Champion fawn pug dog. The Pug dog breed originated in China and was introduced to Europe in the sixteenth century where it became popular with several royal families. The latest genome-wide analysis indicates that dogs and grey wolves diverged 37 to 42 thousand years ago, though it is unclear where this took place, and then spread with humans around the world. Breeding for desired characteristics is a very modern phenomena but there are examples of different dog types as long ago as 8,000 years ago. The pug is good example of how far human breeding programs can diverge from the original ancestral animal. The Latin name for dogs of all breeds is Canis lupus (grey wolf) familiaris (household or family) the household wolf.