8 Things You Must Know Before Buying a Pug

Yusra Ameen
5 min readNov 21, 2022

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Photo by Diana Parkhouse on Unsplash

Known as adorable dogs, PUGs are popular dogs with a lot of people interested in them. Pugs are friendly, loyal, play full, and have a great sense of humor. They possess a lot of unique qualities, BUT that may not be for everyone: Yes! You will be shocked to know that the vet considers pugs to be the WORST breed. Yes, it is shocking but true.

“what makes this canine friend so bad to live with”?

There are several reasons for a pug being the worst. In this article, we intend to focus on the Pug’s identity, which helps you determine whether your personality and way of life are in harmony with the nature and characters of the Pug breed. We urge you to think about these differences before purchasing Pug and talk about important things you need to consider before getting it at home.

Pug requires a lot of attention:

Having a dog that requires your attention is great. But it becomes annoying when it needs attention all the time. If you get a pug, expect it to be at your feet as your shadow. It will follow you everywhere as they need more attention than other dogs. Pugs need their owner available and the center of attention. Leaving a Pug for long will lead it towards abnormal behavior like digging and scratching, which is supposed to be separation anxiety.

Pug sheds a lot:

Pugs have short hairs and shed A LOT. The pug owner constantly needs a vacuum due to the amount of hair they shed wherever they sit. During the time of the blowout, their coat the pug shedding increases twice per year. So the cleaning had to be done regularly, this can take a lot of time and energy. Before making any decision, you need to think twice about getting a dog breed (Pug).

Pugs behavior towards eating:

Pugs are greedy-type dogs when they come in contact with food. They tend to eat anything or everything given to them, leading to being overweight, which is linked to further health issues. So, there is a need to confine them from overeating.

Pugs are not easily trained:

Training a bug to stop sudden unwanted behavior can be difficult. Apart from being stubborn, Pugs take a lot of time to respond to your comments regularly. Body training can also be an issue. An experienced dog owner could housetrain their dog within three months, but an ordinary dog can take six months or as long as it could be a year.

Pugs need high maintenance:

Pugs need care and a fair amount of grooming as they are high-maintenance dogs. Meanwhile, they need cleaning and drying regularly. Pugs have facial folds, so it requires more effort to thoroughly clean these skin folds and ears deeply to protect them from infections.

Frequent brushing is necessary to minimize shedding. Their nails grow fast, so there is a need to trim them on time. They also need to empty their anal gland sometimes, which is such an unpleasant job.

Due to numerous health issues, a pug has to visit the vet frequently, which could lead to a hole in your pocket. As a pug owner, you must be prepared to pay expensive bills to keep your breed in good shape.

Low activity of Pug:

Pugs are not active dogs and prefer not to play games. If you take your Pug outside for a walk, initially, it will accompany you, but once they get tired, they stop walking and sit down for rest. Because of health issues, they cannot engage in many physical activities, leading to weight gain, which can also cause further severe health issues. So, if you prefer an active dog to engage in physical activity, a pug might not be a high breed.

Pug’s Health Problems:

The most important thing about Pugs is that they have thousands of genetic health issues. Compared to an average dog, pugs need more animal care. So if you decide to have a pug, be ready to spend time and money on a visit to a veterinarian. As pugs face many health problems:

● The pugs are Brachycephalic because of their flattened face. Meaning their excess soft tissues block their windpipe, restrict the airflow and make it hard for them to breathe. Plus, causes problems during physical exercise making them snore a lot more than you like.

● This condition also make them more sensitive to heat & humidity and unable to survive in extreme weather conditions. Which let them face skin allergies and eye infections.

● Besides, a recent study stated that 64 percent of pugs experience “hip dysplasiawhich causes their joints and the hip begin to develop abnormally.

Pug to Weather conditions:

Pugs cannot withstand hot temperatures. They do not do well in hot weather. Because of their anatomical body configuration, pugs easily overheat themselves. This can lead to severe results like stroke and other long-term health problems. So, If you live in a place of hot temperature, you should consider going with a breed that might be able to cope with these conditions.

Likewise, pugs cannot tolerate extreme cold conditions in hot weather conditions. So, if you stay in an area with extremely cold conditions, you need to put a lot of effort into keeping your Pug safe.

The bottom line is; buying a pug is all depends on whether you are ready to ignore all their shortcomings and — focus on the pros they offer. But in the end, it will be better to go with a dog breed that suits your lifestyle and requirements.

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