Pug Care Archives - Page 3 of 5

Can Pugs Have Nightmares? How To Help

April 8, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Do Pugs Have Nightmares?

Based on research where they’ve studied dogs brain waves while sleeping, it is suspected that dogs have dreams because they have very similar sleep cycles to humans. If they dream, it is likely that some of those dreams are “bad dreams” or nightmares.

Scientists have used EEG testing to watch the brainwaves of dogs as they sleep. They found that dogs go through similar patterns of brain waves and brain activity like we do when we sleep. Like us, dogs go through a phase of sleep (REM sleep) where where their breathing is irregular, they experience more body movements and rapid eye movements, like we do.

We have no way of knowing for sure what dogs dream about. However, our best guess is that they dream for similar reasons that we do – to process their life events. This means they likely dream about things they have experienced, both good and bad. In short, that means they likely have a mixture of good dreams and nightmares.

Research has shown that small dogs dream more frequently than large dogs, and that puppies dream more than older dogs.

This also means that dogs who have been abandoned, abused or otherwise experienced trauma are more likely to have nightmares.

How To Help Your Pug With Nightmares

You may suspect that your dog is having a nightmare if they are sleeping and making sounds of distress. Maybe they whine or cry, for example. It can be tempting to wake them up to stop their nightmare. This is generally not recommended, because a dog who is awoken suddenly from a disturbing dream may growl or even bite out of fear as they wake up.

This wouldn’t really be the dog’s fault, it can be a stress response to the nightmare combined with the confusion of being awoken from the bad dream. So, it’s safest to avoid touching them or startling them if they are having a nightmare.

If you’d like to safely wake them up, you can try softly saying their name until they awaken. When they hear your calm voice, this can help them to close the gap between their dream experience and “real life”.

Your ability to control the frequency of your dog’s dreams or nightmares will be somewhat limited, but there are some things you can do to try to help. Giving them an enjoyable, comforting bedtime routine can help them drift off to sleep in a better mood, which may reduce the odds of a nightmare. Making sure their belly is full, their bed is cozy and free from things that scare them can be key. If your dog has separation anxiety when kenneled at night, you can try putting a piece of your worn clothing in their kennel so they can be comforted by your scent at night.

You may also find that helping your dog overcome their fears in real life may reduce their nightmares. We believe that dogs dream about things they experience in real life, as we don’t think they have the ability to imagine things different from anything they’ve ever experienced. This means most likely your dog’s bad dreams are about things they have experienced in person and disliked. If they are afraid of baths, they might have nightmares about baths, for example. If that’s the case, then working on making your dog more comfortable with getting a bath may reduce their odds of having nightmares about baths.

When To Be Concerned About Your Pugs Nightmares

If your pug “screams” while sleeping, growls or exhibits aggressive behavior, these can be signs of a sleep disorder. Some dogs with sleep disorders can eve walk around while asleep, or chase other animals or people. If you suspect this could be the case with your pug, try to get a video of the behavior and then meet up with your vet to show the video and discuss the problem.

Most dogs who have sleep disorders are young, 64% of dogs with sleep disorders are 1 year or younger. There are treatments available for sleep disorders so get to your vet so they can help.

Sources:

Do Dogs Dream — And What Do Dogs Dream About?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201010/do-dogs-dream.

Think Your Dog Is Having Nightmares? Here’s What You Need to Know.

What Amount Of Food Should Pugs Eat

March 12, 2022 by emilyreviews 1 Comment

Pugs are prone to obesity so it’s important to make sure you are feeding them the right amount. Pugs are not dogs that do well with being free-fed.

How Many Calories Should Pugs Eat?

A 15-pound adult pug needs about 413 calories a day to maintain their weight. A 20lb adult neutered or spayed pug needs to eat about 514 calories per day. Intact pets need more calories per day, and growing puppies or pregnant dogs need to eat more as well.

You can use the pet nutrition calculator to find out exactly how many calories your pug should eat based on their current weight, body condition score, and whether they are intact or neutered/spayed.

The amount of food that it will take to meet your dog’s calorie requirements will vary depending on what kibble you feed them. Some brands of dog food are more calorie dense than others. However, here is a rough estimate.

How much to feed your pug.

