Any advise on pug x breeds?

cleopatra4485

Hi all

I have a nearly 5 year old and the one thing on her mind for a while has been getting a puppy.

I work from home and me and my husband are quite keen too as more children are not on the cards. I have only been around big dogs so looking for advice on small breeds.

I have met a couple of pugs and I love their temperament. My daughter is very mild mannered and gentle so I would have no worries about her being rough... so seems like the perfect choice for us.

The only issue I have on researching them is the health problems with breathing and their flat faces.

I am thinking a x breed would help with this?

I am just wondering if anyone has any advice on what breed would be a suitable x with a pug? or even better anyone that has a pug x?

We are not in any rush so will quite happily wait for the right dog to come along

Raksha

Beagles are commonly crossed with pugs, the result being called a Puggle. They are often sturdy little dogs, but if the hunting side of the Beagle comes through, without sufficient training, they can become deaf to commands... I find the best way to train a Beagle is plenty of food rewards, but watch for overfeeding, as they are prone to carrying excess weight.

trolleyrun

I know you are thinking about a pug cross, but look at this little face. I'd have her if I could

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/2566-124961/1/krissy.html?uf_Breed=Jack+Russell+Terrier&

krlyr

How about making a list of things you'd like in a dog and seeing what other breeds, or even individual dogs (smaller rescues may be able to assess a dog a bit better than larger places like Battersea etc.)? It may be that there are several alternatives to a Pug that would suit, without the potential health issues.

Personally I'd be very wary buying a purposely bred crossbred like a "Puggle", if that's a route you were considering - ultimately they are a crossbreed and lots of breeders are in it for the money, or the cutesyness of puppies, and so on. I feel that if a breeder liked the Pug but disliked the health issues, they would develop a more specific breeding program to improve the breed. This may involve some crossbreeding but I would expect it to be done very carefully - and certainly not coining the pups things like Puggles!

For example, Labradoodles came about with the aim of producing non-allergenic guide dogs with the trainability of the usual Labradors - they'd tried training purebred Poodles with no luck. The 'founder' of Labradoodles has since said he regrets it, due to all the backyard breeders who've jumped on the bandwagon. Selectively breeding puppies with non-allergenic coats to pups with non-allergenic coats would create a 'breed' with non-allergenic coats..eventually. But the trend of sticking a Poodle with a Lab/Cocker Spaniel/whatever else dog takes their fancy, or the other crossbreeds popping up like Puggles, Jugs, Pomchis, etc. will just result in a random mix of physical and behavioural traits from either breed, with no predictability or consistancy. You're paying a premium for what is essentially a mixed breed.

(and just to say, because it often gets thrown back - I'm certainly not anti crossbreed, I own a very lovely one myself. But I certainly don't dub her a Rotten Shepherd, as rotten as she can be at times, nor is she a Germweiler or whatever other silly name you want to coin it :rotfl:)

teddysmum

Deliberately crossing two breeds with problems can result in a puppy with the health problems of both breeds. These designer crosses are sold , sometimes, for more than pure breeds, yet there are hundreds in rescues.


Some rescues have a blanket ban on rehoming where there are young children, but some of the smaller ones consider individual circumstances and are likely to have assessed the dog in home surroundings, often with children.

thorsoak

One of the problems of buying into the "designer" cross-breeds is that everyone thinks that they will have the best of both worlds - but conversely, you can finish up with a dog that has the WORST of both worlds - brachycardic breathing, long back problems.

You only ever see the "cute" dogs - there are also the non-cute ones.....

Reputable breeders do NOT go in for these cross breeds - you want a dog for your family to love for a long life - I would suggest that, if possible, you go to somewhere like the Discover Dogs section at Crufts (coming up in March) and talk to the owners/breeders of the small dogs that might take your fancy. And believe me - you won't pay as much for a good dog than you would for a so-called designer dog!

Person_one

I have to agree with the other posters that you'd find it very difficult to find an ethical and responsible breeder of pug crosses. I'm not against crossbreeding at all, in fact its probably the only chance the pug has of surviving for much longer as a breed, however the vast majority of the people actually doing it are in it for the money and don't care about welfare.

I would give up on the pug idea, honestly. For some reason they're trendy at the moment so the world and his wife are breeding them and they're getting more and more health problems, more and more disfigured. A lot of them just can't enjoy the things that dogs love, running, playing, etc.

There are lots and lots of smaller breeds that can make great 'starter' dogs for families with young children, but every dog is an individual so you can't count on them behaving exactly as the breed books say they will! The biggest influence on a pup's temperament and behaviour is its owners, so you'll have to do tons and tons of research and put a lot of time and effort in, whichever breed you choose.

krlyr

thorsoak wrote: »

You only ever see the "cute" dogs - there are also the non-cute ones.....

Oh yes! I saw a very strange looking "Puggle" the other day. Picture a Beagle body and colours, with a very disproportionate Boxer dog type face - bizarre!

Whoop

My advice is don't get one!

lostinrates

Op, like you I like every pug I have met.

However, I have long accepted I will not support their breeding or cross breeding. I feel the same a about a few cat breeds and other dog breeds too.

They are lovely little people, every one I have met.



There are lots of equally lovely, lovely dogs, cute ones too.

cleopatra4485

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice.

I certainly don't want a pug for the designer element. I just simply fell in love with the ones I met Me and my daughter met a french bulldog once that took a liking to her...they are way out of my price range though. Both calm, docile, loving breeds (usually) which is exactly what I am looking for. I want something short-haired too.

I read somewhere that crossbreeds are usually better in health than pedigree.. I was hoping maybe there was a lovely docile breed out there that crossed well with a pug. Damn!

I wouldn't rule out adoption, but we really wanted our first family dog from a puppy. I have been checking out dogs online from various charities, but they all seem to be staffies. The small ones are either Jack Russells (a breed I am not keen on) or state not for a home with small children.

More thinking to be done obviously