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November 3, 2005

Move Over, Cockapoo - It's Puggle Time

The NY Post puts the mug of a puggle - a mix between a pug and a beagle - on the cover, saying that this accidental breed is the hottest in the city. Metro Puppy Kennels owner Brian Incovaia says, "Everyone is clawing for them, it's ridiculous. I get people calling left and right for them and basically you get the equivalent of breeding a Marc Jacobs bag with a Louis Vuitton." Well, that's a problem right there, thinking that a dog is like a purse. But anyway, the dogs, which cost along the lines of a bigger Marc Jacobs bag (from $650-900), are popular because they are small enough for Manhattan apartments. And that answers the American Kennel Club's question, "What is the purpose of a puggle?" The AKC says other cross breeds were designed to help out with herding, but clearly, these days cross breeding is all about having a tiny dog for your shoebox apartment or whichever designer dog carrier you want to buy. But people, there are tons of dogs in city shelters that need your attention, so look there first!

The American Canine Hybrid Club Crossbreeds like Cockapoos (cocker spaniel-poodle mixes) and schnoodles (schnauzer-poodle) seem very personable and cute. Do you own one or have any personal reports of them? Is science going too far? Tell us!

Photograph from the NY Post

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Comments (68) [rss]

It's called a mutt. When you breed two different types of dogs, you can't create a new breed, give it a cute marketable name. They're called mutts.

 

If you call it a "certified pre-owned vehicle" instead of a "used car," you'll get more money for it. Give it a cute name or call it a "custom breed" and you'll make fashion-conscious suckers part with more money than they would for a mutt. Cute, but not $900 cute.

 

I have a 6 year old Jack Russell-Shih Tzu mix. It was an "accident" between an 8 year old JRT mom and an 8 month old Shih Tzu dad and everyone of the puppies from the litter was adopted and found a loving home.
Needless to say I think Daisy, my Jack-Shit, is the cutest dog out there and I wonder why the breed hasn't caught on when there are all of these other goofy mixes. I have only met one other Jack-shit, and it was very cute and friendly- and I wonder why this cross-breed hasn't taken off, despite the profane name.

 
 

When you stated "Is science going too far?", are you saying that they perform artificial insemination?
I always thought that they just put two dogs in the same room to let them do their thing. I guess that takes longer. Sorry i am ignorant.

 

that's one freaky looking dog.
Perfect for practicing punt kicks.

 

this one in the picture is actually cute.

I knew one (with an appropriately irritating name) and it was the ugliest, most cracked out dog I have ever come into contact with.

And yes, hr, it is a mutt. A $900 mutt.

 

as the proud mother of 2 shelter mutts, I agree with Jen, ADOPT MORE DOGS instead of breeding new ones to suit your fancy bag.

 

Growing up, our family had a Chihuahua-Daschund mutt. From now on, I'm going to say he's a fany pedigree dog... a Dashuahua... or perhaps a Chischund...

 

The puggle is the best dog ever.

 

Why does anyone feel the need to try to "improve" on a pug, the more perfect and noble of any dog breed?

 

petfinder.org, my friends, petfinder.org.

 

The purebred breeds were created by breeding dogs with different qualities. They didn't spring up fully formed through some sort of doggy intelligent design. Mixing two breeds can creates a new breed. Or you can call them mutts. Semantics, people, semantics.

 

seriously - adopt.

petfinder.com

ASPCA

 

this are apt to be dumb, dumb dogs. although lovable and sweet, pugs and beagles are two of the dumbest breeds out there. i fear for these coming "dogtards" and for their owners.

 

I have a husky/lab cross which makes him either a labsky or a huskador, but he is a great shelter dog and not an intentional mix.

The purpose of the various poodle mixes is to hopefully combine the non-shedding hypoallergenic qualities of the poodle with desirable qualities of other breeds. I am not sure the purpose of the puggle. There are lots of small dogs out there, including, beagles and pugs and lots of unintentional mixed breeds.

 

Mixing two breeds doesn't create a new breed. If you breed a collie to a collie, you get collies.

You don't get cockapoos by breeding cockapoos to cockapoos. You get them by breeding cocker spaniels to poodles. That makes them a mixed-breed dog.

There's no insult implied. Mixes are nice dogs. But the problem here is the puppy mills are into these mixes big-time, because they don't have to mess with registration.

