Western Europe

By the 1500’s Europe and its dark ages has gotten left behind when it comes to lapdogs, a gap that the modern renaissance nobility is no less interested in overtaking once again.

The European lapdog is usually small, with lots of fur that can be styled in fashionable ways. Miniature spaniels, curly dogs and dogs with silky long hair are favourites of the ladies. White or piebald dogs in particular are popular. They can be cut and styled in different ways, and although not held in quite the regard of it's Chinese counterparts, they are still spoiled.

Dutchmen bring in the first Chinese style of lapdogs in the 16th century, a dog with short fur, hanging ears, a tail curled over its back and a sharp stop and short face. To begin with these dogs are called “Dutch Bulldogs” for their similarity to the stature and short faces of the bulldogs of the time (more similar to modern Staffordshire Bull Terriers), but it's fairly quickly changed to “Pug”. These new tiny dogs with lots of personality quickly gain favour amongst Europe’s higher classes, and are mixed with a wide variety of dogs to create smaller variants of other breeds.

Despite Foo Dogs being a tightly guarded treasure, very similar dogs did and still do live in families and on the streets of Beijing and other Chinese cities. Even though today we mostly see the long haired variants, as the last chapter shows they historically existed in short coats too. These would be the dogs brought back to Europe by merchants in the 16th and 17th century and called a pug. Although not quite what we think of today when we think of a pug, any dog that was small and had a short face would be called a pug in those days, when the breed of a dog was decided based on looks and not pedigree.

Short Haired dogs & Pugs

1500s



House of Nassau-Orange, who brought pugs to Europe and popularized them among the noble classes.
Engraving, ca. 1628 - 1629. Claes Jansz Visscher. Krannert Art Museum.


Detail. Typical pug dog with a short muzzle and curled tail.


Painting of Pug in Christian IVs writing room, 1598, unknown painter, Rosenborg Castle, Denmark.

1600s


“Ulrik Prince of Denmark”, 1615, Jakob van Doort, Rosenborg Castle, Denmark.


Detail from "Mariana de Austria", 1650, Frans Luycks, The Spanish Embassy in Paris, France.


"The Pug Busse", 17th century, David Klöcker Ehrenstral, Östergötlands länsmuseum, Sweden.


“Two dogs”, 17th century, David Klöcker Ehrenstral,


Detail from "Portrait of Leonora Christina", 1621, Karel van Mander, Frederiksborg Museum, Denmark


Detail from “Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve”, 1645, Abraham Wuchters, The National Gallery, Denmark.

1700s


"Dogs playing with birds in a park", 1754, Jean Baptiste Oudry, Château de Dampierre, France


Un carlin et deux gris perroquets africain, dans un paysage”, Christophe Huet II


“Bengal deer persecuted by Pugs”, early 1700s, David Kock, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, Sweden


"Pug Dog", 1720-1740, glazed stoneware.
Met Museum of Art, NY, USA.


“A pug”, 1730-1731, unknown painter, Nationalmuseum Stockholm, Sweden


“Un Carlin paré d’un ruban rouge” (a pug with a red ribbon), 1730, Jean-Baptiste Oudry


"A Woman With A Dog", 1740s, Giacomo Ceruti.
Met Museum of Art, NY, USA.


"The Small Dog Standing on Hind Legs", 1741-1763, etching by John Ingram after drawing by François Boucher.
Met Museum of Art, NY, USA.


"An Old Man with a Dog", 1740s, Giacomo Ceruti.
Met Museum of Art, NY, USA.


“Portrait of a Woman and her Dog", 1750, Jean-Marc Nattier, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore


Detail from "Doña María Ana de Pontejos y Sandoval", 1786, Francisco Goya, National Gallery of Art, Washington D. C.


"A pug", 1780, Thomas Gainsborough, Private Collection

1800s


"Two pugs confronting a cat”, Horatio Henry Couldery