Do pugs bark a lot?

Pugs are not a breed that is known for excessive barking. In fact, most pugs are rahter quiet! Of course, every dog is different so there are some pugs who bark a lot. As a general rule, pugs aren’t noisy dogs.

Are pugs yappy dogs?

Pugs are not yappy dogs. They don’t usually bark a lot, and their bark is not high-pitched. Pugs usually have a bigger/deeper sounding bark than you would expect for a small dog breed. They can have a loud, intense bark though.

My personal experience

Neither of my pugs barked much. If they saw a stranger approaching our house, they wouldn’t usually bark. When hey did bark at people, it was usually because they were startled. For example, if they were sleeping and then woke up to see the mailman standing just outside of our sliding glass door, they would sometimes bark. Where if they were awake and saw him pull in, they wouldn’t bark.

One of my dogs would sometimes bark at cats, squirrels, rabbits, etc. The other didn’t bark at other animals, but would sometimes whine/cry/whimper when he saw other dogs.

After Beans went blind, she would bark after we left the house, which was frustrating as we didn’t want her to disrupt our neighbors, but we couldn’t really keep her quiet while we weren’t home! Occasionally she would start barking if she lost track of me, but if I said her name or gently touched her to let her know I was there, she’d stop.

Anyway, for the most part, as long as someone was home with them, they’d only bark if surprised by a stranger or another animal, and it was easy to get them to settle down by just telling them to stop.

Reasons why pugs bark

1. To warn of predators (strangers, other animals)

2. They want attention. Barking is a way to get people’s attention and attempt to communicate. If they want your attention and feel they can’t get it otherwise, they might bark to get you to look and listen.

3. To be territorial or protective. We’ve probably all seen a dog bark when a person or another animal gets “too close” while they are eating or enjoying their favorite toy or even just enjoying their dog bed. This is a way of communicating that they will protect what they have.

4. Excitement or playfulness. It’s common for dogs to playfully bark at each other when they are playing together. Some dogs may bark when playing with people, too.

5. Deafness. Some dogs start to bark if they go deaf because they can’t hear themselves.

What age do pug puppies start to bark?

Pug puppies can start to vocalize around 2 to 3 weeks old.

Why Your Pug Barks At Night?

Pugs love being with their people, so it’s common for pugs to bark if they are kenneled at night or otherwise kept away from people.

If you have an older pug who has started barking at night despite being near you, this can be a sign of cognitive decline or dog dementia, essentially.

My pug Beans would have phases where she would walk around the house barking at night. She’d do this for just a couple of nights in a row, with several weeks in between these episodes. It seemed like they usually occurred around the same time that we noticed her vision had declined further. This was 100% my own theory, but it seemed like as her vision got worse, she would be bothered by the darkness at night util she adjusted to life with less vision.  If this may be the case for your pug, keeping lights on at night may help.

How to reduce or stop pug barking

1. Don’t yell at them for barking. Yelling often makes barking worse.
2. Reduce their triggers or desensitize them. If they often bark when the cat enters the room, praise them and give them attention when the cat enters the room. If they often bark at strangers, give them positive reinforcement as soon as a stranger comes into view. It won’t happen overnight, but in time they’ll begin to see their trigger as a more positive thing, rather than something to bark at.
3. If your dog barks when left alone, leaving on a radio, tv or white noise machine may help.
4. Train ‘quiet’. When your dog in barking, firmly say ‘quiet’ but don’t yell. Wait until they stop barking and then give them a treat.
5. If your pug barks to be protective, teach them a cue like “it’s okay”. Try to say it in a matter-of-fact way, rather than an overly-soft or harsh tone. You want to reassure your dog without letting them think you are afraid or intimidated as that may make them even more protective.
6. If your dog barks when bored, be sure to keep them busy with enrichment activities. Two daily walks can help, but in many cases pugs need mental enrichment as much or more than physical exercise.
7. If your pug barks when they are excted to see someone, ignoring them until they calm down can teach them that barking won’t get them what they want, but being calm will!
8. Make sure they’re getting enough atention. Pugs were bred to be companions, so they are needy dogs who really want attention from their owners. If they aren’t getting enough of your attention, they may resort to barking to try to get your attention. Try to carve out some time everyday to pet them and give them play time and affection.

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We lucked out and managed to have our two pugs for over 7 years without either of them requiring a cone of shame. However, sometimes they are needed. You probably know that pugs shouldn’t wear collars, so you may be wondering how to handle a cone of shame with a pug.

Can Pugs Wear A Cone Of Shame?

Pugs can wear a cone of shame. It shouldn’t be too tight around their neck, as they are at increased risk of collapsing trachea. You may find that alternative cone styles work better for your pug.

The reason why pugs shouldn’t wear collars is because they shouldn’t have pressure on their necks. In other words, it’s not really wearing a collar that is a problem, it’s having a leash connected to a collar, that is the problem. As long as you won’t be pulling your pug by the cone (as I’m sure you won’t!) it should be fine for them to wear.

Something to consider though, is pugs have a large neck compared to their overall body size. They will likely need a fairly large cone, and in a traditional cone that will mean it will stick out pretty far from their head. This may frustrate them or make it challenging for them to walk around. Also, traditional cones don’t leave dogs with the ability to access their food or water bowls easily. So if you go with a traditional cone, make sure to assist your dog with getting water regularly.

Vets often provide patients with a plastic cone after surgery, so the upside is that they may be free (or at least included in what you’re already spending at the vet). However, many dogs are afraid of traditional-style cones. They don’t understand what is going on when they see the edges of the cone in their field of vision and it often frightens them.

Do Pugs Need A Cone Of Shame?

Something to consider is your pug’s flexibility. Many pugs are not as limber as other dogs, due to being short and compact breeds. For example, if you are getting your pug neutered but they cannot curl around to reach between their legs, they may not need a cone.

The Best Style Of Cone For Pugs

The best style of cone for pugs is cone collars, in my opinion. These look similar to neck pillows that people wear on airplanes. They do not stick out far from the face like traditional cones, so dogs can use their food and water disheswhile wearing collar style cones. Because they don’t stickout far from their face, they won’t be at risk of running into the walls or furniture with the edges of the cone, either.

The collar style cones are thick enough that they reduce how much movement your pug can make with their head. They won’t be able to turn their head around to look at their backend, for example. This keeps them from being able to see or reach parts of their body that are injured or healing from surgery.

Also, because the collar style cones don’t stick out very far, it’s a lot harder for dogs to get them off. They can’t drag their head along the side of furniture to try to knock the cone off their head.

If they are still nervous or uncomfortable even with the collar style of cone, you can give them a kong or bully stick to try to help distract them. Yet another bonus of this style of cone!

Cone of Shame Size For Pugs

Pugs are a toy breed, though they are the largest breed that is considered a toy breed, so I tend to think of them as small breed instead. Anyway, when looking at cones of shame you may assume that a pug should fit in a size small sees how they are small dogs.

Cones are sized based on neck circumference though, and most adult pugs have large necks compared to the rest of their size. My pugs had 14 and 16 inch necks. This is quite large, many “large” size dogs (such as labs) have a neck around that size!

When looking at different collar style cones on Amazon, most of them listed those 14 and 16-inch neck sizes as a “large”.

If you aren’t certain of your pug’s neck size and they are full-grown, I’d recommend ordering the E-KOMG collar in size large as it fits dogs with 12-18 inch necks and most all adult pugs would be within that range. It’s affordable at under $15 and has lots of great reviews.