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Are Pugs Easy To Look After? Pug Activity Level & Care Needs

January 19, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

If you’re considering getting a pug, knowing how hard it is to look after a pug is really important. Or maybe you’re considering dog-sitting for your friend or family member who has a pug. In either case, it’s a great question to ask.

Are Pugs Easy To Look After?

Adult pugs are fairly low-maintenance dogs. They want to be near you often, and they require a daily walk, daily food and fresh water, and regular nail trimming and baths. Their wrinkles need to be kept clean and dry, but that’s about the only unique care that pugs require versus other dog breeds.

I’ve blogged before about how pugs are clingy and how pugs don’t do well when left alone a lot. These are both very true, and if you’re asking yourself if you are a good match for a pug, it is important to consider how much affection you like to give and receive from pets. If you like a really independent dog who will do its own thing most of the time, a pug is not a great choice. They aren’t independent dogs.

Which many may assume to mean that pugs are high maintenance dogs…but that isn’t really true. They are clingy, but not needy.

What I mean by this is, you just have to be comfortable with your dog following you around, sitting near you or on your lap. As long as you’re happy with that? You don’t have to give them special care. They just want to be close to you as often as possible. They don’t necessarily need to be played with or given more one-on-one attention than other dogs. They just want to be close by you.

Pug Basic Daily Needs

Like all dogs, pugs have some basic daily needs. They should be given constant access to fresh water for drinking, and they need to eat at least once a day. Puppies need to be fed multiple times a day. Pugs should be taken outside multiple times a day to go to the bathroom. Pug puppies need to be taken outside more frequently.

Pug Activity Needs

Pugs are relatively low-energy dogs. Mature pugs are usually couch potatoes, and even younger adult pugs are usually pretty low energy. Pug puppies are a different story. They don’t have excessive energy when compared to other puppies, but don’t get a pug puppy if you want a couch potato – get an older pug.

Pug puppy activity needs.

Pug puppies will need a couple of short walks a day, and you’ll want to play with them regularly and try to keep them mentally focused, too. I got my pugs when they were adults, so I don’t have experience with pug puppies yet.

However, I’ve seen others say that the trick with pug puppies is to keep the from getting bored mentally, rather than tiring them out physically. Giving them their meals in a kong or slow kibble dispensing toy will help calm them down better than giving them tons of exercise.

Sometimes people think pugs are unintelligent dogs. I think the crossed-eyes and general “goofy” cartoon style that pugs are often drawn in contributes to this misconception. Pugs are not low-intelligence dogs, they’re considered to be pretty average intelligence compared to other dog breeds. As puppies, they need to be given “brain food” to calm their energy.

Adult pug activity needs.

Adult pugs are low energy dogs. They should still be given a walk each day, and playing with them, taking them to the park or dog park, etc is all great for their health. Some pugs are even athletic! However, they aren’t high-strung dogs who need tons of exercise. This is good news for apartment dwellers because pugs make good apartment pets.

I have a whole blog post about pugs activity needs if you want to learn more.

Pug Hygiene Needs

Like all dogs, pugs have some hygiene needs. They should be bathed at least monthly. Pugs have thick fur and shed year-round, so they require regular brushing. They need their nails trimmed frequently enough to keep them from getting too long. Pugs often have excess skin that results in wrinkle folds in their face or in other places on their bodies.

Any areas where their wrinkles form creases, they should be cleaned more regularly (in some cases, as frequently as daily) to keep bacteria from growing in those folds. Their ears should be cleaned about once a week. Some pugs have a lot of ‘eye boogers’ and those may need cleaned as often as daily. One of my pugs needed their eyes cleared of boogers a couple times a week, the other only had eye boogers on rare occasion.

Pug Training Needs

Pugs are known for being hard to train. This isn’t a result of their intelligence (they aren’t intelligent, though it’s a common misconception). They can be hard to train because they are stubborn! So they may know what you want them to do, but they may not want to do it. Potty training in particular is a common struggle for pug parents.

