Breed Information

Breed Group: Not Akc Recognized

Weight: Male: 15-30; Female: 15-30 lbs

Height: Male: 13-15, Female: 13-15 inches

Color(s): Fawn and black, golden, black, white; may be tri-colored.

Coat: The coat of the Puggle is dense, short, and coarse in texture.

Overview: The Puggle is a cross of two breeds: Pug and Beagle. They are often referred to as a "designer dog" and have become popular companions.

Life Expectancy: Puggles life expectancy is 10 - 15 years with the average life span closer to 15 years.

Character: The appearance of the Puggle varies widely. An ideal Puggle possesses an athletic, slightly longer body like that of a Beagle. They also have a leaner and longer muzzle. Puggle's retain the large, round eyes, curled tail, and wrinkles of the Pug.

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Temperament: The Puggle is affectionate, active, fun-loving, and even-tempered. They thrive on attention and human interaction. They do not do well if left alone for extended periods of time. If bored or lonely they will become destructive and bark or bay incessantly. They do well with children, dogs, and other household pets and make suitable playmates. Puggle's are friendly toward strangers, but will bark to announce visitors or out of the ordinary sounds.

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Care: Occasional brushing with a firm bristle brush is required for the Puggle. The wrinkles and ears must be cleansed daily and bathing should be done when necessary. They are prone to such health issues as heat intolerance, skin infections, eye infections, and respiratory problems.

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Training: The Puggle has a tendency to be stubborn and may be very difficult to housebreak. The crate training method works best. Early socialization and obedience is recommended. They will not respond to harsh or heavy-handed methods. Training must be done with reward, firmness, fairness, patience, and consistency.

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Activity: The Puggle requires a high degree of physical exercise and mental stimulation. They will do okay in an apartment provided they are sufficiently exercised and have a wide variety of safe toys to play with. Puggle's must be taken on several securely leashed walks daily and enjoy off-lead play in a dog park. They do best with a securely fenced yard with ample room to romp and run.

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Barking: Puggles do bark. Some more than others. In our experience, though, the Puggle barks remarkably little, especially if discouraged early on.

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Howling: Some Puggles do howl on occasion. They can inherit this trait from the beagle genes. This is not common however and, as mentioned earlier, this can be minimized by discouraging the behavior early on.

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Health: The Puggle is not necessarily healthier than its parent breeds Both Beagles and Pugs can suffer from cherry eye, epilepsy, skin infections, luxating patellas, back ailments, and other genetic disorders that can be passed onto their puppies.
Puggles also occasionally inherit hip dysplasia from one of the parents. While these disorders can be avoided through careful selection of parents, they are common enough to warrant concern. In addition, Puggles can suffer from the respiratory ailments commonly found in Pugs, which might be problematic when combined with the Beagle's higher levels of energy. Because of many puggles' brachycephalic nature, like their pug ancestry, puggles are often intolerate of extreme temperatures, puggles are one of the hardest breeds to take care of.