Chug (Chihuahua and Pug mix)
What is a Chug? Also known as the Pughuahua, Chug is a crossbreed between the Pug and Chihuahua. It is a loyal, spirited, attention-loving and affectionate dog. They do shed a lot, but their size is perfectly ideal for smaller dwellings, and can also be used as watchdogs. They usually get along well with strangers as well as with other pets if well socialized. These dog breeds are great for families with children. Although training the Chug may require a little bit of patience, using treats can make even first-time owners achieve huge strides.
As a designer crossbreed dog that is very popular, this designer crossbreed dog will absolutely and to no surprise steal your heart right and left! Chugs' parents have well been known for centuries as the most treasured companions. The charming attitude, loving personality and compact size being just some of the awesome traits possessed by the Chihuahua and Pug. The Chug will in most cases inherit all these traits, but it'll not be easy to determine which breed will be favored more by the Chug pup. Regardless of this kind of uncertainty common to crossbreed dogs, the Chug has proven to be a suitable companion to families of all sizes and types.
With their huge entertaining personalities, Pug and Chihuahua mix dogs are perfect companion pets. They are perfect for homes with older children and other older people who are not in search of exercise partners. Chug dog will tend to be friendlier to someone who has sufficient attention and time to offer.
The small size and moderate activity requirements of the Chug make it ideal for dwellers in apartments or small condos such as retirees who are searching for low-maintenance companions. Although the Chug is a good pet for any family, young children who don't know how to handle this petite dog gently cannot coexist amicably with the dog. With the tiny stature and big personality they possess, Chihuahua Pug Mix dogs will tend to act like big dogs that they think they are.
Chug's Life Expectancy
Chug's average life span ranges from 10 to 13 years. When properly cared for and given quality food that is appropriate for their ages, Pughuahua will enjoy a full life with lots of fun.
Size of Chug
The size and weight of full grown Chug dogs may vary to a large extent based on breeding. With common weights on an adult Chug ranging between 10 to 20 pounds and height of 6 to 12 inches, the dog has an ideal size comfortable for most home setups. Being a crossbreed, the size of Chugs isn't guaranteed by the size of their parents.
Appearance of the Chug
Chugs are likely to inherit different character traits from their purebred parents as mentioned earlier. Some will favor the Pug traits more, while others will take on the Chihuahua looks. As such, the coats of Chugs tend to be straight and fine for those that are short-haired. But there are also long-haired Chugs that have taken after the Chihuahua.
Their heads are well-domed with their ears set apart and high, with round and large eyes. The perfectly furrowed brows in the Chug is a physical characteristic from both the Chihuahua and Pug. Also, depending on the parent breed that is favored more, the muzzles can be slimmer and shorter, or wide and broad. With sturdy bodies that are well-muscled, their legs feature on the shorter side.
Chugs have well-developed necks that form a perfect blend with their well-muscled shoulders. With muscled and well-developed rumps and loins, Chugs have nice level backs as well as deep and broad chests. The tail of a Chug will fold over its back when it's moving and when at rest too, which is a trait inherited from the Pug. With the compact, small feet, Chugs have strong nails and paw pads that are very firm.
Their coats feature different textures and combinations of colors, which also highly depends on the parents' coat characteristics. The following are some of the Chug coat colors that include black and tan, chocolate, brown, black and brown, cream, fawn, dark brown, speckled, spotted, merle.
History of the Chug
With a high possibility of this dog breed to have existed over a long period of time naturally, breeders of designer dogs in the United States started Crossing Chihuahuas with Pugs during the early 2000s.
Unlike other mixed breeds, the Chugs have no one in particular who has been associated with their creation. It is assumed that the pugs and Chihuahuas were mixed with a positive objective of extracting the good attributes of both dog breeds into the Chug.
To date, the Chug is yet to be recognized as a 'real' dog breed by registries such as the American Kennel Society. This is because the Chugs available are still the first-generation offspring of the purebred Pugs and Chihuahuas. It's likely to take multigenerational crossings a few more generations in order to get purebred Chugs. This could even take decades in order for the Chug pups to be predictable.
How the Chugs Relates to Children and Other Pets
Children that are overly excited should be supervised when playing with these dogs, as Pughuahuas are likely to seriously injure these small-sized pups. The dogs like being closer to older children and adults who handle them gently while playing. With a proper approach, the Chugs are very great companions.