I got my pugs while they were adults, and they were house trained and had good manners, so training wasn’t necessary. However, if you get a pug that is a puppy or isn’t well-trained when you get them, you may have to invest a lot of tie into their training initially. Once a pug is well-trained, then their behaviors are usually easy to maintain.

Pug Health Needs

If your pug doesn’t close their eyes while sleeping (some don’t due to their eye and head shape) they will be prone to excess eye-boogers and dry eye. These pugs usually need daily eye drops.

As mentioned earlier in this post, pugs need a small amount of regular exercise, such as a daily walk.

All dogs should see their vet at least once a year for a regular check-up. Whether your pug will need o see the vet more often will depend on if they have any health conditions or illnesses.

If you’d like to learn about what health issues you may have to assist with if you get a pug, check out my blog post common health problems in pugs.

Like other dogs, it’s important to get them vaccinated, and to keep up with flea and tick and heartworm preventative medications.

Pug Emotional Needs

Pugs were bred to be lapdogs. As a result, they live to be at your side! They do not do well if left home alone, or not given much attention. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be direct attention such as playing fetch with them for hours a day.

They are quite happy to get ‘attention’ from you by sitting near your feet while you do the dishes or work on an art project, or sitting on your lap while you watch a movie or play a video game.

Are Pugs Expensive To Look After?

How expensive pugs are to care for really depends on the specific pug. Some pugs can be sensitive to skin issues unless they are on high-quality, more expensive dog food. Some pugs will have medical problems that require frequent vet visits, which can be rather expensive. Other pugs may do well on affordable dog food and may have no health concerns. It really varies.

Personally, my pugs were not very expensive to care for until they were 14+ years old, when they started t have health issues due to old age. I bought them mid-level dog food which was around $60 for a 20lb bag but that would last over 3 months and would feed both dogs, so overall it was still quite affordable thanks to pugs being small and not eating a lot of food.

The other expense we had for them was flea and tick medications (averaged out to $20 a month total for both dogs), and the occasional vet visit, probably $300 or less spent at the vet each year. Overall, this meant the necessary expenses of owning both dogs was under $500 a year some years.

In their final years, we spent much more time and money at the vet, tripling or quadrupling those expenses.

Are Pugs Hard To Look After?

Pugs aren’t particularly hard to look after. Many pugs have a few unique hygiene needs (cleaning their eyes and wrinkles). Most pugs need to be around their people frequently (not left home alone too much). In all the other areas of dog care, pugs are either easier to care for than other breeds, or as-hard, not harder. Overall, I’d say pugs are a low to average maintenance breed.

Are pugs hard to dogsit?

Most pugs aren’t hard to dog sit. If you’re unsure about a specific dog and its needs, it’s best to ask their owner if they have any medical conditions/needs. You can also just ask their owner if they have any problem behaviors or unusual needs.ac Puppies are almost always higher maintenance than adult dogs. As long as an adult pug has been house trained, they are usually pretty easy to watch over.

Pugs Are Clingy! Here’s Why

October 28, 2021 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Sometimes dog owners refer to cligny dogs as ‘velcro dogs’ because they stick to their people like velcro.

If there was a picture in the dictionary to show a velcro dog, it would be of a pug!

If there was a picture of a lapdog in a dictionary, that would showcase a pug as well.

The truth is, pugs are clingy dogs. Of course, there are always exceptions, but most are really clingy.

Why are pugs clingy?

Pugs are clingy dogs because they were bred for the specific purpose of being lapdogs for Chinese royalty. Their job was to be little loving companions, so pugs thrive on being with their owners, and don’t always know how to entertain themselves if they can’t do their ‘job’ of being at someone’s side.

I snapped this one day after I finished doing some work at the kitchen table. I had been there quite a while so both pugs fell asleep at my feet.

Can clingy pugs be a problem?

Due to their clingy nature, pugs need a lot of attention and commonly suffer from separation anxiety when left alone. They are not naturally independent dogs.

I think pugs are best suited to families or households where they will not have to be left home alone all day. I discuss this more in depth in my post can pugs be left home alone for 8 hours?

