Pugs were bred to be lapdogs. As a result, most of them are relatively low energy dogs. As I mentioned in my pug activity level blog post, most pugs are good with a couple of quick walks per day. Generally speaking, if you’re looking for a running buddy, I wouldn’t recommend a pug to you. My two pugs were couch potatoes, as most pugs are. Pugs tend to be sensitive to the heat, and aren’t the best breathers. Do athletic pugs exist, though? Can pugs be athletic? That’s what I’m jumping into in this post!
Can pugs be athletic?
Yes! Most pugs aren’t big fans of exercise, but some dogs do enjoy hiking, agility, swimming and other physical activities! Pugs #1 trait is that they love their people. If they are owned by someone who likes to be active themselves, odds are higher that the pug will join in with being active, too.
I wanted to give you guys some real life examples. I found RetroPug_Frankie on Instagram who has a lot of pictures and videos of this pug exploring outside and being active in a variety of different ways.
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Another fun Instagram account featuring an active pug is Peanut_AdventurePug. Just like the username sounds, this is an Instagram showing a pug going on adventures! They hike, camp and travel around the pacific northwest which is such a gorgeous part of the country.
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Can pugs swim?
Pugs tend to be “front heavy” because their shoulders are more broad than their hips. This makes it impossible for most pugs to swim without a life jacket. However, some pugs can swim independently! Here is a pug swimming on his own.
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Even if your pug can’t swim independently, some pugs really enjoy swimming if given the right help (like a properly fitting dog life jacket).
Can pugs do agility?
Yes, pugs can do agility! Some quite enjoy it. If you’d like to see an example, dg.agility on Instagram is a pug that has a variety of agility content that is quite fun to watch.
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How athletic can your pug be?
Exercise tolerance definitely varies among pugs. If you’d like your pug to become more athletic, you can slowly but surely increase their activity level to work to build their stamina. There is no strict amount of exercise that is a limit for all pugs. It also will vary depending on the weather. More activity can be tolerated in cooler weather with less humidity. Instead of focusing on a set amount of time, you’ll want to watch your pug’s body language to know when they have had enough. You don’t want to exercise them past the point of breathing too harshly, or getting overheated. Of course, anytime that your pug is active you want to make sure they have access to fresh water.
Do you have an athletic pug? If so, leave a comment about what types of activities your pug enjoys!
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