Vodafone may have brought pugs into the limelight, but pugs were a prime breed since the beginning of this millennium. They have been around since the dawn of 400 century B.C. They were earlier most commonly seen in China and other Asian countries.
It was 16th century when Europe saw its first pug being imported from china. All the pugs found today, in America and Europe, are accepted to be the descendents of pugs brought from China. However, they were only accepted as a recognized breed by the American Kennel Club or AKC in 1885.
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What are the most common pug colors?
The American Kennel Club accepts two different colors of the breed: Fawn (082) and Black (007). Fawn can include a wide range of hues starting from light apricot to dark tan. Even a silver will be registered as fawn. This breed is known for its dark and lustrous eye colors (dark brown and black). Any registered color other than black is classified as fawn according to the AKC.
A few rare colors include the white pug and the leucistic pug. The leucistic pug has restricted distribution of melanin in its body making its skin look patchy like the Australian Shepherd and Great Danes. They are also characterized by blue eyes. However, these two colors are not accepted by the AKC.
What are brindle pugs?
Many people think that brindle is a color. Quite contrary to popular belief, brindle is actually a striping pattern that is seen rarely in pugs. The stripes are usually brown and grey, and it is also seen in other dog breeds including boxers and a few mastiffs.
What does brindle mean?
Brindle means tiger stripes and is not used to refer to a particular breed. It is often not restricted as the description of a species since this pattern can appear on guinea pigs, horses and cattle as well. The defining character of the brindle stripes are – the stripes are darker than the base color of the dog’s coat. If this describes the pattern of your pug’s coat, then you have yourself a rare brindle pug!
Myths vs Truths about brindle pug puppies
Now, there are a few myths and even fewer facts known about the origin of the pug breed. So the study of the origin of the brindle phenotype and the actual source of the “brindle gene” is quite unknown.
Myth 1: the brindle phenotype is dominant and will take over the entire pug breed.
Truth 1: Well, brindle does exist in other breeds as well, including, whippets, bull dogs and bullmastiffs. And time has shown us that these breeds have not yet been taken over by brindles. So why should pugs be an exception, we don’t know.
Myth 2: brindle pugs are weaker and that is why lesser in number.
Truth 2: Brindle is a rare pattern and combination of colors seen on a pug. It is not recognized by the AKC as a standard pattern. So most breeders do not breed these brindle puppies and as a result there are fewer brindles in every subsequent generation. Their breeding programs are designed in a way to prefer fawn and black pugs only.
Myth 3: brindle pugs are never pure bred.
Truth 3: we have heard this many a times before. Multiple DNA tests have been done in the past to check the genetics of pugs. While some of these brindle pugs contain genes from other breeds, this is also true for fawn and black pugs. Just because a pug is pure black or fawn does not mean you can assume their genetic purity. A few brindle pugs were found to be purebred after thorough DNA testing. Also, gene distribution and frequency shows us that, if the brindle gene came from some other breed about 10 or 20 generations back, your brindle pug is still more than 99% pure bred.
Is it normal for puppies to change color over time?
Color change is quite normal in pug pups. In case of brindles, there’s hardly any color change. But the coat pattern can evolve over time. You cannot expect a brindle puppy to become fawn or black over time. However, the intensity and frequency of a color can vary.
Do brindle pugs have the classic signs and marks of a pug?
A pug is usually identifiable by its mask, trace and thumbprints. Although these are far less conspicuous in a brindle pug, they are definitely present.
A mask is the black coloring of and around the muzzle. This is present since the birth of a pug puppy and does not elude a brindle puppy. The mask begins right under the chin and continues over the top of the nose, encircling both the pug’s eyes.
The thumbprint is the black mark you see on the forehead of your pug. If you have a brindle pug puppy, it will be very difficult for you to locate the thumbprint. It is very unusual for a purebred pug puppy to be born without a thumbprint and develop one with passing time.
The trace is by comparison is rare trait that appears as a pug matures. It is a straight dark line of hair that covers the pug’s back and ends at the tail-base. This line may be dark in apricot and fawn; in case of brindle pugs it is hardly seen as conspicuously due to its patterned fur.
Where can I find brindle pugs for sale?
Brindle pugs are very rare. This makes them a perfect, profitable product of puppy mills. So in case you find brindle pugs online, we suggest you check the background of the website and registration of the breeder before making any commitments. There are currently quite a few websites operating as fronts for puppy mills online. Click here to see the trusted pugs for sale websites.
If your breeder cannot help you meet your puppy’s parents or if he is offering multiple breeds at a time, for sale, you are probably dealing with a puppy mill owner or employee. Looking for very rare features in your puppy while puppy shopping online, is an open invitation for puppy mill owners to step in.
Keep yourself informed! We have gathered tons of useful pug tips , frequently asked questions and trivia for you here. Read on and get to know your pug better. Coz’ everything has a scientific explanation.