Even for people who are at home a lot, pugs being clingy may pose a problem for some people. Not everyone wants a pet who will want to be on their lap everytime they sit down. We all have different personality or temperament preferences in pets. If you like an independent pet, I’d recommend not getting a pug as they may make you feel smothered.

Forgive the sheet that had popped off the corner of the mattress. I took this picture one morning after I managed to sneak up from where I had been sleeping (up against the wall) as I had to laugh at how tiny of a space they had smushed me into, even though my boyfriend had bee gone at work for a few hours so they had tons of room in the rest of the bed.

How Clingy Are Pugs?

If you like a really loving, affectionate dog but aren’t sure if pugs would be too much for you, it may be helpful to get an understanding of just how clingy pugs are!

Of course, pugs can vary from one to the next, but I’ll give you some examples of the level of clinginess that I experience with my two pugs.

They wanted to be on my lap anytime I sat down. They would tolerate it if I sometimes couldn’t or wouldn’t let them sit with me, but they didn’t like it. If I were doing cross-stitch, for example, I wouldn’t want them on my lap as they might get hurt with the needle. Or when I babysat, I’d hold the children rather than the pugs. Mine didn’t whine/cry when I was holding children instead of them, but they did cry if I was working on a cross-stitch project, or wrapping presents, or doing some other sort of project rather than holding them, sometimes. I think if my lap had a child in it, they understood I was busy. Where if I was doing cross-stitch, they didn’t grasp that I wasn’t willing t hold them because of the needle. They just saw that my lap was open and they were confused why they weren’t allowed in it!

I can’t really imagine having a ‘no dogs on the furniture’ policy with pugs. They really want a lot of lap time, and most everyone I know who has a pug has the pug sleep in their beds, too. I don’t think your average pug would be very happy if they weren’t allowed to be on the furniture with their humans, so they may not be well suited to people who want their dogs to stay on the floor.

My pugs would follow me everywhere. It was very rare for me to get up and walk to the bathroom or kitchen and not have them follow me.

They’d move around the room with me if I moved. For example, if I was sitting using my computer and then moved to sit on the floor, they’d follow me.

They wanted to touch me most of the time. Occasionally they’d be fine with just being close (especially my pug Frank). But most o the time they wanted to be in physical contact with me. If they were sitting next to me on the couch and I slid over, they’d most likely slide over too, so they would be touching me again.

Beans had to be touching me as often as possible, and she didn’t really like being next to me, she wanted to be in my lap. When working on my laptop from the couch she’d usually end up in this position shown above, between my legs while I put one leg up to make room for her.

They clung to me in bed. I’d sometimes wake up smushed to one side of the bed and unable to roll over without making one or both of them move because they’d be cuddled so close to me that I couldn’t reposition myself. Sometimes this happened even if I was in bed with just the dogs in our queen-sized bed. They wouldn’t care how much extra space the bed had, they wanted to be right up against me.

They’d whine/cry at the window or glass sliding door if one of us went outside and left them inside. This was even true if I stayed inside but my partner stayed outside…they’d cry that he had gone outside even though I was still with them!

They’d stay in the bathroom while I showered or bathed. Even if I took a long bubble bath, they’d often stay in there with me the entire time.

Whenever my partner and I would try to sit together or cuddle, our pug Frank would try to push his way in the middle.

Reasons why your pug has suddenly become more clingy

If you have a pug ad have noticed that they are now clingier than they used to be, this may be cause for concern. HEre are several reasons why you may notice a sudden increase in clinginess.

A change in their schedule or yours. If you are working longer hours, or your children have gone back to school, or anything of that nature, you may find that your pug is clingier once you are home. This is likely just the result of them missing you while you are gone.

Anxiety. Sometimes new, increased clinginess can be caused by anxiety. If you have anew pet, or had a new person move into your household, your dog may be feeling more anxious and is spending more time near you to try to feel safe.

