do pugs smell?

I'm trying to do as much research on this breed as I can and have read a lot of care information but I have also read various things that I am unsure of and need cleared up

I have a few questions needing answering so I wondered if you guys could help me out?

I know dogs have a doggy smell but I have read that Pugs have a distinctive smell that could be unpleasant?

I know some can have problems with anal glands, is this very common and can this be somewhat helped with by using premium dog foods?

What is considered to be the best or the most authoritive book on pug care?


Thanks :)

Welcome to the Village.

In my opinions pugs don't smell, at least mine don't. All dogs can have a doggy smell when their coats are wet but I find even that smell is less on a pug than say a Labrador.

Their anal glands can leak and that gives off a fishy smell. If they are full and your pug isn't emptying them by himself during a bowel movement, the vet or groomer can empty them for him. My pugs don't have this problem.

Books...there's so many. I have 'The Book of The Pug' by Joan McDonald Brearley and 'A new owners guide to Pugs' by Richard C. Beauchamp and Sonja Neu.

The only way a pug would smell any different than any other breed is if the owner dosn't keep their nose wrinkle and ears clean. Whomever said this met pugs who were not well cared for. IMHO.:pugsrule:

Good question! I am very sensitive to smells, and before I had a dog I knew immedialely when I walked into a home with a dog or was in a car where a dog had been. My best friend swears her lab doesn't smell "doggy" but trust me, she does, and so does her car and home (she is a clean freak, but still..)

I haven't noticed that "doggy" odor from Chloe. Her paws DO stink on occassion. I heard they sweat through their paws (someone correct me if I'm wrong here), so that's probably why. But, no, I haven't noticed an unusual odor and I do believe I would if she had it.

I think what you should be more worried about is the shedding, it is NON STOP and I can never wear black.

Edit to add: Chloe has been eating premium foods since she was a puppy and I have never had her anal glands expressed. Don't know if that's the reason, but I think it may just be on a case by case basis.

My Pug smells better than many of my ER patients. LOL!

Seriously, she has less of a "doggy" odor than any previous dog I've had (she's our first Pug). If she needs it, we bathe her. Voila, great-smelling dog. :)

I've never noticed my pugs smell... The only time they smell is when they are wet. And then they have the wet dog smell.. hehe... Homer has issues sometimes with his anal glands.. and it smells fishy but doesn't usually last too long.

Their feet/paws smell like fritos a lot of the time.

Toby has never had anal gland issues. I keep his nose fold and face wrinkles, ears, etc. clean so they do not smell either.

his feet do smell like fritos, but it is not unpleasant. I like it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LisaSarao

Seriously, she has less of a "doggy" odor than any previous dog I've had (she's our first Pug). If she needs it, we bathe her. Voila, great-smelling dog. :)

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I totally agree with this. Baxter doesn't have any smell at all.

[quote=fudge;1300024]with the anal glands is that something I am going to need to have someone see to often? I'm just confused that I havent heard of other breeds likely to have this problem?[quote]

It's a problem mainly in toy breeds, some suffer more than other like Cavaliers, my Vet said he's never come across one that doesn't have the anal gland problem....probably a bit of a wild generalisation by I get his drift!

Mushu doesn't have anal gland issues. I think Libby's leaked once because it smelled just like described but she doesn't seem to have a chronic problem. If you have them groomed regularly the groomer will check it. Oh, and their feet do smell like Fritos but only if you put your nose on them and sniff.:laugh:

To me, it smells like bloody fish!

If you add pumpkin to the diet.....it helps with having problems.

I agree about the frito paws....

If they are warm and just waking up they smell like a bag of Fritos otherwise they are not smelly unless they roll in something they like or sometimes when they come in from the rain (ok they ususally won't go out in the rain but say if they did :laugh:)

Warning don't smell their feet unless someone is holding them tight! they wiggle like jello and kick I almost lost a contact when I heard about the feet I turned Sassi on her back to sniff she nearly kicked my eye out! Um they don't like to be on their backs unless it was their idea!

The only smell I've noticed is the Frito-feet smell, usually when Otto's stretched out sleeping next to me.

