do you have any good info on small dogs mainly pugs?

Question

well were getting a new dog and my mom & dad say that it has to be small and i can pick one out. Lately i have been thinking about getting a pug could u give me all the facts on small dogs

Answer 1

pug
Height: 10-11 inches

Weight: 14-18 lbs.

Life Span: 12-14 yrs.



Overview
Pugs are playful, outgoing, loving, and very responsive to their families. They learn quickly and can do well in obedience classes. Most get along well with children and strangers and are friendly with other animals. Pugs are a good choice for city families with children.

Appearance
The pug's coat is fine, smooth, soft, short, and glossy. Coat color is silver, apricot-fawn, or black with a black mask and small, velvety black ears. Large, dark eyes are prominent on the short, blunt, wrinkled muzzle. The body is square and stocky, the tail tightly curled and twisted.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
Pugs need only a quick brushing once a week, though their head wrinkles need frequent cleaning with cotton balls moistened with water. A leisurely walk around the block suits pugs fine.

Origins
This delightful breed originated in ancient China, where it served as a loyal companion to royalty.

Special Alerts
It is especially important to obtain a pug from a reputable breeder. Breed-related health concerns: deformities of the nose and mouth that can interfere with breathing, Legg-Perthes disease, patellar luxation, Demodex mange, eye and eyelid problems, susceptibility to heatstroke, bladder stones, urethral obstruction.

Papillon
Height: 8-11 inches

Weight: 8-10 lbs.

Life Span: 12-15 yrs.



Overview
Papillons are friendly and gentle. They do very well in obedience school and love other animals and children, provided they are socialized with them early. Papillons are ideal for apartment dwellers and for people with sedentary lives.

Appearance
The papillon's abundant, flowing coat is long, fine, silky, and straight. It is predominantly white with patches of any other color, most commonly black, tan, or chestnut red. The distinctive butterfly-like ears -- papillon is French for "butterfly," -- are well fringed, the insides covered with silken hair of medium length.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
Papillons need to be brushed and combed two to three times a week and trimmed every three months. They do not require a lot of exercise, although they enjoy long, brisk walks.

Origins
The papillon was developed in the 17th century as a companion dog for European royalty. Both Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour owned papillons. These elegant little dogs appear in Italian frescoes and in paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Fragonard, and Titian.

Special Alerts
Breed-related health concerns: patellar luxation, deafness.


Pekingese
Height: 8-9 inches

Weight: 8-14 lbs

Life Span: 13-15 yrs

Overview
Some Pekes are stubborn and independent, making obedience training a challenge. They are cautious of strangers and are not fond of children under about ten years old. While they can be aloof or aggressive with other dogs, they are usually good with cats.
They can be alarm barkers, alerting the household when visitors arrive. Pekingese are well suited for apartment life, especially with an adult household.

Appearance
The outercoat is long, straight, and coarse, yet soft; the undercoat is thick. Feathering on the thighs, legs, tail, and toes is long and bushy; around the neck is a lion-like mane.

The coat may be red, fawn, black, black and tan, sable, brindle, white, or particolor. The Peke has a distinctive black mask and a short, broad, wrinkled muzzle.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
The Peke needs to be brushed and combed daily. Rather than exercise, this short, bowlegged dog likes to lounge on laps.

Origins
Known as the Lion Dog of China, the Pekingese is thought to be an ancient breed -- for centuries a favorite of the Chinese Imperial Court. In 18th-century China, stealing a Peke was punishable by death.

Special Alerts
Breed-related health concerns: umbilical hernias, eye problems, patellar luxation, undescended testicles, intervertebral disc protrusion, deformities of the nose and mouth that can interfere with breathing

Pomeranian
Height: 8-11 inches

Weight: 3-7 lbs

Life Span: 12-16 yrs

Breed Group: Northern Dogs

Overview
Pomeranians are eager to please, like training, and do very well in obedience classes. These spunky dogs may try to dominate other dogs, though they can get along with other animals. They may not be friendly with strangers, or even all family members, and may guard toys and food bowls and bark excessively if not socialized and trained at an early age. Pomeranians adapt well to apartment life and are a good choice for adult households.

