If you are looking for a very sweet, happy, and loyal family dog that works well with others, is fairly low maintenance, and loves to have a whole lot of fun, then one breed that you might want to consider is the pug dachshund mix.
Now, the pug dachshund mix does have its own name, although at this time it is not yet recognized by the American Kennel Club, but with that being said, it’s really just a matter of time, as the pug dachshund is becoming more popular as the years go on.
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What Is A Dachshund Pug Mix?
A dachshund pug mix is exactly what it sounds like, a dachshund or wiener dog mixed with a pug.
First off, we have the dachshund, which is a special type of hunting dog that originated in Germany, and can be traced back to the 1500s and earlier.
The name dachshund literally translates to badger dog, and indeed, these feisty little animals were used to hunt badgers and to drive them out of their dens (as well as other animals of prey).
The dachshund has a very sleek and narrow body which allows it to fit into those small burrows with ease.
However, the dachshund was not bred or kept as a family pet until the 1800s, when people in England started breeding them as pets. By the end of the 19th century, dachshunds had made their way to the United States.
These funny looking dogs might look cute and cuddly, and yes, to a certain extent they are, but dachshunds are independently minded, stubborn, and do have a tendency to be a bit aggressive unless they are well trained.
Next, we have the pug, another small dog that has very old origins, with the pug being much older than the dachshunds.
Pugs can be traced back more or less to the year 200 BC, or even earlier, where they were bred in China.
Chinese royalty kept pugs as pets, and these pugs were treated as royalty themselves. In other words, pugs really served no purpose but to be status symbols.
If you take a look at a pug, you can tell that it’s definitely not a hunting dog. Pugs then became very popular with European nobility in the 16th century, and later on became quite popular in North America.
Pugs are known for being fairly energetic, happy go lucky, playful, yet still fairly independent minded.
So, the dachshund pug is a mix between these two dogs, and what you end up with is a small dog that is between 15 and 20 pounds, stands between 11 and 13 inches at the shoulders, has short or medium short fur of black, brown, silver, or tan color, with a fairly intelligent, loyal, and very affectionate temperament.
The dachshund pug is currently recognized by the DRA, DDKC, DBR, ACHC, IDCR, although not by the AKC.
What Do You Call A Pug Cross Dachshund?
A pug crossed with a dachshund is usually referred to as a Daug. Yeah, it does sound kind of funny!
Pug Dachshund Mix Temperament
Ok, so what you need to know here is that the temperament of specific daug’s can vary from one to the next.
Just like with the appearance, the traits of the pug or of the dachshund may be much stronger than the other.
As we mentioned above, dachshunds are very intelligent, loyal to their owners, stubborn and independent, they love to hunt and kill, they don’t like taking orders, and they can be a bit testy too.
Sure, on most days, a dachshund will get along fine with most people, but that said, they can be a bit aggressive and domination.
Pugs on the other hand are just very sweet, loving, energetic, and happy go lucky dogs that really never have any aggressive tendencies.
They’re some of the sweetest dogs around. Keep in mind that dogs are of course different from one to the next, just like humans, so these are really just generalizations, but at the end of the day, it does come down to the specific dog (as well as how well they are trained and disciplined!).
Now, luckily for people who think that these dachshund pugs are daugs are very cute, the good news is that their temperament tends to lean more towards the pug side of things.
Daugs are quite happy, excitable, energetic, sweet, loving, and affectionate, but they do also have a bit of that dachshund loyalty and stubbornness in there as well.
That said, with mixed like these, you really don’t know what side will stick through more than the other until you can see it first hand.
However, if you do get a daug, you can be fairly certain that it will be a very sweet and friendly dog that is ideal for the whole family.
How Big Do Daugs Get?
Daugs are fairly small dogs and usually top out at 13 inches at the shoulders and generally weigh no more than 20 pounds, usually a bit less.
Common Dachshund Pug Mix Breed Health Issues
Ok, so what is kind of unfortunate here is that both pugs and dachshunds aren’t exactly the healthiest of animals.
