Pugs have one of the best temperaments in dogdom — sociable, comic, affectionate, good with children, and content in a flat. They are also, as a breed, carrying the consequences of extreme selection for a flat face.
Both things are true, and a guide that only says one of them is not much use.
Breathing
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) affects a large proportion of Pugs. The skull was shortened without proportionally reducing the soft tissue inside, so many have narrowed nostrils, an overlong soft palate, a narrow windpipe and everted laryngeal saccules.
Snorting, snuffling and snoring are not charming quirks. They are signs of obstruction.
Signs that matter:
- Noisy breathing at rest
- Fatigue on short walks
- Gagging or retching, especially around food
- Blue-tinged gums on exertion
- Sleeping propped up, or sleeping sitting
- Collapse in heat or excitement
Surgery helps. Widening the nostrils and shortening the soft palate produces substantial improvement, and outcomes are better when done younger. If your Pug is noisy, ask for a BOAS assessment rather than accepting it as breed-typical.
Heat is the emergency. Research puts brachycephalic breeds at several times the heat-related illness risk of other dogs. Walk early and late, never mid-day in summer, never leave them in a car, and treat any collapse as an emergency.
Always a harness, never a collar.
Eyes
The second major issue. Prominent eyes in shallow sockets, with reduced blink coverage.
Common problems:
- Corneal ulcers, which can progress alarmingly fast in this breed and occasionally result in loss of the eye
- Proptosis — the eyeball displaced from the socket after even minor head trauma. An absolute emergency
- Dry eye
- Entropion, where the lid rolls in and lashes rub the cornea
- Pigmentary keratitis, where pigment spreads across the cornea and reduces vision
Any squinting, redness, cloudiness, discharge or pawing at the eye is a same-day veterinary visit. Eyes deteriorate over hours, not days.
Practical measures: keep nasal fold hair from contacting the eye, never let them run through undergrowth at head height, and never use a collar.
Skin folds
The facial wrinkles trap moisture, food and debris, and become infected.
Clean and dry them weekly, or daily in a deep-folded dog. Wipe, then dry properly — the drying is what matters.
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For the nose roll and the facial folds, followed by a dry cotton pad. A damp fold is an infected fold within a few days, and this is the most reliably neglected part of Pug care.
Other health
Pug dog encephalitis (necrotising meningoencephalitis) — a serious, breed-specific inflammatory brain disease, usually in young adults. Signs include seizures, circling, blindness and behaviour change. A DNA test identifies increased genetic risk.
Hemivertebrae. The screw tail is a vertebral malformation, and abnormal vertebrae elsewhere in the spine can cause hind limb weakness and incontinence.
Obesity. Pugs gain weight easily and it makes breathing, joints and heat tolerance all worse. This is the single biggest thing within your control.
Patellar luxation and hip dysplasia.
Ear infections, from narrow canals.
Dental disease, from crowded teeth in a compressed jaw.
Day-to-day
Exercise: short and frequent. Two or three walks of 15 to 20 minutes, cool parts of the day, flat ground. Watch the breathing constantly, and stop before they are struggling.
Weight: feel for ribs monthly. A lean Pug breathes better and lives longer.
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Choose a shallow-pattern maze bowl — deep channels are difficult for a flat face to reach into. Pugs bolt food and gain weight easily, and slowing the meal helps both.
Coat: short, double, and it sheds far more than people expect. A rubber curry mitt twice a week.
Teeth: brush several times a week. Crowded mouths develop disease early.
Swimming: most Pugs cannot swim. Heavy front, short legs, compromised breathing. Never leave one unsupervised near water, including a garden pond.
Sleeping: many are more comfortable with the head slightly raised.
Choosing one responsibly
If you want a Pug, the choices made before purchase matter more than anything afterwards.
- Prefer a more moderate face with visible open nostrils and some muzzle length. There is a real movement within the breed towards healthier conformation, and those dogs breathe
- Ask about BOAS grading of the parents under a recognised scheme
- Ask about DNA testing for pug dog encephalitis
- Ask about spinal imaging and eye testing
- Meet the mother and listen to her breathe
- Consider adoption. Pug rescues are full, frequently of dogs surrendered over medical costs
Temperament
Genuinely excellent. Sociable with everyone, good with children, rarely aggressive, adaptable, and funny in a way that is hard to describe to people who have not lived with one.
They are stubborn in training, food-obsessed (which helps), and they do not cope well with being alone for long periods.
The honest summary
A well-bred, moderate-faced, lean Pug with open nostrils can have a comfortable life, and there are plenty of them.
An extreme-faced, overweight Pug will struggle every summer, will likely need airway surgery, and will accumulate eye and skin problems along the way.
The difference is decided partly by the breeder and partly by you. Weight, heat management, fold hygiene, a harness, prompt attention to eyes, and a BOAS assessment rather than an assumption — those are the six things that change the outcome.