8 weeks to 12 weeks	1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of puppy food	4x/day
3-6 months	¼-1/3 cups of puppy food	3x a day
8-12 months	1/3 to ½ cups of puppy or adult food	2x per day
12+ months	½ cup of adult food	1-2x per day

Source: petsworld.in.

Always make sure to check the calorie range anytime you change dog foods. The calorie count per cup can vary quite a bit. If your dog needs 1 cup a day of one food, that doesn’t mean they will need 1 cup of a different brand or style of dog food.

Body Condition Score Is Key

Know the body condition score and adjust feeding needs accordingly. More than you follow any calorie limit or measured amount, you should pay attention to your dog’s body condition score.

If your dog has protruding ribs, they need to be fed more. If they don’t have a visible waist and it’s hard to feel their ribs when you press on their body, they are overweight and you should cut back what they eat.

It’s also important to consider any treats or snacks that you give to your dog. Some dog treats can be really high calorie, so feeding a large dog treat to your pug can be half of their daily calorie needs if they eat the whole thing.

If you’re feeding a puppy, makes sure they are on a puppy-specific food. Growing puppies have different nutritional needs than adult dogs.

How much food should pregnant pugs eat?

Pregnant pugs need up to twice as much food as they would eat while not pregnant. In many dog food brands this will be 1 to 2 cups per day for pregnant pugs.

Is dry or wet food better for pugs?

While most dogs will gt more excited over canned food, eating dry food is a key part of how dogs get their teeth cleaned. The kibble scratches their teeth a little as they eat, removing build up. In most cases, sticking with dry food is best.

Should you feed an adult pug once or twice a day?

Whether you feed your adult pug once or twice a day is up to you. If you feed once a day, it should be the full amount of calories for the day, while if you feed twice it should be 1/2 of their daily calorie needs.

Adult pugs who are fed their daily calorie needs are okay with going 24 hours between meals. Meaning, they won’t experience hunger pains or other problems. However, some dogs may just seem happier or more content if they get to eat two smaller meals twice a day.

What if my pug wants more food despite eating enough calories?

Many pugs will always act hungry – I have a blog post titled why is my pug always hungry? that goes into this in detail. In short though, many pugs will beg for food no matter how much they’ve eaten. Pugs just are really food driven. You can reduce this by keeping them mentally entertained. A bored pug will be a pug who begs for food!

So, don’t assume they are actually hungry just because they want more food. Keep them busy. Keeping your pug mentally engaged will usually do more to keep them from boredom than physically trying them out will, but of course exercise is important, too.

What if my pug doesn’t chew their food?

If your pug doesn’t chew their food thoroughly or eats too quickly, buy a slow feed dog bowl. These are specifically designed bowls that are shaped so that dogs can’t scarf food down all at once.

What if my pug won’t eat dry food?

A picky pug is a rare pug! Most pugs are obsessed with food and will eat most anything. If you have a pug who turns their nose up at dry food, you can try a few “tricks”.

Try adding a treat to the bowl of kibble. Sometimes when my pugs were sick, they’d refuse their kibble util I pu a treat i the middle. They’d then try to eat the treat, and would end up eating the food with it. Almost like they’d go into the bowl for the treat, and then ‘forget’ that they were rejecting the kibble!

Try adding some warm water to their food and let it sit for a couple of minutes before trying to serve it to your pug. This will softe the kibble a bit and make the smell stronger. To me, wet kibble stinks – but it made my pugs get super excited about their food!

Food toppers. Some dog food brands make ‘toppers’ that can be added to kibble. Some are dry sort of like a seasoning you can add, and others are liquid so they act more like a gravy. In either case, the idea is to bring your dog to the bowl of food based on the smell of the topper, and then get them to eat the kibble.

If your dog seems hesitant to chew in general, head to the vet. Sometimes a reluctance to eat kibble is due to tooth or mouth pain.

Can Coyotes Harm Pugs?

March 11, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Can Coyotes Harm Pugs?

Yes. There has been at least one documented case of a pug being attacked by a coyote.

This is scary because when coyotes attack, they do so with the intent to kill. They’re hunting for food, really.

