Pugshire Dog Breed

As a hybrid breed, the Pugshire is not an official member of any breed group, though it would certainly fit into the Toy category. These dogs were almost certainly created during the "designer dog craze" in the U.S. in the late twentieth century. Their sole purpose is as as companion dogs, so Pugshires make great pets for families and singles--though they can be stubborn, fussy, and difficult to train, so they may not be suitable for first-time owners.

Pugshires are a small-sized breed--height at the shoulders is 9-15 inches, and weight is 6-15 pounds--with medium-length, fine coats in colors including gray, tan, and black, among others. Here are some advantages and drawbacks of owning this crossbreed:

PROS:

• Very affectionate
• Sheds minimally
• Playful and comical
• Great for apartment life
• Intelligent
• Good with children, if socialized with them
• Low to moderate grooming and maintenance needs
• Good watchdog abilities
• Minimal exercise required
• Long lifespan (12-16 years) for a toy breed
• Excellent "snuggle buddy"

CONS:

• Stubborn and willful; can be difficult to train
• Prone to separation anxiety
• May bark often
• Can turn jealous and fussy if not given attention
• Moderate to high tendency for obesity
• Can be difficult to housetrain
• Due to small size, can be easily injured around small children/toddlers

The Pugshire is a toy-sized companion dog that undoubtedly wears its heart on its doggie-sweater sleeve. These small-sized crossbreeds love everyone and everything, but they are extremely sensitive, and often get jealous if their owners pay more attention to other pets or people than them. They're quite intelligent, but as terrier offspring, they seem to inherit the Yorkie's tendency for stubbornness, and will require extremely patient trainers. Gentle, positive, reward-based training methods are best for these little dogs.

A Pugshire will normally form deep bonds with its human family members--and it will grow closest to the person who shows it the most attention. A dog of this breed will usually become that person's shadow, and will lovingly follow them any- and everywhere--and will usually not want to share "their" human's affections. But once the human settles in to watch TV or read, the Pugshire will attach itself to their lap and lovingly lick their hand. (One way Pugshires show affection is by licking things.)

And these dogs are active, but only in short bursts. Interestingly, Pugshires are fond of long naps--so if its owner takes a dog of this breed for a nice walk, it will likely come home, curl up in the owner's lap, and sleep for a couple of hours.

Pugshires are pretty healthy, and as crossbreeds they are influenced by "hybrid vigor," in which a crossbred animal inherits the healthiest traits of its parents. Even so, Pugshires can suffer issues either naturally occurring or inherited from their Pug and Yorkie parent dogs; most will live 12-16 years. These include:

• Pug dog encephalitis
• Leggs-Perthe disease
• Reverse sneezing
• Mange
• Allergies to some medications
• Epilepsy
• Hip dysplasia
• Patellar luxation