emilyreviews, Author at Two Pug Tails

Can Pugs Be Service Dogs?

October 7, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Are Pugs Good Service Dogs?

Service dogs can be trained to assist with many, many things. For example, some dogs are guide dogs to help lead the blind. Others help retrieve items for owners with mobility issues. Some dogs can alert their owner that they are about to have a seizure. Pugs generally don’t make good service dogs for those types of tasks.

There are always exceptions, though! Here is a quick video about a service dog that is a pug.

One type of service dog that is recognized by the ADA is PTSD dogs. This is one area where pugs may make a good service dog, as this is largely an emotional support role.

While pugs usually don’t make good service dogs, people often confuse service dogs with therapy dogs or emotional support dogs. Service dogs are trained in a particular skill that has a practical purpose. Emotional support dogs simply improve the emotional well-being of their owner. In most cases, therapy dogs don’t have to be trained in this role, they just naturally fill it.

Therapy dogs are similar to emotional support dogs, but therapy dogs are usually given intentional training, and are usually used to help a lot of people rather than just one. Therapy dogs may visit nursing homes, hospitals or schools to provide emotional support to people there.

Can Pugs Be Therapy Dogs?

Pugs often make great therapy dogs. Pugs were bred to be human companions, so they are very affectionate dogs that are very interested in people. They are usually friendly with strangers, including children. They will often do well in a therapy dog role.

Can Pugs Be Emotional Support Dogs?

Pugs make great emotional support dogs. Pugs love people and are emotionally intelligent. They’re particularly invested in their owner. You’ll feel their love and they’ll be in-tune with your emotions.

Why Pugs Make Great Therapy Dogs & Emotional Support Dogs

They’re small and quiet (not yappy) so they can be taken into public spaces without causing a ruckus. This can be great for people with social anxiety who need a therapy dog to go with them to run errands, go to the doctor or other events in public.

They love to be petted. For many, petting a dog can be relaxing and an enjoyable sensory experience. Pugs are often happy to sit and be pet for a really long time so they can meet those needs well.

They can live almost anywhere. You don’t need a big yard to have a pug. They make good apartment dogs and can even live in group homes or assisted living homes as long as the facility allows it. Pugs don’t really require their own space, as they’ll want to be at their owners side anyway.

They’re silly. Anyone who has owned a pug will tell you that they can be goofy! They can make some silly sounds, and are more expressive than many other dog breeds. They have a way of keeping people entertained which can be a great perk for someone seeking a therapy dog.

They aren’t intimidating. They’re small and have a goofy look, so even those who may be afraid of some dogs, aren’t likely to be afraid of pugs.

Pug Diapers

September 30, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Why Are You Considering Diapers?

If you’re looking to use diapers 24/7 to keep your incontinent dog from making a mess in your house, please learn about expressing the bladder and/or bowels instead. Helping them express should be your #1 priority when caring for an incontinent dog.

I do give diaper advice lower in this post, but I hope you’ll learn to express your pug’s bladder first if they have ongoing incontinence. Diapers may be helpful if your dog leaks urine despite being expressed regularly. I’ve also heard of people using diapers on their dogs if they were going to be left home alone for a few hours and unable to express at their regular times.

Some use diapers on female pugs that are in heat. There are various reasons why limited use of diapers makes sense. Please learn from my mistake though and don’t move to 24/7 diapers for your dogs.

Incontinence Doesn’t Mean Their Bladder Empties Regularly

This is extremely important to know – and I didn’t know until it was too late with both of my pugs. I learned it after they had passed. My vet had told me that as long as they were urinating regularly they were fine. This isn’t the case. Dogs can urinate pretty regularly but still fail to truly empty their bladder.

If the bladder isn’t getting empty, it can lead to bladder stones, UTIs and other issues. Both of my dogs battled recurring UTI’s. When they would occur, they’d be uncomfortable until it was resolved. I could have avoided this discomfort if I knew to express them instead. For this reason, it’s better to learn to express your dogs bladder rather than rely on diapers to absorb what they leak.

People often think of incontinence as being the result of “worn out” bladder muscles, so they think that any urine that their body makes will just flow out. That isn’t how it works. Instead, the default for the bladder is to stay tightly closed, and we have to intentionally use muscles to relax the bladder to let urine out. So if the muscles get weak, or there is nerve damage or neurological issues…it’s common for the bladder to stay too closed and to only open when “over full”.

Join Wheelie Pugs

Incontinence is common in pugs who have something called puy myelopathy. My pug Frank had this, but our vet told us it was “similar to progressive arthritis”. She never gave us a real name for it. After Frank had passed, I came across the Wheelie Pugs facebook group. This is an awesome group for pugs who have mobility issues, incontinence and more. The group is owned by a vet who has studied a lot about pug mobility issues, and pug myelopathy in particular. This is a conditioner that is unique to the pug breed and most vets are not very familiar with it…so having this Facebook group as a resource can be invaluable.

