Complete Information Regarding the Pug Dog
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Housebreaking Set-Back
A Member had his Pug housetrained, but lately his dog is showing signs of a set back! His once trained Pug randomly decides to eliminate on the bed or floor, even when he is home!
Q: My female pug (Pugsy) is 7 months old now, and I have given her all the essential home training (following your valuable advice on the website!). She was doing fine with her P and P rituals which I taught her to do on the newspaper placed in the bathroom! However lately when I come home from work (or sometimes even when I am at home, but she is unsupervised!); Pugsy does her job (number 1 or 2) on the bed or on the floor some where. I really don't see why a sudden set back, as it is really annoying! I know that she knows very well where exactly to do her job, because 90-95% of the time she follows the rules. Please advise what could be the reason for this and how could I correct her to be consistent without fail. Many thanks ~ Neil, Dubai
A: Hi Neil. Pugsy is certainly keeping you busy! She seems to have quite the personality and every month wants to bring new challenges to you! We are going to soon set up a "Pug of the Month" photo contest and we hope that when we do, you will send in Pugsy picture!
Now, let's work on this problem. Your Pug dog was completely housetrained and now she is having a set back. We believe this is most likely an attention getting method of hers, but it is important to first rule out any medical issues.
She will need an appointment with her veterinarian. She may have a bladder infection, bowel infection, kidney infection or other medical issue which would cause her to not have control over where she goes to the bathroom. Although she knows to go on the newspaper, if she is having a medical problem, she may need to relieve her needs wherever she happens to be at that moment.
So, please see Pugsy's' vet first. He should run some blood tests and make sure that she is not ill. You will not be able to know this by looking at her. One of the above mentioned infections will not show outward signs, except for the problem you are describing.
If she is not ill:
1. If the veterinarian tells you that your Pug is healthy, but she is still doing this it is most likely her way of getting your attention. Even when you are home, if you are busy and not paying enough attention to her, she may feel neglected. Pug dogs are very sensitive to their owners. As you know, they are very loving dogs. Some dogs have so much love inside of them, that if they do not receive signs of getting that love back, they can retreat in many ways...one of them being the one you are telling us about.
This does not mean that you must hug and play with your Pug every moment...however, when you are home with her try to take some time each hour to play, talk to or interact with your dog for about 5 or 10 minutes.
2. Positive reinforcement training should be used at this time. Although you probably did this when you were training her, she will need this again. She must be reminded just how pleased you are when she uses the newspaper. Each time that you see her use the newspaper, act as if she just did the most wonderful thing in the world. Talk with a very happy voice, tell her she is a good dog, pat her and hug her. Give her a small dog treat. Act very excited and happy. She needs to be reminded that she is being a very good dog when she goes where she is supposed to go.
3. It also sounds like your Pug is in need of some new dog toys. While dogs usually have a favorite toy, they also need new stimulus to keep them occupied. Can you imagine if you had to stay home and watch the same television show over and over again, never seeing anything new? This is how dogs can feel if they are at home and always have the same toys. They can act out because of their boredom. Some dogs will bark a lot, some will whine, some will be destructive and some will begin to eliminate in the house, as your Pug is.
A Pug should be given a new toy or 2, every month. And not just any toy! What will keep a Pug dog happy and free from boredom? The dog toys should have 1 or all of these qualities:
If you choose to buy the toys at pet supply stores in your area, please be sure to follow the guidelines of the 3 elements a toy should have. Good luck with Pugsy and please let us know how she is doing! (We are wondering if the problem of her being afraid of noises, etc has been fixed).
Q: My female pug (Pugsy) is 7 months old now, and I have given her all the essential home training (following your valuable advice on the website!). She was doing fine with her P and P rituals which I taught her to do on the newspaper placed in the bathroom! However lately when I come home from work (or sometimes even when I am at home, but she is unsupervised!); Pugsy does her job (number 1 or 2) on the bed or on the floor some where. I really don't see why a sudden set back, as it is really annoying! I know that she knows very well where exactly to do her job, because 90-95% of the time she follows the rules. Please advise what could be the reason for this and how could I correct her to be consistent without fail. Many thanks ~ Neil, Dubai
A: Hi Neil. Pugsy is certainly keeping you busy! She seems to have quite the personality and every month wants to bring new challenges to you! We are going to soon set up a "Pug of the Month" photo contest and we hope that when we do, you will send in Pugsy picture!
Now, let's work on this problem. Your Pug dog was completely housetrained and now she is having a set back. We believe this is most likely an attention getting method of hers, but it is important to first rule out any medical issues.
She will need an appointment with her veterinarian. She may have a bladder infection, bowel infection, kidney infection or other medical issue which would cause her to not have control over where she goes to the bathroom. Although she knows to go on the newspaper, if she is having a medical problem, she may need to relieve her needs wherever she happens to be at that moment.
So, please see Pugsy's' vet first. He should run some blood tests and make sure that she is not ill. You will not be able to know this by looking at her. One of the above mentioned infections will not show outward signs, except for the problem you are describing.
If she is not ill:
1. If the veterinarian tells you that your Pug is healthy, but she is still doing this it is most likely her way of getting your attention. Even when you are home, if you are busy and not paying enough attention to her, she may feel neglected. Pug dogs are very sensitive to their owners. As you know, they are very loving dogs. Some dogs have so much love inside of them, that if they do not receive signs of getting that love back, they can retreat in many ways...one of them being the one you are telling us about.
This does not mean that you must hug and play with your Pug every moment...however, when you are home with her try to take some time each hour to play, talk to or interact with your dog for about 5 or 10 minutes.
2. Positive reinforcement training should be used at this time. Although you probably did this when you were training her, she will need this again. She must be reminded just how pleased you are when she uses the newspaper. Each time that you see her use the newspaper, act as if she just did the most wonderful thing in the world. Talk with a very happy voice, tell her she is a good dog, pat her and hug her. Give her a small dog treat. Act very excited and happy. She needs to be reminded that she is being a very good dog when she goes where she is supposed to go.
3. It also sounds like your Pug is in need of some new dog toys. While dogs usually have a favorite toy, they also need new stimulus to keep them occupied. Can you imagine if you had to stay home and watch the same television show over and over again, never seeing anything new? This is how dogs can feel if they are at home and always have the same toys. They can act out because of their boredom. Some dogs will bark a lot, some will whine, some will be destructive and some will begin to eliminate in the house, as your Pug is.
A Pug should be given a new toy or 2, every month. And not just any toy! What will keep a Pug dog happy and free from boredom? The dog toys should have 1 or all of these qualities:
- Bright colors - some people think that dogs can not see colors. The truth is that dogs do see in color, it is much like the way a human sees outside colors as the sun is setting.
- Noise - There are many dog toys that make noises when the dog does an action, such as chewing or moving the toy.
- Hidden treats - dog toy makers have done a wonderful job of creating dog toys that hold dog treats inside of them. The dog will smell the treat. The toy is created so that a dog will have to work at getting at that treat. This can keep a Pug busy for hours! And each time you give your Pug this toy, she will look forward to the "game" of getting at her treat.
If you choose to buy the toys at pet supply stores in your area, please be sure to follow the guidelines of the 3 elements a toy should have. Good luck with Pugsy and please let us know how she is doing! (We are wondering if the problem of her being afraid of noises, etc has been fixed).
