WORLD OF DOGS

Pug are great all around dog breeds, distinguished canine and the cutuest, most lovable dog out there! Pug are small sized "Toy" Dog, tiny little-built and sweet-natured breed that are so named because of its habit of staring in the air looking clueless even for it's pug owners.

By nature, Pugs are companion dogs, which is suitable for family and safe with children. Throughout history pugs are commonly known as:

- natural theraphy dog - companion dog - stubborn dog - house dog

Pugs are definitely not trained for as:

- hunting dog - police dog - seeing-eye dog for the blind - fighting dog in the once popular sport of dog fighting.

Pugs are the same group of dog as Pekingese, Japanse Spaniels and Toy Poodles. In various languages in different countries, pugs are also known as Mops, Dutch Bulldog, Carli, Chinese Pugs or Puggu.

There are 7 distinct groups of dog categorised by the American Kennel Club (AKC). They are called the herding, hound, non-sporting, sporting, terrier, toy and working dog group. And the largest sized registered in the Toy category is the Pug.

No doubt the Pug make for great utility dog but the greatest advantage to owning one is that Pug can be your most outstanding companion on four legs and great source of personal fulfillment.

By the way, the AKC registered over 150 different breeds totaling nearly one million dogs. To put that in perspective, the animal shelters in America rescue up to 12 million homeless and cats every year and 25% of these are purebreds.

Devoted and glad owners of Pug have come up with a long list of attributes and traits of their favorite pet that include:

Even-Tempered Stuborn Strong and stable Sturdy built (although small-sized) Delicate (but not as delicate as other "Toy" dog) Loyal Expressive Extremely Affectionate Charming Lively Boundless energy Brave Canine clown Drive owners to distraction Easy going Compliant Courageous Devoted Family dog Friendly Intelligent Intuitive Keen judge of character Loving Loyal Patient with children People dog Easy going Playfulness Self-assured Smart Soulful Spirited People dog Good natured dog Wonderful pet

And you can add to the list...

The Pug Dog's history could be traced back to the Shang Dynasty in East China, where it was solely kept by monks. That probably explained why Pug is a natural therapy dog. Pugs were then spread over to Tibet, Japan and finally Europe. Pug breeds only reaches United States in the 19th century and recognised by the AKC in 1885. Since then, pugs were widely accepted at home and show ring. The Pug as we know it today is a large round headed face in proportion to its body sized. When stand up with its four very strong, straight moderate length leg, it stays firmly on the ground with poise. It's muzzle is short and wringkle expressed around its face. Its usually available in fawn or black coloured.

Natural Therapy Pug dog: Within the canine world, Pug are small-sized dog standing at less than kneecap height for a full-grown pugs, and weighs some 14 to 18 pounds.

It has a striking charming playful look with its short

muzzle, big gigantic round eyes, short neck and muscled body, make pugs a very sturdy yet expressive silhouette. Also because of this, pugs often breath through its mouth, as much as through their nose.

The ears are cropped, and they are not shy from barking to get their owners attention. This specialy human kind of dog, perform what normal human being do, which includes snoring, grunting, growling, whinning, woofing and farthing!!

The shortened muzzle makes pug panting for breath any may cause health problem for the Pug Dogs.

The coat is short, shinny and smooth, and possesses a natural sheen that can be enhanced with rubdowns with a chamois cloth (especially after a bath).

Despite short coat, pug couldn't protect him well from extreme elements of the weather and thus Pug should definitely not be kept outdoors. It is a housedog, sensitive to extreme temperature, and does not enjoy the summer heat or excessive exercises.

Pug come in attractive basic colors of fawn and black. The fawn coloured pug is usually chosen by pug lovers because of it enables pug lovers to distinguish its wrinkled faced with its coat color. Though, less known, the only Pug to earn Utility Dog Excellent degree from the AKC is a black Pug.

If you your home is dull and boring, you will be assured that the presence of pug will definitely stirred up the environment and bring happiness to your home with pug's playfullness and their devotion to its owner. It can changed the moods of its master and adopting one could bring you 9 to 11 years of joyful companionship. In exceptional cases the Pug can live up to 15 years.

Pug As Pet

Pug although low-maintenance (because of small consumption of food compared to other breeds), it requires your consistent attention, exercise, human interaction, consistent obedience training and lots of love. You cannot leave them to their own design for too long or they get separation anxiety, lonely, bored and into trouble.

Although being a small but sturdy dog, as well as a highly intelligent one, Pug need both physical and mental stimulations to keep them even-tempered while still keeping their affections and loyalty in tact.

All the best!!!

Pug hugs,
Ken Tan, A Pug Enthusiast

Copyright (c) 2008 Ken Tan