Pug breed standard. A few questions.?

Question

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/198

What advantages do the following give to the dog?

1 "Wrinkles clearly defined" (head and skull).

Are there any benefits to the wrinkles at all? If so, are there any benefits to them being clearly defined?

2 "very large" (eyes)

WRT the eyes, I can certainly see that they should not be too small so as to affect their vision, but why *VERY* large? Is the increased risk of eye injury mitigated by some advantage?

3 Slightly undershot mouth.

4 Nails black

Why would lighter coloured nails be such a disadvantage?

"Tail

(Twist) High-set, curled as tightly as possible over hip. Double curl highly desirable."

Why is that desirable? What disadvantages are there in a straighter tail?

Answer 1

Terrier if you pick up any breed book and look at the pictures of the dogs to see how they looked just 100 years ago and how they look today and you will not recognise the breed, they have changed dramatically over the years.  Some time ago there was an official at the kennel club UK who resigned because he disagreed with the breed standards. (it was well publicised at the time). The world of dog showing is not what you might expect.  

Answer 2

No Advantage it is sick what they have done to this breed, I would not get a pug he could die just from over heating, most of them have twisted spines which is a result of breading them to have the twisted tails,

We have a lot of breads in trouble in the UK at the moment because of the Kennel Clubs breed standard actually encouraging people to breed deformed dogs

Answer 3

Basset makes some good points. The penchant for flat, child-like faces did not begin with "show" breeders. Blame the ancient Chinese. :)

To address a couple of your quotes specifically:

"Why would lighter coloured nails be such a disadvantage?"

They would not be, but remember that this is a description based on an ideal specimen, taken from the standard dogs at the time the Standard was written. The fact is, if a Pug has correct pigment for the breed, the nails will be black. Dark-pigmented dogs generally have black nails. I think this is more of a descriptive for the standard Pug than any explicit requirement.

"Why is that desirable? What disadvantages are there in a straighter tail?"

Again, this is a descriptive. If you've ever seen dogs with historically docked tails -- when the tail is left intact, it normally curls. A curled tail is a dominant trait -- you have to breed specifically away from it. Trying to breed the curl out of a Pug's tail would be very difficult -- and, in fact, pointless. The Pugs seen as standard at the time of writing were all curly-tailed. So it was included.

What disadvantages does a straighter tail have? The potential for breakage, as in any other breed. As I said, you have to specifically want a straight tail in order to make it happen; if ignored, you will start to produce curly tails. Look at all of the pariah/primitive breeds (Canaan Dogs, Basenjis, Spitz breeds). All have tails that curl to some extent.

Remember that all written Standards are a description of typical breed traits. Some are easier to achieve/maintain than others.

Answer 4

I am NOT a Pug expert, so what I say may be totally wrong.

I believe that these features are holdovers from the Pug's origins as a bred-down version of ancient Mastiff and Bulldog type dogs.  These dogs were bred to grab and hold people or large animals.

In this case, the wrinkles would be there to drain the blood from the quarry away from the dog's eyes and nose.  The slightly undershot mouth would enable the dog to breathe while maintaing it's hold on the prey.  Black nails indicate desired dark skin pigment, which is less prone to skin problems.  The small and twisted tail is less prone to injury during the attack.

Remember too that the Pug is Chinese.  Many small Chinese lapdogs were bred to increase their resemblance to people/children, hence the flatter face, reminiscent of the flatter oriental face, and the large, child-like eyes.

This breed is over three thousand years old.

Answer 5

Not my favourite breed but they are very much maligned these days.

The thing about toy breeds is that their sole purpose is to be companion dogs, some (but not all of them) never had any other reason to exist. Many of the toy breed standards call for very large eyes. Why? Because babies have large round eyes & small dogs evoke the same aaaahhh! response.

I would guess that slightly  undershot, rather than the scissor bite normally required would help accomodate the shape of the face.

Answer 6

This is just what defines a pure breed pug, there is no benefit other than that

Answer 7

I don't know whether you watched the documentry on the kennel club last night but i was totally upset by the absolute nonsence that is going into the kennel club standards. In my opinion the kennel club standards mean nothing as they are promoting sick and unfit animals into their show rings.

The wrinkles cause skin problems

The eyes can be easily traumatised and the pug get s  constant infestions

The undershot mouth and a overshot jaw as in the bulldog can cause eating difficulties and general mouth/teeth problems

The colour of the nails is just another toffee nosed self preference

The tail curling causes spine problems including curvature and nerve damage. There is an advantage in the straight tail because of these problems

All in all crufts and the alike has always been about boasting and snobbery not about the health of the dog.

I was talking about this with my husband last night, and our anwser to these problems is that a commity must be brought yogether to curb the over breeding of dogs, which is causing the animals pain and suffering and enormous amounts of surgery.

Answer 8

As a companion breed, standards may or may not have an actual purpose other than to have to breed conform to the specific look.  Think of it this way - okay, lets allow pugs with straight tails.  Then we'll allow pugs with few to no wrinkles.  Then we'll allow....

And eventually, you have a dog that doesn't look like a pug!

And to correct a fallacy - PureHeaven, the Kennel Clubs have nothing to do with the breed standards - the parent breed club does.  If you are going to argue against purebreds, at least get your facts straight!

Answer 9

Well all of those 'defiing features' make for an unlhealthier dog.

As an example, the 'double curl highly desirable' is terrible. The spine has to be a deformred and UNDESIRABLE for the Pug to have this 'desirable' curl.

I find these breed standards terrible and I would like to get a copy of the breed standards book.

Answer 10

there is no logic in the kc methods, the pug rules are disgusting they say they are to look like they did years ago, but did you see how they used to look??

the wrinkles are pointless as this can lead to health problems

the twisted tail is pointless and this is actually caused by a serious curve in the spine

Oh i wonder who puts all the thumbs down, could it be the sick people who agree on this ANIMAL CRUELTY

And yes the kc do have to hold some of the responsibilty as a unhealty dog should not be allowed to take part in a show or to breed to pass on the health risks.

If i thought my dog had any health risks i would not allow them to breed, i have him regulary checked at the vets. My dogs health comes before anything, what would you rather have a dog healthy or a dog who was unhealthy but just looked good for crufts!!!

the big eyes and the flat nose is once again pointless as they have trouble breating when they get exicted and pass out, plus they have eye infections all the time

the list go's on.

the kennel club is a disgrace, what happened to just having a loving pet thats health came before cosmetic purposes

Answer 11

OK here are some historic pictures of pugs:

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?...

http://www.bulldoginformation.com/pugs-i...

http://www.findonvillage.com/p1154_dougl...

http://www.findonvillage.com/p1155_dougl...

Clearly none of the pugs here have got flat faces. So where did this nonsense that the Chinese bread them this way originate. I suspect in the propaganda wing of the KC.

How can anyone in the KC approve of this travesty? If they do they are condoning deliberate animal cruelty.