The Jug dog, being a mix between a Jack Russel Terrier and a Pug, are known for being very friendly and loving dogs, but at what age will they reach their full grown weight and height?
Jugs will be 10 to 15 inches high and weigh 13 to 18 pounds when they reach adulthood at 9 to 12 months old. But, they may continue to put on some weight and muscle for some time after this. They will still behave like puppies until they are 2 -3 years old. Female jugs will be slightly smaller than males.
14-18lbs would be considered an ideal weight for an adult jug but just like humans not every jug is the same and not every jug is the ideal weight, but as long as they are healthy and active and able to enjoy life, weight should not cause that much concern.
A concern that their parent Pug can have is breathing problems which can be passed on to their Jug offspring and if your Jug is overweight as well, then this could make the problem worse.
If you are worried about your Jugs Weight, then it would be better to get them assessed by your vet because there could be any number of factors which are affecting your dog's health and they need to be taken as a whole and evaluated by a professional if they are causing discomfort to your pet.
The jug's appearance will depend on which adult breed has the biggest influence on them genetically. The Pug is more of a small, rounded stocky dog where the Jack Russell is Leaner. The Pug was bred for their qualities as a companion dog and their looks whereas a Jack Russell was bred as a working, hunting dog. This I believe is a good combination to produce a healthier all round pet, and an active and alert companion.
Jugs will have more variety in their size than either the Pug or the Jack Russell because there's a bigger list of variables that affect the sizes of the Jug. There are other factors which can affect the growth rate of your Jug and we will discuss those factors in more detail below.
What Factors Affect the Growth of a Jug?
The main factor affecting growth in the Jug is genetics. How big are the parents and grandparents? etc. It is important to understand that the parents of designer dogs may not always fit the criteria of their breed 100%. They may be bigger or smaller than the normal and therefore more suitable for breeding mix breeds than purebreds. This can be a good thing, but may lead to less uniformity which again can be a good thing if you like your pet to be unique, which they are anyway.
A Jug's growth can also be affected by nutrition. A puppy needs good nutrition in order to develop properly and reach its full potential. A balanced diet is essential for healthy growth in your Jug puppy, especially when they have just been weaned off their mother's milk.
The next thing that could affect the Jugs growth is ill-health during their early development. Puppies, like children, are resilient and hopefully will recover from early setbacks to go on to develop to full size, it may just take a bit longer when they have had illnesses during their growth stages.
Trauma could affect the growth of the jug. If a Jug has been mistreated or lost their mother at a vital stage of their development, they may not grow as quickly.
It is common in large litters to have a "runt", which is a puppy whose growth was stunted before they were born and ended up smaller than the rest of the litter. This can be made worse after birth because they may not be strong enough to get the milk needed for development. This may call for someone to intervene and make sure the "runt" gets their fair share of the food during the early stages of their life. Again the puppy can recover to full grown size.
If a puppy is weaned too quickly from the mother's milk this could cause both trauma and arrested development in the young Jug, leading to slower growth.
If the Jug is prone to allergies, this can affect their growth and sometimes they just might not like certain foods that disagree with their body system, therefore you may have to change their food several times in order to find something they're happy with.
Whatever the factors causing slow growth in your puppy, they can bounce back from most adversities and go on to live a healthy and happy life which is what we all want to see.
If you can't get to the bottom of slow growth in your Jug, then the only option may be to seek professional medical care.
Jug Weight and Growth Chart
The following is a guide only to what you could typically expect the weight growth values to be for your Jug puppy.
2 months 3 - 5 pounds
3 months 5 - 8 pounds
4 months 6 - 10 pounds
5 months 8 -11 pounds
6 months 9 - 12 pounds
7-months 10 - 13 pounds
8 months 12 - 15 pounds
9 months 12 - 16 pounds
10 months 13 - 17 pounds
11 months 13 to 18 pounds
12 months 13 to 18 pounds
What is the ideal weight for a Jug?
A jug ideally should weigh 13 to 18 pounds when fully grown. If a Jug takes after the Pug parent and has a very short muzzle it is important that they are not overweight because they could have breathing difficulties due to the short muzzle and being overweight will just add to these problems.
The height range for the jug could be anywhere from 10 to 15 inches. A dog measuring 15 inches high would not look overweight at 20 and 22 pounds or even heavier, so really the whole picture has to be taken into consideration when you're assessing whether your dog is over or under weight and if you have any doubts the best person to give a proper assessment is your veterinarian.
Having said all that most people should be able to judge if their dog is over or underweight. There are also other ways of assessing whether your dog is obese or malnourished such as feeling the thickness of skin on the ribs or using a body shape chart.
These can be obtained from veterinarians or kennel club websites.
When it comes to dogs with obesity, it's pretty much the same as with humans, "calories in", "calories out". Dogs need to eat enough calories to cover the amount of energy they expend. But unlike humans dogs don't have a choice on how many calories they will take in.
That choice is made for them by and large by the people who feed them and the amount of calories they expand through exercise again is down to the choices made by the person who allows them to have that exercise.
So the responsibility for whether a dog is over their underweight lies solely with the person who is looking after them. A dog will eat more or less whatever is put in front of them.
Jug Growth Stages
Very much like humans, what happens in a Jug’s early life will shape what they become as they grow older. The first year of a dog's life can be broken down into various stages. All these key stages play a part in how your jug will develop physically, mentally and behaviorally.
