Pug Blue Heeler Mix (Pugler) – Dog Breed Facts and Information

Last Updated/Info Checked on September 12, 2023 by Linda Michaels

Call it a Peeler or a Pugler, the Pug and Blue Heeler mix retains traits and appearance from both its parents.

Speaking of which, the Pug is a small dog for a small space bred to be a lap dog with a great sense of humor. They adapt well to apartment life, which makes them brilliant for new dog owners. However, they’re not very keen on tolerating loneliness.

As compared to a Pug, a Blue Heeler is a tall dark herding cattle dog with high intelligence. They don’t like to wriggle in your lap for a long time because of their high energy that needs to be dissipated every now and then. Because of their relentlessness, they do so well in sports such as flyball.

As a Pug Blue Heeler mix owner, you should expect a balance of these traits. Your pup will have an improved adaptation to small spaces because of its medium size compared to a Heeler.

However, they’ll be as agile and attached to you. It will have the humor of a Pug with the protective instincts of a Heeler. You’ll also see it chase small animals and sometimes children because of its herding instinct.

This is just the top of what a Pug and Blue Heeler mix would look like for a dog owner.

Let’s stealth deeper into understanding this mixed breed.

Pug Blue Heeler Mix – Peeler Traits

I hope this table will be helpful to you.

Weight	20 – 40 lbs
Height	15 – 19 in
Coat Colors	Black or dark blue face, blue speckled fawn coat, patches around the eyes
Behavior With Children	Friendly
Behavior With Strangers	Welcoming after training
Behavior With Other Pets	Friendly
Adaptability	Happy in large spaces but it can accommodate to apartments with access to parks
Nutrition	½ to 2 cups divided into two meals but it depends on the dog’s individual life
Grooming	4 to 5 times a month
Trainability	Easily Trained
Intelligence	Moderate to high
Exercise needs	Moderate to high
Shedding	Moderate
Barking tendency	Low
Biting tendency	High
Personality	Loving, friendly, and accommodating but it can be imposing, threatening, and stubborn when not trained well.

Appearance and Physical Characteristics 

The Australian Cattle Dog or Blue Heeler has a double coat and so does a Pug. Therefore, naturally, their offspring will have a deep coat with a mix of colors from its parents.

We normally see blue or red speckles with tan blue-black or deep red markings on the head of a Heeler and around its eyes. The legs, underbelly, ears, and eye corners are mostly tan. We’ve also observed that the outer and inner coats may have one or more of these colors either in combination or speckles.

Pugs on the other hand only have two colors, which makes them not so high on color variability. Their snouts and ears are mostly black. The color may fade from its ears towards its mouth. The rest of the body is mostly fawn-colored.

A Peeler, as I would like to call a Pug and Blue Heeler mix, will have a mix of these colors: black or dark blue face, blue speckled coat with a dominating fawn color or the alternative, and patches of the same colors around the eyes. Color aside, one thing that’s for sure is that it will have a double coat.

Image Credit: @Sophie Polanskyj / Pinterest

Temperament And Behavior

Talking about its parents, the Australian cattle dog or Blue Heeler prefers an active and energetic life. It needs to be frequently motivated both physically and mentally.

Deny these stimulations and the dog will turn destructive. It will chew your favorite sofa or loveseat, destroy your magazines, or break things around to cater to its pent-up energy.

The dog is also very territorial and it will go to any extent to protect it. This comes from its herding instincts. Its family also becomes a vital part of the territory, and you can guess what will happen if someone or some animal tries to threaten it. 

Pugs on the other hand do not have any jobs to carry because they were not bred to work. They are companion dogs and that’s what they’ve been conditioned to do.

There’s no doubt about the amount of love and companionship they give to their owners. In doing so, they won’t mind sitting on your lap for an abnormal amount of time.

However, when it comes to enjoying life or doing other activities other than being a couch potato, Pugs will surprise you. They will brighten up your day with their silly actions.

As you can see, one parent is all cuddly and lovey-dovey, and the other one means business. A Peeler’s behavior stands anywhere on this spectrum.

Owning one would mean having a dog that knows how to protect its territorial limits, all the vile preferring to stay put for hours on end. It will require mental and physical stimulation moderately. 

Behavior With Children

A peeler is friendly with children, however, do not underestimate its behavior when the herding instinct takes over.

You may see a poorly trained pup chase after children and try to nibble at their heels in an effort to herd them. 

To disallow that, early socialization and training would mean everything so that it discerns properly between human children and cattle.

