Differences Between Black and Fawn pugs?

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What are the differences between Black pugs and fawn pugs?

Though the fawn pugs are still the most popular color, black pugs are gaining in popularity. One reason people believe the fawn pugs are more popular than the black pugs is because of the contrast between the black muzzle and the fawn color of the pug. The contrast is striking and should be very distinct.

Types of Black Pugs

There are three types of black pugs:

The first black pug is solid black. This pug will have no additional markings, but will have a shiny, glossy coat.
The second black pug will have a small patch of another color… usually white. This color is called a mismark (with show dogs, it is not a disqualification, but it is a fault.) Fawn pugs may also have a white mark on their coats, but it usually blends in and doesn’t show up much.
The third black pug will have a blended coat. This is called a brindling pattern. Colors blended into the pugs coat may be a dark tan or a reddish color. This color pug is not accepted by the AKC.

Pug Genes:

In pugs, the black gene is the dominant gene.

Each pug puppies color is decided by a pair of color genes: one gene comes from the dam, the other from the sire.

*If both genes from the pugs are black, the pug puppy will be black.

*If one gene is black and the other gene is fawn, the pug puppy will be black because the dominant gene is black.

*If both genes are fawn, the pug puppies will be a fawn color.

Even though black pugs are black, they carry the fawn gene (the SS gene). The B gene is the gene that produces the black color. Since black pugs carry the fawn gene, two black pugs may have a pug puppy with a light coat if both parents pass the SS gene down, but it doesn’t happen too often.

According to several breeders, it is normally not acceptable to breed a fawn pug to a black pug. The breeders say there is no benefit to breeding a fawn pug to a black pug so most breeders choose one color and stick to that.

Personalities:

There is a ton of debate over whether black pugs have different personalities than the fawn pugs. For the sake of the argument, the color is a trait that is passed down from the parents and genetic traits can be passed down too. However, according to recent research, how a pug is raised, trained and treated determines a pug’s behavior more than the genes the pug inherited from its parents.

I have heard many arguments on both sides of this issue. Some people claim the fawn pugs are more active while others claim that black pugs have more energy.

Here’s my experience: I have one black pug (Dolly) and one fawn pug (Molly.)

Dolly is 3 and Molly is 5. While they are both very active, Dolly seems to be more high strung. Molly can get very excited at times, but can usually calm down pretty quick. When Dolly gets really excited, she tends to have a hard time calming down and may even try to fight with Molly. I’m not sure why she wants to fight when she gets overly excited, but she’s always been like that. Both of my pugs are very personable and they both love people. My personal opinion is that every pug is unique. Some are more-high strung than others, but I’m not convinced it has to do with color.

When Did Black Pugs Become Recognized?

Black Pugs became recognized as an alternate variation of the Pug in 1896 by the Kennel Club in London.

Are the coats different?

Most fawn pugs have two coats of fur (an undercoat and a top coat). Black pugs generally only have one coat. As a rule, with only one coat of fur, they tend to shed a little less than the fawn pugs. However, they DO still shed.

Are there any other differences in Appearance?

The answer is no. Other than color, the black pugs and the fawn pugs are the same. They both have the same body structure, ears (either rose or button ears), and a curled tail (single or double curled).

Another interesting Pug marking is a dark spot centered on a pug’s forehead. This spot is known as a thumbmark or a diamond. This area is formed by the wrinkles on the forehead but looks like a thumbprint.

Any additional comments:

Just a couple. My black pug (Dolly) tends to get hot a lot quicker than my fawn pug (Molly). They will both sleep on top of the blankets throughout the night, but in the early hours of the morning, Molly (my fawn pug) will paw at me (which means she wants UNDER the blankets). Dolly won’t. She is content to sleep on top of them. Also, Molly doesn’t get near as hot in the summertime heat as Dolly does. Dolly tends to get hot twice as fast as Molly does (hence… the black coat.)

Also, my black pug is my chewer. She loves to chew on anything… bones, toys, etc… I can buy both of my pugs a new toy- Molly (my fawn pug) will have hers literally forever; Dolly (my black pug) will try to annihilate hers in the first couple of days. Dolly will really chew on the toy, especially if it has squeakers in it. She will chew on that toy endlessly until she gets the squeakers out. Molly will chew some, but not near as much as Dolly does.

Does anyone else notice any observable differences in the two pugs?

Do you have a black pug and a fawn pug? Which one is more high-strung? Which one chews more?

Until next time…

With Pug Hugs and Kisses,

Candy