Breed · Dog

Pug

Chinese companion breed of the Song emperors, carried to Europe by Dutch traders and beloved ever since.

The Pug was designed two thousand years ago to do exactly what it still does: sit with its people and make them laugh. It is one of the most companionable, least aggressive breeds in existence, sturdy enough for gentle children and content in any home. And the shape of that beloved face is the shape of the buyer’s homework: air, heat, eyes and folds all need managing, and the difference between a well-bred Pug and a badly bred one is the difference between a funny little shadow and a decade of vet visits. Insist on the breeder who breeds for breathing.

At a glance

Lifespan: 11–14 years
Adult weight: 6.5–9 kg
Daily exercise: 30–40 min, out of the heat
Trainability: Moderate; motivated by snacks and applause
Alone time tolerated: Moderate; better with company
Shedding: Heavy — the fine coat gets everywhere
Noise level: Low bark; the breathing is the soundtrack
With children: Very good
With other pets: Very good

Colours · 2 listed

Fawn with the black mask, or all black. Nothing about the choice matters beyond the vacuuming being more visible on one of them.

Fawn
Black

Right for you if

You want a small, comic, deeply affectionate companion and are home a fair bit.
Climate is mild, or the house is cool and walks happen early.
You will do the unglamorous daily work: folds wiped, eyes checked, weight watched.
You are prepared to hold out for a breeder who grades airways, and pay their price.

Wrong for you if

You want a walking companion for real distances, or live somewhere properly hot.
The comedy snoring stops being funny at 2am — it comes with the dog.
Free-feeding is your habit; a fat Pug is a Pug in trouble.
The cheapest advertisement is the one you were going to answer.

What to ask a breeder

In UK primary-care records, Pugs carried roughly 54 times the odds of BOAS, 51 times the odds of stenotic nares and 13 times the odds of corneal ulceration of other dogs — nearly twice the odds of having at least one disorder — and the study’s authors concluded the Pug “can no longer be considered as a typical dog from a health perspective”.¹ That sentence is the reason to choose your breeder like it matters.
The UK Kennel Club lists breathing assessment under its Respiratory Function Grading scheme and eye testing as good practice for the breed, with the Pug dog encephalitis DNA test and hips alongside; merle registrations are refused.² Ask for the RFG grades and the PDE certificates by name.
Listen to both parents breathe at rest and after a short walk, in person. This one conversation outweighs everything else on this page.
Look at the parents’ eyes: open, moist and unscarred is what you want, and ask how the breeder protects those prominent eyes day to day.

Sources

O’Neill DG, Sahota J, Brodbelt DC, Church DB, Packer RMA, Pegram C. Health of Pug dogs in the UK: disorder predispositions and protections. Canine Medicine and Genetics 2022. United Kingdom doi:10.1186/s40575-022-00117-6 PMID 35581668 VetCompass primary-care records for 4,308 Pugs against 21,835 other dogs: Pugs had 1.86 times the odds of having at least one disorder, roughly 54 times the odds of BOAS, 51 times the odds of stenotic nares, and 13 times the odds of corneal ulceration. The authors conclude the Pug “can no longer be considered as a typical dog from a health perspective”.
Pug — breed health and pre-breeding screening. The Royal Kennel Club 2026. Accessed 2026-09-04. United Kingdom The Royal Kennel Club The UK Kennel Club's published screening lists for the breed: good practice is breathing testing under the KC Respiratory Function Grading scheme plus eye testing; best practice adds Pug dog encephalitis DNA and hips. Merle registration is refused.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.