# Tell me about pugs! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121 "2017-06-04T17:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/21 "2017-06-05T05:25:24Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Good! > > To answer the question about why my son likes pugs, AIUI he thinks they are the cutest dogs ever in the history of the world, and they are funny and loving. > > Also, yes, the idea is that if this is his dog, he will be the primary caregiver. I’m going to have to agree with your son. 😛 Just a couple other things to consider: If you’re concerned about shedding I would get a black pug, the faun pugs have a double coat so they shed more. I consider them very low maintenance. You don’t have to take them to be groomed. I do my dogs nails. You do have to wash their wrinkles and keep their nose cleaned. Saturday is our wrinkle cleaning day. 😃 Pugs are the clown breed, and they love watching TV. Mine have their own copy of Milo and Otis. Lol They do tend to over eat when they get older and are known to be lazy. Also, they are not good swimmers. All 4 of mine have life jackets for our trips to the lake during the summer. Too bad we can’t post pics here, I would love to show off my pugs. If you get a pug, you won’t regret it. Oh, and Boston Terriers also need their anal glands expressed. I had a Boston before getting a pug. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/22 "2017-06-05T05:30:12Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I have 2 pugs, one is 12, the other is 13. We got the second one after another dog we had passed on; we were so enthralled with the first pug we had to have another. > > I don’t get the “it’s cruel to breed them” thing. My dogs are no less healthy than any other dog I’ve had. The worst breathing problem I’ve seen is they tend to snore. Health-wise, the worst thing I’ve had to deal with is one of them developed [Myasthenia Gravis](http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vsr/Neurology/Disorders/Myasthenia%20Gravis.html), a rare disease that is unrelated to breed. It was touch-and-go for a couple months, but (like most dogs with MG), she went into remission and it’s never come back. > > The same dog has developed arthritis as she’s aged. Nowadays, at 13 years old, she doesn’t walk down stairs (but will walk up) and is slower than she was when she was younger. Again, not breed-related, and common for all of us (dogs & humans both!) > > Other than that, they’ve had a few other problems - both are allergic to most vaccines (not uncommon with small dogs, never caused real problems other than a reaction to the vaccines before we realized they were allergic) and they regularly need their anal glands expressed. > > Our fawn pug is a shedding machine. The black one, not so much. > > So that’s the bad. The good is that they are about the most lovable critters I’ve ever been around. They have good attitudes and are always happy. I find them to be incredibly cute. They have the good aspects of both dogs and cats - they are small enough to sit on your lap & cuddle like a cat, but not aloof and always playful like dogs. They’re great companions; if I’m home, I have a pug within a few feet of me pretty much 24/7. One or both of them sleep under my desk all day as I work. I haven’t gone to the bathroom by myself in 12 years 😃 > > I don’t think I’d ever have a different breed of dog (though French Bulldogs are very, very tempting!) That cracked me up because I guess it’s been around 11 yrs since I went to the bathroom by myself. I go to the bathroom with my entourage. 😃 I also work from home and they are right by my feet. They don’t make a sound. They’re such good little dogs. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/24 "2017-06-05T09:22:45Z")
We had a Pug once. His name was Radar. As already mentioned, they snort, fart, shed, and snore like crazy. Not dogs for warm areas. Ours didn’t bark much. Ultra friendly to everybody. A natural clown he loved to make people laugh at his antics. Cute as a Chinese baby. You get a lot of dog in a small package with Pugs. Just be warned that they expect to be spoiled rotten, are stubborn as a mule, and shed like freaking crazy. ETA: Radar lived to 12 which is about low average for the breed. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/25 "2017-06-05T12:07:29Z")
> [@CatandMouse](#): > > They eyes on my pugs have never popped out. The half dozen pug owners I know have never had a problem with the eyes popping out. Same here. I’m not sure “eyes popping out” is even a thing. Yes, they have bulgy eyes, but the seem just as solid in their sockets as any other dog. > [@steatopygia](#): > > Did you miss the “and they regularly need their anal glands expressed.”:eek: As do many different breeds of dogs. That one is far from only a pug problem. re: farting and getting fat. Neither of my pugs are anywhere near fat, one is practically underweight (I don’t know why; we free-feed him and he gets plenty of treats.) Farting, again, not any more than any other dog. On a day-to-day basis, I don’t notice any farts. If we feed them crap food, they might fart some. That said, if I feed my husband crap food, he tends to fart some. There’s a cause-and-effect there. Seriously, there’s a lot of reasons not to get a pug, but “chronic health problems” and “high maintenance” are not two of them. Like any other breed, they can be poorly bred and have issues. If you do your homework and adopt from a quality breeder I don’t think there’s any reason to assume problems. And, like any other dog, there are plenty of pug rescues around if you prefer that route. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/26 "2017-06-05T14:32:18Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Same here. I’m not sure “eyes popping out” is even a thing. Yes, they have bulgy eyes, but the seem just as solid in their sockets as any other dog. It can happen in Pugs and similar breeds without any warning. > **[Dogs' Eyeballs Are Actually Popping Out Of Their Heads](https://www.thedodo.com/dogs-eyeballs-are-actually-popping-out-of-their-heads-1355164079.html)** > > The Dodo serves up emotionally and visually compelling, highly sharable animal-related stories and videos to help make caring about animals a viral cause. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/27 "2017-06-05T14:37:30Z")
