Puggle Lifespan: What You Need To Know About Your Precious Puggle

Is this mischievous dog a good fit for you as a pet?

Let’s find out all about this cute little munchkin called the puggle puppy. With an average life expectancy of approximately 10-15 years, a puggle is indeed one of the best dog breeds to bring home.

The puggle is a new dog breed. This has been produced by crossing two pure dog breeds: the pug and the beagle. Pug + beagle= puggle is definitely some good mathematics.

The puggle was initially bred by breeders in the United States of America who produced designer dogs with the motive to breed a healthy and friendly dog that has fewer chances of inheriting health and behavioral problems found in their ancestors, both the pug and beagle. The cross is less prone to certain serious health issues common in the pug, specifically breathing problems because of the dog’s brachycephalic head. The puggle is also less likely to have the energy level, scent sensitivity, and howling tendency just like its beagle side. However, due to unprecedented consequences of the crossing of two famous breeds, puggles are still likely to inherit both breathing disorders and high energy levels.

For the first time, pugs and beagles were intentionally crossbred and sold as companion dogs in the '80s. Designer puggle breeders started producing them in large numbers in the '90s when the portmanteau 'puggle' was first sold in the market. Over time, the puggle has become one of the most demanded crossbred dog breeds in the United States. Many celebrities have been attracted to the dog’s charm and have started owning them. Not just that, in 2005, the puggle was titled as the ‘hottest dog of 2005’ in the US media. In 2006, puggle marketing resulted in puggles being more than 50% of total crossbred sales in the United States.

Now, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions about your precious puggle to get a deeper knowledge of this amazing crossbreed. After reading about the puggle dog lifespan, also check out how long do beagles live and how long do pugs live.

Health Issues Common To Puggles

Since puggles are a crossbred dog species, they generally have good health. However, there are certain problems that may occur in these dogs like a hip disease called hip dysplasia, luxating patella (knee cap bone), and prolapsing of the eyelid gland commonly known as cherry eye.

Congenital stenotic nares is another serious issue in puggles that causes the inability to breathe and can eventually lead to the death of the puggle. Regular and scheduled visits with a good veterinary doctor may help with early identification and treatment for any of these potential issues.

The puggle is generally a jovial dog breed but it can be exposed to genetic diseases. It is known that there are breathing issues due to their short noses just like their parent breed, pugs, and hence they may inherit this problem. Their female genes, however, make this problem a little less prevalent. Small dogs like puggles can also be exposed to hip issues which can be worsened by their habit of over-eating.

What is an ideal diet for a puggle including all the required nutrients?

The puggle’s parent breed, pugs, are mostly allergic to foods like corn, soy, and wheat. This means that there is a possibility that a puggle might inherit these kinds of allergies from its parents.

The best kind of food that can be served to a puggle is food that is not so full of filler ingredients, for example, raw dog food. This type of dog food contains 99% meat, organs, and animal fats. A raw, natural diet ensures the best health conditions for a puggle. Even when a puggle does not appear much like its ancestors pugs and beagles, its digestive system functions in the same way as its parents and requires a diet mostly derived from raw food sources. Your puggle will genuinely love eating raw food!

A raw, high-quality diet will keep your pup fit and fine to jump all day. But, since puggles are likely become obese, keep a check on their weight as well as calorie intake. Your puggle would be considered overweight if it weighs more than the average puggle weight that is 18-30 lb (8.1-13.6 kg). Even if you wish to give your dog some treats, do so in a moderated manner. Try to avoid giving your dog table scraps and cooked bones or foods that have high-fat content.

A puppy puggle starts eating a scheduled diet when he is around eight weeks old. It must eat four times a day. You should serve it a quarter to half a cup of puppy food. This schedule should be followed until your pup reaches three months old. After that, your furry puggle can start eating three times a day instead of four.

For adult puggles, you should separate your dog’s food time into two different meals. This will help it get into a regular habit of eating, and also allow you to keep a check on the amount of food it is eating. Puggles may have a tendency to get chubby, so you must watch and monitor how much your dog is eating. Most importantly, you should remember that all dogs are different; if your puggle is playful and hyperactive, it might need a little more to eat than a puggle who is lethargic and sleepy all day.

What do you need to know about puggle health?

Puggles are happy-go-lucky dogs, they are good companions and also protect their owners and family members. They are referred to as great family dogs because they love to catch your attention.

If they are unable to seek the attention that they want, they might misbehave and display bad habits like howling and barking. Puggles are full of energy and hence they need your time to play with them; these dogs are quite curious and they like exploring things.

You should take your puggle for daily walks and at the end of the day, after playing thoroughly in the daytime, your puggle will mostly likely curl up and cuddle with you. Puggles are highly devoted dogs who enjoy cuddling, playing, and bestowing their owner with love and affection. Some daily habits that a puggle owner should follow include brushing the dog once a week to reduce the amount of shedding.

Bathe your puggle as and when required; generally, once a month will do. Make sure you dry it well around its eyes and in its skin folds.

