Facts on Puggle Puppies

Puggle puppies are the offspring of two purebred dogs but are not purebred themselves. Not recognized by the American Kennel Club as a breed, puggles are a "designer breed," mixed-breed dogs with cute names and the characteristics of two purebreds bred to be sold at a high profit.

Puggle puppies are the result of breeding a beagle and a pug and will have some of the qualities of each. To understand the puggle puppy, you should read and know what each of those breeds brings to the mix. Both dogs are friendly and both have short coats, but the similarity stops there. The beagle has long, floppy ears; the pug has short button ears. The beagle has a long snout, but the pug has a short, brachycephalic face. The beagle has a long tail, the pug has a short, curly tail. The puppies of these two dogs can be any combination of these physical characteristics. Until puggles have been bred for three or more generations, has a national breed club, number in the 300s and are located in 20 or more states, the AKC will not recognize the puggle as a breed and puggle puppies will continue to vary in appearance and temperament. As of 2012, 11 dog breeds are being considered for AKC recognition. The puggle is not one of them.

Puggles, golden-doodles, schnoodles, shih-poos and labradoodles are just some of the non-breed breeds that hit the scene during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. These dogs are the result of a purpose breeding of two purebred dogs so as to produce a litter of puppies with the physical and temperamental characteristics of both breeds. Many of these puppies are sold at a premium price, a practice critics are quick to point out is simply a matter selling mutts for a high price based on cute names and the possibility of a particular type of dog. Litters produced from two purebred dogs not of the same breed are not guaranteed to have any specific quality. Puggle puppies in the same litter can look, act and be different in many ways. There is simply no way to know what the puppies will look like until generations later.

The beagle is a sturdy dog with hunting instincts and a distinctive howling bark. The comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles Shultz, features a beagle named Snoopy who helped bring beagles to the fore of American dog popularity. There are actually two varieties of beagle, the 15 inch and the 13 inch, and come in several colors including red, white, yellow and tri-color. According to the American Kennel Club registration statistics, the beagle has remained among the top three most popular dogs for many years as they make great companion and family dogs. They have an energetic and even temperament and enjoy being with others, both canine and human.

The AKC lists the pug as "a lot of dog in a small space." They grow to about 14 to 18 inches and have square, "cobby" bodies. They come in fawn or black, and have a black mask. Whereas Snoopy may be the hero among beagles, Frank, the dog in the "Men in Black" movies is the pug's champion. Both the beagle and the pug have short coats that are easy to maintain but they do shed. Pugs originated in Asia, are highly adaptable to any situation and do well in small apartments or homes.