History of the Pug

Breed History

The origin of the Pug as a breed probably begins in ancient China,
although it certainly didn't look the same as today's dogs. Dogs known
as "short mouthed" dogs are described in writings that date to about
600 B.C. and were probably the forerunners of the modern breed that we
call the Pug. Emperor Kang Hsi, about A.D. 950, commissioned a
dictionary of all the Chinese characters, and in it there are two
references which could describe the Pug: "dogs with short legs" and "a
dog with a short head." By the 1300s there were three main types of
dogs that are identifiable as founders of breeds of today: the
Pekinese, the Japanese Spaniel, and the Pug.

It wasn't until the latter portion of the 1500s and early 1600s that
China began trading with European countries such as Portugal, Spain,
Holland and England. Small dogs presented as gifts returned from the
Orient with the traders, and thus began the rise of the Pug in
popularity in Europe. The Chinese had often interbred among the three
types of dogs they favored, and so many times breeders would find a
long hared Pug among a litter of puppies, as well as white spots on
the head.

By the early 1900s, a book called Dogs in China and Japan had been
written. This book drew heavily upon the experience of Wang Hou Chun,
a servant who had bred and worked with the dogs in the Emperor's
Imperial Palace for seventy five years. He used the term Lo-Sze to
describe the Pug, noting that the differences between the Pug and
Pekingnese were that the Pug always had a short coat, and very supple,
elastic skin. Because of the short coat, the Pugs forehead wrinkles
were more noticeable, and the Chinese were always looking for wrinkles
in certain patterns similar to Chinese letter characters. The most
highly favored character that the Chinese looked for was the three
wrinkles that together denoted the word, "Prince." Many Oriental Pugs,
though, had a great deal of white on their bodies, and some were
almost entirely white. These white and pinto spotted Pugs are
documented in Europe as late as the end of the 1800s, but the lines
that produced them were eventually allowed to be lost.

The Pugs that were traded to Europe seem to have first landed in
Holland, possibly as a result of the famous trading company, the Dutch
East India Company. The Dutch named the breed Mopshond, which is still
in use today. Pugs were known to be within the household of William
III and Mary II when they ascended to the throne of Great Britain in
1688. Black pugs are known to exist in the 1700s thanks to William
Hogarth's painting of one in House of Cards (1730). The artist was a
proud owner of pugs (a trait that seems to continue through to today),
and depicted many in his paintings so that there is an excellent
visual record of the Pugs appearance dating back 250 years.

The Pugs popularity spread throughout Europe, with the breed referred
to in France as the Carlin, in Spain as the Dogullo, at the same time,
they were Mops in Germany and the Caganlino in Italy. In France, the
breed was popularized by Josephine Bonaparte, owner of the Pug named
Fortune. Goya painted Pugs in Spain in 1785, showing the breed with
cropped ears in his paintings.

By the turn of the century into the 1800s, Pugs became more
standardised as a breed, with colors separating and settling into the
contemporary "fawn" or "Isabella" and black colors. It is also known
the the "black mask" was in place by now, too, as the breed had been
referred to as the "Dutch Mastiff" from time to time, harking back the
masked face of the much larger Mastiff breed.

The late 1800s saw the beginning of dog shows in England, and Pugs
were first exhibited in 1861. The stud book began in 1871, and there
were sixty-six Pugs in the first volume. The English Pugs developed
mostly along the lines of two strains: the Willoughby and the Morrison
lines. Each had consistent breeding traits, and the lines existed for
many years as competitors.

Willoughby Pugs were developed by Lord Willoughby d'Eresby and had
what is today considered a "smutty coat" because it had a mixing of
fawn and black hairs in it. The color has been described as "stone
fawn." The heads of these dogs were almost entirely black and they had
wide traces, and even saddle marks on their backs (dark patches of
hair shaped like the saddle of a horse). Their bodies were thin, and
leggy. Mops and Nell were two prominent Willoughby Pugs that can be
found as ancestors in Pug pedigrees even today.

