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I have a puggle and FBIL and his wife have a pug. He's hyper, very hyper. Temperaments vary from dog to dog but theirs is just out of control sometimes and barks a lot. Our puggle is very calm and only makes noise if someone rings the doorbell. That's just my experience though and like I said, temperaments vary as well as the way they are raised/trained (they didn't have a lot of time to do much when they got him although he did go through one "semester" of dog training classes at PetSmart). He's a lot better now though and I have noticed that he acts worse when around other dogs (they got a second puppy about a year after getting him).
Hmm thats interesting. I have heard that pugs are pretty mellow and low key so I will have to keep that in mind. Thanks!
Oh and if anyone is wondering we are going to adopt. There is a rescue right down the street from my work that I have been avoiding going in to, because I will want to take all of them home :)
@Bostongrl25: The two of them actually say that a lot. They always tell us they always were told that pugs were low key lap dogs and that theirs just isn't. So maybe he's just a rare case and it's just his temperament. He's still super hyper though and about two years old.
We can't go into the shelters around here at all or we'd end up with more animals too. 
We have a black pug and he is VERY mellow. My husband's pug before that since he was a child? Also mellow. All the pugs we meet at the dog park every weekend? For the most part - yep, you got it, mellow. They are a joy to be around and TOTAL people dog's.
The only thing I will say is that they can be high maintenance because of their snouts and their eyes. Our pug, for example, was making this awful noise, and it turned up he had allergies! They can have breathing problems.
Also, they tend to eat everything--and I MEAN EVERYTHING--in sight. Like, they will not stop eating. Our other dog is a rescue from the HS and she can eat as she pleases and can leave her food there--the Pug can't. He'll eat his and go after her leftovers!
So, let me tell you something, The Pug was the husband's dog when we got together, and I totally thought they were ugly and stinky... but I LOOOOOOOOOOVE our Pug now. Like, if he passes away, I am DEFINITELY getting another one. There's nothing like owning a Pug. Everyone loves them, they love you so much (if you can handle the snoring!) and I would recommend one ANY day of the week.
@mandb122: I have a puggel too!!
The shedding is the WORSE. I have to warn you, please purchase a Furminator or one of those vacuum hair collectors, because trust me the shedding will drive you crazy. Pugs are sweet, gentle dogs. I believe our dog has more of a Pug temperament. She loves cuddling and she can eat. She rarely barks and she is extremely smart. Be careful about feeding your Pug. My FI had a pug before and he was extremely over weight from feeding the pug too much.
My mom has two black pugs and they are totally different. One is a bigger, older male who is a total love bug and so mellow. the other is a smaller, alpha-dog female who is also very sweet, but a little more temperamental. Both dogs had their stenotic nares (which is what causes the breathing problems much of the time) clipped as puppies, so have not had much trouble. From what she tells me, black ones are less prone to breathing trouble as it is. She has to be sure to walk them for at least 30 minutes a day because they are prone to putting on weight, but overall they're super cute, fun, happy dogs that make great house pets (IMO)
I had a pug growing up who my parents have now. She is 11 years old and still kickin'! She is a GREAT dog. She hasn't had any of the health problems that plague some pugs (breathing trouble or hip trouble), although she does get eye infections occasionally (but then so does my corgi..). From the start she was super mellow and she's always been a lap dog.
My only two warnings are:
1) pugs are not hearty. You REALLY have to watch them in the heat and when they exert themselves. At my hs graduation party it was like 90 degrees and we had a tent in the back yard. Molly was running around so excited about all the people that she got heat exhaustion and our vet (who luckily was a family friend and in attendance) had to give her an IV of fluids during the party. I also took her on a 3 mile walk around a park once in the summer without bringing her water (we did it with our other dogs all the time and they were always fine to just drink at the end). Same deal, heat exhaustion and had to take her to the vet.
2) they are total food whores. She is getting worse in her old age, she wakes my parents up at 4pm every day to feed her. It is also really hard to keep their weight at a healthy level.
But, overall, they are super sweet lap dogs (at least, our pug is)
I have a pug...she was very hyper the first few years we had her but is very calm now- all she does is sleep. She also eats nonstop but that might be our fault lol. As for the hip issues, she's 12 or 13 now and has a little bit of trouble with her legs, she can't climb downstairs anymore (only up) and she can't really jump anymore either.
In response to the shedding, we have our dog shaved. It sounds like she'd come out totally hairless but they just cut the hair short, I think of it as a puppy crew cut. It actually looks very normal and if you saw her on the street you wouldn't know she'd had any grooming done. It cuts down on the shedding a lot. We have it done every 3-4 months.