Coyote attacking pets is fairly rare, only 70 coyote attacks were reported from 1990-2004. Still, they do happen. The most common dog breeds associated with coyote attack were Yorkshire terriers (average weight 4-7lbs) or 9-16lbs. Pugs are typically a little bigger than Shih zhu’s, but they are still small enough to be at risk of attack from a coyote.

There was a pug attacked in Rhode Island in 2011. From the video I saw of this (embedded below), it looked to be a larger pug. So, regardless of whether your pug is on the smaller or larger scale, it seems they may be seen as prey for coyotes.

How To Prevent A Coyote Attack On Your Dog

Keep your dog leashed. Keeping your dog near you will reduce it’s odds of being attacked, as coyotes usually won’t come around people.

Fence your yard high. There’s two benefits to this. One, if the fence is high enough a coyote won’t be able to jump it. Second, if the fence is wooden or otherwise can’t be seen through, any nearby coyotes may not know your dog is there if they can’t see it.

Don’t let your dog outside alone. Again, coyotes are less likely to attack if humans are around the animal, so go outside with your pet rather than letting them out alone.

Stay well lit. If you go out after dark, use a yard light and/or bring a flashlight. Coyotes are more likely to attack at night when it is dark. If you stay in well-lit areas, your dog will be safer. If you have a flashlight and you see a coyote and turn it on, the coyote may run from the light.

Don’t leave food outside, this can bring coyotes in. This means food of any kind, for any reason. Don’t leave pet food outside, don’t leave table scraps from your garbage accessible, etc.

What To Do If A Coyote Attacks Your Pug

Coyotes usually scare pretty easily when they see people. This is great news because you can usually scare a coyote away from your pug.

You can scare coyotes by making yourself ‘big’ – stand up tall, put your arms out, even use a jacket above your head to expand your ‘size’.

Be calm but assertive.

Do not run.

Make noise, yell or clap your hands can startle a coyote.

Do not corner them, especially if they have puppies. They will attack if they feel threatened and can’t escape. Make sure they have a place where they can easily run ot get away from you and your dog.

Pug Baby Teeth & Teething Guide

February 18, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

There are affiliate links in this post.

Pug Teething Stages

Stage 1: Milk Teeth (baby teeth) come in at 2-8 weeks old.

Pugs get their first set of teeth between 2 and 3 weeks old, around the same time that they are opening their eyes!

Typically teeth come in this order – incisors (front teeth), canine teeth, and then pre-molars. By 8 weeks of age, pug puppies should have their full set of 28 milk teeth (the dog version of baby teeth!). 8 weeks is the earliest that pugs should be removed from their mothers. Therefore, unless you’ve had one of your adult pugs get pregnant, you will likely bring your pug puppy home after they already have all of their baby teeth.

Stage 2: Teething and Losing Milk Teeth 12 weeks to 8 months.

Those milk teeth don’t hang around very long! By 12 weeks or about 3 months, puppies can begin to lose their baby teeth. Those 28 baby teeth will be replaced with 42 adult teeth by 8 months of age.

Like people, teething can happen at slightly different timeframes for different puppies. Some may have all of their adult teeth by 6 months, and some may take longer than 8 months to get their last adult teeth. It’s more of a general expectation than an absolute. It’s common for the bigger adult teeth to take longer to come in than the baby teeth took.

How Many Puppy Teeth Do Pugs Have?

Pug puppies get a set of 28 baby teeth by 8 weeks.

How Many Adult Teeth Do Pugs Have?

By 8 months of age, pugs will have their full set of 42 adult teeth.

Pug Still Has Baby Teeth

If your pug still has baby teeth after 8 months of age, it’s a good idea to check in with your vet. They may just be a late bloomer, but if their adult teeth have come through and the baby teeth are still there, the baby teeth may need pulled.

Pug Puppy Not Losing Teeth

If your pug is 4 months or older and hasn’t started losing their puppy teeth, check in with your vet. Keep in mind that your pug may lose teeth without you ever seeing their shed teeth.

If you haven’t found any baby teeth around the house, that doesn’t mean your pug hasn’t lost any. Pug baby teeth are about the size of a grain of rice, so if your pugs teeth are bigger than that, you’re likely seeing their adult teeth now.

What If Adult Teeth Come In While Baby Teeth Are Still There?

See a vet. These are called retained teeth and they are more common in brachycephalic breeds including pugs.

