Chug

10-20 lbs
6-14"
Unknown
Chihuahua
Pug
Chihuahua-Pug, Pughuahua, Chugg

Chugs are friendly, loving, playful dogs that are a mix between the Chihuahua and Pug. This hybrid stands about 6 to 12 inches and can weigh up to 20 pounds. They are a moderate to heavy shedder and will require daily brushing in order to remove loose clumps of fur and to maintain an attractive coat. Due to their independent and sometimes stubborn attitude, this dynamo requires an experienced dog owner who knows how to train with a firm but kind hand. If socialized and trained well, this fun and lively dog can make an excellent companion for homes with children and other pets.

purpose Purpose
Companion
history Date of Origin
2000s
ancestry Ancestry
Chihuahua, Pug

Chug Health

Average Size
Male Chug size stats
Height: 6-14 inches Weight: 10-20 lbs
Female Chug size stats
Height: 6-14 inches Weight: 10-20 lbs
Major Concerns
  • Patellar Luxation
  • Collapsed Trachea
Minor Concerns
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
  • Dry Eye
Occasional Diagnoses
  • Allergies
Occasional Tests
  • X-Rays
  • Physical Examination
  • Blood Tests
  • Ophthalmologic Examination

Chug Breed History

Pugs are an ancient breed said to have come from Buddhist temples in Tibet before appearing in China and were first documented there as far back as 206 B.C. Most often noted as a royally treated canine living in the palace of the Emperor, the Pug later made their way to Europe via Dutch trading ships. Favored in the royal courts of Europe, notable owners were William, Prince of Orange, Marie Antoinette, Josephine Bonaparte, and Queen Victoria (a fan of many dog breeds). Pugs were the adored breed in England, France, Germany, and Italy for many years before making their way to North America after the Civil War. This spunky, fun breed was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1885 and today, is quite comfortable in the show ring. The Chihuahua is an ancient dog breed as well, said to have originated around 300 B.C (or even earlier) in Mexico. Traced back to the Aztec civilization, they were considered a dog that may have healing powers and were thought to have been guides for the dead towards the afterlife. They were a member of every household for this reason. In 1904, the Chihuahua was recognized by the American Kennel Club in the Toy Group and is a popular breed today. The Chug combines the personalities of the parent breeds and the enthusiasm of this cute little canine makes them a spirited addition to any home.

Chug Breed Appearance

Chugs have an expressive face; comical and cute, this hybrid has a gait that says they are confident and happy. They are petite but well built, sturdy little dogs that can weigh anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds and stand between 6 and 12 inches. They have a rounded face, large, protruding eyes, and a nose that is round and dark. The muzzle is short and may be pushed in and the jaw may have a slight underbite. The Chug tends to have a wrinkly face that needs special care - the wrinkles and folds must be kept clean and dry so that bacteria does not build up and cause odor or irritation. The ears are slightly flopped down if they take after the Pug parent, or erect if the Chihuahua genes are dominant. Typically, the coat is short but if the long-haired Chihuahua is part of the mix as opposed to the short-haired one, then they may have a longer coat. Colors may be black, brown, white, cream or brindle.

Eye Color Possibilities
brown Chug eyes
Brown
Nose Color Possibilities
black Chug nose
Black
Coat Color Possibilities
brown Chug coat
Brown
white Chug coat
White
cream Chug coat
Cream
brindle Chug coat
Brindle
black Chug coat
Black
Coat Length
coat
Short Medium Long
Coat Density
coat density
pin
Sparse Normal Dense
Coat Texture
coat texture
Chug straight coat texture
Straight Wiry Wavy Curly Corded

Chug Breed Maintenance

Generally, the Chug is a moderate maintenance dog; if the coat is short, weekly brushing with the slicker brush will keep the fur looking shiny and neat. If the coat is longer, then a weekly brushing with the pin brush should work just fine. If your pup is shedding, you can brush more often so that tangles do not occur. Because your Chug is a small hybrid, they may need to have their teeth cleaned several times a week as a preventative against dental decay and tooth loss. Your hybrid may have folds and wrinkles that will need attention; check the folds daily to make sure that moisture is not accumulating. Keep the folds dry by gently patting them with a soft towel as needed. The nails will need trimming every other week or whenever they appear too long, which will depend on the growth rate and their activity level.