He really doesn't have a doggy smell, even when he's wet. I bathe him every 4 or 5 months, brush him often in between baths and use a dry shampoo if he gets muddy. After winter walks, I use a washcloth to clean his paws in case he's picked up any salt or ice-melter chemicals on them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ruebeau

I totally agree with this. Baxter doesn't have any smell at all.

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Ok...I forgot the Frito feet!!!! I LOVE that....am I nuts?????

A Pug who is fed a quality diet and receives proper care does not smell.

^Kewpie^, my Hurricane Katrina rescue Pug (who is running for 2010 Calendar Girl - hint, hint) was rather smelly when I first brought her home. Who knows where she had been and what she had been eating before Yvette got her. But after another bath and a few weeks on a premium diet, she didn't smell anymore.

None of my other four Pugs were ever smelly at all.

They all shed, however. Pugs come double-coated and single coated. I currently have one of each. My double-coated Pug sheds four times as much as my single-coated Pug.

Not a naturally smelly breed, unless there's something medically wrong, like a yeast infection or demodex or anal gland issues. And in a good home, with a good diet and attentive parents, any of those issues would be nipped in the bud very quickly.

I will say that my pug/French bulldog mix does need a bath more frequently than my purebred pug does, or he starts to smell a bit doggy. Even then, though, we're talking about every 2-3 months, rather than every 4+ months or so. Not exactly an outgrageous grooming requirement! :laugh:

I get Thurston groomed every 6-8 weeks or so - or when the Frito smell gets a little too strong for bed time cuddles. They do his anal glands at the same time. I have never been leaked on. I clean his teeth, ears and wrinkles pretty often. And he is on a raw food diet (Lamb or Beef) and I add pumpkin and non-fat yogurt. He hardly sheds either and his fur is super soft, but he's an apricot fawn so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I tend to think it is his diet that makes him such a perfect little boy. ;)

My foster girl was pretty stinky when I brought her home. She also has dragon breath, but she is in need of a good teeth cleaning. She is a fawn and sheds like crazy (and her fur is really coarse) but I haven't had enough time with her to see if my diet magic works on her.

Welcome to another UK member!

Pugs don't generally smell, as has already been said, but they can have terrible breath.

There are preparations you can buy to help with the bad breath - I personally use Plaque Off which is a powder you put in their food and it really seems to help. Really the key is to try to keep their teeth clean as bad teeth are often culprits when the breath smells. But diet can play a part too.

Pug books - Living with a Pug (Alison Mount) is one I would highly recommend.

We wash our pugs relatively regularly to help avoid any stinkiness.

Only stinkiness that occurs in our house is when they are damp and haven't had a shower in a while, or when they think its a great idea to roll in fox poo!

During spring/summer we wash them about once every 3 months, they are due a bath this weekend, they were last showered at the beginning of May.

During Winter its more regular because the weather is generally wetter and they get muckier easier on walks.

The washing also helps with the shedding!

Talking about feet and the frito smell, that smell reminds me of a sleepy puppy, when they wake up, I love that smell. I used to smell my labs paws often, it was a reminder of those wonderful puppy days. So it isn't just pug paws. My pugs don't smell, and are bathed every couple of months in the winter, more often in the summer.

My Bossco used to get "stinky face" if I didnt clean his nose wrinkle out every day. He had a very heavy rope over his nose and all kinds of yucky things used to get in there. Other then that he never had a "yuck smell" His feet didnt stink although he used to smell them all the time for some reason. I thought it was funny.

Crissy doesnt smell at all and she doesnt have the huge fold over her nose that Bossco did. Her face should be easier to keep clean.
I didnt even really notice the typical "wet dog" smell on either of them

Of course I am bias..:valentine

Vivian has the frito feet smell and funky face if I don't clean it, Rupert just has bad breath, but over all they don't have a "doggy smell"
I love their smells though.

my pugs dont smell.
they are well cared for.
they do smell wet doggish when they have just had a bath. but what dog doesnt?

they do shed like crazy so if you dont like hair - you may want to think about this.