How Many Puppies Do Pugs Have

Is your girl Pug expecting or are you just in the planning stage of breeding her? If so, this might be a stressful, as well as an exciting time for both of you. You’ve done your fair share of vet visits, got all the necessary ultrasounds completed, and prepared the best you could for the puppies’ arrival. A lot of thoughts might be going through your head: is my Pug’s pregnancy developing normally, am I fully prepared if there are going to be complications with the labor, and, of course, how many puppies do Pugs have on average? Let’s take a look at the Pug development cycle first to see when a female Pug is ready to conceive.

Pug’s Life Cycle

• Puppy: from the moment a puppy Pug is born, to the time it turns one year old, it is considered a puppy. For the little one, the world is a scary place, and it will heavily depend on its mother for food, shelter, and security. 

For the first 2 weeks, a baby Pug will alternate between sleeping and eating cycles.

Learn more about: How Big Do Pugs Grow?

It will not leave its mother’s sight as she will be extremely overprotective of her newborn. After all, it can’t walk independently, its eyes wouldn’t even open until a pup is about 2-3 weeks old. It is deaf as well up until it’s a few weeks old and, therefore is extremely vulnerable.  

At 4 weeks, a pup is usually able to walk, hear, and see everything, and starts actively exploring its surroundings. It will need constant supervision so it won’t get into trouble.

From 4 to 12 weeks, a pup is in a socialization stage where it learns the power of playtime. It starts to actively engage in an interaction with siblings and its pet parents. 

They are expected to gain full control of their bladders and bowel movements and, therefore should be encouraged to relieve themselves outside. Pug pups should begin learning the basic commands during this stage as well as receive their first vaccines. 

Anywhere from 13 to 24 weeks, a “nightmare” stage enters its phase: your Pug pal starts teething. That means chewing on anything that seems fit (yep, including your favorite pair of slippers). It is your responsibility as a pet parent to make sure that all the dangerous objects are moved away to a secure spot (cables, wires, equipment, etc.) where your young explorer cannot get its teeth on something.

• Adolescence: Between 6 and 9 months your Pug baby is in its adolescence stage. Here it develops complete sexual maturity and reaches its full height. If you happen to have a female Pug, she will be ready to have babies at about 9 months of age. 

Therefore, if you are planning to breed your Pug dam, it is best to at least wait until that time (or even older, up to 2 years) and bring her in for a check-up to see if everything is normal. A vet visit should include parasites screening, and getting her up to date on the shots. It is also recommended to do all the necessary X-rays to see if her reproductive organs are ready for pregnancy. How many puppies do Pugs have? We will cover it shortly. 

• Senior stage: A pug is considered a senior citizen by the time it reaches 9 years of age. You will notice how much slower it starts moving, may gradually lose interest in certain activities, and, unfortunately, develop some health problems the two-legged are also experiencing during their golden years.

Since Pugs are considered brachycephalic, that means problems with the oxygen supply may occur. This fact, in turn, leads to lung, heart, and even brain problems. It is extremely important to bring your Pug oldie for regular vet checkups at least twice a year to ensure that there are no major problems in place (Pugs are prone to developing cancer). 

So, when a female Pug is ready for breeding, it might be best to find out how her pregnancy develops, and any facts you as a breeder have to know to avoid complications during her labor stage. 

Female Pug Pregnancy Cycle

When a Pug dam gets pregnant, her body goes through a dramatic change (just like a two-legged female would). The average canine female pregnancy is much shorter than that of a human, and ranges anywhere from 57 to 65 days. How do you know if your Pug pup is expecting? Look out for those pregnancy signs that are very obvious: 

• Sudden Weight Gain: you will notice that your pup’s appetite increases drastically. It is no surprise since she has to not only provide nutrients for herself now but for her future litter as well. Do not decrease her portion even if you are afraid she will gain a lot. It will be possible for her to shed it off once she has gone through labor. 

The majority of weight gain will come from the pups’ weight, as well as amniotic fluids and water. Once it is out of her system after whelping, her weight will decrease greatly right there. 

• New Behavior Patterns: since her body goes through hormonal changes, you will notice that a future Pug mom will become tired quicker, even after a very short potty walk. She would nap a lot more during the day. 

Also, you might observe that she might become extra affectionate (would want to cuddle with you more). Or, on the contrary, very irritable (may get snappy with you if you touch her the wrong way, “answer back” if you try to reprimand a future mother for the wrongdoing). 

• Tummy Appears Swollen and Nipples Enlarge: pretty obvious since fetuses grow in the canine mother’s womb and she has to carry her litter for about 2 months. Nipples become dark red in color as well as bigger in size to prepare the Pug dam for the future lactation period. Now, let’s discuss how many puppies a Pug can have on average in one pregnancy.

How Many Puppies Do Pugs Have?

Are you still asking yourself: “How many puppies do Pugs have?” Let’s get into that. On average, a female Pug will have about 4-6 puppies per pregnancy. Even if you go to the vet and perform an ultrasound, you won’t know 100% how many pups there will be until the labor period is over. The veterinary specialist will only be able to tell you approximate numbers.

Read more about: The Average Life Span Of Pugs

Sometimes a female Pug can have just one puppy, which is completely normal. On the contrary: if a mother is a crossbreed with another species (Jack Russel Terrier, Beagle, or a Chihuahua, for instance), then you can expect a bigger litter size, up to 9 pups!

If it’s Pug’s first pregnancy, the litter size will be smaller compared to the consecutive ones. Any future expectancies can be more complicated because they create some health problems for canine mothers. With each pregnancy, it takes a lot of time for the Pug mom to regain her strength and stamina. Therefore if you are definitely sure that you don’t want to breed your furry dam, it is best to just spay her either in a puppy stage or later on, after her first litter was delivered.  

Curl-Up

A Pug pregnancy can be a very exciting, but a little challenging time as well. A Pug pet parent is responsible for making sure that a future Pug mom has the support and all the help it needs to deliver a healthy litter. We’ve answered the question of “How Many Puppies Do Pugs Have?” here in the article, therefore you know what to expect if you plan to breed your wrinkle-faced girl. It is best not to mate a female Pug before the age of 2 to avoid future health complications.

It is truly incredible to participate in the puppy birth process, I wish you good luck!

Read more about At What Age Can A Pug Get Pregnant?