This article is Copyright 1996 by the Author(s) listed below. It may be freely reproduced in its entirety without alteration provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It may NOT reside at another website (use links, please) other than www.pugs.com without the permission of the Author(s).

Author

Marcy Heathman, marcy@pugs.com
Copyright 1996 by Marcy Heathman, all rights reserved.

Pugs in the United States are classified as a Toy Breed, even though they are usually the largest of all the Toys. Pugs should weigh from 14 to 18 pounds, which makes them very sturdy Toy dogs. While they are described by weight, the dogs have to be in proportion to their height and bone. The body of the Pug is similar to that of a Bulldog, but not as large or as overdone. Their overall appearance should be square: the height from floor to top of withers should be equal to the length from the sternum (breastbone) to rump.

The Pug's head is the most unique and readily identifiable feature. The head itself should be round when you look at it from the front. From the side, the face should be flat without too much or too little chin. Pug eyes are round, dark, expressive and full of life. Their ears are set widely on the head, and there are two accepted types of ears: rose and button. Button ears fold over with the fold of the ear level with the top of the skull, and should not hang lower than the corner of the eye. Rose ears appear to be smaller and fold with the inner edge of the ear against the side of the head. The rose ear tends to give the head a smaller, more rounded appearance. Ears must be black all over. Wrinkles on the Pug head should be deep and easy to see because inside the wrinkle the color is darker than outside. One large, unbroken over the nose wrinkle is preferred.

The other major identifiable feature of the Pug is his tail. The tail is set up high on the back, and should be curled tightly. The double curl (two complete loops) is the ideal tail that breeders try for, but a single tight loop or twist is acceptable. It is uncharacteristic of the breed to have a floppy loose tail that bounces over the Pugs back, or a Pug who carries his tail uncurled.

Pugs come in two colors: fawn and black. Either is acceptable, although the blacks seem to be harder to come by. Many times over the years the fawns have been called, "apricot fawn," "silver fawn," "stone fawn," etc. in an attempt to differentiate them, but they are all still just fawn Pugs. Apricot fawns will have a peach or apricot tint to the coat that can have an almost clear, cream colored base coat. The other fawn coat has a mixing of black-tipped guard hairs in it, making the dog appear darker and "cooler" in color. All of these colors are acceptable - it is only the very dark coloration over the entire body of the dog that is considered "smutty" and undesirable. Either color can have a few white hairs on the chest, and both colors will turn grey in the muzzle as they age. Striping, brindling or pinto spots are NOT normal or desirable Pug colors.

All information and images on these pages are copyright © 1996 MRC Enterprises and Marcy B. Heathman. Not reproducible without written permission except for your own personal education.