Brushes for Chug
Pin Brush
Pin Brush
Slicker Brush
Slicker Brush
Nail Clipper
Nail Clipper
Brushing Frequency
fur daily fur weekly fur monthly
Chug requires weekly brushing
Daily Weekly Monthly

Chug Temperament

Social, stubborn and playful best describe the Chug's temperament. They are intelligent and quite happy to learn new things but if not mentally stimulated and challenged they may experience "small dog syndrome”, whereby they act bossy and dominant over other members of the household. Consistent leadership and guidance with a firm but gentle form of training is ideal. Best suited to families with older children, the Chug needs to be socialized at a young age so that they know what is expected of them and what type of behavior you want in every situation. They are good with other animals within the home and with other dogs. They can sometimes be wary of strangers - they will not be aggressive, just unsure until they get to know the visitor.

Chug Activity Requirements

Chugs can be laid back dogs; they will not be demanding as far as exercise but will also be very happy to go for a walk whenever you suggest it. Their little legs will not need to go far in order to have a good stretch; 30 to 45 minutes in short walks a few times a day will keep your furry companion happy as can be. Obedience training is always a suitable outing as it enables your dog to practice their social skills and show off their enthusiasm for life. They can easily live in any environment. An apartment is suitable, as is a home with a yard. Don't leave them unattended outside though, as they may wiggle their way through the fence in search of adventure. Take care in extreme temperatures as the Pug parent can pass down the respiratory difficulties that come with a brachycephalic facial structure.

Activity Level
low activity medium activity high activity
Low Medium High
Rec. Walk Mileage Per Week
5 miles
walk mileage
Minutes of Activity Per Day
45 minutes
activity minutes

Chug Food Consumption

Cups Per Day
1 cups
cup per day cost
Daily Cost
$0.70 - $1.00
food bowls daily cost
Monthly Cost
$25.00 - $30.00
food bag monthly cost

Chug Height & Weight

6 Months
Male Chug size stats at six months
Height: 4.0 inches Weight: 7.0 lbs
Female Chug size stats at six months
Height: 4.0 inches Weight: 6.0 lbs
12 Months
Male Chug size stats at 12 months
Height: 7.0 inches Weight: 11.0 lbs
Female Chug size stats at 12 months
Height: 7.0 inches Weight: 10.0 lbs
18 Months
Male Chug size stats at 18 months
Height: 11.0 inches Weight: 15.0 lbs
Female Chug size stats at 18 months
Height: 11.0 inches Weight: 15.0 lbs

