10 Most Interesting Facts About The Puggle

Part Pug, part beagle, the Puggle is a precious little dog that has the personality of a much bigger dog. He’ll likely have you in stitches most of the time and you’ll be able to enjoy being entertained by this adorable little dog that has grown in popularity as a designer breed.

Designer breed dogs are not registered as pure breeds because they have not yet been accepted into any major breed associations as pure breeds. It can take thirty years or more of breeding history to establish a breed.

For now, this is a mix of two pure breeds, done for purposes of personality and health benefits.

The Pug

The pug is an adorable, big-eyed dog known for having very human-like facial expressions. The pug is often the subject of cartoonists and artists, photographers and more. Known to be very well-behaved and mild-mannered, the pug is a fun subject for artists to work with.

His facial expressions include raising eyebrows over a face that is typically flattened as if he had run face-first into a window. Not to worry, he’s supposed to look like that. When he smiles, his tongue will flap out of his mouth and his cheeks will draw back into an enormous grin.

Due to the shape of his head and nose, he’s got a round face that humans associate as a tiny person.

In fact, his personality will make him seem as though he is a very tiny human being. The pug can be stubborn and hard to train, but is typically very good with children and other household pets.

They enjoy going for walks and being the center of social life, but don’t expect them to run any races. This little dog can be active but not in a sporting event sort of way.

The pug is prone to breathing issues, thanks to that nose that is flattened on his face. When the weather is hot, he’ll have a hard time outside in the heat for long.

He can overheat very easily due to the way his nasal passages are crammed into that small space and he’ll enjoy taking a nap in the air conditioning far more on hot days.

Pugs can be surprisingly active when the weather suits them though. They enjoy a good romp outdoors and they love to play with kids in the yard.

They vary in personality, so while one pug might enjoy playing fetch with you, the next pug may look at you as if you are daft. It is that very look that has made him such a popular breed.

With wrinkles on his forehead, his legs, and his back, the pug almost has no neck. He will come in all black or fawn color with a black face, referred to as his black mask. He’s built wide across the chest and shoulders.

You could mistake him for a miniature bulldog at a glance, but he is more trim in the middle and has a small tail that is only a few inches long and curls over his back, almost like a corkscrew.

In fact, it’s hard to even look at a pug and not smile. When they smile at you, you simply have to smile back.

They are very happy to bring you comic relief in exchange for treats, this is a food motivated dog, but don’t expect him to be overly obedient if there isn’t something in it for him. They’re smart and they don’t like to work for free.

Possible Pug Health Concerns

• Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome (BAOS) is the result of that cute little squished up face they have. With reduced skull length, there is excess soft tissue in their airway and it can inhibit their ability to breathe.

  Sometimes they sound terrible and their airway is being obstructed. This is why you need to keep a close eye on your Pug to be sure that he is breathing and getting air to his lungs if he starts to make a lot of rattling noises and gasping.

• Eye problems are also an issue with Pugs. Because they have those enormous brown eyes that protrude from their skulls, they have a habit of running into things and causing eye injury. They also can have issues with dry eyes or inverted eyelids. You should also be aware that sometimes they can cough hard or run into something hard and one of their eyes can pop out of the socket.

  It’s disgusting to see but it doesn’t cause them pain. Keep the eye wet and get them to the veterinarian who can pop it back in quickly and can also teach you how to do it at home. It is sort of disgusting if you are squeamish person but knowing how to do it yourself will save you a lot of vet visits with dogs who are prone to this issue.

• Pugs are also prone to skin allergies and will itch like crazy if they have them. If they do inherit skin issues, they’ll have hot spots, dry skin with dandruff, and chew on themselves rather relentlessly. It is horrible to watch them be so uncomfortable.

  You’ll want to visit the veterinarian and have them screened for skin allergens and see about getting a prescription that will help alleviate the symptoms for them so that they aren’t miserable. Luckily, most of the triggering allergens are seasonal.