Stage 1, birth to 4 weeks, Awakening up the senses
During this time the young Jug is completely relying on its mother for all its needs but by the end of the 4 weeks it will be starting to move away from that dependence.
During this stage a puppy has no real senses, everything they do is working on instinct but slowly their senses will start to come. They will open their eyes, start to wag their tails,and get a feel for the world around them.This will be a period of awakening for the tiny jug puppy.
Instinct is built into all of us, but for puppies, the very early stage just after birth, instinct is really everything and puppy has to rely on, plus it’s mother of course.
Stage 2, 4 to 8 weeks, getting ready to make the move away from Mum
The Pug, Jack Russell or Jug, mother will start preparing her puppies for leading their own life.
This is a very important period in the young jug puppies life. They will start to react with their environment and the other puppies in the litter and they will start to figure out and explore their surroundings as well as trying to conquer their fears of the outside world.
8-weeks is usually the threshold for when a puppy can be taken away from its mother and is a time when new people will get their young puppy for the first time. It is the time for the young puppy to flee the nest and start a life on their own, with maybe a new family, never to see their mother or siblings again, sorry that’s what happen,
At this stage the Jug puppy will weigh about 1/3 its final body size
Stage 3, 8 to 12 weeks, becoming more aware of their surroundings
At this stage the Jug will be quite well physically developed, but now they will start to become more mentally and emotionally aware of their surroundings and all the trials and tribulations that the world holds for them.
This is their intense learning stage, when they will figure out how they are going to survive in the world. They will reach about ½ their adult size at this point.
They will also gain an understanding of the boundaries that exist with the people and animals that form their new family unit, and they will push these boundaries as far as they can to see what happens.
This is also the stage when you as a dog owner will have to establish the boundaries that your puppy can’t cross, so they don't develop bad habits which will be much harder to change later on.
Positive reinforcement is always a good training method at this, and all stages of a puppies development. Reward good behavior by giving attention and punish bad behavior by withdrawing at attention.
Stage 4, 12 to 24 weeks, further training and socializing
Your Jug will reach about 2/3 of its adult size at this stage. Your puppies training should kick up a notch at this period. You can teach your dog commands and how to behave and really build a relationship with them but always keep them reminded of who is in charge.
Your Jug should have a better understanding when it comes to the social structure of the household at this stage. They will become very active and maybe even destructive during this phase of their development.
They will also have to deal with teething problems. Toys should be offered and furniture should be well protected as it can become destroyed.
Stage 5, 6 to 12 months transition into adulthood
Your Jug will mature into an adult during this stage and they will want to to assert themselves and make themselves as normal as possible.
Your Jug puppy will want to explore the world outside the household and become more aware of other dogs in their neighborhood.
The hunting instinct will also be fully developed at the stage and your Jug may decide to chase other pets.
Stage 6, 1 to 2 years, filling out period
The Jug will go from being a puppy to an adult at this stage but keep showing puppy traits and behavior for some considerable time after this. It is important to be watchful that they don't become aggressive.
Any aggressive tendencies need to be trained out of them quickly and not be allowed to develop into problems. Physically they may continue to put on weight during this period so it is important to keep an eye on their diet and exercise and not let them get overweight.
Will Neutering/Spaying Affect My Jug’s Growth?
The answer is yes and to a greater or lesser extent depending on what age they get the procedure. Therefore if this is something that you are considering you need to plan early and consult the medical professional who is going to carry out the procedure and pick a time when it will have the least dramatic effect on your puppy physically in terms of growth and psychologically.
How To Properly Weigh and Measure a Jug?
The jug is a small dog and the easiest way to find out their weight is to weigh yourself holding your dog close to your body and then weigh yourself without your dog. Subtract your weight from the combined weight and that will give you the weight of your dog, pretty simple.
If your Jug will sit on the scales by themselves, then you can also weigh them that way, but just be aware that any movement will distort measurement. You can also get your puppy weighed when you go to the veterinary or at good groomers should have a weighing scale.
When measuring a dog's height you need to ensure that the dog is standing straight in a relaxed position and not crouched forward. You need to find the highest point of the shoulders which is called the wither's and place a level across this point. Measure from the underside of the level to the floor and this will give you the height of your dog.
What Is The Life Expectancy Of Jugs?
A Jug should live between 12 and 14 years. Factors that can affect life expectancy are medical conditions they may have had throughout their lives. If your Jug is fed good nutrition, kept at a healthy weight throughout their life and has an overall absence of stress or trauma this will give them the best chance of reaching the maximum age of having a long and healthy life. Same as us really.
Is Female Jug Weight Different From Male Jug Weight?
In general the female jug will be slightly smaller than the male, therefore an adult female Jug will average 10 to 13 inches and maybe 14 to 16 pounds.
To conclude
A Jug is a designer dog offspring of the Pug and the Jack Russell Terrier, as such it is not as easy to predict what size they will grow to when they reach adulthood. Having said that, in general a Jug should reach between 10 and 15 inches in height and weigh between 13 and 18 pounds.
They will reach adulthood at around 9 to 12 months and have gone through most of their stages of development. They will still retain their puppy status for some time after that and will always remain energetic and playful as long as they are healthy and happy.
The Jug as a cross breed dog is not eligible for registration with American Kennel Club but you can register with the International Designer Canine Registry and they are recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club, The Designer Breed Registry and The Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America.