Chug Owner Experiences

Nola
6 Months
3 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
naps
Hide & Seek
Playing tug of war.
Snuggles
My Nola girl is so smart.. I never imagined how quick she would pick up on things at such a young age. I didn't even have to train her to sit.. she learned by watching my older and bigger dog. She is the perfect combination of rotten and sweet all wrapped up in one little dog. I'm so glad I found her, she's my little sidekick and my kids (ages 10 and up) absolutely spoil her.
1 month ago
Chubby puppy
8 Weeks
9+ People
Apartment
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Hide & Seek
Bath time
He’s supper interesting and intelligent awesome
2 years, 10 months ago
Toby
4 Years
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walking
Napping
Hiking
Running
Toby is very lively and ADORES kids, but really doesn’t like strangers, especially men. He attaches himself to my 8-year-old stepson and cuddles with him all weekend and lets the neighbor girls push him in the stroller. He is opinionated and vocal about it with other dogs. He likes to be the boss of my two other 60-pound dogs and frequently tries to play rough with them (luckily, they are submissive and gentle giants). He loves walks and hikes, but loves naps and cuddles just as much.
6 years, 4 months ago
Charlie
7 Years
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walking
Playing Ball
Frisbee
We got Charlie from a friend who found him roaming around her apartment complex, and he has been great. His allergies are pretty bad in spring and summer, which is apparently common in chugs. He gets a bath once a week, and a brushing at least once a week. He is very friendly with people—never met a stranger—and does well with kids of all ages. He is also friendly with our other dog. His energy is off the charts, but after running around the yard for a few minutes he is content to lay around the house. He is very trainable but also gets distracted easily, by other dogs or loud noises.
6 years, 4 months ago
Chi-Chi
1 Year
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Fetch
Exercising
Playing in the snow
A very kind, fun companion to our househould, who is loved very much.
5 years, 8 months ago
Rocky
4 Years
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Running
My chug is an amazing lovable dog who is a bundle of curiousity and energy.
5 years, 5 months ago
PolarbPolarb ear
6 Years
5 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
keep away
Polarbear is my best friend and my child. A day with him starts out with him staring at me to get up and let him out to go potty. Then we make coffee and wake up his dad by jumping on the bed and rooting around to move him. Then here comes the barking and attacking the feet.
5 years, 3 months ago
Chuggie
8 Years
7 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Run
Tug-of-war
Nap
Chase
Bath time
Off-leash
Cuddling
Laying in the sun
I love her! She follows me EVERYWHERE. All through the house, room to room. My only issue with her is she does like to mark her spots on things if she’s angry with me! She also will hide her food in a bunch of places for later haha. She’ll only eat if I’m next to her.
5 years, 2 months ago
Paco
7 Years
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
He 'svery loveable and he gives me bunch of kisses
5 years, 1 month ago
Molly
6 Years
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Nap wth owner
She is the best dog ever. She knows all of her family including her extended family. She loves to bark at our mail lady, UPS, FED EX, Amazon, and Schwann. Our mail lady leaves her a treat 3X per week. She can be easily redirected. She gets excited when we get packages because sometimes they are for her.
4 years, 5 months ago
Oliver Twist
16 Months
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Snuggles
Walking
Tug
I adopted my Chug from a rescue and absolutely adore him! He is perfect. And he is so comical, he makes me laugh. And he’s also very affectionate, on his terms. 😄
4 years, 3 months ago
Roscoe
2 Years
6 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
He is so love-able but tends to have a harder time around younger kids. He doesn’t like being touched often especially if he doesn’t know you. He is always ready to play, especially with his ball. He live running outside and will chase you for hours. He does snore and have problems with his breathing. If he gets too excited he struggles with breathing and I have to calm him down. He is overall great and has a wonderful personality. I 10/10 recommend a chug for a companion:)
4 years, 2 months ago
Tater Tot
3 Years
1 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
peeing
Fashion shows
Song writing,
Manipedis
The chipupu song A pug And a chihuahua A pug And a chihuahua CHIPUPU!!!!! Smooshed nose Tiny body A curly tail A bad tude CHIPUPU!!!!! As she waddles along, Her legs are not very very long. Stinky breath, Ugly teeth, CHIPUPU!!!!!! If you get to close, Beware You will dieee Because she is half demon CHIPUPU!!!!!! Google her If you dare You will cryyyy CHIPUPU!!!! Daddy is a pug Mummy a beast Gives you nightmares CHIPUPU!!!! Black,brindle,cream,white,brown Which coat shall it beeee CHIPUPU!!! CHIPUPU!!!! CHIPUPU!!!! CHI-PU-PU!!!! Doo doo doo (explosion sound BOOM!)
4 years ago
Frank
1 Year
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