Buyer beware.

 

We love pugs...why would you want to saddle pugs with the long low profile of a beagle? They are perfect as they are. Same with miniature beagles. I wouldn't let the dog in this photo watch me undress. he is too weird.

 

People are so pathetic.... go adopt a dog from a shelter and stop being a bunch of prima donna, spoiled self-indulged freaks.

 

I like all dogs.

 

Lots of good responses.

a) get your dog from a rescue whenever possible, and when it is not possible, buy from a reputable breeder. Note: breeders of these designer mutts are rarely "reputable."

b) Pugs are actually extremely intelligent. My parents' pug is the smartest dog I've ever met. He has a huge vocabulary, understands lots of things, is very well trained, etc.

c) "Hybrid Vigor" is a myth. If you breed two dogs with genetic issues together, regardless of if they are of the same breed, different breeds, or both of them are total mutts, you are going to end up with puppies with the same sorts of genetic diseases. Also, in the case with "puggles" other issues can become a problem. Pugs have very short noses. They also aren't super active dogs. Sure, they like to run and play from time to time, but usually, they are quite content to snuggle and cuddle with you. This is because of hundreds (thousands?) of years of breeding to create a cute little lap dog. Short noses make breathing hard, but because pugs aren't super on the go dogs, it isn't an issue for a well-bred pug (a poorly bred pug is a different story entirely). Well, Beagles are GO-GO-GO dogs. They are constantly nose the the ground, chasing squirrels, running around. They are very active hunting dogs. This is due to hundreds of years of breeding to create a hunting dog that enjoyed chasing small animals. They have long snouts to help them breath while active. When you breed them together, you have the potential to create a dog that is very active but doesn't breathe well, which is a serious health risk.

 

My neighbor has what they're calling a 'Labradoodle'. She's a yellow Lab/toy poodle mix that came out to be about 25 lbs of long-legged joyful cuteness. A beautiful, sweet, loving mutt. I dog sit for her occasionally and she's fabulous. For the record, my neighbor adopted her, from the same place I got my first wonderful mutt (German shepherd/Collie).

My second wonderful mutt was a foundling, and we have no idea what he is, which just makes him even better.

 

The Mayor's Alliance also has a list of shelters and rescue groups in the city http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/. Adopt!

 

Just another example of anti-pug prejudice.

Pugs are the perfect dog and don't need to be "improved."

Anyone dumb enough to spend up to $900 to breed a pug to look like some other kind of dog doesn't deserve to have that kind of money lying around.

 

maybe if someone just started breeding them nicely, like all those other nice breeders, then people wouldn't have to buy them through puppy mills. and maybe we could come to an agreement that if you breed two puggles you would get a puggle? and who got to decide when the centuries-long human project of creating dog breeds was complete? and why do all dogs have to have a "purpose" (like herding) for which most people nowadays never use them?

 

I am the proud owner of a borderline collie. A wonderful category as collie dogs really get around after a day with the sheep.
We have determined the collie ingredient by the markings - painter tail, white ruff, etc but the other bits we are less sure of. Lab? Borzoi? As for temperament....well, imagine a work-shy border collie with a huge appetite.

 

I am the proud owner of a borderline collie. A wonderful category as collie dogs really get around after a day with the sheep.
We have determined the collie ingredient by the markings - painter tail, white ruff, etc but the other bits we are less sure of. Lab? Borzoi? As for temperament....well, imagine a work-shy border collie with a huge appetite.

 

Malcolm has a good point. Why don't they breed them responsibly?

I don't know, maybe because they are more interested in the 900 dollar price tag? Maybe because all the quality pugs are going to reputible pug breeders and quality beagles going to reputible beagle breeders? Maybe the reputible breeders are reluctant to create a new breed when there are so many mutts languishing in the pounds, so they figure they should focus on improving the breeds that already exist.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (the dogs made popular by the Elizabeth Taylor dog that was on Sex and the City) were a created breed fairly recently (relatively speaking). Because not too much attention was paid on the breeding stock, there is now a HUGE problem with heart conditions on those little dogs.

