The Pug is one of the most popular small breed dogs in the world. He’s short, sassy, and humanlike in his facial expressions. These facial expressions are due to his brachycephalic shaped face with the pushed up nose that makes his face rounder than most other dogs. Brindle Pugs are not as common as fawn-colored Pugs but are just one of many brindle coated dog breeds in the world.
Where does the brindle coat coloring come from? Is this a dominant or recessive gene? These are great questions and you’re in luck because today, we’ll be explaining them all to you. Read on for more information about brindle Pugs that you probably didn’t know before.
The Way He Looks
You either love that Pug face or you don’t. Most people love them. They are often depicted in art for their very human-like expressions. Pugs can be found in art from all over the world, in all their colors, from fawn with black mask to all black, and the brindle Pugs that bring you here today.
He is a brachycephalic dog, meaning that his face is short, with a more flat muzzle that other breeds of dogs. This makes breathing harder for them. It also makes them have a rounder face that humanizes their looks and expressions on their face.
The Pug is short and stout with a sausage body that is thick. Careful about feeding them too much. These little dogs can get chubby quickly which is not good for their health. It will make breathing even more difficult for them as well.
His eyes are round and reminiscent of the mastiff from which they are believed to be descended. This may also explain their bold personality. Few Pugs back down, fully believing they are larger than they are. He has Pekingese in his lineage as well. If you can imagine a Pekingese with short hair, you might see a Pug underneath?
What About the Brindle?
Brindle is a pattern, not a color. Up close, you can see a fine striping in the coat, which is brown. According to doggenetics.co, “Brindle is one of the alleles on the K locus. There are three K locus alleles – KB (dominant black), kbr (brindle) and ky (non-solid black – allows A locus to be expressed). KB is the top dominant and ky is the bottom recessive.”
There are variations in the brindle coat that change the color of the base coat from reddish-brown to darker brown. In other words, it can be very complicated and quite random. Brindles are unusual and this can make them more sought after and expensive puppies to purchase.
Since Mastiffs carry brindle genes/alleles, that’s possibly where the genetics in the brindle Pugs trace back to? Luckily, they get their size from the Pekingese dogs in their history. It’s their smaller size that has made them such wonderful housepets for so many people.
Some folks say that brindle Pugs are not purebred dogs but this is quite untrue, though there is always the chance that any purebred dog has some genetics of other breeds in their history.
This is often a result of outbreeding in which breeders introduce blood from another breed to try to increase the likelihood of certain traits or improve the health of a breed. This usually only happens early in the development of a breed, such as with the Mastiff genetics in their creation.
Not Accepted As a Show Dog
Since brindle is not considered an official color by the AKC and other registrations, many brindle Pugs will never be shown in a dog a show and are not highly sought after for breeding as show dogs.
As a result, these dogs are most often sold as ‘pet quality’ dogs. This has led to their rarity and as with all things that are rare, people want them more. This is why they may cost more than any other color of Pug, but it doesn’t mean that they are not a pure Pug.
When it comes to wanting a Pug for your family, the brindle Pug is certainly a wonderful choice. He will love you unconditionally whether he’s fawn, black, or brindle. Incidentally, there are also peach and silver Pugs and they aren’t eligible to be shown either, so it isn’t just the brindle Pugs who are excluded.
Pugs are great with kids and wonderful family members who don’t require much exercise or grooming, thanks to their short coats. They can be bossy with other pets and prone to being lazy if allowed to be. You’ll find that they are easy to keep and adapt well to apartment living or life on a farm.
