All About Puggles

Thanks to Eduardo's Mom for this great review on Puggles.

Alright a quick rundown of the breed, everything you need to know about puggles.

One quick note:Every purebred breed was established by mixing one breed with another at some point in time to create a certain look, desired trait or working ability.

A puggle is a hybrid. A hybrid is an intentional mix of two purebred dogs and a mutt is generally one of unknown parentage - usually on the father's side (the uh oh factor). A puggle can be registered as CKC, as long as the parents are AKC/CKC purebreds.

1st generation puggles are: Half beagle-Half pug

2nd generation puggles are: Half puggle-Half puggle

Although the Puggle is a mixed or hybrid dog, a true Puggle has verifiable (registered) purebred parents. Without the registration, anyone can tell you the parents are purebred. If you are looking for your puggle to look a certain way you need to find out what the parents are.

Traditional puggles(i.e. One that looks like Eduardo) are 1st generation. But ones that are multi-colored are second generation. It is looked down upon to breed puggle to puggle as if we ever want to establish puggles as a breed then they must all have the same look.

Puggles are energetic dogs with a thickset body, a smooth short-haired coat of fawn, tan, apricot (golden) or black in color (white markings may also be present), a wrinkled forehead, curled tail, black facial mask and drooping ears. Not all puggles have these features, every puggle is different. Depending on the size of the parents, Puggles stand at a height of 10-15" at the shoulder and weigh between 15-30 pounds at maturity.

Eduardo was the runt of the litter so he is fairly small for a puggle, standing at 12" and weighing 21 pounds most puggles we meet are bigger than him! Both beagles & pugs are food obsessed so if your looking for the best why to train your puggle, I suggest using food.

From what I've read & my own experience training Eduardo, puggles are very easy to train. They pick up on things so quickly & Eduardo has a great memory. Like their parents, puggles are sensitive to the tone of your voice and body language so bold gestures or harsh tones can upset your puggle. Usually if I say, "Eduardo, NO SIR!" he will stop what he is doing & run straight to his bed!

They love to play, walk and snuggle with their owners. Beagles are very active dogs, loving to play. Some pugs are active but most love to relax. Mix these two together and you'll have a dog that's willing to play WHENEVER, WHERE EVER or feel like staying in & relaxing? No problem! Puggles love to snuggle!(That's why Eduardo's nickname is Eduardo the Snuggle Puggle).

Since they are a mixture of beagle and pug, Puggles can inherit characteristics of either breed. They can develop a howl like a beagle, a muffled throaty sounding bark of the pug, a normal dog bark or talk very little at all. Puggles make a variety of interesting sounds also. Most puggles that I have met do grunt like pugs. Eduardo grunts like a little pug when he gets too excited, & howls just like a beagle when he sees someone to close to the house. Puggles do whine and growl like every other dog can.

Beagles and pugs can and do sometimes snore. Eduardo is the KING of snoring, he will wake me up sometimes because I'm scared he's having trouble breathing. Puggles like most animals, have occasional gas and believe me they are stinky little farts! LOL!

Unlike their full-blooded parents, Puggles do not usually experience the same issues that some find troublesome. Full blooded Pugs can suffer from breathing complications and intolerance to warmer and cooler temperatures due to their almost nonexistent muzzle. Purebred Beagles love to hunt and will often become distracted by a scent and wander away from home if left unattended. They'll come home eventually but beagles can get injured or killed due to their nature. They tend to run with their head down, unaware of the world around them and are often hit by passing cars. Because of this, beagles need to be kept indoors, on a leash or in a large run when not accompanied by their human family.

Puggles have an elongated muzzle inherited from their mother, and usually does not become overly distracted by scents and has a wrinkled face through maturity. But puggles do have a nose for trouble! They sometimes can get a scent & just stay with it for a while unless they are pulled away from it with a call. Eduardo will go to the dog park & smell the entire park before playing with any dogs!

Most puggle puppies do go through a chewing stage. Eduardo completely grew out of his chewing stage at about 1 year. I'm sure it was a little before that but I remember by time his birthday came around he hadn't chewed up anything, & his Daddy was so proud!

Puggles have short fur but once it hits summer, they shed, a lot! So before getting a puggle you may want to get a good dog brush! Eduardo is not allowed on our bed unless a blanket is up there, because he sheds so much.(I don't mind it, his Daddy does though!).

Most puggles I have met are very friendly. Beagles & pugs are both consider family dogs. Eduardo thinks everyone is his friend & wants loving from everyone.

Now about where to find a puggle. I personally recommend pups raised inside a home. Generally, pups raised in a home environment instead of a kennel (no matter how nice) learn socialization skills that many pups do not. When living among a family, (depending on breeder and program) they are used to household noises from birth, tend to be handled and played with more often, receive care on a constant basis, seem happier, are potty pad trained, get some obedience training, gain more socialization skills, are generally cleaner, are not exposed to outdoor parasites, or fecal material of their mother or other kennel residents.

If raised in a kennel, they may be cleaned and handled at feeding time but may not have much human contact otherwise. It's certainly much harder to bring a pup in from a kennel to cuddle with on the couch rather than walking from one room to the other.

It's important to note also that not all breeds of dogs are raised to be family companions. Some dogs are working dogs, guard dogs, some are show dogs, etc. and may have different socialization needs.

Interested in doing a write up on your dog? Email me at info@poochieheaven.com or leave a comment.