I don’t think buying a dog of any kind for a child with mental processing issues because they are “obsessed” with the notion is a good idea. The premise here seems to be that the child will take care of the dog. This is a very old joke even with very high functioning non-autistic children. The adults in the household with be taking care of the dog in short order once the child becomes bored with the drudgery and tending to it’s day to day needs. It’s good that you want to make your son happy but a pet that lives 15+ years and is something of a hot house flower and that your husband objects to and that you and he will likely wind up taking care of is not how I would go about it. It’s not like having a baby but it’s a significant undertaking to add something to your household that is going to require daily caretaking. Get your son a guinea pig and see how he progresses with that before committing to a highly bred dog. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/28 "2017-06-05T15:51:16Z")
I have personally witnessed the eye popping out thing. It was truly gruesome. The eye had to be removed by a specialized surgeon. They are also prone to stinky skin issues. Bleh. I love sogs more than most people, but I wouldn’t have a pug. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/29 "2017-06-05T18:34:05Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I don’t think buying a dog of any kind for a child with mental processing issues because they are “obsessed” with the notion is a good idea. The premise here seems to be that the child will take care of the dog. This is a very old joke even with very high functioning non-autistic children. The adults in the household with be taking care of the dog in short order once the child becomes bored with the drudgery and tending to it’s day to day needs. > > It’s good that you want to make your son happy but a pet that lives 15+ years and is something of a hot house flower and that your husband objects to and that you and he will likely wind up taking care of is not how I would go about it. It’s not like having a baby but it’s a significant undertaking to add something to your household that is going to require daily caretaking. > > Get your son a guinea pig and see how he progresses with that before committing to a highly bred dog. I did say high functioning autistic. Not sure if you’re familiar with autism at all, but 'Beamer is rules and routine fixated (to a certain extent). Meaning, once he understands the steps of doing something, it gets done. He has been helping to care for our large dogs, and the cats in the home, for several years now. This would be an extension of that into an animal that could be his pet alone, not a family pet. He is 12 years old. I don’t think that’s too young. > [@Renee](#): > > I have personally witnessed the eye popping out thing. It was truly gruesome. The eye had to be removed by a specialized surgeon. They are also prone to stinky skin issues. Bleh. I love sogs more than most people, but I wouldn’t have a pug. Well, zut. I did some more research. Pugs have been around for centuries. I was leaning back towards a possible fit. **Merneith** forgot to quote your question. 'Beamer needs a service dog to help manage mood and anger. Like many autistic people, 'Beamer gets frustrated and angry. Service dogs have been used to help autistic people become more conscious of when they are becoming upset and to give them a focus point away from the irritant until they are calm again. I’ve seen a variety of dogs used for this. None as small as a pug, but I don’t know why size alone would be a disqualifier. I think in the end it might not matter. We’ll work with the service dog group and share everything we can about preferences and 'Beamer’s environment, and then see what happens. If a pug could work though, I know it would make him happy. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/30 "2017-06-05T19:23:53Z")
There’s a (kinda cruel) joke among the dog people i know, whenever they here about someone asking about pugs or FB’s (Think flow chart): Do you have someone in your family that’s a vet? (YES/NO) if NO: Do you have a close friend that’s a vet, willing to do work for free? (YES/NO) if NO: Don’t get a (dog breed).\* If you want a smaller dog, check out shih-tzu. I’m a big dog person myself, but some friends have shih-tzus and they’re wonderful, friendly, happy dogs. Easy to train and since their fur grows long, they don’t shed all that much. Do not go for the dog show look; it’s cruel. Keep the coat short-ish. [Here’s a pic a a shih-tzu cutie.](https://vetstreet-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/97/78/dca5c3e34bb89c4e5d19a0851f5d/shih-tzu-ap-1v4u0w-645-x-380.jpg) - Similarly when someone voices interest in border collies: Do you have sheep? (YES/NO) if NO: Do you have six hours every day to work with your dog to stimulate it? (YES/NO) if NO: Don’t get a border collie. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/31 "2017-06-05T19:53:58Z")