Age/maturity. If your dog is transitioning from the puppy stage to being more of a mature dog, you may find them being more clingy. Pugs are generally low energy dogs, but pug puppies still have a lot of energy compared to adult pugs. As your dog gets older, and has less energy, they may spend more time attached to your hip.

A health problem. If your pug is not feeling well or experiencing pain, they may be more lethargic and laying around you more, and/or seeking comfort from you. If you have any reason to suspect that your dog is hurt or unwell, be sure to take them to the vet.

A very common experience with Frank, he always wanted to rest his chin on us!

Using Belly Bands On Pugs

October 23, 2021 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

There are affiliate links in this post.

For the last six months or so of my pug Frank’s life, he was urine incontinent. I had already dealt with diapering my female pug, Beans. At first, I tried to diaper Frank in the same way that I was used to diapering Beans. He was a bigger pug, and the anatomy difference from their genders made the diapers I used on her, not work on him. We found belly bands to be a better solution for Frank.

What are belly bands?

Belly bands are male dog diapers designed just to absorb urine. They wrap around the pug’s waist, so if they pee, the pee is absorbed by the belly band.

There are disposable and reusable belly bands available in various sizes for different sizes of dogs.

Why are dog belly bands used on pugs?

Pugs are known for being hard to train, so some people use belly bands on their dogs who are not housetrained. In some cases, pugs will not urinate while wearing a belly band, so this keeps them from peeing while inside. In other cases, they will still urinate but it will just be contained to the belly band rather than getting on your floors or furniture. In other cases, pugs become incontinent with old age or injury.

Our Story With Male Pug Incontinence

In our case, Frank’s urinary incontinence was caused from degenerative myelopathy. DM is less common in pugs than pug myelopathy, which is a fairly common condition in pugs, sadly. It’s a neurological condition that causes them to lose control of their hind legs, and then DM continues to work up their spine, eventually rendering them completely paralyzed. On the other hand, pug myelapthy only affects the rear end and doesn’t travel up the spine further, however it often still affects the bladder.

If your pug becomes incontinent as part of their myelopathy, it’s important to look out for signs that your pug is emptying their bladder fully. They may be unable to express their bladder fully and/or regularly on their own. I recommend checking out this article about helping your dog express their bladder.

While we sometimes assisted Frank with expressing his bladder, he was often able to urinate on his own, into a belly band. We had him wear a belly band full time just to keep him dry and our furniture protected.

Frank wearing a Teamoy L1 belly band.

Reusable belly bands for pugs

You can buy reusable belly bands on Amazon or other sites. These bands are made to be very absorbent and can be washed in your washer and dryer and then reused.

I didn’t really like the idea of the cloth portion being peed into. What we opted to do was combine reusable with disposable. We purchased reusable belly bands, but then we used adult incontinence pads inside of the belly band. Then when Frank peed, we’d just swap out the pad and he could rewear the belly band as long as the urine was contained to the disposable pad (and it usually was). Then even if he went an entire day without getting any urine on the reusable belly band, we still tossed it in the wash just in case. With this routine, he usually only wore 1 reusable pad a day. We kept six reusable belly bands and I do laundry about twice a week normally anyway. That system worked out well to where we always had a clean reusable pad.

Our favorite reusable belly bands for pugs

Pugs are often difficult to fit into dog sizing. They are technically a toy breed, so it seems like they ‘should’ be a size small or perhaps even extra small in dogs items, yet they never seem to be. They are short and stocky for being such small dogs!

Frank was a bigger pug, about 26lbs. The biggest part of his belly was 17 inches. We tried a few brands of dog belly bands that didn’t fit very well. The brand that we wound up liking best was Teamoy brand from Amazon, in the size L1. These are for dogs with a waist size of 16-20 inches. We had tried other belly bands that said they were a similar size, but they were much thicker and longer, so they would extend farther up frank’s belly.

The teamoy L1 belly bands are a bit shorter, so they didn’t go as high up his back/belly which allowed him more range of movement. They were also a thinner material that hugged his body in a way that just was a trimmer fit.

