Both pugs and golden retrievers are charming dogs. Pugs have their wrinkly faces, smooshed noses, short hair, and curled tails, while retrievers have long snouts, soft floppy ears, long hair, and long fluffy tails.
With the popularity of hybrid breeds, one unlikely mix creates an adorable and friendly dog, a pug and retriever mix.
A pug and retriever mix combines both of the desired traits from the two breeds of dogs, not only in their appearance but also in their temperament.
As with all hybrid breeds, it can be difficult to determine what exactly they end up looking like.
What Does a Pug and Golden Retriever Mix Look Like?
As pugs and golden retrievers vastly differ in their sizes, the size of a full-grown golden pug falls somewhere in the middle. The golden pug’s hair is short to medium and it is flat-coated. Their appearance is somewhat of a short-statured golden with a face that closely resembles that of a pug.
What a Golden Pug’s Face Looks Like
The golden pug’s face is rounded. Their muzzle is longer than a pug, but not to the point of being as long as a golden retriever.
They also have slightly upturned noses. Unlike with a pug, a golden pug’s skin is smooth, rather than what you would see on a purebred pug with all its wrinkles.
They do tend to have small wrinkles around their noses.
What a Golden Pug’s Tail Looks Like
Pugs and golden retrievers have very distinct tails in their own right. One notable characteristic of pugs is their very tightly curled tails.
Golden retrievers, on the other hand, have very long elegant tails with long hair. Golden pugs have a slightly curled tail that has medium-length hair.
How Big a Golden Pug Gets
When creating hybrid breeds with the first generation, it can be hard to determine if the golden pug will turn out a similar size to either a pug or a golden retriever. While those two breeds vastly differ in height, a golden pug falls somewhere in between.
That can provide a lot of variation as pugs are typically 14 pounds, while golden retrievers can reach up to 75 pounds.
There is also the difference in height, with a pug standing at 10 inches and a golden retriever standing at 24 inches.
One of the benefits of hybrid dogs is that once the first generations are created, then it no longer becomes a process of breeding a purebred pug with a purebred retriever but breeding two golden pugs together.
This is when it’s easier to pick sizes. With many hybrid dogs, you see smaller and larger versions.
Depending on the demand, a breeder will select golden pugs of similar stature to continue to generate puppies around that size.
This means that while your golden pug will still look like both breeds, you may come across one that is far similar in size either to a pug or a golden retriever.
What Type of Coat a Golden Pug Has
Like with the rest of the golden pug’s physical attributes, it has a mix of the two breeds’ coat styles. While pugs have very short hair, golden retrievers sport long flowing hair.
When combined, the result is that the golden pug has a single or double-layer flat coat that is of medium length.
While they shed, they shed far less than a golden retriever does. With proper brushing and grooming, their coat can remain smooth and you will see less shedding.
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What Hybrid Breeds are
Hybrid dogs are also known as designer dogs and are technically mixed breeds but are created in a different way. The breeding to make a hybrid dog is controlled breeding between two different types of purebred dogs.
Hybrid dogs have become popular because they have traits of two different desirable breeds in one.
Frequently Asked Questions About How a Pug and Golden Retriever Mix Looks Like
Does being a hybrid make a golden pug healthier?
This is an interesting question that comes down to the appearance of the golden pug. Oftentimes, pugs face genetic health and breathing issues due to the structure of their snout. When combined with the longer-nosed golden retriever, these golden pugs are less likely to develop breathing problems.
What color are golden pugs?
Golden pugs are typically a tan or slightly yellowish color. Like golden retrievers, which can vary between light and dark, there are golden pugs that strongly resemble that deep rich golden that we think of when it comes to golden retrievers.
Is it hard to groom a golden pug?
Golden pugs are relatively easy to groom. Both breeds of dogs do not require frequent trips to the groomers, and you can do it yourself by simply brushing them and giving them regular baths. Keep in mind though to never shave your golden pug.
In Conclusion
Golden pugs bring some of the best attributes of both breeds, both in their appearance and temperament. Medium-sized dogs have smaller, slightly flattened muzzles and short, but fluffy ears.
While they do shed, they are flat coated and have medium-length hair.
These dogs, with their ease of care, adorable appearance, and even temperament, can make a great addition to your family.