My favorite thing about her is the snoring- I hate when people do it but when she does it it's so cute- sometimes it's loud enough that I can hear it from my bedroom upstairs when she's in the kitchen.
pugs can have very serious health problems. they have trouble breathing due to their smushed in faces, so they're not good in very hot climates. they're also very prone to being overweight, so you have to be very careful with food and make sure they get enough exercise but don't overexert themselves because of the breathing trouble. they can also have eye trouble due to the way their eyes pop out a little and hip problems.
make sure you can afford vet bills, which can be very high. as long as you can afford it and are willing to put in some extra work, pugs are a sweet breed!
Thanks for all the info everyone!
From what I have read on here and other sites it sounds like some pugs have terrible health conditions and some do just fine with very minimal issues. It can really go either way
I guess my biggest concern now is the heat. It can get very humid in the summers in MA (well, I think it's humid-but probably not compared to other areas!). I would hate to put the dog in any danger while we are outside in the summer months.
Hmmm. Are there any other medium size dogs that have the pug temperment (laid back) but a little more heartier?
@Bostongrl25:I have a puggle and she is the best thing that ever happened to me!! Well, besides BF...haha. She is hyper and definitely has more of the beagle temperment. She is wild and barks at any noise that seems intimidating. She thinks she is a big dog and def tries to be a guard dog! But she's soooo loving and cuddley, sleeps right on your shoulder, and gives tons of kisses.
The shedding is major! Especially on a microfiber couch!! She, like most pugs, will eat all day if you let her, so you need to monitor that.
We are located on the South Shore and we got our pug from Pug Rescue of New England! They were extremely nice and easy to work with!
Our Pedro is a 10 y/o male who is extremely mellow. Eye probelms are a very common occurence, Pedro is deaf and blind b/c his previous owners neglected his dry eye, and now he is on eye drops (medicated and dry eye). When we got him he was underweight (19 pounds) but now overweight, so we have to monitor his eating and no extra treats.
Our home doesn't have central a.c. so we always left the fan on for him when we go to work, but when it got too humid and hot we drop him off at the in-laws!
Hope that info helps, and PM me if you have any questions!
@crash806:Awesome! We actually just filled ou the application for pug rescue of NE. I filled it out on Friday but haven't heard anything yet (I think it says it can take 2 weeks for them to get back to you?). Do you remember how long it took for them to place a dog with you? I read online that they interview you-did they come to your house for this?
Thanks!!
I have a black pug; she is 1.5 years old. I thought I would be getting a lazy lap dog as well, but when they are puppies they still have a lot of energy! She is quite cuddly and lazy now though at home, although still active when I want her to be which is nice.
I second the fact that you should watch the heat, although I got Wednesday (the pug) a cooling bandana and just took her down to the river a lot during the summer heat wave and she was fine. And yes, they can have health problems. There is a surgery that you can do to open up their nasal passageway (stenotic nares/elongated palate) to help with any breathing problems. Luckily Wednesday doesn't need it but it is an option at around $500-$700. Wednesday has some kind of allergy which causes her to get some pimples on her chin and lose the hair in her "armpits", we just changed her food and it seemed to get better.
The last thing I would like to tell you about pugs is that mine is EXTREMELY STUBBORN! She does what she wants when she wants to unless I physically prevent her from doing it. And we had her in all sorts of obedience classes and training. I always hear this about pugs lol. But she is just so darn cute and lovable, great with people, loves kids, I wouldn't trade her for anything!
Good luck with your search!
p.s. In terms of being "hearty", I would say the pug is pretty sturdy. Everyone always says how strong she is for a little dog.
@Bostongrl25: We actually didn't need to fill out a application because we did things differently. Pedro was at a foster home and we found him via a flyer at the vet's office that my sister in law works at. So we just meet him at the foster home and she did the interview at her house. I guess you can say my sil vouched for us.
@Bostongrl25: YAY!! so glad you are going to adopt. its the best. we have two dogs and we rescued both of them. Miles will be 6 yrs old, we got him when he was 12wks old from a local rescue group. Him and his two brothers were rescued from West Virigina where the rest of the litter was put into bags and lit on fire. Thankfully someone saved the rest of them. He is the best dog ever. he is a beagle german shepard mix atleast that what he looks like to us.
Our 2nd dog is Chip. he is a puggle about 2 -3 years old. we rescued him from another local shelter a few months ago. he is VERY hyper. barks non stop when he is outside, drives me crazy but he is a love bug. Him and Miles are like peas in a pod. they are great brothers.
Im glad we adopted them both. I will never do it any other way. and i love the Mutts =)
Good luck in your decision and give a Puggle a try =)
pugs have a tendency to have problems with their soft palette. I know someone with a pug that has had to have operations on her soft palette because she couldn't breathe properly and started fitting.
they're also more likely to have luxating patellas and you really need to make sure you're regularly cleaning and drying the folds on their faces.
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We have been talking about getting a dog for a long time now but have been waiting until we are settled into the new house/new jobs. I think its finally time and will be getting a Pug in the next couple months. Does anyone have a Pug? Ive only read great things about them online (minus the amount of shedding), but Im looking for anyone elses experience with them.
Thanks!