What If You Don’t Find Your Pugs Lost Baby Teeth?

If you know your pug has lost some teeth but you haven’t found them, don’t sweat it. It’s common for pugs to swallow their baby teeth when they fall out. They are roughly the size of a piece of rice and are unlikely to cause digestive issues.

Signs That Your Pug Is Teething:

Found teeth. You’ll find their baby teeth on the floor or elsewhere. It’s okay if you don’t, though. It’s common for dogs to swallow their baby teeth that fall out, and it doesn’t usually cause any problems.

Bleeding. You may find small amounts of blood on toys.

Extra drooling – yep, just like babies, they will drool more when their teeth are coming in.

Tons of chewing. When their gums are irritated, they want to chew chew chew!

Painful gums. Sore gums that may be darker pink or red. May be slow or hesitant to eat.

Behavior changes. Changes in mood or behavior. When your puppy is in pain, this can impact their behavior some.

Crying. May whine/cry from the pain.

Low grade fever. The inflammation caused by teething can cause a small fever in puppies.

Pug Teething Toys and Other Aids

Kong toys are great toys that are safe for dogs to chew on. Chewing on kongs can help sooth their sore gums. You can freeze some foods on kong toys (like dog-safe peanut butter) and the cold can feel good on their sore gums.

Nylabone or other chew toys. Be sure to monitor the toy to make sure you toss it out after your dog has chewed it enough. If kept for too long, they can begin to chew off pieces and that isn’t safe.

Bully sticks or himalayan chews. Rawhide is dangerous as they can cause digestive blockages. Bully sticks and himalaya chews are safer options that let dogs chew for a long time and get a treat out of it. My pugs loved best bully sticks 5-6″ bladder sticks.

Teething gel. There are some brands that make dog-safe teething gel, similar to oragel that people use on human babies. The teething gels can be rubbed on your puppy’s gums to temporarily soothe them.

Gum Massages. Sometimes just rubbing their gums can feel good to them! Of course, be careful if you’re going to do this, and be sure to wash your hands before and after.

How To Cope With ‘Naughty’ Chewing in a Teething Puppy

Remember that chewing is a need that pugs have while teething. They will be chewing on most anything they can get their teeth on, so keeping their environment safe for them is key.

Keep them safe. anything dangerous for them to chew on out of their access.

Try frozen treats, they can soothe their gums.

Give them chew toys. Chewing is a need that puppies have, so it’s important that they have some toys that they are allowed to chew on. If you catch them chewing on something they shouldn’t, swap it out with something they can chew on.

Keep them busy, both physically and mentally. Generally with pug puppies, keeping them mentally stimulated will help keep them on their best behavior as much or more than making sure they get enough exercise.

Help train bite inhibition. Teething overlaps with the time period when puppies are learning about their teeth and how they can inflict pain. One big benefit of puppies staying with their mother and littermates longer is puppies naturally teach each other that biting hurts, by yelping when they are hurt. Even if you didn’t bring your puppy home until 10+ weeks, they may still be learning that it’s not okay to bite too hard. There is a term called bite inhibition that is all about this phase where puppies learn about not biting too hard. If you’re struggling with your puppy biting you or other family members painfully (rather than softly/playfully) you’ll want to research how to train bite inhibition.

Dental health – Start young!

While it’s slightly off-topic for this post, I wanted to wrap up by encouraging good dental health habits. If you have a puppy, now is the best time to start caring for their teeth!

80% of dogs have dental health issues by 3 years of age*, so start good oral care young. It’s easiest to get dogs used to having their teeth brushed or their mouths touched if the habit is started young. Pugs are particularly prone to dental health problems because they have small mouths.

Best Pug Toothbrush & Toothpaste.

There are three popular styles of dog toothbrushes. One is a cap that goes over your finger so you can brush their teeth using your finger, another is a three-sided toothbrush that increases the odds of the bristles getting all areas of their mouth/teeth, and the third is a more traditional toothbrush shape.

I’d recommend starting with this arm & hammer pet toothbrush set because it includes the finger style brush and a traditional brush, as well as toothpaste. This way you can try both styles to see what your pug responds best to.

Many pugs have overcrowded teeth and crooked teeth which can increase their odds of developing decay and infections.

*Sources AVMA.org and AKC.org

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