It is incredibly difficult to just start up a new breed. And since puggles and other designer mutts are typically bred by crossing one breed with another, they do not breed true. Puggles will be VERY different from each other in appearance, temperment, and health, and until puggle x puggle has been bred for many many generations (10-20 years will usually give it enough generations to start to breed true) you just don't know what kind of issues will crop up in each litter. And as with the spaniels I mentioned, unless you are super super careful about the stock you pick to start your breeding problem, and how you proceed with the breeding program, the smallest genetic disease can become a major problem in the entire breed.

And with pugs in particular, breeding, skin, and eye problems tend to be issues, so if you get a pug without any of those issues, why would you use it to create a new breed when instead, it can be used in a pug breeding program to inject some really great genes into a line that suffers from various problems.

I'm certainly not against creating new breeds, but people must think about it long and hard. They must know WHY this new breed will be better than the old breed. They must have the very best stock to start the program, and the very best plan to continue the program for 10-20 years (minimum) to make sure that the breed is off to a good start.

I just don't see that AT ALL with puggle breeders. I think puggles are ADORABLE, but I'll get mine at the shelter.

 

I work for a Pug rescue organization in Connecticut and also posted some commentary on my blog today regarding the current Puggle craze. It's so so sad to be on the "other" side and see the horrific results of this Designer Dog Breeding. I saw stories today about Puggles on NBC, Today Show, MSN, didn't even know about the NY Post article until reading your blog. Unreal.

 

Mixing two breeds can creates a new breed. Or you can call them mutts. Semantics, people, semantics.

Actually, no. A breed is a strain of animal (dog, in this case) in which size, temperment, personality, and physical confirmation have been proven to breed true over multiple generations.

I expect a cocker spaniel to be a midsized, longer-than-tall, curly-coated dog with an easygoing, friendly nature. I expect a Sheltie to be a disturbingly intelligent, keen, finely built small to midsized dog with a thick double coat, a long plumed tail, and the typical white collar/tail tips/blaze/socks.

These designer mutts don't breed true yet at all. The last three goldendoodles(all golden x poodle cross, not goldendoodle x goldendoodle) I've met?

1) Had a very thick, dense, heavy golden retriever coat with just a little more wave in it than usual, and feathering on the tail, and big floppy golden ears. However the dog had a poodle build--taller, finer boned, finer features. The the muzzle and cheekbones were the heavier, more square golden type on the otherwise finer frame, which made the dog look very strange. Golden-type personality.

2) Had a very strange, spiky, curly, rough coat. It felt like it should be on a wire-coated terrier more than anything. The color was a washed-out cream that was neither golden nor white. Dog had a standard Golden build, but lacked tail and leg feathers. Very aloof.

3) Had a very fluffy, curly, flyaway coat--strands of wispy hair shooting out every which way. Coat was a dull grey-black color. Slim face and long legs of a poodle, but the stockier body of a golden. Dog was *extremely* high strung and nervous.

None of these dogs were at ALL alike, but they were all "goldendoodles". There's absolutely no standardisation. They're not a breed, and until there's some agreement on what a goldendoodle "should" be, the never will be a breed. After that consensus, it'll take at least 6-7 generations to get these traits to breed true to type.

Now, these mixes can BECOME breeds. The original labradoodle breeders in Australia have come up with a standard for the labradoodle, from personality to coat type to build, etc, etc. A small number of them have been breeding multiple generations with that type in mind, and the traits are starting to breed true. I have no doubt the Australian-style labradoodle will become a new breed in the next 20 years.

American labradoodles, not so much--very little Australian blood has been imported. Most American 'doodles are still in the lab x poodle generation, or the first or OCCASIONALLY second labradoodle x labradoodle generation, and the dogs are throwing every concievable type, tempernment, and size. Same with most other mixes. There's nothing in the current breeding practices to even consider them anywhere near being a genuine breed.

 

I have a puggle and didn't even know it. Got him from a shelter for a 100 bucks, and he even came potty-trained. He is a great dog, but so is my other shelter mutt (a lab-pit mix). Check a shelter before dropping $900.

 

I had never heard of a puggle until my daughter purchased one in June 05. They weren't as popular then as they are now. I myself have a German Rottweiler. He's 4 months old and the two of them play pretty well together. The puggle is quite annoying. His bark is unusually and he can be extremely hyper. I love my rottie....sorry to say more than I do the puggle. The puggle is way to hyper and extremely spoiled. My daughter didn't pay 650 or any where between 900 for her puggle. I believe it's because she purchased it when they weren't popular. Yes he is funny looking, but it's my children's dog, not mine. I love my rottie.

