Breeds / Small
Puggle puppies
The Puggle is outgoing and playful, sociable with people of all ages and with other dogs, and affectionate once its exercise is done. It has more energy and drive than the Pug parent suggests and needs daily mental and physical work.
The facts
- Size class Small
- A cross of Pug and Beagle
- Adult weight 6.4 to 13.6 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 14 to 30 lb
- Adult height 25 to 38 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Typical lifespan 10 to 15 years
A cross, not a breed. The Puggle is a cross rather than a standardised breed, so size, muzzle length and temperament vary and can favour either parent, and a first cross of two purebred parents is less predictable than a later generation bred back to one side. Muzzle length is the one to watch: a puppy that takes after the Pug can inherit the same airway problems, so look at the parents and the puppy breathing at rest and after play.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Puggle puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A small breed puppy at eight weeks is light enough to carry everywhere, which is exactly how you get it socialised before the vaccination course finishes. It will still need four meals a day. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome where the flat Pug muzzle is inherited, assessed on conformation and an exercise tolerance test
- Hip dysplasia, diagnosed by imaging and screened by hip scoring radiographs
- Patellar luxation, graded on orthopaedic examination
- Chronic ear infections in the pendulous Beagle ear, found on otoscopic examination
- Autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism, diagnosed on a thyroid blood panel
- Inherited eye disease, detected by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist examination
From Puggle breed information at https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/puggle. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Puggle puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Small for a Puggle.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 6.4 to 13.6 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other small breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.