Getting To Know Your Pug

Article Title: Getting To Know Your Pug
Author: Dan Stevens

Getting to know your dog starts by getting to know its breed,
and that includes getting a better idea about its appearance,
personality, and health requirements. Here's what you need to
know about the Pugs:

The wrinkly face of the Pug is simply undeniable. This smaller
dog was at one time the companion of Chinese Emperors during the
Shang Dynasty. However, at that time, the Pug was called "Foo"
or "Lo-Chiang-Sze." Today, you can find Foo figurines, which
have the same bulging eyes as that of the Pug. Soon, this
breed became highly popular in Tibet, being a prized pet of
monks. From there, the breed wove its way into Japan, followed
by Europe.

Then by the late 16th century and early 17th century, the Pug
was imported from the Dutch East Indies Trading Company. In
fact, when William III and Mary II ascended the throne in 1688
after leaving the Netherlands, the Pug actually was chosen as
the House of Orange's official breed. Eventually, various
European countries were flooded with the Pug and by the time
they reached Spain, Goya began painting them.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, popularity levels continued to
rise. Interestingly, Josephine, Napoleon Bonaparte future
wife, used her pet Pug as a means of sending covert messages to
her family while she was being held in the Les Carmes Prison.
Over the years, the Pug's popularity kept growing throughout
Europe, eventually making its way to the United States.
Currently, the Pug is still just as popular as it was, even
more so. This dog is cuddly with a massive personality.
Because of its size and positive traits, the Pug makes an
excellent family pet.

Physical Appearance

Early Pugs in the 18th century were a longer and leaner version
of today's breed. What we see now is a more compact body with a
deep chest and defined muscles. The Pug's head is round and the
eyes large and dark. However, the Pug's face wrinkles are what
make it so distinct and adorable. The tail of the Pug is also
cut, being tightly curled that falls back over the hip. In
fact, for show purposes, a double curl of the tail is deemed
perfection. The coat is short and glossy with a number of
color options to include:

Silver
Black
Fawn
Apricot

Temperament and Personality

If you are looking for a sociable dog, the Pug is ideal.
However, you need to keep in mind that this breed can also be
stubborn. The breed is great with children and other animals.
Playful, clever, and overall charming are just a few descriptive
words to describe the Pug. The only slight personality flaw is
that this breed can be jealous when ignored.

Health

Pugs are generally healthy dogs but with a short muzzle and not
having any skeletal brow ridges, some issues can arise specific
to breathing. The short muzzle can also make extreme hot or
cold temperatures difficult to handle. Therefore, the Pug
needs to be kept indoors with moderate temperature settings.
In addition, because of the protruding eyes of the Pug,
scratching of the cornea is another possible problem. It is
also important to keep this dog breed on a healthy and
monitored diet, as well as a good exercise plan in that obesity
can occur.

Other potential health risks associated with the Pug includes
inflammation of the brain, which is known as Granulomatous
Meningoencephalitis. Experts now believe this disease to be
inherited although it is not 100 percent certain.
Unfortunately, if a Pug were determined to have this problem,
it would die naturally or need to be humanely euthanized. Keep
in mind that with good care, this adorable breed can live
anywhere from 12 to 15 years.

About The Author: Daniel Stevens is the renowned dog trainer
and author of SitStayFetch, a leading dog training guide having
sold over 21,000 copies. See

http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/dogbreeds/pug.php
for more on dog breeds.