Do you rent? Are large dogs allowed where you live? Will you be moving at any point? It is definitely easier to rent with a small dog than a large dog.

I don't know enough about Pugs to answer your questions about heat, but I don't think holding it will be a problem. My dog is 7 pounds, and he has no problem being home alone for 6+ hours without an accident. As long as you take them out before you leave and potty train them it shouldn't be an issue.

 

When you leave your dog do you leave do you leave him with a bowl of water?

Right now I'm living at home so it all hypothetical. I'm not going to get a dog till my girlfriend and I get an apartment together. We will be renting though. Definitely have to find a pet friendly apartment.

 

Well it seems like you two have your heart set on pugs.
Because they are brachycephalic dogs they tire, overheat and dehydrate easily.
An adult dog of any breed can hold their bladder for about 8 hours.
So I would suggest getting an adult dog.
Either from a shelter, or a retired show dog/breeding dog.
It's not the kind of dog you'd take on a hike though.
Pugs can be about 20 pounds, they are the larger of the toy breeds and that can be a pain to carry after a while (it doesn't seem like much but I had to carry around a 10lbs plastic baby for parenting class and it wears you down after a while).
Watch this video for more basic information about basic pug care.
I have a Chihuahua so I love the small breeds.

 

In response to not taking pugs for hikes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R46t0NRZiTk
I'm not talking about long intense hikes, just like a little romps around the woods with plenty of water brakes. I'm not really that active a person so I doubt I would want to be much more active then a pug lol.

If you are going to be renting, a smaller dog is definitely easier to do it with, although that doesn't restrict you to toy breeds. Around here a lot of places have a weight limit of about 35lbs (I've heard of people with short, stocky 50lb dogs squeaking in though). It would be good to call around, if there are any property management places in your area that take care of lots of buildings they'll likely have a weight limit and they can tell you. It can be tough though if you get a puppy....it could grow bigger than the weight limit, and I don't know what would happen then. I've run into places as well that won't take puppies, only adult dogs. Also keep in mind, for budget's sake that some places will require a non-refundable pet-deposit. Be careful, house training in an apartment (unless you have the miracle balcony door on ground level), because when you see "the signs" it might be hard to get the dog out quick enough.

One other thing to consider, since you aren't living together yet....give it a while. I don't know how serious or long term your relationship has been, but just IMO, it would be best to make sure you guys are going to be together for a long time (ie: find out first if you get along living together!). A dog is a long term commitment (I'm sure you know that, but I'm just making a point), if you aren't sure you won't be together for the life of the dog you need to consider the dog's long-term well-being. It happens often enough, couples get the "love puppy", things don't work out, where does the puppy go. You're looking at two big commitments between moving in together and a puppy/dog, I'd just recommend letting the first commitment sink in before jumping into the second. I may be way off base just mentioning it, but I'm just considering the well-being of the dog, so please don't take offence I truly hope all goes well for you though!!

It will definitely make apartment hunting more difficult. I'll be looking for a place that allows pets and hopefully is on ground level. A tall order, I know.

I'm not too worried about us splitting up. We've been going strong for 4 years now.

I know that puppies are more work and you have to be around constantly and have plenty of cash to spend on them all of that but I'm dead set on a puppy. I want to do my best to coach him to grow up to be well behaved and have the qualities I'm looking for in a dog. This will likely mean lots of reading and training classes. Also, they are just so much fun. I don't think there is anything on this earth that brings more joy then a goofy puppy. Growing up we always had kittens and the first year I had Kitty was probably one of the happiest times of my life.

 

We've been apartment hunting for months because we wanted to find a dog friendly apartment, and only found a place last week. It was really hard! Unless you are dead set on a certain breed, I'd go with a small dog. Under 25 lb will guarantee your dog will be allowed in any dog friendly complex or unit. Under 50 lb gives you a lot of options and probably won't limit you much.

We wanted a bully breed so it was super hard. Really since it doesn't sound like you're dying for any particular 'restricted breed', don't even start considering them. It makes find a place to rent super hard. German shepherds, bully breeds, chow chows, etc. But if you want a pug, you'll be fine!

 

I think you will be fine with a pug, in fact sounds like a great match for you guys! Go for it (maybe get a dogwalker to take pug puppy out for a potty break midday while he is still young?)....

 

Kuma's Mom has a pug that does EVERYTHING. Very active and athletic. I'm not saying to NOT watch out for breathing/overheating issues...but these dogs are more capable than popular opinion would have you think.

 

I have a small dog. He's my first dog and I never imagined that if I did have a dog it'd be a small dog, but now that I have him I think he's great!

I think one "problem" with small dogs are their owners. This isn't true of DF members, but it seems a lot of small dog owners treat their dog like an accessory and not a dog. We have always treated our dog like a dog. Housebroke him outdoors, took him to lots of training classes, socialized him. He'd be fine with 30-60 minutes of exercise a day, but he will go for hours in the woods. He has never needed to be carried back!! Other small dog owners have said to me "You walk him that far?? Do you have to carry him back?!" and I say "No, he's a dog. He walks." I'm not a slavedriver though. It's easy to gauge my dog's comfort level and adjust exercise accordingly - breathing with his mouth closed, he's fine; breathing with his mouth open, he's getting a good workout; tongue hanging out the front, he's getting tired/hot it's time to start heading back; tongue lolling out the side, game over! Take a rest break if we're not close to done.

Weather wise... if it's hot and we're not home, we leave the fan on. We only have a/c in the bedroom anyway. There have been days where it was super hot, like the days where it's still 90 at 10 pm, and we have left the a/c on in the bedroom and crated him in there while we were gone but he didn't want to be up there. He usually just sprawls out under the fan belly up and sleeps when it's hot. We tend to do more walking in the woods where it's shaded when it's hot because I don't tolerate heat/sun well. If it's wicked hot he doesn't want to walk anyway. We do carry water for him when we got out in the summer. He's a dachshund mix though, not brachycephalic, so we don't worry as much about his breathing/overheating.

With regards to peeing... water consumption is relative to size of dog. My dog can hold his pee for 8 hrs if he needs to. We try our best to not make him have to, but in situations where we've been stuck, he's been fine. Also, when we're not home, he basically just sleeps. That's also what he does when we are home for that matter. He isn't sitting around pounding water or anything.

Good luck! An adult dog will be much easier and you'll have a greater ability to do activities with him early on, puppies are kind of torture, though there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

 

Yep -- all of this!~

 

It sounds like a pug would be a good fit for you. My MIL has 3 pugs in Florida, so I'm assuming that with proper care, heat and humidity shouldn't be a big deal. Also, not sure where exactly in New England you are but, here in southern NH I know of a few rental places with no breed or size restrictions.

 

I just wanted to suggest that it would be a good idea to decide beforehand who's dog it will be, just in case things go south down the road. You can never predict the future, (and this is coming from someone who was getting divorced at 23, I know about unpredictable futures when you were certain of things) and you don't want the dog to be caught in the middle.

Better to have it clearly outlined in advance than to add the stress in an already stressful time.

The girl I volunteer with lives with her bf and they have 3 cats, and are planning on getting a dog later this year. They talked it over and decided that the cats are her responsibility, and the dog will be his. Mainly because his employment situation is more stable than hers currently is, and she isn't sure if she could properly care for all 4 animals on her own income, and they also don't want to split the cats up.