Pug Lovers Please Reply!

[Genia]

I am the unexpectant recipient of a Pug! I've had him (Bandit) for about a week. I have already fallen in love with this dog (I love his little snores), but I know nothing about the breed. I've gone to web sites such as pugs.com but I would really like to here from owners of pugs so I can get the "real story". I have a another dog, Jeffrey, who is a basset/lab mix. Although Bandit seems to be the dominant male, they get along very well. Any suggestions on grooming? Also I heard careful attention must be paid to the face. Any helpful hints?

[raynie]

hi, i have a pug too. pugs are great companion dogs. mine likes to sit in my lap and be petted, if i stop he will put his paw on my face like "what?, dont stop"
is he a pup? pug pups can be stubborn to house train. mine liked to steal underware from the hamper and parade them around for guests. they grow out of that though. they like to chew so have toys and nylabones around, and watch your shoes. they also love to be with you at all times, i couldnt imagine making my murphy sleep any place else but with me.
about grooming, mine tends to start smelling after a few months, so thats how often i bathe him. brushing often is good because they shed quit abit. also you have to clean out the crevice that goes under the eyes and over the nose, gunk gets built up in there after awhile and can cause an infection. oh, another thing is they and some other breeds get these kindof scabs on the top of their noses (maybe not till adult ages) but you can just pick them off and maybe put some lotion on it. watch out for his eyes as well (cuz they stick out) especially if he is a pup. ive heard horror stories of people dropping their pug puppy and the eyes popping out.
you will have so much fun with bandit. id be glad to answer any other questions.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Hi.

I too have a pug, but I am fairly new to the breed. I just adopted her over 2 months ago and she's 7 years old. She hates to be brushed, she does shed, but not too bad, I have to clean her ears every 3 days or so with a cleaner called Oti-Clear. I bathe her with high quality shampoo every 2 weeks or so because she has alergies and she will start to stink...PeeeU! She's a delight, although I don't know how ANYONE can sleep through those LOUD snores, but if you can...I envy you. I am too light of a sleeper to sleep with the pug, she's has the most unlady like sounds come out of every oriface in her body

She's a delight. We adore her. She's a whole car full of clowns packed inside a funny little body. I do know that they can be stubborn, and mine is NO exception. When I call her, if she does not feel like walking to me, she wont. When I take her and my other dog for a walk, she'll sometimes be too stubborn to come to me, I have found that I ignore her stubborn ways (I am NOT being a slave to an 18 pound dog!!!) I'll walk the other way and she'll finally feel left out and she'll run up to me. They are smart but they are not going to go out of their way to please you if they don't feel it's in their best interest.

Another thing that I learned (in case you adopted yours, I am not sure) is that they relocate VERY easilly. They say that they don't grow real attached to any specific person, that they pretty much love EVERYONE, but my pug deffinantelly shows signs of attachment towards me and my family. I guess that may be because she was very unhappy in her last home and she's very glad to have me as her new family.

Pugs (according to what I have learned) can't swim, in fact, they will sink like a stone. I have not tested this theory but I suggest to be on the safe side, be VERY careful with inground pools and if you are around lakes in the summertime, keep a life jacket on him. If you have a doggie pool, make sure it's not deep enough for the pug to drown. Make sure he can jump out if he gets into it.

Another thing to keep in mind: Pugs do tend to overeat. Think of him as a little pigglet and know that he could baloon up pretty quick. Because of their smashed faces and breathing problems, an overweight pug is a dying pug. Don't let him get fat.

They very commanly have allergies. They are sensetive to extreme heat, humidity and cold. They don't have the "normal" face of a dog so you have to cater to that. They will not excell in obedience, nor will they be able to keep up in agility or flyball...they really are a companion dog in every sence of the word. They just don't have the physical structure to excersise much.

Hope I have helped. I am still learning too, but this stuff might be helpful to you. I am just curious...how did you get him? Did you adopt him? How old is he? Aren't they SO cute??

Best of luck to you, my fellow pug owner

[karen israel]

I live next door to the most adorable,funniest,clever little guy who just loves to be petted and caressed. He runs around the living/dining room in figure 8's and it is hilarious..he just keeps on goin!
I love to "doggy-sit' him. He has snorted his way into my heart! He goes crazy when you leave the house-the more people to entertain, the merrier! He frantically paws the window , almost begging that you stay! The neighbors keep him spotless and constantly clean the facial crevices. Don't their little ears feel like silk??? He is my little honey-bun....

[raynie]

"i am not being a slave to an 18 lb dog"
youve got will power, im totally a slave to my 30lb blob of a pug. he is such a brat. if he jumps on the bed and forgets his nylabone on the floor, he will bark at it and then look at me. do i get it? you betcha, unless im just too comfortable, then he finally gives in and gets it himself.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Raynie,

That is hilarious about the nylabone! Yup, that sounds like a pug all right! It's also funny what you call him..."a 30 pound blob of a pug...that got me roaring with laughter! I guess because I have always had large dogs and because I have always had super obedient dogs I don't give into her stubborness. One thing I sure can't break her of is begging...If I am eating ANYTHING, even an apple or tofu (I LOVE tofu and she hates it) she will beg...and she's NOT sneaky about it...when she looks up her snoring is worse, so here's this tiny, snoring beast breathing on me while I eat. If I completely ignore her she will start whimpering, as if her breathing was not enough to let me know she was there . I'll break down and show her what I am eating, she hates veggies, and especially hates tofu, but I'll bend down and show her what I'm eating....she turns her nose up like the princess she is, then continue to beg as soon as I start eating again.

