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SmallToy Group

Pug

The Pug descends from short-muzzled Chinese palace dogs brought to Europe by Dutch East India Company traders in the 16th century.

Calculate Pug age
Lifespan11.6 yrrange 11–12
SizeSmallToy Group
Weight14–18 lb6.4–8.2 kg
Senior at8 yrgeriatric at 12

Gallery (3)

About

About the Pug

The Pug descends from short-muzzled Chinese palace dogs brought to Europe by Dutch East India Company traders in the 16th century. The breed became the Dutch House of Orange mascot; Victorian breeding intensified the brachycephalic features to the current extreme phenotype.

Aging

How Pugs age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 11.6 years (n=12,808). Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome is the defining welfare-limiting condition — surgical correction is increasingly common — with Pug Dog Encephalitis and corneal ulcers secondary.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 11.6 yr · range 11–12Senior careSenior at 8 · geriatric at 12Common health issues8 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
14–18 lb(6.4–8.2 kg)
Height
10–13 in(25.4–33 cm)
Coat type
Short
Colors
BlackFawn
Temperament

Temperament

How Pugs tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

charmingmischievouslovingeven-tempered
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • High prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~8 yr

    Degenerative Myelopathy

    Description and veterinary guidance for Degenerative Myelopathy land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~6 yr

    Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram)

    Description and veterinary guidance for Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram) land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Pugs are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.