Is a Chug the right dog for you?

Hybrid dog breeds (or deliberate crossings of two unrelated pedigree breeds) are really popular in the UK, as many dog owners see the benefits of combining two breeds to produce all of the best traits of both – and to reduce the possibility of undesirable traits.

Whilst some dog lovers have their heart set on owning a registered pedigree dog, many others prefer the idea of a non-pedigree hybrid, and if you’ve narrowed down your search to two favourite breeds and can’t choose between them, this might be the perfect solution!

Two of the UK’s most popular dog breeds are the Chihuahua and the pug – and if you cross the two, you end up with a dog type that is commonly known as a Chug.

If you’re looking at adverts for Chugs for sale, like both pugs and Chihuahuas or are simply looking for a small dog breed and want something a little different, this article will help you to make a decision. Read on to learn more about the Chug dog type.

What is a Chug?

A Chug is a dog produced from the crossing of a Chihuahua and a pug – or subsequent generations of Chugs mated with each other. Whilst this cross is usually called a Chug, you might also see them referred to as a Pughuahua, or Pugwawa – or simply a Chihuahua-pug cross.

The Chug is a cross breed and not a pedigree dog, which means that they can’t be registered with The Kennel Club, and there is no formal breed standard or norm in place for this type of dog, so individual Chugs can be quite variable in terms of their appearance.

What do Chugs look like?

As mentioned, individual Chugs might well look very different to each other, in a number of key ways. Some dogs of this type will look a lot more like a Pug than a Chihuahua and vice versa, and the range of variance in terms of size, colours and conformation can all be quite acute.

Chugs are small dogs – but they can range from tiny to fairly stocky, and may stand anywhere from around 15-30cm tall, and range in weight anywhere from just over 3kg to around 9kg.

Most Chugs will have a fairly large and often domed head, with large, round and prominent eyes. How flat the face is can be very variable, and they tend to have slightly curled tails thanks to their pug ancestry, although this rarely forms the full corkscrew tail that many pugs have.

Both Chihuahuas and pugs can be seen in quite a broad spectrum of colours, which means that Chugs in their turn can be a range of shades from black, brown or tan through to merle and spotted. If a longhaired Chihuahua is used within the breeding programme, this may result in a shaggy, semi-longhaired or longhaired coat in the Chug, although this is not hugely common.

The Chug temperament

Chihuahuas and pugs have quite different temperaments, which means that it is more or less impossible to predict the temperament of any given Chug simply based on their ancestry. Pugs tend to be outgoing, comical, reasonably confident and friendly, whilst Chihuahuas may share some of these traits but also have a greater chance of being shy, slightly nervous and a bit more speculative.

One thing that both breeds have in common is that they are really loving and affectionate with people they know well, and they’ll form strong bonds with their new owners quickly.

Chug health

The pug breed in particular is one that is known for having a high risk of suffering from certain health problems due to their conformation and heredity. These tend to be more prevalent in pugs with very exaggerated features – and outcrossing with another breed like the Chihuahua can help to lessen their affect.

However, it is also important to bear in mind that some breeders will produce Chugs (or other crosses) because the pedigree dogs that they own aren’t of a good standard or have health problems, which can be passed on to their offspring even when outcrossing to another breed. This isn’t hugely common across breeders (as long as you choose a responsible one) but it is something to bear in mind.

The Chihuahua too can suffer from hereditary health issues, so it’s a good idea to check out the main risks for both respective breeds and appraise yourself of potential problems.

In order to give yourself a good chance of picking a healthy Chug puppy, choose a breeder whose parent stock have been health tested, and whose puppies are not bred for exaggerations like a really flat face or large domed head.

How much do Chugs cost?

The average sale price for Chugs in the UK is around £516 (Source : Pets4Homes.co.uk as at April 2018), but dogs that cost a lot more and a lot less than this can of course be found too. Chugs are the 81st most popular dog type in the UK (out of a total of over 240 breeds and types) and so whilst they’re not rare, they are not hugely common either.

This means that you might have to travel some way from home to view litters, and wait a while to find the perfect match. Once you have established what you want from your new Chug puppy, don’t rush into buying one – wait for the right dog from the right breeder, and use the time before you find a match to do plenty of research and planning for when you do finally bring your new Chug puppy home.