These pups need to be socialized early in order to get along well with other pets in your home. This together with clam and slow introduction will help your dog to get used to other pets sufficiently early. This helps to avoid problems such as aggressiveness with other animals. But just like their Chihuahua parents, chugs like having their time alone without being fond of other pets.
Although they prefer being the sole animal in the house, Chugs, just like pups of other dog breeds, they need early genetic deposition, socialization, and training. These will definitely play a crucial role in building the Pughuahua personality.
Taking Care of the Chug Puppy
Prior to the arrival of these pup, the liveliness and boisterous nature of puppies should make the gardens and homes puppy-proofed. Socialized puppies always lead to friendly, confident and outgoing dogs. This makes the puppies to feel vulnerable when a mother Chug leaves the littermates. The Chug pups benefit a lot on staying a little bit longer with their mother, although this shouldn't be for so long.
A puppy should best be brought in when there are constantly people in the house. Homes and gardens need puppy proofing by eliminating any tools that the boisterous Chug pup may hurt with. Do to their love of chewing things, ensure electric cables and wires are put out of the puppies' reach. You should also endeavor to remove toxic plants within the home and in the flower beds as well.
For Chug puppies to grow well, they need to sleep a lot. It is, therefore, essential to set up a quiet place where they can take a nap without being disturbed. So that puppies don't become more boisterous when in the house, always ensure they maintain a nice and calm playtime in the house and a little more play outside that is more active.
Feeding the Chug
Always ensure to stick to a particular feeding schedule provided to you by the Chug breeder, your vet, or even the food manufacturer. Since mature Chugs are not finicky or fussy eaters, ensure the dog is fed twice a day in the morning and evening with high quality dry dog food. To meet their nutritional requirements, also consider their levels of activity.
Ensure your Chug doesn't add too much weight by balancing the amount of food given so that any extra calories are burned off to avoid health problems that are associated with weight gain in dogs. Keep an eye on the waistline to watch out any signs of obesity, as it could reduce the lifespan of your Chug dog.
Exercise Requirements for your Chug
Being small cross-breed dogs, their exercise requirements are just moderate. but their low-energy bursts only demand a little mental for the Chugs to remain well-rounded, happy and healthy dogs. A walk lasting 30 minutes on a daily basis is sufficient to satisfy their exercise needs. The chugs should also be kept occupied with interactive games throughout the day with lots of interactive activities.
The Chugs normally enjoy shorter walks in the morning and interesting and longer ones during the afternoons. To let of the steam, these dogs enjoy roaming around the garden often. But you should ensure the fencing is strong enough to avoid an escape and prevent possible encounter of other problems.
due to the brittle nature of Chug's bones, they shouldn't be over exercised, as exerting too much pressure on their bones and joints could expose your pup to physical health problems. As such the Chug pups shouldn't be allowed to run around stairs or even jump off furniture.
Depending on the extent to which the Chihuahua was favored, the Chug could have more exercise requirements due to the heightened energy to keep the pup busy. Make sure your puppy doesn't fall victim to the Small Dog Syndrome that results from a lack of sufficient mental stimulation and adequate exercise.
How to groom a Chug
Just like other dog breeds, the Chug's skin and coat should be groomed regularly in order to maintain a top condition. To also ensure they remain healthy and fit, Chugs also need regular exercise on a daily basis. Above all you ought to keep the nutritional needs of your Chug well met by feeding high-quality dog food in recommended amounts.
These crossbreeds may have smooth, short coats. If there happens to be a Chihuahua that is long-haired in the family tree, the resulting chugs could have longer coats. Chugs are likely to shed due to the heritage of their Pug parents since the Pugs are known to be big shedders. The Chihuahuas are short-haired but also have their small shedding share as well. To eliminate the shedding hair from the Chugs brush their coats daily. As you bring out the shine, ensure to prevent a lot of dog hair from floating in your house.
Also, ensure to maintain dry and clean facial wrinkles of your Chug if they are present. You just need to gently wipe them off using baby wipes or a wet washcloth. Afterward, thoroughly dry the folds and apply corn starch or baby powder to maintain their dryness without getting any powder in the dog's eyes.
Additionally, the nails of your Chug need to be trimmed after a few weeks. Their teeth should be brushed on a daily basis, and their ears need to be kept dry and clean. You Chug puppies are susceptible to teeth health issues such as periodontal disease.
