How to safely lift and hold a pug

The Safe Way to Pick Up a Pug

When lifting a pug, support the body.

Place one hand beneath the chest, behind the front legs, while the other hand supports the hindquarters. Lift the dog smoothly and keep him or her securely against your body.

For a heavier pug, use both arms so the chest, abdomen, and rear are well supported.

The goal is simple:

Lift the pug—not the pug's skin.

Please Don’t Pick Up a Pug by the Scruff

Pugs are remarkably sturdy little dogs in many ways. Their eyes, however, are another matter.

One of the most important things every pug owner should understand is that a pug should never be lifted or carried by the loose skin at the back of the neck—the “scruff.” This is particularly important with adult dogs.

Why? The answer lies in the unique anatomy of the brachycephalic skull.

Those Beautiful Pug Eyes Are More Exposed
Pugs have relatively shallow eye sockets, technically called orbits. Compared with dogs with longer muzzles and deeper-set eyes, a pug’s globe—the eyeball itself—is less deeply protected within the skull.

That wonderful, expressive pug face comes with a tradeoff: the eyes are more vulnerable to trauma and displacement.

One of the most frightening ophthalmic emergencies seen in brachycephalic breeds is proptosis, in which the eyeball is displaced forward out of the orbit and becomes trapped in front of the eyelids.
This is a genuine veterinary emergency.

Why Scruffing Is a Bad Idea
When an adult dog is picked up by the scruff, its body weight is suspended from skin and soft tissues of the neck. The resulting traction can affect tissues around the neck, head, and face.

That is unnecessary in any adult dog, but it is particularly inappropriate for a breed whose eyes are already anatomically prominent and poorly protected.

In brachycephalic dogs, proptosis can occur with surprisingly modest trauma compared with breeds whose eyes sit more deeply within the skull. Trauma, restraint, pressure around the head or neck, and pulling forces can all become more consequential when the globe is already relatively exposed.

Proptosis is a serious ophthalmic emergency in which the eyeball is suddenly displaced forward out of its normal position in the eye socket and becomes trapped in front of the eyelids. It is seen disproportionately in brachycephalic breeds such as Pugs because their shallow eye sockets provide less protection for their prominent eyes. Proptosis can damage the muscles, nerves, and blood vessels that support the eye and can result in permanent vision loss or even loss of the eye. Immediate veterinary treatment is essential.

Not every pug picked up by its scruff will suffer proptosis. Most won't.

But it means there is no good reason to introduce an avoidable risk when there are much safer ways to lift a pug. It does happen. So why risk it?

Puppies Aren’t Carried Around This Way by Their Mothers, Either
Sometimes scruffing is defended with the idea that “mother dogs carry their puppies by the scruff.”

Mother dogs may briefly grasp and reposition very young, lightweight puppies. That is quite different from a human lifting an older puppy—or especially a 15-, 20-, or 25-pound adult pug—off the ground by the skin of its neck.

An adult pug's body was simply not designed to hang from its scruff.

Not every pug picked up by its scruff will suffer proptosis. Most won't.

But it means there is no good reason to introduce an avoidable risk when there are much safer ways to lift a pug. It does happen. So why risk it?

Puppies Aren’t Carried Around This Way by Their Mothers, Either
Sometimes scruffing is defended with the idea that “mother dogs carry their puppies by the scruff.”

Mother dogs may briefly grasp and reposition very young, lightweight puppies. That is quite different from a human lifting an older puppy—or especially a 15-, 20-, or 25-pound adult pug—off the ground by the skin of its neck.

An adult pug's body was simply not designed to hang from its scruff.

If Proptosis Ever Occurs
A displaced eye is an emergency and requires immediate veterinary treatment. Do not attempt to push the eye back into place yourself.

Keep the exposed eye moist with sterile saline or an appropriate sterile ophthalmic lubricant, prevent the dog from rubbing or pawing at it, and proceed immediately to a veterinarian or emergency veterinary hospital.

The sooner treatment occurs, the better the opportunity to preserve the eye and, when possible, vision.

Pugs Require Pug-Specific Handling
Living with a pug means understanding that their anatomy is different.

We already make accommodations for their brachycephalic airways, their sensitivity to heat, and their prominent eyes. Safe handling belongs on that same list.

A pug may be small enough to scoop up with one hand, but that doesn't mean every method of picking him up is safe.

Support the chest. Support the rear. Protect the neck. Protect those beautiful eyes.

Because when it comes to a pug's vision, avoiding unnecessary risk is far easier than treating an emergency.

https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/ophthalmology/ocular-proptosis/