Behavior With Other Pets And Animals

The mixed breed is extremely affectionate or friendly with other dogs and pets in the family. This also attributes to the dog’s parentage because both Pugs and Blue Heelers do well with other pets around.

Just like its parents, it doesn’t have any inclination toward dominating other dogs or pets. However, just as with children, it may try to chase after them for herding. Here too, the role of early socialization would mean a lot.

Behavior With Strangers

When it comes to strangers, Pugs and Blue Heelers lie on the extremities of the spectrum. As they see new people coming in, the Pugs start wagging their tails to receive any sort of affection from them. This is their welcome for most people.

As opposed to this, a Heeler meats strangers with an eye of suspicion. Untrained ones would definitely try to chase them away by barking or practically going after them just like a German Shepherd. They won’t do this when trained, but they would still retain the suspicion.

A Peeler will welcome strangers with wagging its tail and nozzle but at the same time, at the back of its mind, it’ll be prepared for anything that may come.

Here too, proper exposure to multiple stimuli in the dog’s puppyhood would factor in making them socially receptive.

Living Environment

A Peeler may adapt to apartment life just like its Pug parent. However, considering its medium size, it may not be advisable because much like a Blue Heeler, it will still need some space to carry out dog activities.

A home with a backyard or a patio suits better for the mixed breed. But even if you choose to raise it in an apartment, make sure you provide it with full opportunities to run in a park and socialize with other dogs.

The breed retains some of the barking tendencies from its Blue Heeler parent. Therefore, be mindful of the training that you would give it to curb this behavior, especially, when a stranger or another dog visits your home.

Nutrition

Australian Cattle Dogs and Pugs are both big eaters for their sizes. The former drains their energy reserves faster because of their super active life, while the latter loves food besides cuddles.

This parentage, therefore, makes a Peeler equally ravenous. However, because it’s prone to obesity much like a Pug, you should feed it measured dog food according to its activity, size, and health condition.

So to say, the recommended daily amount is about 1.5 cups to 2 cups.

Refrain from overfeeding or underfeeding the dog because of possible harmful effects on its health. You read about overfeeding results. Underfeeding a Peeler would cause a reduction in the overall fat and muscle mass. You’ll start noticing the rib cage and a very thin waist.

Grooming Requirements

Your mixed breed pup may take after its Pug parent and hence shed like crazy, especially during summers. Or, the characters of an Australian Cattle Dog may shine to make the coat shed less. 

No matter which parent’s genes the dog takes after, you should brush it periodically to a frequency of 4 to 5 times a month to remove any dirt and gunk in the top or bottom coat.

You should bathe it as you see fit depending on its condition. An inactive backyard lover would need at least once a week shower compared to a dog that stays on the couch much like its Pug parent. 

If you hear its nails click on the floor, trim them after the pinkish part called the quick. Going beyond that safety line will cause bleeding.

Besides that, your dog may have inherited some of the wrinkles from the Pug. They are a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, so make sure you clean them well during every bath or regularly depending on your pet’s tendency to play in the dirt.

You should also keep an eye on its ear health by smelling them for any show foul smell that indicates an ear infection.

Much like other dogs, this one will also be touchy about its paws. Make sure you also clean them well whenever you return from a walk or from playing outside.

Training And Socialization

In terms of training and socialization, you’re again left with a dog that draws its characters from extremes. 

The Blue Heeler is a highly trainable intelligent dog. However, it has the potential to bite and nip at its immediate family members when untrained. It will also be a victim of its prey drive. When it does not receive enough training or physical stimulation, it may seek to escape the territory because its wanderlust potential is above the roof.

In contrast to this, a Pug does not require a lot of training and neither is it as receptive to it as the Australian cattle dog. You may blame its low intelligence, but that also comes in as a blessing in disguise because it makes the dog less mouthy, less prone to barking or howling, and less keen on escaping the house.

The Peeler you own will have bits and pieces of all of these. They are generally easy to train but at the same time, their high intelligence may pose hurdles in the training process as they question your methods.

They may sometimes let go of your errors and pick whatever you teach them with proper positive reinforcement. Be warned however that they may still get distracted by any lingering smell, a small animal racing by, or simply their will to explore something else out of boredom.

Image Credit: @ezro_m / IG

Exercise Needs

The energy levels of a Peeler are off the charts. You’ll need to take out at least two hours a day or even more to take your dog for walks or play other games such as fetch tug of war, etc.

Also, remember that it does everything with immense intensity. You may fall behind during many training sessions. Therefore, make sure you not only have time on your hands but also that your physical health is optimal to cater to the dog’s immense intensity.

