Pug Behaviors Archives - Two Pug Tails

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!

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.

Pug Acting Strange (In Many Different Ways!)

October 4, 2021 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Anytime that your pug is acting strange, it’s natural to be concerned. How concerned you really should be may depend on what they are doing (or not doing) that is unusual for them. To get a better answer to why your pug is acting strange, it’s most helpful if you can pinpoint exactly what they are doing that is strange.

Most of this article will focus on a variety of different strange behaviors your pug may be having, and will suggest causes to why they may be acting that way.

Pug Is Acting Weird

First though, I thought I’d address the possibility that you know your pug is acting strange, but you can’t quite pinpoint what is off. If that’s the case, I’d recommend that you ask yourself these questions:

Is your pug eating and drinking as much as usual?
Are they going to the bathroom as much as usual?
Are they sleeping as much as usual?
Do they seem more withdrawn or quiet than usual?

These are some of the more common symptoms that may make you think something could be ‘off’ with your pug. If those don’t seem to help you find out what is strange about your pug’s recent behavior, you may find that just browsing the subheadings in this article will help you to recognize what is off about your pug.

Pug Acting Lethargic

If your pug is acting lethargic, it’s likely that they aren’t feeling well. They could be feeling nauseous or they could be experiencing pain. Or, they may simply have less energy than usual as a result of their body using energy to fight a infection.

There are a variety of different specific causes, but lethargy is often tied to illness or injury, so a trip to the vet makes sense.

Pug Acting Disoriented

If your pug is acting disoriented, this is a major cause of concern. They may be experiencing some sort of neurological issue. Definitely head to the vet!

The exception to this would be if you know your pug has a “safe” reason why they may be acting disoriented. For example, my pug Frank acted disoriented after we picked him up from surgery. We knew he had been given medication to go to sleep, and that it would slowly wear off throughout the day. So in a case like that, lethargy can be expected and not a cause for concern. Without a very specific, known cause that is ‘safe’, though? Head to the vet as soon as possible.

Pug Acting Drunk

If you pug is acting ‘drunk’ this is a big cause for concern and you should head to the vet as soon as possible.

Pug Acting Confused

If you think your pug seems confused, ask yourself if they seem to be acting more silly, or more disoriented. If you’d describe their confusion as disoriented, see the section for that above. It’s a big reason to be concerned.

If they are seriously confused, they may be experiencing some sort of neurological problems. For example, my pug Beans would act confused after having a seizure. While the confusion after a seizure is not a problem itself, seizures are a problem, of course. So if you see significant confusion but aren’t sure of the cause, I’d want to investigate that cause to make sure it’s not of neurological cause.

However, some people may describe their pug as ‘confused’ if they’re being a bit playful or goofy. For example, if you say certain words and your pug tilts their head? That could be described as ‘confused’ but it’s not a reason to be concerned.

Pug Is Acting Sad

If your pug seems sad, it’s possible that they are, in fact, feeling sad. Pugs are typically very social and affectionate dogs. If you aren’t sure why your dog seems sad, I’d wonder if they’ve had enough time with you (or their other favorite people) recently. If not, try to give them extra love and laptime.

My pugs would both get sad if we spent more time than usual out of the house. They liked us being home with them as much as possible! Our pugs also would seem a bit sad after we moved with them to a new home. I don’t think they necessarily missed our old house, exactly, but it takes time for them to adjust to the new locations as they are creatures of habit.

It’s also common for dogs to feel sad after losing another household pet. They may grieve for the pet that they used to share space with.

Pugs may also seem sad after other big life changes, such as adding a new person to the household. In this case, you’ll just want to encourage a bond between the new family member and the dog. I have a whole post on pug bonding if you want to learn more on this topic.

Pug Is Acting Sick

If your pug acts like they may feel sick, it’s time to head to the vet.

Pug Is Acting Out

If your pug is ‘acting out’ you’ll want to try to determine the motivation behind their behavior. Sometimes with puppies we may say they are ‘acting out’ when in reality they aren’t attempting to be naughty, they are just being puppies. For example, puppies naturally need to chew on things. If your pug puppy is chewing on your shoes, you may initially think of that as ‘acting out’. However, if your puppy is just trying to soothe their gums, that isn’t really acting out, it’s just being a puppy. Trying to get them to chew on appropriate items (toys, bully sticks, etc) and keeping them away from items that they are often tempted to chew on, would be the primary solution there.