Morrison Pugs, in contrast, had rich apricot-fawn colored coats and
stocky, cobby bodies. The trace on their backs was very light brown
rather than black, and the coats had few, if any, black hairs in them.
This line is much more in line with the modern Pug of today. Punch and
Tetty were the foundation dogs of the Morrison line. It's not uncommon
to hear dogs referred to today as "Willoughby" or "Morrison" type -
referring to the darker color of the Willoughby, and the lighter color
of the "Morrison."

A major impact on the Pug breed in the 1800s occurred when, in 1860,
two Pugs of "pure" Chinese lines were brought to England. These two
dogs, Lamb and Moss, produced a son named Click, and Click..well, he
clicked! Click was bred many times, and his blood helped to mix the
Willoughby and Morrison lines making Pugs a better breed overall and
shaping the modern Pug of today as we know it.

Appearance of Today's Pug

Looks are what a Pug is all about. This man-made breed was created
just to look like they do. Pugs are not French Bulldogs with fallen
ears, and they're not miniature Mastiffs or Bullmastiffs. They're
really not related to the Shar-Pei. About the closest thing to a Pug
(besides another Pug) is a Pekinese and that's to be expected with
their similar histories.

Pugs in the United States are classified as a Toy Breed, even though
they are usually the largest of all the Toys. Pugs should weigh from
14 to 18 pounds, which makes them very sturdy dogs in the Toy Group.
While they are described by weight, the dogs have to be in proportion
to their height and bone. The body of the Pug is similar to that of a
Bulldog, but not as large or as overdone. Their overall appearance
should be square: the height from floor to top of withers should be
equal to the length from the sternum (breastbone) to rump.

The Pug's head is the most unique and readily identifiable feature.
The head itself should be round when you look at it from the front.
From the side, the face should be flat without too much or too little
chin. Pug eyes are round, dark, expressive and full of life. Their
ears are set widely on the head, and there are two accepted types of
ears: rose and button. Button ears fold over with the fold of the ear
level with the top of the skull, and should not hang lower than the
corner of the eye. Rose ears appear to be smaller and fold with the
inner edge of the ear against the side of the head. The rose ear tends
to give the head a smaller, more rounded appearance. Ears must be
black all over. Wrinkles on the Pug head should be deep and easy to
see because inside the wrinkle the color is darker than outside. One
large over the nose wrinkle is preferred.

The other major identifiable feature of the Pug is his tail. The tail
is set up high on the back, and should be curled tightly. The double
curl (two complete loops) is the ideal tail that breeders try for, but
a single tight loop or twist is acceptable. It is uncharacteristic of
the breed to have a floppy loose tail that bounces over the Pugs back,
or a Pug who carries his tail uncurled.

Pugs basically come in two colors: fawn and black. Either is
acceptable, although the blacks seem to be harder to come by. Many
times over the years the fawns have been called, "apricot fawn,"
"silver fawn," "stone fawn," etc. in an attempt to differentiate them,
but they are all still just fawn Pugs. Apricot fawns will have a peach
or apricot tint to the coat that can have an almost clear, cream
colored base coat. The other fawn coat has a mixing of black-tipped
guard hairs in it, making the dog appear darker and "cooler" in color.
All of these colors are acceptable - it is only the very dark
coloration over the entire body of the dog that is considered "smutty"
and undesirable. Either color can have a few white hairs on the chest,
and both colors will turn grey in the muzzle as they age.

Other Names For Pug's
Each European country had a special name for the Pug. Some of its common names were
Ha Ba Gou (Chinese)
MopsHond (Dutch)
Mops (Swedish)
Mopsi (Finnish)
MopsHund (German)
Carlin (Old French)
Carlino (Italian)
Doguillo (Spanish)
Smutmhadra (Irish Gaelic for stumpy dog)

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