The Pug Breed.

The Pug Breed is a breed unto itself.

And Breed is certainly the right word for it.

If we look back through the pugs history we can see that its appearance has changed and has indeed been sculpted into the familiar breed that we see today.

This painting, a self portrait by William Hogarth with his pug, painted in 1745 shows the pug to look a lot leaner and almost unrecognisable with a much more traditional snout.

But The pug breed today is unmistakable.

There are two main colors. The most popular color is fawn but there are also many black pugs too. Both colors usually have a few white hairs on the chest, and both colors will turn grey around the face as they age.

The Classic Pug Breed calls for some quite specific attributes.

Pugs should weigh around 16 pounds and their over all appearance should be squareish and somewhat squat.

The most recognisable and distinctive thing about the pug breed is the head and face. The face should be flat and dark and the chin almost lost. The eyes should also be dark and round.

The head is round looking at it from the front. The other distinctive features of the pug breeds face are the wrinkles on the face and snout which are deep set and dark.

The tail is curled up onto the back is usually curled quite tightly. Sometimes the tail is also set in a double curl. These characteristics make the pug breed unmistakable.