Two Pug Tails

  • About

Pug Biting & How To Stop It

July 25, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

Are Pugs Bad About Biting?

Most pugs aren’t prone to biting. Pugs are a docile breed. It is common for puppies to nip while playing, though. They need to be trained from a young age that nipping people isn’t okay, or they’ll continue the behavior as they get older.

When Do Pug Puppies Stop Nipping?

You have to train your pug to stop nipping. Often nipping is related to teething, and most pugs stop teething by around 8 months of age. They’ll stop mouthing items they should’t around that age, typically. Still, if you don’t train them to stop nipping, or if you have accidentally encouraged their nipping by making it into a form of play, it will likely continue until you train them differently.

pug biting or nipping - how to get your pug puppy to stop biting

Is it Biting or Nipping or Mouthing?

People often refer to nipping as biting, but they are different. There is also mouthing which is different yet!

Biting is when a dog bites down hard on something. This will usually break the skin, and is usually done out of fear or protection. True biting is a much more serious problem than nipping, but it’s quite rare in pugs. A pug that is truly biting likely feels unsafe or mistreated.

Nipping is a quick shut of the jaw, without locking down on something. This will hurt, but it won’t break the skin. This is commonly done as a form of play in puppies. While the intent isn’t “bad”, it’s painful and may cause mild injuries to young children so it’s best to train out.

Mouthing is when a dog puts their mouth on something but doesn’t bite down at all. You may feel their teeth but there won’t be pressure and no pain at all. This behavior is similar to human babies who put toys in their mouth. It’s a way of exploring an object. For most dogs this behavior will stop when they are done teething.

pug puppy biting

How to stop your pug from biting

Dog trainers often recommend a bite inhibition method. This basically means squeel when they bite you. Puppies like to play-bite other dogs, and when the other dog squeels in response to a bite, that’s how the dog learns it went too far. If left with other puppies, dogs will learn bite inhibition by about 18 weeks old. However, in many cases today puppies are rehomed by about 8 weeks. This leaves them without enough experience in learning bite inhibition from their litermates and their humans need to take over this training.

You can mimic the experience that puppies would get from their littermates squealing when your dog nips you. This can teach your dog that they went too far, even if the nip wasn’t painful. The goal is to squeel anytime they nip at all, to teach them that nipping people is not acceptable.

Try to get everyone in your household to squeel if your pug nips them, and to be consistent with it. This will increase the odds that your pug will learn to stop biting sooner.

Alternatively, you can firmly say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ each time they nip. If your puppy seeks reassurance or pets afterwards, it’s best to ignore them. This can feel mean, but this is how you make it clear to them that their behavior was unacceptable. This is really effective for pugs because pugs love attention from their owners. They were bred to be companions, so they are often really hurt by being ignored. While it won’t feel good for you or them, it will effectively teach them.

Don’t hit your dog for biting. Dogs don’t understand physical punishment, and it may even make them so fearful that they will bite more in response.

Don’t play with them if they nip. This can be hard because pug puppies are trying to play when they nip you. When we understand that they’re playing, it can make us want to play back. However, this can encourage the behavior. Keep in mind that as your pug gets older their teeth will get bigger and their small bits will become more painful. For this reason, it’s best to discourage their small biting before they get bigger.

Direct them to chewing toys. It’s natural for dogs to want to bite, but it’s important that they learn what is fair-game for biting and what isn’t. You don’t want them to learn that your hands or any other part of your body can be bitten. Offer them chew toys instead.

Give your pug time around other dogs. Dogs like to rough plan with other dogs and this can help them get out their desire to bite in a safe way.

Keep them entertained. Sometimes nipping will happen because they are bored and seeking attention. Keeping your puppy entertained can reduce the frequency of their nipping.

Pug Baby Teeth & Teething Guide

February 18, 2022 by emilyreviews Leave a Comment

There are affiliate links in this post.

Pug baby teeth and teething guide

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.

pug cuddling another pug

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 eating a bully stick

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

two pug tails blog logo

Welcome to Two Pug Tails! This is a blog all about pugs! I am Emily, I just adore the pug breed. My goal here is to share helpful information about pugs, while also sharing some of my experiences with my pugs Frank and Beans. You can learn more about me and my pugs on my about page if you wish.



Follow Me

Recent Posts

  • Pug Itchy Anus: Understanding Anal Gland Issues in Pugs
  • Why Your Pug Is Eating Grass And What To Do About It
  • Why is Your Pug Constantly Gagging? Causes, Treatment, and Prevention
  • Can Pugs Be Service Dogs?
  • Pug Diapers

Categories

  • Products For Pug Lovers
  • Pug Behaviors
  • Pug Care
  • Pug characteristics
  • Pug health
  • Pug owners
  • Pug problems
  • Pug puppies
  • pug training
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in