Prior to bringing a new Chug pup at home, there are essential items that one needs to have. I addition to having these items, ensure to keep an eye on your Chug pup when he's playing. To control their boisterous nature, invest in puppy gates or a spacious play pen which will allow the Chug pup some space to play while ensuring their safety. Here are the grooming items you need:
A few puppy/Baby gates
Grooming Glove
Soft bristle brush and a slicker brush
Scissors with rounded ends
Dog specific toothbrush and tooth paste
Well-made toys that have quality chews for Chug Pups to gnaw on
Nail Clippers
Well-made harness or collar
A spacious dog crate that's just enough for the Chug to play in
Ceramic bowls for use when the Chug pup is feeding
Baby blankets for use in your pup's crate
Chug temperament
Depending on whether the crossbreed favors the comic Pug or the somehow imperious and suspicious Chihuahua, Chugs can really have an array of personalities. At their best, Chugs are very affectionate and friendly.
Temperament can also vary, as it is partly affected by the environment, and partly by parent genes. The mother's temperament is very likely to influence the behavior of a Chug puppy. If the Pug side prevails, the puppy will be more clownish, and the Chihuahua dominates, the puppy will demonstrate more independence.
When being trained, both breeds may be stubborn, and may also be insistent on getting their way. Just like most puppies, a Chug will respond well to positive reinforcement techniques of praising and rewarding with treats when they do good. You also need to have a sense of humor and patience form you to successfully coexist with a Chug, as they will not always do what you want.
Endeavor to begin training lessons the day you get your Chug puppy at home. Even at a young age of 8 weeks, they are able to grasp everything they are taught. This prevents the dog from becoming headstrong, as it could even become harder to deal with. Before enrolling your Chug puppy to a kindergarten class for pets, ensure to have completed the required vaccines for your pup prior to exposing him to the public.
Chug potty training
Upon your puppy arrives at home, begin potty training on the spot. Being an intelligent little puppy, it is expected to follow the rule quite obediently. However, with the Chihuahua stubborn nature in place, you would expect a small extent of the same. This should be solved by applying positive reinforcement techniques while also being patient.
The first thing is to pay close attention to how he behaves. If the puppy starts walking around while sniffing the floor, pick up the dog and take it to the spot you have designated to be the dog toilet area. Allow the pup to relieve himself. Once your Chug is done doing the business, reward him with a treat combined with praises. This helps a lot as the puppy will start relating pottying on that particular spot with a positive experience.
While the dog is still in that spot, the praise you utter to him should be in the form of a command such as, 'Good Potty!' The puppy will eventually associate that spot with the command and pottying plus the good 'treats' experience. In case the puppy messes in the house on the carpet, don't punish him, just utter the praise words and take the puppy to the right spot. Punishing the pet will make him distrust you, which will even make it more difficult to potty train.
Crate training could also assist in fastening the potty training process by confining the Chug pup whenever he's not outside pottying. Make Chug puppy understand that the crate is a favorite rest area after playing and eating, or after relieving himself outside.
Chug training
Being little, smart dogs, Chugs are easy to train when they land in the right hands. But educating and training a Chihuahua Pug Mix dog needs to start early, and has to be consistent for them to grasp the commands. Chugs should not be left often to get along their own way, as they are likely to develop behavioral issues such as the Small Dog Syndrome. This can possibly result in your dog neurotic and more difficult to handle.
Although they have a streak of stubbornness in them, Chugs are learn so many new things if perseverance and patience are observed. Ensure their sessions during training are short and precise, as they are known of losing attention within a short period of time. Also ensure they are having fun so that they can remain focused. High-value treats should be given to the dog as rewards whenever it obeys and behaves well. But ensure to keep this in control so that your dog doesn't add too much weight from a lot of treats.
Being so adorable, just know that it's very easy to spoil a Chug pup. But as soon as your pup arrives home, ensure to set the ground boundaries, limits and rules. Without stipulated boundaries and rules, Chugs are likely to pick up more dominant roles to make them harder to live with and handle. Here are just a few of the commands you should train a Chug pup as soon as it gets home:
Sit
Come
Quiet
Stay
Down
Leave it
Bed
In a nutshell, the Chug hybrid mix is quite intelligent and may not disturb you a lot. They will respond very positively to training and grasp commands very easily. Reinforcement-based training that is positive that involves rewarding the pups with praises and treats is highly recommended when the puppy obeys. Always ensure to keep all training lessons full of fun as well as short to make sure your Chug isn't bored. Ensure you maintain a consistent and firm hand in training the dog, and start early enough so that your puppy doesn't become willful.
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