Advantages Of Choosing A Pug

Snuggly. They’re great cuddlers.

It’s All About You. They really live for their people. You won’t doubt that they care for you.

Compact. They are small, yet sturdy. They’re small enough to fly with on many airlines, and apartments that have a weight limit for allowed pets are usually high enough to accommodate pugs.

They make good apartment dogs or city-dwelling pets. They don’t need much space. If you have an efficient apartment or are just renting a room, your pug can make that work as long as you can take them for a daily walk. I have a blog post that goes into more detail about pugs in apartments.

They’re easy. They’re fairly low-maintenance dogs. No trips to the groomers required. You can bathe them at home. They do require having their wrinkles cleaned but this can be done in a minute or two per day.

Quiet. Most of them don’t bark much. Pugs can scream, though.

Friendly. They’re usually good with people, kids and other pets. I have a blog post on pugs & other pets that covers specific types of pets and which ones pugs get along with.

Mild chewers. They aren’t destructive. That’s not to say that your pug puppy will never chew on something of yours that they shouldn’t…but they’re generally not a destructive breed. They will usually stick to chew toys as long as they are made available to them.

They’re not aggressive. Any dog has the potential to bite if they feel threatened, but pugs are generally known for being very loving, gentle dogs.

Disadvantages Of Choosing A Pug

Health issues. They are prone to some health problems. You may spend more at the vet with a pug than you would other dog breeds. However, I will also add that I’ve heard people say they’ve heard that pugs are really sickly dogs. That is generally untrue. I shared some stats in my common pug health problems blog post which may surprise you!

Nasal Surgery. When getting a pug puppy, it’s a good idea to expect to pay for surgery to expand their airways. I’d also strongly suggest that you pick your breeder very carefully. Go with one who breeds for healthy pugs and who has health problems ruled out via testing before breeding pugs.

Cost. Pug puppies aren’t cheap. They aren’t as expensive as some other purebred breeds either, though. Unlike some other dog breeds, if you wan to adopt an older pug, you’re likely to still have to pay for them.

Not summer dogs. Not very tolerant of high heat or humidity. Expect to use an air conditioner for them before you’ll need to turn it on for yourself.

Not winter dogs. Not very tolerant of cold weather. If you want a dog who will hang out with you as you cut wood in the snow, a pug isn’t that dog. I live in Michigan and my pugs would quickly go potty and wanted right back inside during the winter. They would start shivering before they had finished going potty.

Separation anxiety. They are prone to separation anxiety. Some will have other types of anxiety, too. Check out my post on pug anxiety to learn more.

Low exercise needs. If you aren’t particularly athletic, that’s okay. Pugs do well with one to two walks per day.

Prone to allergies. They may require medications to help with allergies, and may not do well on cheap dog foods.

Shedding. Most pugs (fawn ones) shed year-round, and shed quite a bit as they have double coats. Black pugs have a single coat so they may be a better choice if you want a pug that sheds less.

Shed in multiple colors. Most pugs are fawn which means most of their body is a light tan color, but their ears and face are black. This means you’ll end up visible light fur on your dark clothes, and dark fur on your white clothes.

Weight. They are prone to obesity and most are food obsessed. To keep them at healthy weight you (as the owner) will need to be disciplined with limiting their food access and intake.

They’re expressive. Pugs can make a lot of noises compared to other dogs, and they use these to express their emotions. I was really surprised when I first got my pugs how much they could communicate to me through their body language.

Stubborn. They can be stubborn. Pugs are sometimes mistaken as dull, but they aren’t low in intelligence. They can be stubborn, though which can result in them being challenging to train. The difficulty with training pugs isn’t usually getting them to understand the request, but convincing them that they want to comply with it!

Emotionally needy. Pugs are not high maintenance – but needy. They want to be with you as often as possible. If you don’t want a lap dog, don’t go with a pug.

Heartbreak. They’ll absolutely break your heart when they pass. They really capture your heart. The heartache you’ll feel when they pass is worse than losing other dogs, in my opinion. With pugs they love you so much that it makes you love them more deeply. That loss really hurts.