Thinking of buying a pug puppy? Read these essential articles first

The pug is the UK’s third most popular dog breed, and they’re a very versatile pick for people who want a loving and very entertaining companion that does not also require hours and hours of daily exercise.

Both their unusual looks and vitally, thoroughly unique personalities make pugs the type of breed that many people love on sight and that others warm to over time, and their small, compact size means they’re a viable choice of dog for people living in homes of all sizes, and in both the city and countryside.

However, pugs also sometimes come accompanied by complex health and care requirements and they are all too often bought on a whim or without sufficient research, which does both dog and owner a huge disservice and is apt to result in unhappiness for both parties.

If you’re thinking of buying a pug, make sure this is the right breed for you before you go ahead and make a purchase by reading these ten articles about pug ownership, care and health to get you started.

Choosing the right pug breeder

Not all pugs are created equal, and when you choose a dog you’re also by design choosing a breeder. Picking a responsible, experienced breeder who produces healthy dogs with welfare in mind is vital; and this article will tell you what to look for in a pug breeder (and what to avoid) when you start shopping around.

The most common health challenges in the pug breed

Picking a healthy puppy is no guarantee of future health, but knowing how to spot problems in the making certainly helps!

To do this, you need to first understand the basics of pug health and the most common health challenges found within the breed, and this article is a good place to start to find out what type of potential problems pugs might face when they grow up, and why.

What you need to know about the pug personality

A lot is said about the pug personality and how there really aren’t any other dogs quite like them, and this is almost as distinctive to those who know pugs as their rather more obvious physical appearance!

Before buying a puppy, you need to know what living with them will be like, and this article on the pug personality will provide you with a basic introduction to the topic.

Training a pug

Training different types of dogs requires different types of approaches, and the key to this is finding out what motivates the dog and gains and keeps their attention.

It is important to have a plan for how you’re going to go about training your dog before you bring them home, and this article on motivating pugs during training is the ideal place to start.

What don’t you know about pugs?

One of the challenges of researching dog ownership even if you’re being really careful to learn everything possible is that in order to find out more about something, you need to have some pointers that you need to know about it in the first instance!

If you don’t know what you don’t know, you can’t find out…. So fill in the gaps in your knowledge with this introduction to ten things you need to know about pugs before you buy one.

An introduction to pug health and health tests

The pug breed is one with some complex health challenges, many of which come down to the conformation that itself causes the breed to be in great demand.

Find out what you’re getting in to and how to increase the chances of picking a healthy pug puppy by reading this article on pug health and recommended health tests.

Pug dog breathing problems

Pugs have a flattened face, which is known as being brachycephalic; and as well resulting in unique looks, it can and sometimes does have a direct impact on the dog’s health and comfort when it comes to the fundamental ability to breathe.

How flat the dog’s face is has a direct impact on this; so find out before you buy a puppy how this is, what to look for in a pug’s facial conformation, and what type of breathing problems can affect the pug here.

Protecting your pug’s eyes

Pugs have prominent, protruding eyes, and this is more pronounced in some dogs of the breed than others, once more depending on the flatness of their faces.

These prominent eyes make pugs more at risk of eye injuries and particularly, scratches to the cornea; which you can find out more about, and learn how to prevent, here.

Pugs, their gait and mobility problems

Another area in which pug health can be complex and variable pertains to their spin and back, which can result in pain and mobility problems. In fact, such issues may be so innate to the breed that up to a third of pugs may suffer with problems walking normally to some degree or another.

Find out more about this here.

The history of the pug

Finally, the pug is a breed with a long and interesting history, and it’s a good idea for anyone thinking of adding a pug to their family to learn a little more about it; you’ll find out more about the breed as a whole and how it looks today as well as where pugs came from and why they became so popular!