|
|
Pug 101: Pug Breed History
There are a lot of arguments in many Pug information sources as to where the Pug originated and what breeds went into making such a distinctive looking dog. All the sources agree the dog has Asian roots, although not all of the experts are convinced that China was their home country. However, snub-nosed golden dogs were recorded in the days of Confucius, about 700 BCE. A more detailed report is found of Chinese dogs that very much resembled Pugs in 400 BCE.
Pugs were bred to be the companions and protectors of royalty. |
Although the Pug was to go through many changes physically, the basic temperament seems to have been the same. Pugs have always been noted for their abilities as a watchdog, for their even temperament, and their devotion to their people. Fortunately, these qualities have not been bred out, although some physical features, like a longhaired coat, have.
Although various Chinese Emperors tried to keep Pugs all to themselves, the Pugs apparently wanted to see the world. Through trade and wars, they spread to Europe. They were especially popular in the Royal courts of Holland, where the official animal of the Dutch royal family was a Pug. This is because a Pug's timely warning saved his master, William, Prince of Oranges, from an assassin's strike. By the sixteen hundreds, Pugs were popular in most European courts.
Other famous owners of Pugs were Josephine (Napoleon's wife, who proves she always liked them small) and the popular English painter William Hogarth. His Pug, "Trump", appears in several paintings. There was not that many Pugs available for breeding, so they were most likely crossed with small Bulldogs in order to produce Pug-like puppies. Hogarth's Pug was slimmer, longer-legged and longer-nosed than a modern Pug. Trump also lacked the black mask of most modern Pugs.
Other Pug owners of note throughout history include Josephine, the infamous wife of Napoleon and the English painter William Hogarth, who included his Pug "Trump" in several paintings. If Hogarth was accurate, then Pugs in the sixteenth century had much longer legs, leaner frames and slightly longer noses than they do today. Since there was not a large gene pool of Pugs in Europe, it is thought that for centuries they were crossed with Bulldogs and possibly small Mastiffs.
The Pug as we know today came about in the 1800's, when the first organized dog shows began in Europe. It didn't take long for the idea of dog shows to cross the Atlantic. The American Kennel Club (AKC) officially recognized the breed in 1885. The AKC, incidentally, was founded in 1884. Pugs have been consistently one of the top twenty most registered dog breeds in America for decades. Their plan to take over the world is nearly complete.
|
|
