About the Puggle Breed

The puggle is a cross between a beagle and a pug. Puggles are not recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club, but people have been breeding them since the 1980s. Mixed-breed dogs inherit traits from both breeds involved in creating the hybrid.

  1. History

    • According to Andre and Chelle Calbert, authors of "Puggles: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, and Training," the first puggles are believed to have been bred by a man named Wallace Havens. Havens lived in Wisconsin and worked most of his life as a cattle breeder. After breeding the first puggles, Havens went on to register and trademark the breed, but the breed took nearly two decades to become popular.

    Appearance

    • While it can be difficult to generalize a cross-breed, most puggles do typically have some similarities. The muzzles are usually wrinkled back like a pug's but are slightly elongated like a beagle's. Puggles tend to have long floppy ears like a beagle. Other common features may include a thickset body, underbite, short stubby legs and a longer tail curled like a pug's. The coat of a puggle can range from fawn, or tan like a classic pug coat, to multicolor, solid black and white.

    Temperament

    • As with appearance, the temperament of a puggle can vary because there is no breed standard with hybrid dogs. Wallace Havens, creator of the puggle, describes them as sweet-tempered, affectionate, low-maintenance and family friendly dogs. Taking on some of the traits of their ancestors, puggles are also known to be intelligent, playful and energetic along with being both a watchdog and/or scent hound.

    Health

    • Generally, mixed-bred dogs tend to be healthy overall. That being said, puggles are subject to any genetic diseases that affect the beagle or pug. Some of the health concerns facing puggle dogs include eye problems such as cherry eye, or entropion, skin infections, joint problems such as dislocated kneecaps, back problems, epilepsy, lameness, respiratory issues and inflammation of the brain. Puggles are also prone to overheating, so they may be intolerant of extreme temperatures.