Other grooming needs are nail and dental tasks. Brush your puggle’s teeth at least two to three times a week. Brushing will remove the build-up on its teeth and also freshen your dog’s breath. Trim your furry friend’s nails once or twice a month. Short nails help to keep its feet in good condition and avoid hurting others with gigantic nail scratches. Puggles are intelligent dogs, but just like their ancestors the pug and the beagle, they do not have an instinctive desire to work as per your will; they can be as stubborn as a mule while training. The trick is to give small positive rewards like food, praise, and play. Try keeping your training sessions short so as not to lose your furry friend’s attention.

What is the expected average life of a puggle?

Typically, a puggle lives for 12-14 years, which is a little less than the lifespan of one if its ancestors, the pug. Pugs live for 13-15 years on average. The average puggle lifespan is slightly greater than that of its female ancestor, the beagle, which has an average lifespan of 10-15 years, aligning with the average life expectancy of a dog in general.

Like every other animal, the lifespan of a puggle is highly impacted by certain factors like diet and diseases. If you take care of your furry friend properly, feeding it with a good and healthy diet, your puggle may live longer than ones that skip their veterinary visits and eat lots of junk food, missing out on proper nutrients (just like in the case of humans). In a nutshell, puggles resemble their ancestor beagle in the case of living an exuberant life (you might get drained of energy but you’ll mostly find your puggle still hopping and ready to play more).

Showering love and affection and cuddling has been inherited by their male ancestors, pugs. They’re home-friendly, good around kids, and also friendly with other dogs. Puggles have fewer health issues as compared to purebred dogs. But, being prone to hereditary health problems from both its ancestor breeds, pugs and beagles, it may be possible that your pup inherits any of these problems. If this happens, it can have an impact on the quality and expectancy of their life.

What is the oldest living puggle?

The oldest living puggle is 16 years and 11 months old.

The respective human age of the dog is 86 years and four months. You see, this is how rapidly your furry puggles grow! Such long-lived and old-aged dogs are called Matusalem dogs.

Keeping Your Puggle Puppies Healthy

The puggle is a hybrid breed of a dog produced by deliberately crossing pugs and beagles. Puggles are small but heavyweight dogs. They are highly energetic, and if trained well, they can become perfect family companions and good friends of your kids.

However, puggles are not a breed free of problems, and recognizing some of their problems is an integral part of the process of deciding if a puggle is a right dog breed for you.

Heavy shedding is one of the major issues faced by puggles. They have a coat that can be easily brushed and taken care of but their thick furry hair sheds heavily, especially during the summer season. You must brush your puggle’s hair once a week making sure that all of its loose hair has been shed. The puggle’s hair coat is not very long but it is not considered a hypoallergenic dog and is not a good choice for people with allergies.

Also, puggles are sensitive to changes in the climate as inherited by their pug ancestry. In summers, they cannot stand excess heat, and when the weather becomes a bit cold they tend to catch colds easily. They are also sensitive to humidity, so taking them outside in an extremely hot or cold atmosphere might cause them weariness and illness. Barking is another problem that puggle-owners have to deal with. If your dog is not trained well, it can become a loud dog. These dogs are attentive and alert and they might bark at strangers or visitors in your house. At the same time, they are excessively friendly and hence, cannot be kept as guard dogs at your home. As a trait inherited by beagles, some puggles may also howl. Proper training at a young age is necessary to prevent your puggle from becoming a howling creature instead of your cute furry friend.

Adopting A Dog From A Puggle Rescue or Shelter

Adopting a dog at a shelter involves the selection of the dog that you want from among the shelter’s inventory, filling out the application, and bringing your pet dog home.

On the other hand, adopting a puggle from a rescue means either you find a pet that belongs to the rescue organization or curate the best pet in accordance with your situation and lifestyle. People who have specified criteria for the pet that they want might go to rescue organizations to get more personal assistance or to scout for animals at shelters.

Rescuing a puggle or adopting it from a shelter is totally your choice. Choose as per your surroundings and situation. Adopting an animal for yourself is indeed a life-changing decision. Make sure you think twice before bringing a pet home.

If you are looking for a mixed breed, there is the Labrador retriever, but if you are looking for a mixed breed that will be cute as well and not take up too much space like a large dog, then we think that this mixed breed might just be for you. The puggle is from the small dog breed. Pet owners can find this dog or other dogs at a local animal shelter or puppy mills or through a rescue group. This dog was first bred as a designer dog.

The puggle temperament also consists of character traits like playful and gentle and such a small dog will also make a great companion dog. Purebred dogs like purebred pugs have less health problems and health risks as long as the puppy's parents do not carry any genetic disease.

Puggle dogs can be found in an animal shelter and the lifespan of puggle dogs is between 10-15 years. A puggle from a breeder can cost anywhere near $800 and $1800, depending upon the coat color and reputation of the breeder.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for puggle lifespan then why not take a look at do pugs shed or puggle facts.