• Skeletal issues, particularly with the joints, can plague this breed. They’re a sturdy dog being supported by short legs. They have a tendency to have bad joints in their legs that can become painful. If you notice limping, favoring one side or the other, holding a leg up, sitting sideways or anything abnormal with the way they walk, see your veterinarian. You don’t want them in pain and their doctor can make suggestions based on the extent of the condition.

• Pugs are also unfortunate victims of hereditary seizure disorders sometimes. Seizures are quite scary to witness and they can also be harmful and dangerous. If your Pug has a seizure, see your veterinarian as soon as possible. While a seizure may not be life-threatening, a condition may exist that could be very harmful and put your dog in a dangerous position one day. Medications exist that can help control seizure activity.

The Size of the Pug

A pure breed Pug will weight between 14 and 18 pounds if he is a normal weight. They are prone to getting rather portly, so be careful not to overfeed your Pug. Being too heavy can lead to some of that joint pain mentioned before and cause back issues as they age too.

Your Pug should stand approximately 10 to 14 inches tall at the shoulders, referred to as the withers. If he is a healthy Pug, and you are careful with his exercise and weight, he will likely live a very long time. Pugs are quite capable of living 12 to 15 years which is rather long for a dog.

The Beagle

The beagle is a member of the hound group. Known for smelling a single skin cell, this breed is often used at airports to casually walk around and sniff luggage as it is being carried or wheeled through the airport. They can smell an orange and customs will remove it from your bag. No transportation of certain fruits and foods across borders or even state lines in some cases.

The Beagle comes in different sizes. The 13-inch Beagle is small being 13 inches at the wethers or smaller. The 15-inch Beagle will be larger than 13 inches and as tall as 15. They are otherwise identical.

Bred be scent hounds, the Beagle will track rabbits with passion, howling and barking in a joyful sound often referred to as The Beagle Bray. They are pack hunters by nature. If you have ten Beagles, they will work together to find a scent and follow it. They sound like bugles moving through a forest. Very badly played bugles, but nonetheless there is not a better description.

They will flush any small game and give chase yet they will learn to be very accepting of cats and other household pets if they are socialized and taught young.

Beagles have gentle eyes and a demeanor that is so sweet that they’ve been used for scientific experimentation for many years, sadly. They allow nearly anything to be done to them without fighting, so they are tortured in the name of testing cosmetics and other products.

There are many protests about this treatment and the breed is seeing fewer losses to laboratories and more love in homes, thanks to groups like the Beagle Freedom Project.

Beagles are highly intelligent, are surprisingly cuddly and are highly food motivated. This makes them agreeable and trainable to the person savvy enough to use food rewards. Beagles work in many capacities besides hunting.

They can be airport dogs, mascots, reading assistance dogs, service dogs with a keen nose to detect seizures and glucose fluctuations. They have an incredible nose and you won’t hide the treats anywhere that they can’t find them either.

Beagles are wonderful with children and will follow them around everywhere they go. They will sleep in your bed, on your sofa and, in typical hound fashion, will sleep most of the time until you grab a leash. They can go from 0 to 120 mph in a flash if you are taking them somewhere.

Beagles are very social dogs, enjoying the attention of people and they are typically great with other dogs and animals as well.

A beagle will happily sleep in your lap and snuggle with you for hours, making you think that they could never be a working dog, but they are very capable of switching gears and getting that nose to work.

Beagles excel at search and rescue work and are genuinely depressed if they find a victim who has perished. They are enthusiastic about all that they do, including finding missing persons.

Possible Beagle Health Concerns

Overall, the Beagle is known for being a pretty healthy breed but they can be susceptible to a few things that we shall mention here.

