head should always exhibit a firm lip line, thick cushioning under the eyes, substantial cheeks, and a strong, wide underjaw. But to really understand the Pug head, one must also understand the nose, eyes, shape and set of the ears, head wrinkle, muzzle width, and the bite as these all fill and fit into the round head. So, look at the head from the front and “draw” in your mind an imaginary circle around the head. Every inch of the dog’s head should reach out and touch or fill the edges of that circle. Now, let’s get a little more specific. We’ll start with the nose. Draw an imaginary horizontal line across the top of the nose to the outer edges of that circle. That horizontal line should run through the center of the eyes. It should bisect the center of the eyes for the dog to have proper nose placement. A nose that is set too low gives the face an up-and-down or rectangular look. For the Pug’s head to be balanced, half of his face will be above that horizontal line and half of it will be below. The stop of the nose is always concealed by the nose wrin- kle. The nose is always black, wide, and flat. The eyes are the soul of this breed and they should be dark, very large, and round. “Globular” in shape means round, it never means bulging. The expression of the eyes is soft and lus- trous, but full of fire when excited. The expression of a Pug is extremely dependent on their big, dark, wide- set, appealing eyes. The eyes should never be small or beady, nor close- set, nor light. The whites of the eyes should not show, nor should the eyes be east-west. The center of the eyes should always be in line with the top of the nose. The rims of the eyes are black. Expression, size, shape, and color are of primary importance. The ears frame the head. They are thin, small, soft (like black velvet), and come in two shapes—rose or but- ton—with preference given to the but- ton ear. The ears are set wide on the head. The fold of the button ear is level with the top of the dog’s skull. When alert, the tip of the ear reaches
a tight single or 1-1/2 twist is perfectly acceptable and pretty much what you can expect to find. No daylight should ever be visible from within the curl. The tail should always remain curled tightly to the body—and this applies when moving too. A low-set tail, a tail that doesn’t hold a curl, flops open when moving or shows daylight are all undesirable. It is not unusual for a puppy, or an exhibit that may have been startled by a noise, to drop its tail for a moment. However, when recovered, the tail should be carried high with that tight curl. (I joke that there are only three times a Pug’s tail comes undone; when he is ill, when he’s sleeping or when he’s dead.) I have saved the discussion of the head for last as the head is compli- cated. Remember that word “round” head? If only it were that simple. I find that understanding the correct head is the hardest thing for many to grasp. Yes, the standard says our head is large, massive, and round. However, keep in mind that our head is large and round when viewed from the front. When viewed from the side, our face is flat. The head must always fit the body, meaning it should be in proportion to the body. The head should never be so large that it is out of balance with the rest of the dog. This is as unappealing as is the dog with a head that is too small. The
The standard calls for a Pug that is “ multum in parvo ,” which literally translate to “a lot in a little.” Basi- cally, we are the concrete block of the Toy ring. Calling for a lot in a little requires substance that is not over- done; nor should it ever be coarse. A fat Pug doesn’t have substance, he is just fat, and a scrawny adult clearly lacks substance. Admittedly, our standard can be confusing because it only addresses substance in terms of weight, stating weight from 14 to 18 pounds (dog or bitch) as desirable. And admittedly, today’s exhibits are often slightly larger than the “desired” weight we address in the standard. However, the Pug should be evaluated on the merit of its bone, muscle, and cobbiness as it relates to breed type. Always keep in mind that the Pug is a Toy breed of moderate angles. We never want to see Pugs that are excessively large, weedy, leggy, short-legged or long- bodied. Pugs never have a tuck-up. Our back is parallel to the ground and our underline is virtually the same. Think thick as a brick. Let’s move on to the curly tail. Our standard says the tail is curled as tightly as possible over the hip. The double curl is perfection. A Pug’s tail is a very distinctive characteristic, and a Pug carries his feelings on his tail. While a double curl is perfection,
60 • T op N otch T oys , S eptember /O ctober 2022
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