It’s also true that every once in a while it would just want to leisurely stroll around the house or in the backyard. But when it comes to playing different games, you’ll have to be creative. As you read this mixed breed draws its intelligence from the Blue Heeler, it will get bored with repetitive tasks and that’s why you should keep updating the games for proper mental stimulation.

This breed keeps a clear distinction between games, training and exercises. You may think that it’s tired from the training sessions and it will still ask for many rounds of fetch or tag.

Nonetheless, it’s always wise to tire out a Peeler puppy because it will stay put and be less of a nuisance around the house.

Health

Just like its parents, the Pug and the Blue Heeler, a Peeler is also prone to many diseases.

These diseases arise because of improper breeding practices. You should always adopt your puppy from a certified breeder who has all the health clearances for his breed. 

Some of the illnesses that a puppy born out of careless breeding practices are: 

• Hip dysplasia: Your dog will most likely be prone to this disease if one of its parents suffers from it. It is characterized by an ill-fitting femur or thigh bone into its socket. The dog may not show any symptoms until it’s big enough or when there’s an increase in the activity. The disease leads to arthritis later. 
• Deafness: Australian Cattle Dogs are also prone to genetically transferred deafness. If the parent is deaf, chances are the mixed breed may be deaf too. Look for white strands of hair in the puppy’s coat because this is one of the many preliminary indications of deafness in a dog.
• Epilepsy or seizures: Some Pugs are known to have seizures because of epilepsy called idiopathic epilepsy. The reasons are not known for such a condition, but it affects this breed of all ages. Inquire about the parent of your to-be mixed pet. If it has any history of epilepsy, you may want to adopt from someone else. The chances for the litter to develop this disease are low but still, there are chances.
• Corneal ulcers: A pup may inherit the bulging eyes of its Pug parent. Such eyes have a greater chance of receiving external trauma that leads to ulcers. Look for any signs of discomfort in its eyes and consult a vet immediately if you find it.
• Other eye problems: A pup inheriting the large eyes of its Pug parent is also prone to dry eye diseases, proptosis, retinal atrophy, distichiasis, or other eyelid or eyeball socket-related diseases. 
• Yeast infection: Your Peeler may develop a yeast infection in the small folds that it may have inherited from the Pug, armpits, ears, or other hidden areas. Look out for signs such as a foul-smelling dog with black patches of thickened skin.
• Staph infection: Observe the puppy’s coat and look for any raised or infected hair follicles, pimples, or lesions. These may indicate staph infection, which is a type of bacteria found breeding on a dog’s skin.

While these are some of the diseases to look out for, your pup may still be prone to progressive retinal atrophy that leads to degradation of the retina, cheyletiella dermatitis or walking dandruff, nerve degeneration as the dog gets older, certain allergies, and sensitivities to vaccination. 

Should You Adopt A Pug Blue Heeler Mix? 

Adopting a Pug and Blue Heeler mix is a joy, but be mindful of the difficulties of owning one.

For one, the mixed breed is highly energetic and agile. Secondly, it can get out of your control when it’s not trained well. You will have to focus on the initial socialization and positive reinforcement to make the dog suitable for a variety of environments.

Even before all this, it’s crucial that you adopt the dog from a certified breeder, otherwise, this breed has the tendency to develop debilitating diseases either inherited from its parents or on its own.

That said, a Peeler with a healthy parentage will shower you with its limitless love. When trained well, it can be your cuddle buddy cum protector. It will make you laugh with its silly antics and keep you up on your feet when you take it outside for a walk.

It will brighten up your day with a limitless aptitude for playing all sorts of games and its general disposition to please you at all costs.

With all that, you’ll have a dog with medium shedding, thus, requiring at least 4 to 5 times a month. Bathing is completely dependent on how active the dog is in the dirt.

Consider these factors and once you know that you can fulfill its needs there’s no stopping you from adopting a peeler.

Pros

• Low-maintenance cuddle buddy
• Great for people who want an active dog that also doubles as a couch potato
• Receptive to training and early socialization
• Medium-sized dogs can fit well in an apartment
• Low barking tendency
• Good with other dogs and children
• Has a great sense of humor
• With proper training, it can be a good guard dog.
• Medium shedding

Cons

• The dog may become single-minded when it doesn’t receive enough training.
• The dog may have diseases when you adopt from breeders who follow poor practices of breeding.
• It cannot tolerate loneliness and when left alone it can cause damage to the property.
• It will chase after children and other small dogs if it’s not trained well.

I hope this guide about Blue Heeler Pug Mix was helpful to you.

Thanks for reading along, have a nice day.