Appearance
The Pomeranian's outercoat is profuse, coarse, and straight, with a large neck ruff; the undercoat is soft and thick. Coat color is red, orange, cream, sable, black, brown, blue, particolor (white with colored patches), or sable or black with tan markings. The fox-like ears are small and erect, the tail curls forward.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
Pomeranians need to be brushed two to three times a week and trimmed every three months. They need very little exercise.

Origins
The Pomeranian is probably descended from a large German spitz dog of the 16th century. Bred to its current size in the 19th century, the Pomeranian still thinks of itself as a big dog.

Special Alerts
It is especially important to obtain a Pomeranian from a reputable breeder. Breed-related health concerns: undescended testicles, patellar luxation, tracheal collapse, patent ductus arteriosus, progressive retinal atrophy, tooth and gum disease.

Miniature Poodle
Miniature and Toy:

Height: 22-27 inches

Weight: 45-70 lbs.

Life Span: 10-14 years



Overview

Well-bred poodles are among the brightest and most responsive breeds. There are three sizes (standard, miniature, and toy). All sizes are playful, affectionate, eager to please, and energetic. They enjoy working and get along well with other animals.


Miniature and toy poodles may be more reserved with strangers and less tolerant of children than standard poodles unless socialized with them at an early age. They are also more prone to biting than standards.


Poodles shine in obedience classes, which should begin early, as should socialization. They enjoy a good bark when someone comes to the door but are not aggressive.


Poodles do well in cities as long as they get enough exercise and social interaction. Beware of "teacup"-size poodles (which are tinier than toys); they seem to have a lot of temperament and health problems.



Appearance

The coat is abundant and dense and can be curly or corded. Coat color is solid gray, silver, apricot, black, white, blue-gray, brown, or cream.



Grooming & Exercise Needs

Poodles do not shed but still need to be combed and brushed a few times a week and clipped, scissored, and shaped every four to six weeks. Poodles need several long, brisk walks and romps in a secured area daily. Standards need more exercise than miniatures and toys.



Origins

The standard poodle originated in Germany during the Middle Ages and was used as a water retriever. Even then the coat was clipped (as it is today) to reduce water resistance and to enhance buoyancy. In 19th-century France the standard poodle was used often as a water retriever and circus dog.


Miniature and toy poodles were developed in England in the 18th century (during the reign of Queen Anne) and served as truffle hunters, performers, and companions.


"Poodle" comes from the German pudelin, which means "to splash in the water." Poodles of all sizes are sometimes erroneously referred to as French poodles.

Poodle Mixes

A Poodle Mix shows the diminutive size and alert expression common to Miniature and Toy Poodles


Overview
Poodle Mixes are usually bouncy, perky, affectionate dogs with lots of energy indoors and out. These dogs are so outgoing, playful, and smart that they are easy to train. Poodle Mixes are usually rather small. Because they are sensitive to pain, they are not suitable for households with children under seven years of age.

Appearance
Poodle Mixes have wavy to curly coats that often need to be professionally groomed or trimmed.
Most Mixes are small, but those originating from standard poodles can be medium to large.

Purebred Poodles are always solid colors, but Poodle Mixes inherit coat patterns from different breeds and can have various markings and ears of a contrasting color.




Shih Tzu

Height: 8-11 inches

Weight: 9-16 lbs

Life Span: 12-14 yrs



Overview
Shih Tzus are outgoing, happy, and affectionate companions that respond well to gentle obedience training. They love children, and get along with other animals and strangers. These small lapdogs are well suited to apartment living.

Appearance
The luxurious double coat is long, dense, and flowing, sometimes with a slight wave. Hair on top of the head is customarily tied up not only to enable the dog to see and to prevent eye infections, but also to be fashionable. All colors and markings are seen; the most common are black and white, gray and white, and tan and white. The heavily coated ears hang down, and the densely plumed tail curves well over the back.

