The mix between the Pug and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel resulted in a small sized breed by the name of Pugalier. The Pugaliers are friendly, intelligent and gentle dogs, acting with affection towards their human companions. Their coats come in a variety of colors, including black, brown, apricot, tan, silver, fawn, white and others. They are doing well in obedience training and contests.
The look of a Pugalier is pretty much unique, combining the short Pug muzzle with the skull shape of a Cavalier. However, many breeders try to obtain dogs with a muzzle slightly longer than the one of the original Pug, in order to avoid some breathing conditions the parent Pug breed has. The ears are longer due to the influence from the Cavalier’s side. On the overall, the Pugalier body is bigger than the one of a Pug and a bit longer, pointing to the Cavalier heritage.
Pugaliers are among the friendliest dog breeds, as both parent breeds are very fond of humans. They are doing great with children and usually get along very well with other pets.
The Pugaliers inherited the friendliness and the affectionate behavior from the Cavaliers, while they turn out to be calmer than their Pug parents. They enjoy human company and present no danger around children.
Usually the Pugalier’s coat is very short and only seldom it is a bit longer, due to the Cavalier influence. The length of the coat will determine the level of grooming required as well, but it usually means minimal brushing. It is important for Pugaliers to have their ears clean and dry all the time, which is a requirement for all floppy ears dog breeds, in order to avoid infections.
Despite their intelligence and affection towards humans, Pugaliers can also be very independent and stubborn at times, which makes the training not a very easy job. It’s from the Pug side that the independent and stubborn personality is inherited, while the intelligence comes more from the Spaniel side. In order to carry out the training successfully, it is recommended for all Pugaliers to be socialized from early ages and be obedience trained as early as possible, too.
The idea that the Pugalier puppies will get what they desire most, but only after you are happy with them needs to be passed on and stressed out through training techniques. As most dogs, it takes a firm attitude during training, along with patience and consistency. Some Pugalier owners stated that the puppies had trouble keeping focused for longer periods of time, so the sessions are best to be shorter and fun.
It’s not very easy to locate a good Pugalier breeder and this breed can be considered a bit rare at this moment in time. Turning to a breeders’ agent may be a good idea and can speed things up a bit with regards to sourcing a Pugalier puppy. The breeders will also have all the necessary information with regards to the care of the Pugalier puppies.
In order to decide if the Pugalier is the most suitable dog breed for a particular owner, it is important to have in mind at all times the specifics of this breed which are: moderate maintenance influenced by the type of the coat; moderate shedders requiring periodic brushing for a good coat upkeep; easy to moderate training difficulty with results coming gradually, not as easy as with other breeds, but also not very complicated; watchdog abilities are low to inexistent, but a fairly active breed, requiring regular exercising.
The big advantage of the Pugalier is their friendliness and affection manifested towards children, as well as their ability to get along well with other pets. They will enjoy playing, as they are fairly energetic and like activities of all sorts, especially when having human companionship.
When it comes to feeding, dry food seems to be the best choice, given their tendency to develop tartar on their teeth. Another thing to acknowledge is their preference for cooler temperatures. They don’t stand the heat very well and outdoor exercises during hot weather should be avoided. Difficulties in breathing or excessive snoring may indicate that corrective surgery on their nose and airways is required.