We adopted Frank earlier this yr from our local humane society after we lost our beloved elderly chi-weenie. He’s been the most wonderful addition to our family & I can’t imagine life w/o him now. I’ve been stuck at home since March due to pandemic & having compromised immunity, so he & I have really bonded. Frank developed a limp over the summer, so we took him to the vet & they diagnosed a severely sprained knee. He was on medicine & strict rest for almost a month, but the limp seemed to get worse no matter what. We got a second opinion when over a month went by & he was still limping & sore. He was diagnosed w/ a genetic condition called Perthes Disease & scheduled for a surgery to repair his hip. His x-rays showed that his hip was deteriorating from lack of blood flow & he actually had a hairline fracture that developed in his hip due to the Perthes Disease. Frank had his Femoral Head Osteotomy a month ago today & he’s using his leg again, recovering wonderfully. Luckily, he will have no more issues after having surgery & his hip will not have any issues now that it’s repaired. His healing is ahead of schedule & the vet/surgeon is thrilled w/ his progress. He’s off all restrictions as of tomorrow & it feels so good to see him moving normally, w/o pain. I just wanted to share this bc the condition is genetic & let other chug owners & lovers know about it. B4 we got the 2nd opinion, we worried he’d limp &/or have pain for the rest of his life. The surgery cost about $1,000.
3 years, 11 months ago
Gigi
9 Months
3 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
She actually weighs 24lbs and is 2 feet in height. She's extremely active, have extremely high energy, loves to run & play with her toys. She also chews on her toys and have the unusual ability to chew them up into pieces if it has seams, no matter how indestructible the toy is. She's loves to cuddle next to and nibble.
3 years, 10 months ago
Dante
3 Months
6 People
Condo
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
he is very active, he pees everywhere when he’s out of his cage, he LOVESSS TO BUTE ANKLES and other stuff
3 years, 10 months ago
Oliver
13 Years
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walking
just follows me around all day
3 years, 10 months ago
Cassie
10 Weeks
4 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Chasing a ball
Sitting on my lap
Cassie has been with us 2 weeks and is already going in the yard to potty as we have an enclosed yard. She is so very loving and has learned to chase the ball and bring it back. She was trying to chew stuff she shouldn't but I have been firm and she sticks to her toys now.
3 years, 9 months ago
Lola
7 Years
4 People
House
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Snuggles
Walk
Stalking varmits in the garden
Play keep away
Play
Squeaky Toys
Kisses
Balls
Lola was rescued from an abusive household and was very reluctant to approach men. She would roll over and urinate in fear. It took a year before she would approach me but is still loyal to my wife and follows her around constantly. She has another mix breed that is older and larger than her but is very playful with her.
3 years, 8 months ago
Fredde
9 Months
1 People
Condo
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Walking
Hiking
training
Cuddles
toys
Chase
playing in backyard
Kisses
Balls
I love my chug! She is so very cuddly. She doesn’t love strangers and is very shy. She does love my mom and friends! She prefers women and doesn’t love kids. She loves walks so much. She is still a super heavy chewer and eats everything which can be scary. Overall, she us the best part of every day!
3 years, 8 months ago
Benson
3 Years
2 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
Absolutely loves this wee fellow, have had no problems with him, he loves life and is such a friendly wee chap, he’s amazing on the leash, loves the car, and has never destroyed any thing not even his toys, loves life
3 years, 6 months ago
Anomaleigh Marmalade
8 Years
1 People
House & Yard
Health
Grooming
Friendliness
Energy
Trainability
Pastimes
I adopted my chug last year from a rescue after losing my beloved 15 yr. old Cocker Spaniel. When my company sent me home for remote work due to COVID-19, I decided it was time to adopt a rescue after 18 months of mourning. It would be good to be home to acclimate my new friend. Unfortunately, my little chug has horrible fear aggression from being abused. She is such a love to me, and super protective. She is okay with easy going small dogs but if a dog jumps she goes on the attack. She is afraid of everything and after a year with me, she is extremely attached and has learned to shake, sit, stay, wait and loves our training sessions because of the treats but she is very aggressive to dogs that we meet on our many walks. I just want her to know there is a better way for her. I hope someday she can make friends with all the other dogs on daily walks and stop living in fear.
3 years, 5 months ago
Animal Expert Question Icon
Question - My pet
Question

Chug- weight at 6 months

Answer
What should a Chug weigh at 6 months? This varies depending on their genetics, but between 10lbs and 18lbs can be normal. Rather than weight, we should focus on their body condition score which should be 4 or 5 out of 9.
3 years, 6 months ago
Book me a walkiee?
Pweeeze!
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