One thing is for sure, you have to be pretty good at tuning out sounds once a pug has entered your home....I rarely ever watch TV, but when I do, there's always this snort in the background that will always be there now that Cassie has entered the picture. And having a nice, romantic dinner with my hubby...FORGET IT! I can put the classical music on, and get the candles going, and the house can be so beautiful but there will always be this loud, snorty clown staring up at us and whimpering. We can't help but laugh at her. She's a trip!

We would not have brought her into our home, had this been an issue, but this may quite possibly be why there are so many pugs in rescue now.

[Pam]

Karen I love the line "he has snorted his way into my heart." I am being drawn to pugs lately (actually for the past two years or so!) I have two kitties and my past dogs were all poodles, the last one (a miniature)went to the Rainbow Bridge in June, 1998. I have been afraid to introduce a dog into a family with two well established cats, but I seem to be developing a very weak spot for pugs lately. I am wondering how they interact with cats. Anyone know? I saw two the other day in the pet store and it was hard for me to leave. I wanted to stay and play on the floor with them, although I doubt their owners would have approved. I have been reading about them on the internet and think a pug might fit in with my kitties but don't know for sure. My husband still tends to be a "poodle guy," and I know he would prefer another poodle, preferably another standard poodle. I was the main groomer for all of our poodles and think it might be nice to have a dog that doesn't need such intensive grooming every 6 weeks or so. I think the movie Milo and Otis is what put me over the brink with this breed. I just loved little Otis and can't seem to get him out of my mind! Anyone have a pug and cats??? I would love to know how they get along. I have loved reading all of the pug owners comments! I have found myself smiling as I read them! Thanks.

[Pam]

PS.....No pug could snore louder than my husband and I keep him around!!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Yes. My pug + the cats = peaceful kindom. Pugs are real easy going, and rarely cause problems, they are too happy and loving to pick a fight with anyone. My pug has NO hunting instint and therefor, she's not been a problem with cats.

[karen israel]

I can't imagine pugs not getting along with anyone or anything! My friend next door said one evening, in the sitting room,watching TV, her husband fell asleep snoring, as did her son, but the LOUDEST of all was the pug! She put the TV on louder, finally gave up and left the room!!! They saw how heavy my Cody got before his knee surgery and I wish they'd cut out those fatty, saltie dog treats cause "Denver" is just soooo fat! It's funny/cute but I wonder how those little legs can hold up that body! He's so adorable I'd hate him to get sick! And PAM,oooooo!!! GET ANOTHER DOG!!!!! It's been too long!

[raynie]

funny story adoremydogs, murphy is real big on begging also. he actually gets pretty upset, like "how dare you not give me any chocolate"
pam, i had a kitten for awhile (until i found out i was allergic). the cats favorite game was to hide and then jump out at my pug as he walked by. it was so funny. he for the most part ignored the cat and the ferrets i had but every once in awhile he would engage in a friendly game of chase. i agree that pugs will get along w/anybody or anything. although it depends on what your cats think of the situation too.

[Genia]

AdoreMyDogs, I got him from a friend who is taking a job transfer to another country. Apparently the quarentine is expensive and long. Also, her apartment will be very small. I am honored she chose me to take him as she and her children love him dearly. He will be three years old in January and is house trained. He is quite stubborn and begs for food a lot, as I gather from reading other replys, is typical. He's a ton of laughs when he plays with my other dog Jeffrey. Jeffrey is extremly hyper and Bandit is pretty mellow. Jeffrey sleeps with me and Bandit sleeps with my daughter and when we go downstairs in the mornings (breakfast time!) Jeffrey runs so fast that he always tumbles down the last 3 or 4 steps, slides across the floor and slams into the wall. Bandit just calmly walks downstairs and looks at him as if to say "You big clumsy goof". My daughter calls them "Pinky and the Brain" Guess who's who. He has adapted very well to our household. I was hesitant about taking in a second dog but I am so glad I did!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Genia,

My pug came from a similar situation, her owners loved her (at least the parents did, and the kids saw Cassie as a pest). They had to make the decision to get rid of her due to lack of time. I am delighted to hear another happy pug person. I wish you the very best with you new little goof Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

[SheltieLover234]

I Love Pugs too and yes I heard the same thing about there faces I was about to get one but changed my mind I dont know why I just had a bad feeling.And I would say if you have any questions you can go to www.personalogic.com and that will give you its profile any everything.Hope I helped !!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

[Pam]

Thank you SheltieLover 234. I visited that site and it was really a very neat and scientific to approach dog ownership. I have saved it to refer back to. I think I will wait until spring to do anything further about dog adoption. (It may take that long to "sell" my husband on a pug). I am also concerned that one of my cats will be nice to him or her. I remember my large tabby (22 lbs) used to enjoy playing with my standard poodle (45 lbs). I think being that a pug is closer to my cat's weight maybe the cat might have an advantage if there was a squirmish. Hope there wouldn't be any squirmishes but I know that's always a possibility. My other cat will get along with anyone or anything, but may hide in the basement for a day or two if I adopt a dog. He is sort of the original "scaredy cat." I will keep you posted. Here's another link that I found helpful when reviewing lots of different breeds: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/abc.htm

Again, thank you all for your comments and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!