Talk:Pug

Name etymology

The article states that Pugs originate from China but gives no explanation for the origin of the name, whether borrowed from one of the Chinese languages or given by European owners. Does anyone have any information on where the name came from? Ulysses4627831 (talk) 09:19, 31 December 2023 (UTC)

I've gone ahead and written a paragraph on the etymology using the OED as a source. Traumnovelle (talk) 09:34, 6 February 2024 (UTC)

I believe it comes from the Latin "Pugnus" or "fist". Will add to section later with source. Fishguy2004 (talk) 16:56, 3 March 2024 (UTC)

lead addition of minor colour variants

This addition to the lead has been made six times (and counting) by user:Pugdad78. It has been removed by user:CycloneYoris, user:Reshadp, user:Jamedeus, me, and user:LilianaUwU. We don't need to cover minor colours in the lead, and they are already mentioned in the "Physical characteristics" section. Meters (talk) 06:14, 10 March 2024 (UTC)

It's at ANEW, by the way. LilianaUwU ^{(talk / contributions)} 06:15, 10 March 2024 (UTC)

Yup, you beat me by one minute. Meters (talk) 06:17, 10 March 2024 (UTC)

Health problems

Vets (rather like doctors) don't always agree with each other 100% of the time. Some vets are instinctively concerned about the health of Brachycephalic dogs. Other vets feel that if a dog has come from a responsible breeder, has a good owner with a good cleaning and care regime, then the health of Brachycephalic dogs isn't necessarily a cause for deep concern compared with some other dog breeds who can also suffer from various other health issues – for example, Dachshunds and Basset Hounds are susceptible to back problems, like intervertebral disc disease.

Brachycephaly can refer to cats such as the Persian as well as dogs like Pugs.

The section on "Health problems" in this article on the Pug currently states: "Effects of brachycephaly are stridor, stertorous breathing, emesis, skin fold dermatitis, brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome, exophthalmos, pharyngeal gag reflex, cyanosis, and laryngeal collapse."

I feel the wording of this should be changed to either "Potential effects of brachycephaly are...." or "Risks of brachycephaly are...."

It's not true that all Pugs across the world suffer from all of these nine conditions mentioned above. Some Pugs are more wrinkly than others. Some Pugs have wider nostrils than others. Of course, the personal experience in my life of Pugs is not a valid source for Wikipedia, but it's simply incorrect to suggest that all Pugs suffer from a condition like skin fold dermatitis.

I don't seek to sugar-coat the article by suggesting that Pugs are not susceptible to these health issues. They are susceptible, in the same way that some other breeds of dogs are susceptible to other different health issues, but it's not the case that 100% of all Pugs around the world suffer from all of these conditions mentioned above like skin fold dermatitis. Regards, Kind Tennis Fan (talk) 00:38, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

>Other vets feel that if a dog has come from a responsible breeder, has a good owner with a good cleaning and care regime, then the health of Brachycephalic dogs isn't necessarily a cause for deep concern compared with some other dog breeds who can also suffer from various other health issues

If you can find a reliable source that states that such you can add it but the consensus is overwhelming in the idea that brachycephaly causes airway obstruction, the condition itself results in anatomical changes to the airway.

> Dachshunds and Basset Hounds are susceptible to back problems, like intervertebral disc disease.

Osteochondrodysplasia is mentioned on the Basset Hound article although not on the Dachshund article so I'm not sure what you're trying to suggest here.

>I feel the wording of this should be changed to either "Potential effects of brachycephaly are...." or "Risks of brachycephaly are...."

I don't believe that the current wording implies that every brachycephalic dog will experience all of these symptoms although I have no objections to adding potential to the wording.

>but it's simply incorrect to suggest that all Pugs suffer from a condition like skin fold dermatitis.

That's not what it's saying but as I said I am fine with a qualifier of potential for the many effects that occur with brachycephaly.

But when it comes to brachycephaly, aside from retro pugs or pugs bred with a longer muzzle (which would fail the breed standards given which require brachycephaly): all pugs conforming to the standard are susceptible to it. This study looks at 66 pugs for example and found all of them suffer from a form of airway obstruction. .

I've gone ahead and changed the wording to be more precise and there's already a retro pug section to highlight non-standard pugs that may be healthier or at least don't suffer from brachycephaly. Traumnovelle (talk) 01:24, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

I just noticed the description/appearance omits mention of the muzzle even though it's mentioned in the lead and elsewhere. Will rectify that. Traumnovelle (talk) 01:28, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

Possible AI photo?

It seems as though the photo provided for this article is AI generated? The dog is oddly proportioned and the front paw is twisted in an unnatural way. 142.120.56.184 (talk) 02:09, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

The photo is a decade old. The reasons for the oddities is because it's a very unhealthy dog. Traumnovelle (talk) 09:05, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

Re: snoozy nature

They also tend to have a snoozy nature and spend a lot of time napping.

Came here due to current memes playing up this penchant for sleeping. Didn't learn anything except this one sentence. Surely if the breed is famous for this, more should be said? Viriditas (talk) 09:06, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Claim wasn't sourced so I've removed it. I doubt there's any truth behind it given a 2020 study states there's no evidence to suggest breed variations correlate with sleep physiology. Traumnovelle (talk) 18:37, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Thanks. The meme currently making the rounds shows a pug playing on the beach and then sleeping deeply in the hands of its owner, still at the beach. Maybe they get tired easily due to their size and energy requirements? Viriditas (talk) 19:49, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Due to their brachycephaly they lack the ability to correctly thermoregulate themselves and running around on a beach on a hot summer's day is a sure way to overheat. Traumnovelle (talk) 20:02, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

Ah, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for explaining. Viriditas (talk) 20:10, 14 May 2024 (UTC)

How to flag a citation?

Novice user here...

In the opening paragraph, the claim is made: "An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C." with a citation [2] which indicates the following source:

1. "Pug: Description, Weight, Temperament, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. 23 January 2024. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.

However, neither linked source contains any mention whatsoever of the 400 BC date.

The 400 BC date seems to be frequently repeated on other websites, without a source. The only source I've found cited anywhere is here, but the cited source doesn't actually contain any text to support that statement, so it's not a source for the claim.

How can this citation tag be flagged as unreliable for other visitors? I am reluctant to delete the citation altogether, due to inexperience. ~2026-11558-45 (talk) 23:40, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

Looks like it was added here without a source, and then the EB source was added here shortly after. I don't see that number in either the current EB article, or the archive.org org version around the time it was originally added. I do see it pop up in many Pug-specific sites, including the AKC site, but most of those post-date the addition to our article; sometimes people just crib from Wikipedia and you wind up with a sort of WP:Citogenesis situation. I did find this newspaper article, which specifically mentions that number and pre-dates the addition here. Honestly, most of the info on Pugs in China is a little murky.Sam Kuru (talk) 00:26, 21 February 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for pointing this out. It seems likely this claim is untrue, regardless of if the 400 BC claim originates on Wikipedia or not. Traumnovelle (talk) 01:30, 21 February 2026 (UTC)

I think we need a page for Lo-sze

Because... you know like i want to know more about the ancestor of pugs, because im feeling bad for pugs that have breath problems becauss of the skull form that was forced by people from the past... C00lb4c0n (talk) 19:34, 26 February 2026 (UTC)