Pug Tails.........Why Are They Different?

[sugarskullz]

Just wondering about Pug's tails.
Lola has a very tightly curled double roll tail, which I adore, and it seems like it has pretty much always been that way (she is almost 10 months). Ozzy on the other hand (almost 4 months), has what I like to call, a lazy tail. Doesn't even roll into 1 complete roll . Just sort of flips over his back, but only when he is excited or playing, otherwise it becomes very limp and hangs straight. Is this normal and will it get a tighter, better curl as he gets older?

[Wonka & Nilla]

Just like snowflakes, each pug tail is unique. Some have tight "cinnamon roll" tails, some have "lazy" curls.... but all are precious and sweet.

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

It will likely not get tighter as he gets older. it is not a disqualification, but a tight curl is preferred and a double curl is perfection according to breed standards.

Take care,
Lisa

[Storm]

My tail only goes down when I sleep! My brother (blood brother, litter-mate) has a tail that just folds over his back and goes flat all the time. My sister (blood sister, litter-mate) has a tail that curls but does not curl as tight as mine ... she is cute, she wags her whole butt when she is excited!

[Melody]

No offense, but I really hate the often mentioned breed standards. Most of us aren't showing our dogs. Our dogs aren't lesser because they don't fit some contrived standard. If we aren't talking about show dogs, can we stop talking about standards? It feels like we are insulting our loved ones.

[frankoliverlucy]

I agree with Melody, However I think it is good to know what is "normal" for a pug. We all love our babies, Shown or Not :)

[frankoliverlucy]

PS a tail being held down can me a sign of illness or pain, so watching things like that that change and are not part of breed standard or are sudden changes are also important. Just like my Human Kids, If something changes a new mole, or acne or allergies, whatever, I always want to know what is expected and what is in the range of normal or not.

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

I only mention the breed standard because it is the "blueprint" for pug breeding. There is absolutely no reason that a pet dog has to conform to it, will be less healthy, or less of a good dog. Or even that a variation from the standard is not a desirable trait. I only mentioned it so that they know that a tail that is not tightly curled is not a disqualification, it is still considered "normal" just not as desirable to breeders.

Princess Zoey's flyaway ear and small size deviate from the breed standard, as do long tongue dogs and severe underbites, but truth be told they are often very endearing qualities.

Peaches has a flip over the back tail with little curl....she is lobbying that the breed standard be changed to prefer that design. If she has it, it goes to reason it must be perfection, right?

Even a champion show dog has weaknesses and does not "perfectly" conform to the breed standard. The breed standard is the goal of breeding, but I don't think any dog meets it to perfection in every area.

Take care,
Lisa

[PugMa]

I call Mu's tail "lazy" but it is definitely an indicator of his feelings. He is very sensitive and gets his feelings hurt easily. He even cries tears! Joy and Kaya both have pretty tight tails but neither has that pretty "cinnamon roll". Ya know what though?, I wouldn't trade any of mine for a "perfect" specimen. Nay, I'll just keep what I've been blessed with.

[Gizmodo]

Gizmo's tail is only curled when he is excited, for example, when it's time to eat, when we go on a walk, when we come back into the room after having left for a little bit of time (say, to take a shower). When he sleeps or is just relaxing, it unrolls and hangs down. It worried me the first time I noticed it, but now I just think of it as a mood indicator. Tail down = sleepy, tail curled & up = excited.