 

Okay..I just remember when Disney's 101 Dalmations came out..so many people wanted one..and where did it get them. The shelter. We see pics of actors/actress in the magazine who have this dog, and kids automatically say mom, dad can I have one. All the kids have one and if I don't I won't be popular. Please!!let's stop the killing of innocent animals because it's a fashion decor fad. These poor dogs didn't want to be this way, their puppy farms do, so they can have their 15 min. of fame. Shame on them and shame on us for making it this in dog.

 

It's sad that inscrupulous puppy millers are trying to make big bucks off the unwary and the trendy. Nine hundred bucks for a mutt of uncertain genetic heritage? No thanks!

I have three beagles -- bright, happy, adorable, loving, and never bred. There are too many homeless dogs (of all kinds) already.

 

gosh, if you get a dog from the shelter you can have your own SPECIAL mixed breed that no one else could possibly replicate. one of a kind! this fascination with breeding mutts and calling them the perfect mix for this and that is downright irresponsible.
ADOPT A PET! DONT GIVE INTO THE TRENDS! THEN GEORGE W. BUSH WINS!

 

i think mixed breed are great; whether hinze 57 dogs or the more specific mixes i.e. puggles,labradoodles etc.. what angers me are the people selling these "mutts" -i say that w/ love and respect- for 100's to 1000's of dollars. many of these designer dogs are unfortunetly destined for the pound due to finiky fashion or unforseen/undesierable character traits of breeding different purebreds and worse case, puppy mills with NO care of genetic or physical health. todays purebreds had an orignal NEED.keeping up w/ the Jones is not one.if you want a mix,ADOPT. if you want purebred mutt, for dogs sake, research who your buying from and don't be stupid and pay 100's or 1000's of $$'s. i interbred my amstaff to my bullmastiff and the sire and dam came from quality,recorded backgrounds. i love this mix and sold the pups for the cost of the spay/nueter and only sold to buyers that understood the dogs and who i felt comfortable to sell to. thanks for reading my rant

 

Fantastic. A $900 mutt.

I have a shih poo (or shits poo as my husband refers to her lovingly ;) A fantastic dog we adopted. If at all possible ADOPT people, there are some wonderful organizations out there and if you insist on a 'designer dog' at LEAST go to a reputable breeder.

 

We accidentally came across our puggle at a pet store. We weren't looking to buy, just looking. When we saw Daisy, she stuck out amongst the other dogs there and we couldn't resist her. We were previously wanting to adopt but when we met Daisy, we fell in love with her. We had never heard of a puggle before and were quite surprised to recently find out that they're considered designer dogs. We just liked her because she was cute and friendly. She is a little over a year old now and has turned into the most affectionate and sweetest dog I have ever come across. She is certainly a joy.

 

Being a dog expert I do know that yes, you must create mutts before you have a new breed. It true to say that every "purebred" has ancestors that were crossed. But these dogs were bred for a purpose, not to be "cute" like puggles, cockapoos and schnoodles. These are not NON SHEDDING hypoallergenic dogs. People that are allergic to dogs are allegic not to the HAIR but to the DANDER, these are little flakes of dead skin. If you dog has skin, it has dander. As far as the non shedding goes... well every dog w/ hair shedds. With poodles or Havaneses you just might not notice it because it becomes entwinded with the other hair there for causing matts (if not regularly brushed) and can be quite painful to remove not to mention costly. Let's all try not to show our ignorance and do a little research first. If you have questions on fidning the right pet for you, feel free to email me : rosetatju11@yahoo.com

 

My girlfriend just bought a puggle. It's parents were both puggles, so it is possible to have a pure bred puggle to puggle. From my understanding this breed was an attempted to correct some of the breathing problems inherant in the pug line. Now I don't think what she paid for it is anything but robbery, but he is a DAMN cute little dog and he is VERY intelligent. He is loving and a bundle of pure energy that is driving my girlfriend crazy! I get to doggie sit him next week and work on getting him completely paper trained (he is doing wonderfully) and I kind of look forward to spending time with him ... now if I can only get some free time with my girlfriend again ... hmmmm. :-)

 

Is a Puggle + Puggle breed ok, does anyone have pictures

 

Puggles are the best!

www.puggle.org

 

I think people should get the dog they want. You are going to be with that dog for many many years so you should pick a dog that you fall in love with. For our family this was the puggle!!!
I am so sick of the designer dog crap. I had a mixed breed growing up. It was a mutt but a great mutt. Our puggle jasmine is a mutt and we love her. I think everyone whould get the dog they want.

