Puggles: I Told You So!
The appeal of the puggle is evident at first glance: A puggle puppy inherits a slightly less smushed-in face than its pug progenitor, framed by the floppy ears of the beagle parent. It is cuteness defined. But the puggle's downfall is not its appearance. It is its energy level. While pugs have been bred for centuries for companionship, they have a reputation for clownish stubbornness. This gets taken to NASCAR levels with the infusion of beagle blood. An unapologetic hunting dog, the beagle gives voice when he is excited, or frustrated, or bored, or basically just breathing. He laughs at your obedience-class enrollment forms, preferring instead to dig up the dahlia bed or bark nonstop. As a result, while a puggle is a delight to look at, he is a challenge to live with. The word that recurs in conversation with rescuers is "hyper."
Scroll through this blog and find the articles I have written on the Puggle, and then read the comments. Now, as I predicted, Puggles are starting to fill up the animal shelters. As I predicted, they would be hard to house train. As I predicted, they are a lot like a Beagle... on steroids. It has a long way to go before it should be considered a breed. And you have a lot of homework to do before you breed or buy one. If you already have a Puggle, hire a good professional and get to work. You still can have a great dog, but this is not a dog for novice or lazy dog owners.
The appeal of the puggle is evident at first glance: A puggle puppy inherits a slightly less smushed-in face than its pug progenitor, framed by the floppy ears of the beagle parent. It is cuteness defined. But the puggle's downfall is not its appearance. It is its energy level. While pugs have been bred for centuries for companionship, they have a reputation for clownish stubbornness. This gets taken to NASCAR levels with the infusion of beagle blood. An unapologetic hunting dog, the beagle gives voice when he is excited, or frustrated, or bored, or basically just breathing. He laughs at your obedience-class enrollment forms, preferring instead to dig up the dahlia bed or bark nonstop. As a result, while a puggle is a delight to look at, he is a challenge to live with. The word that recurs in conversation with rescuers is "hyper."
Scroll through this blog and find the articles I have written on the Puggle, and then read the comments. Now, as I predicted, Puggles are starting to fill up the animal shelters. As I predicted, they would be hard to house train. As I predicted, they are a lot like a Beagle... on steroids. It has a long way to go before it should be considered a breed. And you have a lot of homework to do before you breed or buy one. If you already have a Puggle, hire a good professional and get to work. You still can have a great dog, but this is not a dog for novice or lazy dog owners.
1 comment:
I also posts about the Puggle and got a lot of ongoing and insulting comments. They are so cute that it is easy for people to buy one on impulse bred at a puppy mill.
As predicted the shelters are now getting them. They seem to have the worst of both breeds, not to mention totally clueless owners.
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