Training Your Pug. Brenda Belmonte
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with their pets.
PUG POINTER
The Pug’s likeable nature and unique personality have made it a favorite breed to include in television and movies. From the animated character, Percy, in Walt Disney’s Pocahontas to the sarcastic Frank the Puq in Men in Black and Men in Black II, the Puq is fittingly portrayed as a companion doq that sometimes has a mind of its own.
3 Selecting the Right Pug
Good Dogs, Good Choices
The addition of a Pug to your family can be a wonderful event. The breed is known for longevity and it is not uncommon for a Pug to live to be 14 to 16 years of age. If your Pug is to become a well-behaved family member for years to come, selecting just the right Pug for your family is an important first step in promoting a healthy, happy relationship.
Make a Commitment
Purchasing a Pug should never be a spontaneous decision. That adorable “puppy in the window,” purchased on a whim, will grow up quickly. On his journey to adulthood he will demand your undivided attention, interrupt your full night of sleep, and, at times, test your patience.
The addition of a Pug to your household can be compared to living with a new baby. Your daily routine will change dramatically. No more staying out late after work or long days of shopping. Your new Pug requires a firm schedule that provides for his need to sleep, play, and eliminate. You will need to plan for accommodations for your Pug when you schedule family vacations or long weekend getaways.
You must decide what his boundaries will be, and be patient while he learns about his new family and home. Your family must work together to accomplish goals that everyone understands, and everyone must be willing to pitch in and be a part of the training process.
Your personal belongings will be subjected to puppy’s teeth and paws. Housebreaking takes time and your expensive Oriental rug may become your Pug’s favorite indoor potty spot if you can’t commit the time to supervising him.
You must also be able to afford your Pug’s medical care, food, toys, and other necessities. Pugs are plagued with their fair share of medical problems. The expense of treating health issues, such as recurrent eye and ear problems, can be great. Yearly physical exams, vaccinations, and medications all add up. You must ask yourself whether or not you can realistically afford to care for your Pug now—and in the future.
Is the Timing Right?
If you are considering a new Pug puppy, first ask yourself if you really have the time to devote to making him a well-behaved dog. A well-mannered adult Pug starts out as a silly, curious puppy. The metamorphosis to respectful companion can only happen if you can afford to spend the time teaching your Pug puppy the behaviors that you want him to learn.
Adding a young to adolescent Pug to your life also requires a significant amount of dedicated time. A fully house-broken Pug only becomes a reality when the owner can adequately supervise him for many months. Troublesome or destructive adult behaviors are often perfected by young Pugs who have been left alone by owners who are too busy to notice. Pugs are very creative and often find ways to amuse themselves that do not always please their owners.
Adult Pugs who are searching for a new home may have special training needs. While you may bypass some of the behaviors that are associated with mischievous puppies, older puppies may have been poorly socialized, left alone frequently, or allowed to run the household, creating a greater need for structure and consistent training. Changing behaviors in adult Pugs can be difficult, and the amount of time needed to work with some of these Pugs may actually be greater in the long term than the initial time commitment of training a puppy.
PUG POINTER
Pugs are great with children, but parents need to closely supervise any young child’s play with a Pug. The Pug’s exposed eyes are very vulnerable to injury from small fingers. Scratches to the eye can iead to serious problems including loss of the eye or blindness
Pugs for Kids
Many well-intentioned families wait to add a Pug until they believe that their children can help with the day-to-day responsibilities that come with owning a dog. While children may be excited about helping in the beginning, the care and training of a Pug should never be solely the responsibility of any child. The novelty of a new dog wears off quickly, and when a child’s interest moves on to other activities, it’s the Pug who suffers.
All children should learn how to properly interact with their Pug.
A Pug’s small size makes him ideal for life with children of all ages, but his basic needs often exceed the time, energy, and patience of even the most responsible child. That leaves the responsibility of training the Pug to mom and dad, who may struggle to fit the added burden into an already hectic schedule.
Pug puppies love to play with children. Unfortunately, normal puppy play often involves biting and nipping. You must be committed to supervising all play between your Pug puppy and your children, and teach your puppy how to interact with his human family. Perhaps more importantly, you must also be committed to teaching your children how to interact appropriately with their new puppy, and that rough play that involves ear pulling, tail pulling, or grabbing fur and skin will not be tolerated.
Mature Pugs who didn’t have the benefit of being loved by a child when younger may be intimidated by children. Younger children may inadvertently fall on or near your Pug, resulting in a Pug who is frightened and feels the need to be defensive. Adult Pugs who learned to assert themselves as adolescents may guard food or toys when children are playing nearby. Aggression is rare in Pugs, but any form of aggression is difficult to live with, can result in a child being bitten, and should not be tolerated.
PUG POINTER
Aggression is not a behavior that can be “trained” out of a dog. Aggressive dogs require intervention from a veterinary behaviorist or professionai dog trainer, combined with the owners’ management of the situations causing the aggressive response. Do not attempt to physically correct an aggressive Pug or teach him “who is boss.” This can escaiate the aggression, making the problem worse.
Type and Temperament
For centuries. Pugs have been bred for a single purpose—to provide companionship to those who love them. The Latin phrase multum in parvo (“a lot in a little”) is used in the breed standard to describe the adult Pug. Pugs bred with this standard in mind reflect the easygoing, laid-back temperament that has long been associated with the breed.
Pugs have continued to increase in popularity on a steady basis. But as has been the trend with many other popular breeds, this rise to stardom comes with a heavy price. With demand comes an increase in poorly bred Pugs with unsound temperaments. Popular breeds often suffer when unscrupulous or uninformed individuals begin to produce puppies in large numbers, using quantity, rather than quality, as a measurement of breeding stock. “Teacup” Pugs, often bred from undersized or unhealthy parents, are now being advertised on many Web sites, though no such type of Pug exists according to the breed standard.
Over the past decade, many areas of the United States have seen a definite change in temperament related to the “type” or overall structure of Pugs. Owners who have purchased Pugs from breeders who strive to produce healthy Pugs with the smaller, square bodies, that conform to the breed standard, find that those puppies tend to grow up to be more laid-back, with a personality perfectly suited for a home companion. Thinner, leggier, “super-sized” Pugs are often more hyperactive and more