Grooming & Exercise Needs
This breed must be brushed and combed daily to avoid severe matting. Most Shih Tzus are satisfied with a daily walk around the block and an occasional romp.

Origins
Over the centuries, depictions of this breed have appeared on Chinese carvings, embroideries, and other art objects. They were valued companions in Imperial China.

Special Alerts
It is especially important to obtain a Shih Tzu from a reputable breeder. Breed-related health concerns: congenital kidney problems, eye problems, hypertrophic pyloric gastropathy (a thickening of the junction of stomach and small intestine resulting in obstruction and vomiting), von Willebrand's disease (common disorder that causes excessive bleeding during or after surgery), atopy.



Dachshund
Height: Miniature: 5-9 inches Standard: 9-10 inches

Weight: Miniature: 9-11 lbs Standard: 16-32 lbs

Life Span: 10-12 yrs

Breed Group: Scent Hounds

Overview
Dachshunds are clever, lively, playful, and love to be involved in all family activities. The breed's stubbornness can usually be counteracted through training.
Dachshunds get bored with repetitious lessons but learn quickly if properly motivated. Ideal for city and apartment living, they can be cautious with strangers but get along with other animals.

Poorly bred dachshunds can have serious medical and behavioral problems, such as biting, destructiveness, and digging. House training can sometimes be a problem.



Appearance
The Dachshund's body is straight, long, and muscular, with short, muscular legs. Its narrow head tapers smoothly toward the small nose.
The Dachshund comes in two sizes, standard and miniature, and there are three types of coats: smooth, wirehaired, and longhaired.

The smooth coat is short, thick, and shiny. The wirehaired coat is tight, short, and coarse; its undercoat should have softer, shorter hairs between the coarse hairs. (The wirehaired also has bushy eyebrows and a beard.) The longhaired coat is soft, sleek, and slightly wavy, longer under the neck and on the forechest.

Coat color for all three types is black, red, brindle, gray, chocolate, or fawn, sometimes with tan markings. The Dachshund can also be dappled (a dark base color with lighter highlights).



Grooming & Exercise Needs
Smooth Dachshunds need to be brushed weekly, while longhaireds need to be brushed every other day (every day when shedding). Wirehaireds need to be brushed and combed one to two times a week. Dachshunds enjoy long walks, but if time is short, indoor ball chasing will suffice.

Origins
The modern Dachshund is related to a thirty-five-pound dynamo that was used to hunt badgers in medieval Europe. It was bred to be smaller about one hundred years ago in Germany to hunt rabbits and foxes. (Dach is the German word for badger; hund means dog.) The scrappy, short-legged dachshund worked aggressively without being intimidated by the fox or badger.

Special Alerts
It is especially important to obtain a Dachshund from a reputable breeder. Breed-related health concerns: intervertebral disc protrusion, hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, undescended testicles, kidney disease, polyuria (excessive urination caused by kidney disease).

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

There are lots of informative books out on all breeds of dogs. I would recommend a short haired dog if it is your first. A lot of the small dog breeds require regular trips to the groomer and it can be expensive (I'm a groomer so I know lol) Some of the hairier breeds also require daily brushing which can be very time consuming. If they aren't groomed daily they become matted and usually aggressive. Pugs are lovable and become quite addictive, but suffer breathing problems. You may want to look at other breeds such as the Cairn Terrier, Border Terrier and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (but these also suffer breathing and sometimes heart problems) But if you really want a pug then I suggest you read as much as you can about their care before you go out and get one.

Good Luck

Caz x

Answer 4

I raise pugs, and I appreciate that you are doing your "homework" before getting a dog! Go to www.akc.org and www.dogbreedinfo.com to find out about the pug.

Answer 5

Pugs are prone to asthma and other breathing problems because of their short snouts.

Answer 6

They are hard to potty train in my experience, but otherwise good dogs. Very playful and cute.

Answer 7

Are they Fish you are talking about?

Answer 8

i agree with himm ^

Answer 9

they...snort a lot?