When you decide to buy a Pug, do not go to a pet shop or a dealer. Find a good breeder, preferably in your own area, and go to see his or her stock and talk things over before arriving at a decision.

A good puppy suitable for show will not be cheap to buy, but very often a puppy well bred but not up to exhibition standard can be purchased for a very reasonable price.

Anyone thinking about setting up as a Pug breeder should give the matter very careful consideration. It is not only a question of making a profit or a loss; one has to weigh up the calls on one's time, for being a breeder limits personal freedom to an alarming extent.

If you are not to be deterred by the certainty of hard work with little return to show, then the first point to consider is whether the stock you own is suitable as a foundation for the kennel.

If you own a champion bitch she may still be unsuitable on the grounds of age. She should not have her first litter after she is three years of age, and it is safest to plan her motherhood during her second or .third 'season'.

Even if she meets these requirements on the basis of age, she must also have the temperament to be the foundation of your kennel. The brood bitch needs to have a very well-made body, with a great spring of rib and firm, well-boned legs.

She must conform almost to perfection to the Breed Standard. And, above all, her temperament must be right, for if she is over-excitable her puppies will not thrive, which would be a most severe setback to the success of the venture.