We used them with these adult incontinence pads and they worked well together.

Frank wearing a different Teamoy L1 belly band.

Disposable belly bands

They do make disposable belly bands for dogs. We never tried theme with Frank. We did try disposable dog diapers with beans, and they were quite challenging to get them to stay on. Based on that, my assumption was that disposable belly bands would be challenging to keep on, too. The reusable belly bands that we used had a strong velcro that is quite adjustable so we were able to get a nice, snug fit.

Pug Begging

October 20, 2021 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Do Pugs Beg A Lot?

Pugs can be bad about begging compared to other dog breeds. However, how much they beg can have a lot to do with how you respond to their begging.

When we first got our pugs, I was amazed at how many sounds they make compared to other dogs. I have three posts about different noises pugs make! Pugs bawling, pugs crying, and pugs screaming like humans. Haha! Pugs aren’t usually bad about barking a lot. However, they are expressive in a lot of other ways, such as sighing and making other subtle sounds. For example, my pug Frank used to make soft sniffle-like sounds that we called his ‘purring’ when he was really happy.

Here is a video of my pug Frank begging to go outside.

Why Pugs Beg

Pugs beg because they want something, and think they might get it (or know they will!) if they beg. Quite simple, right? Depending on what they want, they may beg for all sorts of different things.

Why Pugs Beg For Food

Pugs beg for food because they are very food driven. It’s natural for all dogs to want food that they see or smell. Pugs are particularly excited by food, so that may lead them to beg for food more often than other dog breeds.

How To Train A Pug To Stop Begging

Don’t Give In. Pugs beg because they think that it will get them what they want. If you give them what they want when they beg, it will teach them that begging is an effective way to get what they want, and they’ll continue to do it. On the other hand, if they are begging for something that is acceptable, it’s okay to give it to them. For example, in the video above where Frank was begging to go outside, I responded by taking him outside. I am 100% fine with him getting my attention by begging if he needs to go potty, so I don’t mind ‘encouraging’ that behavior by taking him out. However, if he were to beg for human food while I was eating, that would be a behavior I would ignore.
Ignore. Pugs are very social creatures who want almost constant attention. Because of this, ignoring an undesired behavior can be really effective for pugs. They don’t like being ignored! Also, if you’re ignoring their begging then that means you aren’t giving in to it, so it won’t prove to be an effective way for them to get what they want.
Avoid temptation. If your pug begs for the same thing regularly and it’s not something the dog needs to be around, it may be easier to just avoid letting your pug get tempted. For example, if your pug begs for your cat’s food, it may be easier to just keep your dog from being able to see the cat’s food bowl.
Only feed them from their bowl. If you ever give your pug food from your hand, or from the kitchen floor, they will learn that food they see in your hand or in the kitchen may be theirs, sometimes. If you only ever feed them from your bowl (including putting any treats in their bowl) they’ll know that food is only theirs if it’s in their bowl. This can reduce begging when they see food in other places.
Sit, stay command. Tell your pug to sit and stay to keep them away from temptation. For example, if they beg for human food when it’s your dinner time, tell them to sit and stay in the living room before leaving to eat dinner. If you haven’t trained your pug on those commands, it may be worth teaching them so that they can be used in these scenarios.
Kennel them. If severe enough, you may need to remove your pug from a situation where they’re begging. If they can’t/won’t obey the sit/stay command, putting them in their kennel or otherwise leaving them in a safe, secure place away from temptation can be an option.
Reward them for NOT begging. This can be a little tricky to do, but if your pug has a habit of begging in the same situation regularly, it may be possible. If your pug consistently begs for something and then stops – use that break in their begging to reward them! Of course, don’t reward them with what they are begging for. Rewarding them with rubs or ‘good girl/boys’ may be best. You want them to associate not begging with a positive reaction, to teach them that not begging is good.
Be patient and consistent. Pugs can be challenging to train, but not due to low intelligence. They have pretty typical intelligence for dogs, but they are stubborn! This means that being patient and consistent with training is often the key to success.