• Patellar Luxation - a problem within the joint of their knee, only in the hind legs. Dogs are similar to humans in that the front legs have more of an elbow while the hind legs have a knee. The joint can move in and out of place, causing pain and lameness. In the worst cases it may require surgery.
• Epilepsy - Sometimes the beagle can be epileptic. This is a genetic trait passed from a parent. If you purchase a Beagle from a very reputable breeder, the chances of this condition are very slim. They screen parents before they breed them together.
• Glaucoma - This is an issue that can befall any dog of any breed but some breeds have issues more than others. This isn’t typically a huge issue in Beagles.
• Allergies - Some beagles can have very bad skin allergies or flea dermatitis, meaning that one flea bite can send them into a licking and chewing frenzy for days. Bathing them regularly helps and using flea prevention is an absolute must for them.
• Chronic ear infections - Due to the long ears, keep their ears cleaned on a very regular basis so that an infection can’t get started. Their ears keep air from drying out the ear canal naturally sometimes. Don’t tie your dogs ears up over their head with hair ties though! This can actually cut circulation off and cause a loss of blood flow that could cause them to lose their ears. Just keep them cleaned once per week and that should do the trick.

The Size of the Beagle

As mentioned, there are two sizes, the 13-inch Beagle and the 15-inch Beagle. They range in weight from 20 to 30 pounds, depending on which size they are. They are the 6th most popular dog in the world and were bred just for their size.

Beagles were considered the hunting dog for those too poor to afford a horse. Thanks to their short stature and legs, they can’t run as fast as foxhounds, allowing a human to give chase on foot when the dogs are flushing and chasing game. A hunter need only be able to follow the sounds of the bellows of the pack to know where their dogs are.

You can expect a healthy Beagle to live as long as 10 to 15 years.

The Puggle Mixed From Both

Puggles are a wonderful mix of both of the above breeds. By breeding a Pug to a Beagle, many of the Pug’s health issues are less of a concern because the Beagle tends to be healthier.

The breathing problems are also alleviated because the Puggle will most typically have the head shape of a Beagle, without the flattened nose. This alleviates all of the problems with overheating and breathing in the summertime.

Most Puggles with have the color of a Pug, the head of a Beagle and a body that is a mixture of both shapes. Puggles are normally more slender like a Beagle but may have the legs of a Pug. It is a crap shoot when you are mixing first generations of designer dogs. They can be 50/50 or take more after one dog or the other.

Puggles will generally take their size from the Beagle but there is little difference in height between the Pug or Beagle; the Puggle is bound to be small. If a 13-inch Beagle is used in the breeding of the designer puppies, miniature Puggles are the result.

Puggles are cute, energetic, have fewer overall health issues, have the same expressions as the Pug, with the loving personality of both parent dogs. In fact, Pugs and Beagles make great dogs to mix together. They are both loving family pets. They both enjoy cuddling, kids, and being the center of attention.

It is a match made in Heaven in many ways. To those who have owned a Puggle, they will never have another breed of dog because they’ve been smitten.

A Puggle will live anywhere from 10 to 15 years, and have few health issues in most cases. They do have the potential to inherit any breed specific issues that were mentioned above. The odds are simply reduced that inheriting these things will happen as the gene pool has been expanded by breeding two different breeds together.

Puggles tend to be very social with other dogs and with people. Aggression is exceptionally rare from either of the parent breeds. Puggles have never been known to show aggression towards people or other pets in the household.

You won’t need to worry that you can’t keep up with a Puggle but they may be more active than a Pug. Since the Beagle is a very strong runner and athletic hound, the Puggle does enjoy some games of fetch, frisbee, or runs on the beach. They will enjoy dog friends to play with too.

You’ll want to be very consistent with potty training. Both breeds can take a little longer in that respect, but once they catch on, they’ve got it forever. Part of the problem is that they are very wiggly and excitable babies and they lose self-control. They’ll catch on. Don’t worry.

You’ll likely have a puppy with the Pug tail but there are variations of both and mixes between. No matter what it looks like, it will wag or wiggle at 120 mph. Beagle tails wave constantly when they are on a trail or happy. Pug tails wiggle as if they are vibrating.

Your Puggle will be a combination of both most likely and you’ll get many years of happiness and snuggles from your Puggles. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

Sources:

Puggle
All About the Puggle Breed
Is This Mischievous Dog Right For You?
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