WHAT MAKES A PUG, ROUND HEAD, SQUARE BODY, CURLY TAIL A PUG?
by Patt Kolesar Stoltz, JEC PDCA | Photos provided by PDCA
W e are all excited to get back to dog shows after our COVID hiatus. We want to restore that little bit of normal back into our dog life. It feels like we were all put on pause, there was a rewind, and nowwe are starting fresh. We are rar- ing to go. With this in mind, I would like to take the opportunity to refresh readers’ understanding of some of the points of the Pug standard. I want to empha- size a few of the nuances that make a Pug, a Pug. I want to address the high points of type in our standard. I would certainly hope that anyone officiating in the ring already has a firm grasp of what moderate angles, moderate reach and drive, double tracking, and a level backmean. So, I’ll leave that for another discussion.
I would like you to remember three important words when you think about a Pug; round head, square body, curly tail. These three words sum up the shape a Pug is expected to be. Say it again, “Round head, square body, curly tail.” Pugs are short-bodied, thickset, and square. We measure square from the point of shoulder to the ischium, and from the top of the withers to the ground. The standard calls for a Pug that is “ multum in parvo ,” which liter- ally translate to “a lot in a little.” Ba- sically, 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
Nose: Although the Standard does not mention the nose, a short discussion is necessary. The nose is black, wide, and lies flat when viewed in profile. The top of the nose bisects the center of the eyes. The stop is concealed by an over-the-nose wrinkle. An unbroken wrinkle, set on the nose, unifies the face. Undesirable: A nose wrinkle covering a significant portion of the nose so as to negatively affect the Pug’s ability to breathe comfortably; a nosepad that is too large; lack of noseroll.
Here is a beautiful example of square, level back, the correct underline, and profile.
46 • T op N otch T oys , A ugust 2021
Powered by FlippingBook