Pug Dog Colors: A Complete List of All 16 Coat Colors

Pug dogs have shortened snouts and can be easily recognized by dog lovers. It is because these dogs have a unique physical appearance than any other type of dog out there. 

If you plan to adopt or buy this purebred dog, it is advisable to know more about this dog type. In this way, you may be able to know if these dogs are suitable for your tastes and preferences.

By reading the topics discussed in the following discussions, you may also learn if these dogs are good enough for your children, family members, and personality. 

Pugs may come in different colors, depending on the color of the coats of their parents. But generally, only two colors are being recognized by American Kennel Club.

These colors are Fawn and all black. All black and fawn coat colors are the most prominent types that you can see anywhere. Sometimes, the combination of these colors is present in the pug dogs. 

Origins and History of Pug Dogs

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Many people believe that pugs came from China. These dogs have an impressive history and exciting heritage. Pugs could boast in predating Christianity.

Emperors take care of these dogs as their favorite pets at home. These dog breeds are pampered and highly guarded by the soldiers in their place. 

Pug dogs made their initial appearance in some European countries way back in the 16th century. Furthermore, these dogs are well-pampered and favored by the aristocracy, elite people, and even the royalty. Indeed, Queen Victoria became a big fan of this dog breed and had many pug dogs during ancient times. 

Because of its prominence, American Kennel Club formally recognized this dog breed in 1885. Since then, its popularity has soared and was recognized by many countries across the world. Pug dogs are said to be one of the best and loyal breeds on the planet

The Colors and Markings of the Purebred Pugs

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Just like with other types of dogs, pugs come in various colors, hues, and shades. But as what being mentioned earlier, AKC only recognized two colors of pug breeds.

Pug dogs with brindled coat patterns are not already on the standard by the AKC. Pug dog breeds may also come in white, apricot or apricot-fawn, silver or silver-fawn, or brindle color. 

Breed enthusiasts and dog parents might think that pug dogs have only black and white coat. Although it is true to a massive part of this breed, various markings and colors could exhibit in pugs.

Depending on inherited genes and their parents’ appearance, pugs may have the best colors. These dogs also show some recognizable markings in some parts of their body. 

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Try to learn more of the markings and colors of the pug dogs, which will be discussed below:

1. White

Pug dogs with solid white colors are sometimes mistaken for albino. The variation of this beautiful color often presents pigment down on its face and back portion. Due to their long white coats, most pugs may experience tear that stains near its eyes. But this problem can be quickly resolved with proper grooming. 

2. Black

This coat color was first recognized in Europe last 1886. The coat of this dog breed could be plain black or sometimes have few markings. These markings are typically white, and these run on their tummy, chest, and other distinct areas throughout their body. Those pugs with plain black without markings are known as the rarest color for pug dogs. 

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3. Fawn

This pug’s coat color ranges from medium to light tan. Other types of variations of this color are Apricot fawn with orange types and silver, which seems to be a shining light type of fawn. Those pug dogs with fawn coats are rarely plain.

4. Thumbprint

This marking is not because of the actual imprint of their paws. Pug dogs have crumpled skin on their face and forehead. Their skin typically has black markings, which can be found on their forehead or within their wrinkled skin. The thumbprint’s shape is constantly diamond, oval, or circular. 

5. Markings

Their mask, including the muzzle, comes in black. This is most recognized in Pugs that have light coat colors like fawn or white. 

6. Smuttiness

This term refers to the fawn coats which contain black overlaying hairs. These black hairs allow the main undercoat to show through easily. At times, these thin overlaying black hairs are hardly recognizable unless you looked at them very closely. 

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7. Tracing

Some pug dogs have black lines on their coats that run along their back portion, but this always depends on their DNA. This is more recognizable in pug dogs which have light coats like fawns. 

Pug dogs can any of those colors that are mentioned above. They also have markings depending on the inherited genes and appearances of their parents.

When pugs are still puppies, they usually have one color for their coats. However, as time passes by and during their growth & development, their coats may have light or dark shades.

This thing does not usually happen since most dogs have actual color from the start until they thrive. So, it would be best to explore the color of their parents for you to know the color of their offspring exactly. 

Aside from that, you also need to bear in mind that the color of the puppies’ coats will not drastically change during early ages. For instance, if you have a pug with fawn color, your pet will not thrive on plain black. Just subtle color changes may appear on its coat. 

What is the Rarest Color of Pug Dogs?

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Pug dogs come in different variety of colors. However, the rarest color of pug dogs is the brindle coat pattern. This is a purebred pug named a “brindled pug” because of the stripe pattern that can be seen on their body. To know more about this kind of pug color, then take a glimpse at the subsequent discussions.

