Product Description

The Pug is an ancient breed that originated in China. It is well known as an alert, loyal, and obedient household pet. This volume tells new and prospective Pug owners virtually everything they need to know about caring for their pet. Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, protection against hazards, and much more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles in this series also present facts that even experienced pet owners and breeders will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line drawings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #112833 in Books
• Brand: Barron's Pet Books
• Published on: 2000-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

Not very informative, limited information.
I was disappointed by the lack of information offered in this book. I have other "pug" books that provide more thorough information and advice in raising this breed. This book did not cover certain symptoms my dog was having as to help diagnose him, so that was no help when needed. I would not purchase this book again, nor recommend to anyone else for purchase. The "Pugs for Dummies" book offers a lot more info in all different pug-related categories.

Pug Specific
As a new house dog owner, I was very pleased that the authors made it well known they were pug owners-- quite the family I might add! What I liked best about the book was how they gave more specifics than another book I bought. For example they showed a diagram of a type of clippers to use or told exact amounts of food they fed their own pugs instead of making generalizations. Nothing was insulting about how they presented the information, all was very helpful, comforting, and resourceful.

Excellent writing, very good book!
First, a little background on my experience with pugs: My husband and I have owned (or rather, been owned) by pugs for more than 15 years now. We love them dearly: they make us laugh every day and accompany us everywhere, from our hikes in the woods to a weekend in Carmel. They are friendly, spunky, reliable dogs who we utterly trust with both elderly relatives and children of all ages. They are clever and all of ours have passed basic obedience with flying colors, although they can be stubborn! Pugs are gluttons and are mainly motivated by food, so you have to keep an eye on their weight. But for anyone who is considering purchasing a pug, there are things you should know in advance, especially about their possible health issues.

All of our pugs have been from Pug Rescue, and so came to us with various physical problems and emotional baggage. The emotional issues are easily handled in pugs with affection, discipline and exercise (see:Cesar Milan). Plus, all pugs really want to do is love and be loved, so once you have met that need, they become much more emotionally stable no matter what they have been through.

Physically, however, pugs are prone to all sorts of troubles, many not so easily remedied. Here is a brief list of what we have run into: luxating patellas, dry eye, stenotic nares, nosefold and ear infections, bladder infections, food and skin allergies, immune-mediated polyarthritis, abraded corneas, interdigital cysts; the list goes on.
Even pug puppies from "good" breeders can have these issues. A couple of our rescue pugs have been from "backyard breeders," people who just breed pugs without really knowing what they are doing. But one of our pugs came from a stellar breeder in L.A. who charges $1200 per puppy (don't ask how this pug came into rescue -- it's a long story) and that pup had serious medical issues too.

All this by way of saying, a pug is a major investment. You may get one that is super healthy, but you may not. Phil Maggitti's book is an extremely helpful "first-glance" book for both people who are considering getting a pug and those who already have one or more. That is, the book is a wonderful introduction to the many aspects of pug ownership. Maggitti does discuss the medical issues but he also does a fantastic job explaining the pug personality, which is not easy to capture! He is a very good writer, and there were times when I found myself laughing out loud at some of his stories, and nodding in agreement at other times. And all this in such a slim volume! This is a gem of a book that no pug person should be without.

One more thing: if you are considering purchasing a pug, you should know that they SHED. They shed TONS, a fact that many breed books will not share with you. Not only do they shed, but their fur (especially the fawns) is barbed, so it sticks onto clothing and upholstery with remarkable tenacity. We have worn out many a vacuum in our quest to subdue the pug hair, but it continues to overwhelm us on a regular basis. I mention this only because a good number of pugs are turned in to rescue because the owner claims "I didn't know they shed so much. I thought shorthaired dogs didn't shed!" Not so. Trust me! If you can get past the tumbleweeds of fuzz, though, pugs really are the best, sweetest, funniest, most loveable dogs you could ever hope to share your life with. We adore them, and so does Phil Maggitti!