Pugs have lots of breathing issues and dachshunds have plenty of spinal and back issues to contend with, and when mixed together to form the daug, you have an animal that is unfortunately susceptible to a litany of health issues.
Let’s take a look at the most common ones.
1. Back & Hip Problems
Daugs, especially if the dachshund side is dominant, will be susceptible to a variety of back, spinal, and hip problems.
Dachshunds have long backs and very little support for that back, so if you get a daug that has this trait, it may very well also suffer from back problems.
We aren’t going to start listing them all, but that long back and short legs don’t have the best structural integrity, and it can lead to serious back, spine, hip, and elbow issues, especially with age.
This is generally exacerbated by hormonal issues and obesity. Being fat is never good for your back, especially when that back has virtually no support from underneath.
IVDD or intervertebral disc disease (cushioning discs between the spinal vertebrae start to harden) as well as hip dysplasia, are two of the most common ones to look out for.
2. Obesity
Pugs and dachshunds individually are both susceptible to obesity, and this really only gets worse when you mix the two to form a daug.
Pugs and wieners (especially the wieners), may suffer from problems, such as hormonal and thyroid issues, which may make them eat way too much and gain excessive weight.
This is then combined with a general lack of mobility (doxies and pugs both have short legs), so they tend not to move all that much.
On that same note, doxies are generally voracious eaters anyway, and people seem to think that small dogs don’t need exercise.
For this reason, daugs tend to be prone to obesity, due to a mix of overeating and under-exercising (and possible hormonal issues).
3. Breathing Problems
Due to the way pugs are bred with that super short snout, they often have compacted airways, and this makes it hard to breathe and to get enough oxygen, which is why you will often see pugs panting heavily and quite literally gasping for air.
Now, this issue tends to not be all that severe with daugs, because the inclusion of the dachshund usually leads to daugs having longer snouts, but that said, either can be dominant with dog breed mixes.
In some cases you may get a daug that has that same short pug snout with all of those same breathing issues.
Pugs were not bred for functionality or good health.
4. Cushing’s Disease
Cushing’s disease is also known as hyperadrenocorticism, which is when the body produces excessive amounts of the cortisol hormone.
Excessive amounts of cortisol has many serious health implications, and prolonged overproduction of it can lead to death in the long run.
If your daug has Cushing’s disease, you may notice it overeating, being super thirsty, urinating a lot, losing hair, and taking on the appearance of a pot-bellied pig.
This is a rather serious issue that does need to be addressed as soon as possible.
5. Cataracts
Yet another possible health issue that dachshund pug mixes may suffer from are cataracts, which is when the eyes become cloudy, and can lead to partial to total opacity, or in other words, it prevents light from getting into the retina, thus effectively causing mild to severe blindness.
6. GDV
GDV stands for gastric dilation and volvulus, also known as bloat, which is when the stomach twists up and fills with air, an emergency condition that requires immediate medical attention and will lead to death if left untreated.
It can cause breathing and blood flow problems, both of which can be and often are lethal.
Pug Dachshund Mix Life Expectancy
You can expect a healthy dachshund pug mix to live for between 12 to 15 years. Of course, this does depend on how healthy the animal is.
How Much Is A Pug Dachshund Mix?
Dachshunds and pugs individually are both fairly pricey dogs, but the hybrid mix is not so much.
You can expect to spend between $350 and $500 on a paug puppy, sometimes more depending on the breeder. It’s definitely not the most expensive dog out there.
Is A Daug The Right Breed For Me?
If you want a dog that loves to play and be energetic, yet doesn’t need all that much exercise, and is also very loyal, loving, and affectionate, a true lap dog, then the paug is probably right for you.
Just beware that paugs can be a bit hard to train, especially if the super stubbornness and individuality of the dachshund is dominant.
Generally speaking, what you get here is a stubborn yet affectionate dog, one that is not shy about being vocal when they disapprove of something.
Most people would say that this is a perfect family dog and makes for a good apartment dog too, for those people who do not own a house.
Conclusion
There you have it folks, everything you need to know about owning a paug, especially in terms of temperament and health issues.
Now that you know what these little cuties are all about, you can figure out whether or not you want one.