There are resources in this group to assist with learning how to express your dog’s bladder or bowels, to learn about how to slow your dogs mobility progression, how to get a well-fitting cart (wheelchair) for disabled dogs and more. With mobility issues, you don’t want to wait until your dog can’t walk before looking into getting them help. If you see any wobbliness or weakness in their rear legs, join now.

Belly bands for male pugs

We liked Teamoy Belly Bands for our pug Frank. The size L1 fit him well. These weren’t as bulky as some other belly bands that we had tried from other brands. We used human Incontinence Gaurds inside of the belly bands. These are similar to feminine pads, but more absorbent and larger which worked well inside the belly bands.

I tried dog diapers and baby/toddler diapers on Frank, but none were a good fit. The closest fit was 4/5T pull-ups, but even these were too small. They would cover his backside, but they wouldn’t go high enough on his belly to catch his urine when he peed.

How To Keep Diapers On A Female Pug

For my female pug, we found that pull-on diapers or pull-on training pants fit well. I preferred the Pampers brand over Huggies/Pull-Up brands because the pampers pull on diapers and “easy ups” have elastic along the sides, which helped them stay on my dogs hips. Here is beans in a 2-3T easy ups.

I later learned that the Pampers 360 diapers are basically extra-small training pants, and those fit Beans a bit better than the 2/3T did. On occasion, the 2/3T easy-ups would gap around her thighs so urine could leak out. With the size 4 pull-on diapers, they fit snug without being too tight.

Beans was good about leaving her diaper alone, but it wouldn’t stay up on its own very well. To keep it on, we had her wear a harness and then used children’s suspenders (or later, children’s mitten clips) to clip the diaper to the harness. The pink part is the suspenders, the purple straps are these mitten clips. The mitten clips worked better than the suspenders so we eventually moved to just using mitten clips and taking the suspenders off.

Sources:

http://pugrearataxiaparalysis.com/ditch-diapers-express.html

Does Your Pug Have An Upset Stomach?

September 23, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

No pug owner ever wants their dog to feel unwell…but the reality of owning a dog is they are likely to have an upset stomach at some time or another. Most of the time an upset stomach is something you can manage at home and won’t last too long.

Signs That Your Pug May Have An Upset Stomach

Hard or loose stools. Especially if this is outside of their normal experience.
Vomiting.
Asking to go outside frequently and trying to go #2.
Pooping more or less often than usual.
Strange noises (gurgling or bubbling sounds) coming from their belly.
Stomach growling sounds even if they have eaten relatively recently.
Excessive flatulence.
Really strong flatulence.
Eating grass.
Excess saliva.

Causes Of Upset Stomach In Pugs

There are many potential causes of upset stomachs in pugs and other dogs. Here are some of the more common ones though.

Changing diet too rapidly. When dogs get used to a specific food, it can be a shock to their system if you completely change foods on them overnight. To avoid this, change foods very gradually. For example, use 75% of the old food, and 25% of a new food for a while, then a 50/50 mix, then a 25/75 mix, etc.

Table scraps. Dogs bellies can be thrown off if they get access to human foods that they don’t usually have. Many human foods are not suitable for dogs (too spicy, too greasy, etc) and may upset their stomachs.

Allergies or intolerances. In my opinion, too many people assume allergies for their dogs. A banfield pet study showed that just .2% of dogs have food allergies. Yet, if you go to any pet themed group and reference food allergies, you’ll find that lots of pet owners believe their dogs have allergies. Meaning in most cases when people think their dog has a food allergy, they probably don’t. However, some do have food allergies and this can cause them an upset stomach if they eat something they have an allergy to.

Lack of fiber. Fiber helps keeps dogs regular, so if they are lacking fiber it can cause digestive trouble that can cause an upset stomach.

Some viruses.

Stress or anxiety.

Medication side effects. If your dog is on any medications, google the prescription name to see if nausea or other digestive symptoms are side effect.

Ingesting something harmful. Household cleaners, pest control substances, and many other substances can cause stomach upset in dogs if consumed.

Swallowing a non-food item. If your dog has swallowed part of a dog toy, an animal bone, rawhide, etc it can cause a partial (or full) blockage which can upset their stomach. If the item is too large his can be an emergency.

Motion sickness from traveling in a vehicle or similar.

Trapped gas. If your dog needs to burp or fart, that trapped gas in their tummy can cause upset until it finds a way out.

How To Help Your Pug With An Upset Stomach

Have them fast for at least 6 hours. This is recommended if your dog has vomitted or had diarrhea. It essentially resets their digestive system by letting it empty before adding anything new in.

Try feeding plain chicken and rice as their first meal after the fast. This is the dog version of having butter-toast after having a stomach bug. Chicken and rice are bland foods that are easy on the stomach for most dogs. Another option would be turkey and pure pumpkin, as those are also easy on the stomach.