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Physical Appearance

These pug dogs come in alternate white and black stripes, which are pretty darker than the coat’s base color. They have a short nose and have muzzles on the neck like other pugs out there.

One exciting thing about these pugs is that the pattern of their coats evolves as time passes by. However, you could never expect a brindled pattern puppy to shift into black or fawn as they age. There’s also a variation in this pug’s color intensity.

Temperament 

Pugs dogs are known for being charming, loving, loyal, and mischievous. So brindle ones also have these kinds of temperaments. These dog breeds are excellent companions who completely snoop on your privacy. They are lazy fellows; so, you should not expect them to do some stuff aside from having fun and eating. 

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Grooming Needs

Like those standard pugs, these brindled ones don’t require a lot of maintenance. Although these dogs demand extra attention, the grooming procedures of these dogs are not that extensive. Their coats are only to be brushed and cleaned every three days. 

These dogs are the fewest type among the different pug colors across the world. In fact, it’s only 1% of its breed population. So, if you have a brindled type of pug, then you’re so lucky since this is the rarest among various pug types. 

What is the Best Color for Pug Dogs?

Choosing pug dogs based on their color variety depends on the tastes and preferences of the dog parents. The choice is up to them if they choose a pug with fawn, brindle, silver, white, or even combinations of some of these colors.

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But as far as the color of pug dogs is a concern, you may opt to find pug dogs in some breeders. They might have the best color of pugs suitable for your preference. Pug colors are only limited, not just like with the other dog breeds. 

It was mentioned in some surveys that among pug types, there are about 65% that comes in fawn color, 22% of them comes in black color, another 4% of dog parents reported that they have apricot color, 3% comes in silver-fawn color. And only 1% comes in brindle types.

Brindle types have stripes of alternate dark and light colors that are purposely bred into the dog. All types of pugs are prominent with enthusiasts; however, a fawn is highly favored. 

What is the Original Color of Pug Dogs?

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The original color of pug dogs is black and fawn since these are registered and recognized standard colors for pug breeds. All reputable pug dog breeders know this fact, and they are not usually interested in the growth or development of some other color of pugs.

Since American Kennel Club recognized these two colors — fawn and black, these are said to be the original colors of pug dogs. 

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Generally, the black-type pug dogs are 100% pug breed. The black-color pug can be mixed with brindle, white, silver, fawn, or some combinations of these colors from this breed. 

What’s the Most Popular Pug Dogs Color?

Bot pug parents pass their genes to their puppies, and these determine the color of their coats. With black color being a dominant or main color, one fawn and one black parent would produce black pug dogs. This only means that the outcome of 2 excessive genes is the fawn-type pugs. 

Even though the black ones are dominant, fawn-colored pugs are more prominent and can be easily found. That’s why those fawn-colored types of pug dogs became prominent pets by many dog parents. 

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Things and Considerations to Take when Adopting a Pug Dog

By learning more about pug dog types and their colors, you can now decide whether what color type of pug dog is suitable for you. But, before adopt or have a pug in your home, it is highly recommended to know some essential things about them. These things are as follows:

These dogs are prone to some health problems — According to Blanche Axton, the Board’s president at Pug Rescue (Toronto), pugs are not health nightmares; however, they may have various health problems. If you are not familiar with those health issues, then these may lead to disturbing outcomes.

You need to consider eye scratches, breathing problems, food allergies, nose- and eye-fold care, and a higher than normal tendency in reacting to vaccines. In other words, pugs must be properly taken care of and give proper maintenance to avoid these health issues. 

  • These pug dogs are smart — Pugs can be easily trained because they are intelligent or witty. You may train them to enhance their agility, working or tracking with seniors, and even scent detection. 
  • Pugs are usually lazy but want to eat more — Most of the time, pugs are lazy. They just wanted to take a rest on their best spot. But you don’t need to call them so badly during the eating time since they love eating almost anything. 
  • Pugs could be intrusive — Pugs are sometimes “space invaders.” They usually rush up or invade you or even other dogs, which sometimes leads to a negative response. 
  • Pugs demand great attention from their dog parents — These dogs want attention from their dog parents. Since they are fond of being with other people, they are not used to stay behind or being left in one corner. That’s why you also bring these pug dogs anywhere you go because they also love socialization. 

These considerations are what you need to take when adopting or getting a pug dog type for your household. It’s better to bring puppy pug dogs at home since you can start training them at early stages. In this way, you can make sure that they will be properly trained to grow old and mature. 

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