Border collies I can believe. My husband’s family used them for sheep. Smart and high energy. What could go wrong? 😃 (When they’re bored, I mean.) ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/32 "2017-06-05T20:08:27Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > **Merneith** forgot to quote your question. 'Beamer needs a service dog to help manage mood and anger. Like many autistic people, 'Beamer gets frustrated and angry. Service dogs have been used to help autistic people become more conscious of when they are becoming upset and to give them a focus point away from the irritant until they are calm again. I’ve seen a variety of dogs used for this. None as small as a pug, but I don’t know why size alone would be a disqualifier. I see. I would suggest that the dog you want for that is a lab or a golden. Those breeds are famously loving and forgiving, which is why they have become the poster dog for support animals. Labs and goldens are used for the sort of work you’re suggesting. Pugs are sometimes used in hospitals or nursing home settings. They’re ridiculously charming little beasts but they are not known for their trainability. They can excel at hospital visits, where their job is to lift spirits and entertain invalids, but I don’t know that they are well suited to being able to sense and evaluate mood changes in a young teen. My advice would be to contact the group who would be training your dog and ask them to help you find a match. The sort of support work you’re looking for typically won’t work with just any puppy you find at the rescue (although they are all good dogs, obvs). You’ll want to work with an experienced group of trainers for this, and they will usually have a good candidate in mind. If your son just wanted a pet, a pug or frenchie would be fine. But if you want a real working dog, you’ll need to let the trainers steer your choice. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/33 "2017-06-05T20:19:18Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I see. I would suggest that the dog you want for that is a lab or a golden. Those breeds are famously loving and forgiving, which is why they have become the poster dog for support animals. Labs and goldens are used for the sort of work you’re suggesting. > > Pugs are sometimes used in hospitals or nursing home settings. They’re ridiculously charming little beasts but they are not known for their trainability. They can excel at hospital visits, where their job is to lift spirits and entertain invalids, but I don’t know that they are well suited to being able to sense and evaluate mood changes in a young teen. > > My advice would be to contact the group who would be training your dog and ask them to help you find a match. The sort of support work you’re looking for typically won’t work with just any puppy you find at the rescue (although they are all good dogs, obvs). You’ll want to work with an experienced group of trainers for this, and they will usually have a good candidate in mind. > > If your son just wanted a pet, a pug or frenchie would be fine. But if you want a real working dog, you’ll need to let the trainers steer your choice. Yes, you are right. A smaller dog would be better, strictly from the point of view of being able to easily have it at school, but I’m sure something can be worked out, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/34 "2017-06-05T20:45:44Z")
I knew a family who had rescued (literally: they brought it inside half-frozen when their dumbshit neighbors couldn’t be assed to provide it shelter in below 0’F weather) a Pug/Cocker Spaniel mix. It had a fantastic personality. They had a son with low functioning autism, and he loved the dog. The dog was so tolerant of the kid, it was amazing. He could have been a trained service dog, although he wasn’t. Why don’t you take a trip to the shelter? There may be a Pug or a Pug mix your son will fall in love with, and then you won’t have to feel like you have contributed to breeding them. You can be part of the solution instead. The Pug/CS had none of the physical problems of a Pug, and none of the personality problems a CS sometimes has. It was prone to getting clogged anal sacs, though. I don’t know if that’s a Pug thing, or just this dog. He’s in my top 10 dogs I have ever known in my life, and that includes 5 dogs that were mine. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/35 "2017-06-06T05:00:15Z")
> [@CatandMouse](#): > > Oh, and Boston Terriers also need their anal glands expressed. I had a Boston before getting a pug. :dubious: I think the anal gland thing is not breed specific - it’s more of a some dogs have it andvothers don’t. I’ve had 4 Bostons and never had this come up. My Chinese Crested Powder Puff has this issue. It’s never been an issue for me as it’s taken care of when she is groomed. ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/36 "2017-06-06T17:19:44Z")
> [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](#): > > I think the anal gland thing is not breed specific - it’s more of a some dogs have it andvothers don’t. I’ve had 4 Bostons and never had this come up. My Chinese Crested Powder Puff has this issue. It’s never been an issue for me as it’s taken care of when she is groomed. I agree. Out of 4 pugs I’ve only had this come up once w/one pug, and that was 4 or 5 years ago. It’s not a big deal. That said, I sure miss Emma, my Boston. She was one of the best dogs I’ve ever owned. I was supposed to babysit while my neighbor tried to find her owner. The owner was never found and I ended up babysitting Emma for 10 years before she passed away. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121/37 "2017-06-06T19:29:09Z")
Oof, I hate them. French Bulldogs, too. Both breeds are the yippiest, yappiest little things on the planet. My next door neighbor has two French Bulldogs and they start yipping nonstop every single time I step outside. I want to poison them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-pugs/788121.md?page=1)