If the bland diet goes well, feed that for a couple of meals, then slowly reintroduce their regular dog food. Go slowly, such as a 75% bland, 25% kibble mix, for a meal or two, then 50/50, then 25/75, before finally having them go back to just their dog food.

Try a dog probiotic if your dog regularly has tummy trouble. Sometimes dogs struggle to keep the right amount of healthy bacteria in their digestive system on their own, and probiotics can help.

When An Upset Stomach Needs Vet Care

If your pug is losing weight due to their stomach problems
If your dog has chronic diarrhea or constipation
Blood in their stool
Blood in their vomit
If they’ve consumed something harmful
If they’ve swallowed a non-food item.
If they’re panting, whining/crying or otherwise showing signs of pain.

Pug Advantages & Disadvantages

September 16, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Advantages Of Choosing A Pug

Snuggly. They’re great cuddlers.

It’s All About You. They really live for their people. You won’t doubt that they care for you.

Compact. They are small, yet sturdy. They’re small enough to fly with on many airlines, and apartments that have a weight limit for allowed pets are usually high enough to accommodate pugs.

They make good apartment dogs or city-dwelling pets. They don’t need much space. If you have an efficient apartment or are just renting a room, your pug can make that work as long as you can take them for a daily walk. I have a blog post that goes into more detail about pugs in apartments.

They’re easy. They’re fairly low-maintenance dogs. No trips to the groomers required. You can bathe them at home. They do require having their wrinkles cleaned but this can be done in a minute or two per day.

Quiet. Most of them don’t bark much. Pugs can scream, though.

Friendly. They’re usually good with people, kids and other pets. I have a blog post on pugs & other pets that covers specific types of pets and which ones pugs get along with.

Mild chewers. They aren’t destructive. That’s not to say that your pug puppy will never chew on something of yours that they shouldn’t…but they’re generally not a destructive breed. They will usually stick to chew toys as long as they are made available to them.

They’re not aggressive. Any dog has the potential to bite if they feel threatened, but pugs are generally known for being very loving, gentle dogs.

Disadvantages Of Choosing A Pug

Health issues. They are prone to some health problems. You may spend more at the vet with a pug than you would other dog breeds. However, I will also add that I’ve heard people say they’ve heard that pugs are really sickly dogs. That is generally untrue. I shared some stats in my common pug health problems blog post which may surprise you!

Nasal Surgery. When getting a pug puppy, it’s a good idea to expect to pay for surgery to expand their airways. I’d also strongly suggest that you pick your breeder very carefully. Go with one who breeds for healthy pugs and who has health problems ruled out via testing before breeding pugs.

Cost. Pug puppies aren’t cheap. They aren’t as expensive as some other purebred breeds either, though. Unlike some other dog breeds, if you wan to adopt an older pug, you’re likely to still have to pay for them.

Not summer dogs. Not very tolerant of high heat or humidity. Expect to use an air conditioner for them before you’ll need to turn it on for yourself.

Not winter dogs. Not very tolerant of cold weather. If you want a dog who will hang out with you as you cut wood in the snow, a pug isn’t that dog. I live in Michigan and my pugs would quickly go potty and wanted right back inside during the winter. They would start shivering before they had finished going potty.

Separation anxiety. They are prone to separation anxiety. Some will have other types of anxiety, too. Check out my post on pug anxiety to learn more.

Low exercise needs. If you aren’t particularly athletic, that’s okay. Pugs do well with one to two walks per day.

Prone to allergies. They may require medications to help with allergies, and may not do well on cheap dog foods.

Shedding. Most pugs (fawn ones) shed year-round, and shed quite a bit as they have double coats. Black pugs have a single coat so they may be a better choice if you want a pug that sheds less.

Shed in multiple colors. Most pugs are fawn which means most of their body is a light tan color, but their ears and face are black. This means you’ll end up visible light fur on your dark clothes, and dark fur on your white clothes.

Weight. They are prone to obesity and most are food obsessed. To keep them at healthy weight you (as the owner) will need to be disciplined with limiting their food access and intake.

They’re expressive. Pugs can make a lot of noises compared to other dogs, and they use these to express their emotions. I was really surprised when I first got my pugs how much they could communicate to me through their body language.

Stubborn. They can be stubborn. Pugs are sometimes mistaken as dull, but they aren’t low in intelligence. They can be stubborn, though which can result in them being challenging to train. The difficulty with training pugs isn’t usually getting them to understand the request, but convincing them that they want to comply with it!

Emotionally needy. Pugs are not high maintenance – but needy. They want to be with you as often as possible. If you don’t want a lap dog, don’t go with a pug.

Heartbreak. They’ll absolutely break your heart when they pass. They really capture your heart. The heartache you’ll feel when they pass is worse than losing other dogs, in my opinion. With pugs they love you so much that it makes you love them more deeply. That loss really hurts.