 

Even AKC purebred dogs started out as "Mutts". There are only a few original breeds which roots trace back to the wolf, dingo, ECT. Every now and then a combination of breeds creates a superior dog. This is absolutely the case with THE PUGGLE!! It is one of the best combinations of size, intelligence, looks, and a catchy name, which accounts for why it is become one of the most desired dogs in the world!!

 

I have a 2 y.o. puggle {Frankie} that I took home because she was too cute to leave in a cage and it turned out that she is the smartest dog I have ever owned. And trust me growing up on a farm I had plenty of dogs in my life.

I have a form of muscular dystrophy and I fall frequently, well one day I fell and Frankie ran to get my husband and when he wasn't home she came and maneuvered herself under my head like a pillow until I had the strength to get up {without any prompting} I was not only amazed but I was moved to tears by her loyalty. She has done this now several times and has also learned to assist me in other ways just by learning my routine.

It's funny, I went looking for a dog because I was lonely when my hubby went to work and I was home due to my condition and not only did I get a cute puggle to love I also got a friend who watches out for me and anticipates my needs. Who could ask for anything more.


 

i have a puggle and he is one of the cutest and friendliest dogs I have ever owned. He is a good listener and a great pup companion. In my opinion puggles are the sweetest dogs ever. To each his own!!!

 

When you're looking for a new dog or puppy, it's always best to look at an animal rescue building or SPCA first. Now, I'm not saying you have to get a dog there, but remember that if the dog isn't adopted they might have to put it down. That being said, I think that the puggle isn't that easy on the eyes (if you catch my drift). The puggle will never become more popular than the cockapoo. I have a cockapoo (Ellie) and I have a friend who has a cockapoo, and they are the most lovable, friendlest dogs you can get.

 

Having the summer off from work and being out of NYC in the "country", I debated getting a dog and training him during this time off. One day, i came across an ad in the paper for "puggles" from a beagle breeder. I googled the term and up popped the cutest picutres ever. I started to read up and was sold on two facts: 1) they are great apt dogs and 2) they can be litter box trained. I made an appt to go to the breeders and thought I walked into heaven. Seven little sweet and cute puggles were napping all over one another. The biggest of the brood, a male, picked me. I didn't pick him! He has been amazing. Besides being a show-stopper with that face of his, he is the smartest dog i have ever encountered. His training has been easy - too easy in fact. He picked up housetraining in one day at the age of 7 weeks. By week 8, he was litter box trained and when to use the box vs go outside. He is so lovely to have around.
Little did I know about the backlash that exists towards his hybrid mix. People, chill out. At this stage of my life, I wanted a puppy and I wanted him from a breeder. If I lived outside of the city and if I had more space to house the dog, I would most definitely have looked at a rescue/shelter pet. Unfortunately, I have a modest sized apt on the 15th floor of a Manhattan apt bldg. What would be even worse would be for me to rescue a dog, have its behavioral issues reek havoc on my life and then have to send that dog back to a shelter. That's a risk I cannot afford to take at this point.
So before people judge me for owning a "designer" dog, don't discount the time and consideration I put into the decision to make sure it was the right move for me and my dog.

 

i am i trested in buyimg the dog eny one wish to sell u can send to my mail

 

I'm having the hardest time finding a reputable puggle breeder in the Phila Tri State Area. I would also be interested in finding a home bred puggle as well. I'm highly opposed to Puppy Mills and refuse to buy from a Pet store. I'm skeptical about buyin on line b/c I want to personally pick my puppy from a liter. Can anyone help me. I wouldn't mind traveling to Maryland or New York either.
Thanks

 

horse fetish milk fetish

 

Singer George Michael lends the piano on which John Lennon wrote Imagine to an anti-war exhibition...

 

We found a puggle at our local animal shelter. She is 6 months old and is perfectly potty trained and so far has been great - Since she was a stray - I worried a bit that she would have some terrible habit that made her owner turn her loose and not come looking for her - so far, we haven't found any problems - she's loving and happy.