The breed standard calls for the pug to be multum in parvo, a Latin phrase meaning “much encompassed in little,” or, to put it another way, “a lot of dog in a small body.” That's an apt description for this breed, which is known for being small but mighty. The pug is a decidedly square dog, with a compact, muscular body supported by strong, straight legs of moderate length. The hindquarters are in balance with the forequarters. The pug should look neither lean and leggy nor short-legged and long-bodied. The breed's ideal weight is fourteen to eighteen pounds, but larger pugs are common. Pugs belong to the AKC's Toy Group, a collection of breeds that, in general, stand no more than fifteen inches high and weigh no more than twenty pounds.

Round Head

The pug's head is large, massive, and round, but the breed shouldn't be apple-headed — that is, it shouldn't have a domed-top skull that is rounded in all directions. Nor should there be any indentation of the skull. The jaw is wide enough to balance the top of the head; a narrow lower jaw is a flaw.

Bold, dark eyes give this breed a soft expression, but when a pug is excited, his round, lustrous eyes are full of fire. The breed standard describes the eyes as dark, very large, bold and prominent, and globular in shape, with a solicitous expression. Solicitous is a good word to use with the pug. This is a dog that's always soliciting you for attention or food! Large, deep wrinkles crease the pug's face, and the short muzzle is blunt and square. The muzzle shouldn't be upfaced (a term meaning that the lower jaw is positioned upward). A pug's bite — the relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are closed — should be just slightly undershot, meaning the front teeth of the lower jaw overlap the front teeth of the upper jaw.

At the sound of his name, a pug twitches his small, thin ears, which are described as being soft as velvet. The pug's ear comes in one of two shapes: button, which is preferred, or rose. A button ear is defined as one in which the ear flap folds forward, with the tip lying close to the skull so as to cover the opening. A rose ear folds over and back, revealing the burr, or inside of the ear. Either type of ear should be small and neatly folded so it doesn't detract from the head's over-all round appearance.

Square Body

The height of the pug from floor to withers should equal the dog's length from forechest to tail. The pug has a slightly arched neck that's strong and thick, long enough to carry the head proudly. The cobby body is wide in the chest. The shoulders are moderately laid back. The back is short, level from the withers to the high tail set. Speaking of the tail, it's curled as tightly as possible over the hip. A tail with a double curl is perfection.

The pug's body is supported by strong, straight, and moderately long legs. The elbows (where the forelegs bend) should be directly beneath the withers when the dog is viewed from the side. The pasterns (the area of the foreleg between the wrist and toes) are strong, neither steep nor down. This means that the pasterns aren't set at an incorrect angle, one that's too high or too low.

The rear legs have a moderate bend of stifle (the knee) and short hocks (the heels) that are perpendicular to the ground. When a pug is viewed from behind, the rear legs are parallel. The thighs and rear end are full and muscular. Pug feet have well split-up toes with black nails. In shape, they're neither long nor round, but somewhere in between. Usually the dewclaws are removed when a puppy is still very young. This helps prevent injury to the eyes.

Movement

The pug moves with a gait that's free, self-assured, and jaunty. It's a rhythmic two-beat, diagonal gait in which the feet at opposite ends of the body strike the ground together. There's a slight roll of the hips from side to side. Viewed from the front, the forelegs should be carried well forward, with the paws landing squarely and the central toes straight ahead. The hind legs should follow in line with the front. You shouldn't see any turning in or out at the joints.

Coat and Color

Covering the body is a coat that's fine, smooth, soft, short, and shiny. The pug's coat should never be hard or woolly.

The breed comes in three colors: silver, apricot-fawn, and black. Silver and apricot-fawn pugs sport a black mask and ears, the more well defined the better. Some pugs bear a black thumb- or diamond-shaped mark on the forehead. You may occasionally see a trace along the back, a black line extending from the occiput (the back part of the skull) to the tail. The mask and markings should be as black as possible.

Silver pugs are rarely seen. The silver color has been described as cold stone with silver hairs. A silver pug has no black hairs on the body (with the exception of the mask and ears). Fawn or apricot-fawn pugs have a warm, clear coat color with no black hairs on the body except for the mask, ears, and the trace along the spine. A black pug can appear blue-black or rusty black. The blue-black coat is preferred.

Temperament

A pug's temperament is just as important and just as distinctive to the breed as all the other elements combined. The ideal pug is even-tempered, stable, and playful. He exhibits great charm, dignity, and a loving, outgoing disposition.

Black pugs can have very different personalities from their silver and apricot-fawn siblings. Some pug lovers describe them as almost a breed apart. They are creative, to put it mildly, in deciding how they will respond to commands, but in competition they have the ability to deliver an exemplary performance — should they so choose. A black pug can be assertive and challenging to live with, but lovable nonetheless.