If your dog ‘acts out’ when home alone, this is likely due to separation anxiety, as pugs are very prone to that. Kenneling them while you leave, or finding ways to give them more of your time/attention may help. I have a blog post about how long can pugs be left home alone? which you may find helpful.

Pug Is Acting Crazy

If your pug is acting “crazy” in a hyper way, they probably need more exercise or play! While pugs are a low activity level breed for the most part, that doesn’t mean they don’t require exercise.

Sometimes in the winter my pugs Frank and Beans would get “acting crazy” and we’d realize we hadn’t given them quite enough time outside. Sometimes when it’s really cold out, it’s easy to want to rush their outside time, but that would cause them to end up with pent up energy. It’s sort of like “cabin fever” that humans can get if shut inside for too long. If pugs aren’t given enough exercise, they can get a bit ‘stir crazy’, too. This is also why many dogs will ‘go crazy’ after they are unkenneled when their people get home. They just have a lot of energy from being left in such a small space.

Pug Is Acting Different

Similar to my responses to ‘pug is acting weird’ and ‘pug is acting strange’, you’ll want to pinpoint the specific change that has happened with your pug. Are they eating the same amount? Resting the same amount? Requesting the same amount of attention? Once you figure out what has changed, you’ll be able to get a more specific answer as to what the cause may be.

Pug Is Being Erratic

If your little pugtato is not being a couch potato andis instead being erratic, I’d recommend some play time or exercise. Erratic behavior is probably just an excess o energy or excitement. Going for a walk, or even just having some hard play time inside may help your pug find their calm again.

Pug Is Acting Guilty

We all know that dogs can look guilty. With their big eyes, pugs can look extra guilty. If you aren’t sure why your pug is acting guilty, first check your home over well. I’d be on the lookout for any signs of potty accidents, or anything that has been eaten or chewed.

If your pug is acting guilty but you are pretty sure they didn’t do anything ‘naughty’, ask yourself if it’s possible that they are worried, sad or hurt and you’re reading it as guilt?

Pug Is Acting Hungry

If your pug is still young, and they’re acting hungry despite eating as much as usual, look up their age to see if they may have had a change in their dietary needs recently. Or, if you’ve recently changed dog food brands, double-check that they’re getting the right amount of calories for that new food. Dog foods can vary quite a bit, so if 1/2 a cup of food per meal was appropriate with your old food, that doesn’t mean that will be the right amount if you change food brands.

Like humans, it sometimes can help to offer them water instead of food. Sometimes thirst gets confused as hunger.

If they act hungry all the time, I’d recommend my other blog post, why is my pug always hungry?

Pug Is Sluggish

If your pug is sluggish, this may be normal or abnormal. Pugs are generally low activity dogs. However, if you see that they are more sluggish than usual, I’d recommend seeing my ‘pug is acting lethargic’ response from higher up in this post.

Pug Is Acting Tired

Of course, it’s natural for pugs to act tired when they are sleepy. If your pug is acting tired more than they used to, they may not be feeling well and it’s best to talk to your vet.

Pug Is Sleeping too much

If your pug is sleeping too much, make an appointment to see your vet. Excessive sleeping can be a sign of many things and your vet can help determine the cause. Some causes may be quite serious, so it’s important to be seen.

Pug Seems Scared

Some pugs are sensitive creatures. If your pug seems scared, try to determine the cause. From there, see if the source of their anxiety is something you can just avoid, or if it’s something they need to adapt to. If they need to adapt to what scares them, try going slowly and giving them lots of support as they experience anxiety. For example, if they are afraid of thunder, holding them while it thunders may help. If serious enough, you can see your vet about your pugs anxiety to try to learn about your medication treatment options.

Pug is not relaxing at night

If your dog is anxious or pacing at night rather than settling down, this could be anxiety, cognitive decline or other issues. I have an entire article about pugs acting strange at night, that addresses issues like pugs not sleeping at night and pugs not being able to relax at night.

Pug Is Having Accidents In The House

If your pug is suddenly going pee or poop in the house and had previously bee fully potty trained, this could be a medical problem. Even if your pug isn’t a senior yet, they could have “accidents” due to illness or internal injury. For example, it’s somewhat common for pugs to have spinal discs slip out of place. Depending on which disc slips, this can sometimes cause them to struggle to control their bladder or bowels. Urinary tract infections can cause urinary accidents, among other possibilities. Best to have them seen by your vet to make sure.