In the First Edition of "British Dogs " were quoted the opinions in detail given by many eminent breeders of that time; but as since then the Pug Dog Club has been formed, and has practically adopted the late Mr. Hugh Dalziel's description (printed below), although with important omissions, it is needless to repeat the letters now.

"The general appearance and symmetry of the Pug are decidedly square and cobby; a lean, leggy dog and a long-backed, short-legged one are equally out of harmony with the ideal Pug, which, although not so graceful in contour as the Greyhound and some of the Terriers, should yet be so well proportioned that each part is, as to size, in harmony and conformity with every other, and in combination forming a symmetrical whole. Condition, which materially affects a dog's chance in the judging-ring, alters the general appearance, and destroys the symmetry when it represents extreme poverty or excessive obesity. The Pug is a multum in parvo; but this condensation, if one may use the word, should be shown by compactness of form, in well-knit proportions, and hardness of developed muscle.

The head should be round and short, the skull well domed and large, to correspond with the general size - bigness is the better word - of this delightful little ladies' pet. The muzzle must be short and square (a pointed muzzle is a serious drawback). The nose is short, but the Pug is not 'up-faced,' like the Bulldog: his nose should be decidedly of the snub variety, but not retrousse. The protrusion of the tongue is a deformity often arising from partial paralysis of that useful organ, and apt to appear in all short-faced dogs; but it should always be looked on as a fault.

The ears should be small, thin, soft, and velvety, and black in colour. Some are carried flat, and close to the face, called the 'button ear'; others have the ears partially thrown back, the edge again slightly folding forward, and a portion of the interior shown. This corresponds with a variety of ear of the Bulldog called the 'rose ear.' I prefer the 'rose' to the 'button' ear in both breeds, the latter giving a dull, heavy, almost sulky look to the countenance.

The eyes are dark in colour, very large, bold, and prominent, globular in shape, soft and solicitous in expression, and very lustrous, and, when excited, full of fire. There should be no tendency to water, or weep, as it is called.

It was formerly insisted that there should be a black mole, with three hairs growing out of it, on each cheek. 'Stonehenge,' in his valuation of points, gives five for this. 'Idstone' lays it down as important, and hundreds have re-echoed the opinion. A mole on each cheek is not peculiar to Pugs, but will, on examination, be found in every breed, and is easily enough seen on all smooth-faced dogs.

The mask is the black colour of the face. The more intense it is, the better, and it should include the eyes, running in a straight line across the forehead; the more sharply defined this mask is, the better, as the contrast between it and the body colour is thereby more strongly marked. Separate from the mask is a black patch, or thumb-mark, and no Pug can be considered absolutely perfect without it. The loose skin of the head forms into wrinkles, which alter in depth with the varying emotions of the dog; when seen at their greatest, they give a frowning look to the face. The lines of these wrinkles can be traced when the skin is stretched, or smooth, by deeper shades of colour.

The trace is a dark line - the blacker the better - running along the back, right to the end of the tail. It should be clearly defined, and narrow, gin. to 1in. at broadest.

The colour of the pure Morrison was a yellow-fawn, the pure Willoughby a cool stone or light drab; but the two strains have been much interbred, and good Pugs of many various shades are now met with. What is called the 'apricot fawn' was in vogue with many; but the great consideration is to get the colour - whatever its shade - decided enough, and with a very pronounced contrast between it and the black of the mask, trace, and vent. The commonest fault in colour is smuttiness, the mask spreading over the whole head, the trace extending down each side, and the fawn hairs of the body being more or less shaded with black. A correspondent informs me that Mr. Beswicke Royd's family, who for many generations owned a very fine breed of Pugs, now lost, had one pair - the last - that invariably threw one pure white pup in each litter. The eminent veterinarian Blaine records a similar instance in a Pug bitch of his own, which in three consecutive litters had one pure white pup. A white Pug with good points is a curiosity, and the production of a strain of them does not seem impossible. Four or five specimens were benched a few years ago.

A great fault with many Pugs shown now is coarseness of coat. The coat should be fine, smooth, soft, and glossy. The skin is extremely loose, and when a handful is taken, the coat, although thus handled, felt against the grain, should be neither hard nor woolly.

The neck is short, thick, and fleshy, and with the skin loose and free ; although there is seldom a decided dewlap, still there must be an abundance of skin, or the head will be void of wrinkles.

The Pug is wide across the chest, wide through the barrel, and square in the quarters; the back is fairly broad, and the whole body stout and thick-set.

The legs must be straight, and well under him, of moderate length. The dog should stand about 12in. high, and at that height should weigh about 151b. The legs should be strong, and the feet rather long, or hare-shaped; the toes well split up, and the toenails black.

The tail is of great importance. The more tightly and closely it is curled over the hip, the more is thought of it; and in a winner nowadays the double curl is almost indispensable."