personally just wouldnt be able to look at the pups and say no and leave them there because the people were dodgey. I would rather take one and know thats going to a good home then let another person come along who could be wanting to start a dodgey breading process too.

the IKC website is brill to keep an eye on, this will ensure you that they are registered with them and you could trust this more if your unsure about done deal

lrushe

hazelhoff wrote: »

im not going to be able to stop it by standing against it on my own

But if 100 people all have the same view as you that's 100 more pups being bought, that's approximately €30000 going in to the pockets of puppy farms. I for one couldn't have that on my conscience.

shell10

hazelhoff wrote: »

Shell I'm not saying to actually go out and purposely buy from these people but just in the sense that your not going to know who you are meeting up with until you get there. And I personally just wouldnt be able to look at the pups and say no and leave them there because the people were dodgey. I would rather take one and know thats going to a good home then let another person come along who could be wanting to start a dodgey breading process too.

the IKC website is brill to keep an eye on, this will ensure you that they are registered with them and you could trust this more if your unsure about done deal

oh i know that i'd be the same i'd prefer to get that pup out there rather someone else comin along!!

ya i def will kepp my eye on it!! i've never head anything bad about done deal before and no people who have there pups on it for sale and there perfect but everyone has an opion!!

thanks again for all ye're advice!!

thanks again