Chug dog: the chihuahua pug mix (a.k.a pughuahua) – an overview

The Chihuahua Pug Mix dog, also known as the Chug Dog or the Pughuahua, is a result from cross breeding one Chihuahua dog and one Pug dog. The Chihuahua Pug Mix dog has been officially recognized as a mixed breed dog, and not as a purebred dog, by the following organizations.

• American Canine Hybrid Club (ACHC)
• Designer Breed Registry (DBR)
• Designer Dogs Kennel Club (DDKC)
• Dog Registry of America (DRA)
• International Designer Canine Registry (IDCR)

A Quick Note About The Chihuahua Pug Mix

The Chihuahua dog and the Pug dog are very different dogs when it comes to the way they look and their personality traits and temperaments.

This means that trying to determine how ALL Chihuahua Pug Mix dogs will look and act is a bit difficult because that depends on which of the two parents the offspring takes more characteristics and traits from.

So, you can never determine EXACTLY what every Chihuahua Pug Mix dog will look and act like, it’s just impossible.

With that being said, we will do our best in this article today to talk about all the common appearance traits, personality characteristics and everything else that’s very commonly found among all Chihuahua Pug Mix dogs, so that you can get to know this cross breed a whole lot more than you used to.

A quick hint for all of you reading this that want to know what they can expect in a Chug dog: Chug dogs have quite a higher chance of taking more physical characteristics and personality traits from their mother than they are from their father, so we’ll leave the math and research up for you to do on that one.

Chug Dog Appearance

Height, Size & Weight

On average, the Chihuahua Pug Mix dog will weigh anywhere between 10 to 20 pounds and will stand anywhere from 6 to 14 inches tall, which means they are relatively small sized dogs that don’t need too much space to live comfortably in.

Coat

Because one of their parents is a Chihuahua dog, the Chihuahua Pug Mix dog’s coat can come in a wide variety of different colors, and isn’t limited to only one color that all Chihuahua Pug Mix dogs come in.

It comes in a variety of colors such as black, dark brown, light brown, tan, white, cream and fawn.

Chihuahua Pug Mix Temperament

Training

Before we talk about how you should train this dog, let’s talk about a few reasons WHY you should train and socialize this dog and the psychological reasons behind this.

The Chihuahua Pug Mix dog comes from two small sized parents that tend to WAY overestimate their physical power and think that they are actually much stronger than their size.

This starts to become a real big problem when your Chihuahua Pug Mix dog thinks they’re much larger than they actually are, come into contact with a dog that’s larger in size and much more stronger in terms of physical abilities, and decides to play rough with them because they think they can.

Obviously, in this case your Chihuahua Pug Mix dog will find out the hard way that they aren’t as tough as they thought they were.

This is one of the most important reasons why a Chug dog should be trained and socialized with other dogs and animals from a young age, so that when they grow up and become adult dogs they don’t decide to pick a fight with every other dog they come across because they “think they can”.

Now, you should also note that training a Chug dog also depends greatly on which of its two parents it takes more personality traits from.

It your Chug dog takes more from its Pug parent, you’ll notice that they are easier to train and can learn what you teach them relatively fast.

On the other hand, if your Chug dog takes more from its Chihuahua parent, then we’ve got some bad news for you, as you can expect this dog to be a little bit too stubborn at times and just not want to focus on whatever you’re trying to teach them.

Either way, as long as you start socializing and training them from a very young age and you stick to the training methods that work (such as using positive reinforcement techniques, making the training sessions entertaining, remaining consistent throughout it all, etc ..), chances are you’re going to be more than fine training your Chug.

We’ve seen Chug dog owners that started training and socializing their puppy Chugs ever since they were still at an age of 8 weeks old.

What did that result in?

A grown up Chug that’s perfectly well behaved, gets along with everyone and other animals (or household pets) around them, plays in a very gently and fun way with little kids and doesn’t excessively bark at nothing just because their Chihuahua genes told them to.

So start training and socializing your Chug at the very young age of 8 weeks old, don’t listen to anybody who tells you that that’s way too young of an age to train your dog at, as they have no idea what they’re talking about.

Exercise

Because of their tiny size, Chug dogs don’t need to be that much active throughout the day to remain healthy and happy, moderate physical activity levels will do more than fine for this dog.

In general, you’re looking at just one walk a day (not a very long one as well, as they tend to get tired very fast and don’t need a long walk), playing around with them for about 30 minutes a day as well as giving them toys they need to keep themselves busy and mentally stimulated on their own.

Pug/Chihuahua Mix Living Conditions

One thing you have to know about this cross breed is the fact that if it takes much after its Chihuahua parent, it can often times have the urge to bark excessively for no reason at all. That’s something Chihuahuas like to do.

This is a very important thing to note because of the fact that Chug dogs are small dogs that like to live indoors and not outdoors in something like a small house you build for them in your backyard or on a large farm.

This dog is a small sized dog that loves to stay inside the house for the entirety of the day, while it does enjoy being taken outside every now and then for a breath of fresh air.

And needless to say, the last thing you ever want inside your house is an endlessly barking dog, unless you like getting headaches on a daily basis that is.

One word of caution should be stated in this section as well, and that’s the fact that you should only allow grown ups who know how to properly interact with this dog to get near it.

If you allow young kids that still haven’t fully developed an understanding of everything that’s happening around them near this dog, then they can easily injure this dog badly because of how small it is in size and body structure.

Chug Dogs Health

– Respiratory problems and breathing difficulties

– Obesity – This is a particular problem many Chug dogs face during their lifetimes if they take much of their appetite after their Pug parents.

If that’s the case, then your Chug will be one dog that loves to eat, and will stop at nothing if you don’t limit the amount of food that’s accessible to them.

This is why you should have them follow a specific diet that’s been designed by your veterinarian, or else they will overeat their way to obesity in no time.

– Joint problems

– Dental problems

– Eye problems

– Hypoglycemia

The Chihuahua Pug Mix dog is expected to live a lifespan that averages between 10 to 13 years.

Chihuahua Pug Mix Care

Despite the fact that most Chug dogs have short coats, these dogs are known to be a little bit on the heavy-shedding side.

Other Chugs, although these are the minority and not the majority among this cross breed, do have long coats which normally shed a lot.

Pugs are way high up there on the list of dog breeds that shed most, and Chihuahuas aren’t that far either, so it’s only perfectly normal to have a high shedding dog in their offspring.

So, and for that reason, be prepared to brush your Chug dog’s coat 1-2 times a day in order to maintain their coat’s health, get rid of any dead hair before it makes its way all over your furniture and clothes and keep their fur smooth and shiny.

You should also make sure to brush your Chug dog’s teeth on a daily basis.

That might seem like a whole lot of teeth brushing, certainly more frequent than you would be doing with other dogs, but you have to brush their teeth as often as such because Chug dogs are at a higher risk of developing dental problems than other dogs.

Also make sure to do that only with a specific toothbrush and toothpaste that are both designed for dogs, and not ones that have been designed for human use.

As far as their diet is concerned, a dog as small as the Chug dog will need to eat a diet that is mainly focused on commercial dog food that has been specifically designed for small breed dogs just like the Chug.

Small breed dogs have very different nutritional requirements than do large breed dogs, which is why there are different formulas for each of the two.

If you feed your Chug a diet that’s focused on commercial dog food that has been specifically designed for small breed dogs, then you can rest assured that they are getting all the proteins, carbohydrates, nutrients and minerals they need to properly grow and to remain as energetic and full of life as they are.