The Pug: A Dog With Chinese Ancestors...

A Pug is "a lot of dog in a small space." Pug dogs are delightfully friendly animals; they love everyone and are gentle with children. They are playful and charming. Clever and mischievous - with a heart-winning personality.

Pugs are toy dogs, and, although they are sturdy and have a thick, fine velvety coat, they cannot live 'rough'.

They need drying when they come indoors wet, some warmth in cold weather, and must not be given strenuous exercise in the heat of a summer's day as this will make them very uncomfortable.

Most Pugs are quite easy to feed. They should not be allowed to get obese, but their frame should be well covered. They are very good company and keeping this breed of dog can provide a great deal of interest.

They can be a bit willful. Highly intelligent, it bores easily with repetitive training practices. They are clean, learn quickly, and are intensely aware of things around them birds, butterflies and even aeroplanes. They will watch television and gel very excited at certain programmers.

Its only weakness is a tendency to enjoy its meals and treats too much and become overweight. One major drawback of the breed is that Pugs tend to shed all year round, especially fawn-colored pugs.

Another (minor) downside of this breed is that pugs tend to be too exclusive in their relationships. They sometimes have difficulties in sharing their owner's affection and attention with anyone else.

Pugs are sensitive to the tone of your voice, so harsh punishment is unnecessary. They quickly learn each other's names; if one Pug has a ball and the owner calls out 'Rosy's got if, the other Pugs will look for her and try to take the ball away. They enjoy country walks and will career over the fields, and on sandy beaches they will search for small crabs once they have been shown where to find them.

They are usually very good travelers and readily enter a car, but they should be introduced to car travel while quite young.

They make good town dwellers but, of course, are happier when they have a garden, however small, in which to play. They have become more expensive to buy, but are such a joy to own that one cannot but feel it is money well spent.

Their life span is approximately 12 years.