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Pug Help
Sorry in advance; I'm sure this will be very long.
I have two dogs at home. One is a husky/lab mix who we have had since he was 8 weeks old. The other dog is a pug, who is almost three, and we got him from a co-worker of mine. I'm at a complete loss with the pug.
When we got him, he was kept in a gated area in this woman's kitchen. He was never house broken and while she said he was bad, she wasn't exactly forthcoming with just how "bad" he was.
He is destructive and has a serious issue with peeing (not marking) in the house, including on his crate or on his blankets that he will then attempt to sleep on. We've had him for over a year and half now and nothing is getting better. If I let him out to go to the bathroom, he will pee outside and come right in, look at us and pee on the table, couch, chair, blanket etc. I've gated off the area between the kitchen and the living room where the majority of our time is spent so we can more closely monitor him, but he doesn't seem to have an issue with peeing right in front of us.
The dogs have free reign of the yard since it's fenced in so they are welcome outside whenever they want. If he has to poop, he'll ask to go outside. He chews absolutely everything. We've tried redirecting him, I've tried the NILIF training (my other dog, who wasn't really an issue to begin with, learned a lot from this), positive reinforcement, walking him on a leash etc. I've spoken to my vet who basically said it's a breed issue and a lot of pugs have issues.
Today when I called the dogs inside so I could leave, the pug refused to come inside. He ran around the yard for 45 minutes before he decided it was time. H is getting a lead for him for the yard but I don't know how to fix any of the other issues at this point. He flat out doesn't listen. I'm at my wits end and I want to make this work but I'm not sure what else I can do with him. Any advice would be awesome. TIA and cookies to anyone who read all of that!
Re: Pug Help
How large is his crate? What kind of exercise is he getting? Do you have a doggie door that allows them outside?
What does a typical day look like for the dogs (schedule-wise)?
His crate is large enough for him to stand up, turn around and lay down in.
Their typical day is getting up at 6am, I let them outside while I get ready for work. I bring them in and put them in their crates by 6:30. H gets home around noon, they go outside, run the yard til they want to come in. When they come in it's time to eat. They lounge around with him until I get home at 3, at which point they go out again, come back in. I let them out around 5-6 when we eat dinner and really any time they ask to be let out otherwise. They will go out again at 10 before bed then repeat. I can't have a doggy door to go out because we have two cats who are strictly indoor.
it is unacceptable of your vet to say that "pugs have issues" and dismiss this as one of those issues.
first step, find a new vet. there is possibly some medical reason that this is happening, and if your vet just thinks its a "pug issue" then they may not have checked for these medical problems.
2nd, i would wash EVERYTHING of his with some nature's miracle. and i would also probably get my carpets professionally cleaned, then spray the hell out of natures miracle all over the carpets too. (if you have the funds to do this)
I would also start like this is a brand new puppy with the potty training. Attached to me at all times and out to potty every 20 min or so when i'm home. Possiby hire a dog walker to come let the dog out in the middle of the day, or go home and let him out yourself. Outside WOULD NOT = play time until he got this under control. it would be outside to potty, and if he didn't go, back into his crate. if he did go, then play time for a few min when you come back inside, and then back attached to you or in the crate.
Possibly consider restriction of water before you are going to be gone from home for a long period of time.
as far as the chewing goes, puppy proof the SHlT out of your house. everything off the floor except for toys that are appropriate to chew on. buy bitter apple spray. spray it on the things you don't want chewed. if this isn't working, i would buy a collar with vibration options and give him a little vibe when he starts chewing on something that he shouldn't. DON'T use a shock collar, just the vibration to distract him, and then give him something he CAN chew on.
I think you need to start back at house training basics. Tethering him to you, taking him out every fifteen minutes, and praising like crazy when he goes. Are you able to put a belly band on him when he's in his crate? What is he getting for exercise?
I would put Pug in the title of your post, as we have several pug ladies on here. Does he have blankets in his crate?
Ick, didn't mean to repost that. In terms of exercise, he gets a solid two hours a day. The two play and run often together and when my yard is not covered in snow, we play with them too. Throwing balls etc. If it's a nice day, we'll leash them and walk them.
There is not blanket in his crate. To clarify, he won't pee while he's IN the crate. He will walk up to it and pee just because. But, if he's peed on a blanket he will still lay on or near it and my understanding has always been dogs don't like to sleep where they potty.
again, i want to reiterate the importance of taking him to another vet to be evaluated. i strongly feel that there is a medical answer behind this.
also, although the playing together and throwing the ball is good, going on walks is more of a "structured" exercise that will make your dog even more mentally and physically tired, which may help with the chewing.
I will definitely find a new vet and have him evaluated. A ,medical reason would definitely explain so much. I figured it was just poor training on the girl's part who had him before me, but no amount of anything that I've done (including keeping him chained to me) has seemed to help. There were actually times that he would pee on the couch right next to me.
Also, we are in the process of re-doing our spare room to turn it into the nursery, so we are going to have the carpets steam cleaned. As far as chewing, he doesn't have access to anything but toys these days. The biggest problem is in the middle of the night, he will chew on our blankets and sheets. I've brought toys to bed and tried redirecting with those, but that doesn't seem to help. I'm not trying to negate everything you say, I just want to paint a clear picture. Thank you for the awesome advice!
I have 2 pugs (see siggy), and I ditto PPs about finding a new vet. Saying that pugs have "issues" makes me so sad. I have never had any of these issues with either of my pugs (we've had Teddie since he was 13 weeks and Skippy since he was almost 4 years old). to the contrary, they are absolutely amazing dogs. Both are CGC certified, and Teddie is trying to be approved as a therapy dog. They are such an absolutely joy for me, and I hope your little guy can get there, too!
I also completely agree with treating him like a new puppy in terms of housebreaking, obedience training, everything. Go back to square one. For housebreaking, I would take him out on a leash as often as possible. Walk him around until he pees/poos, and praise him like crazy when he does. When you are in the house, crate him or tether him to you if you can't watch him like a hawk. If he shows any signs of needing to potty, take him outside (praise/reward if he potties outside). Rinse and repeat, gradually lengthening the amount of time between potty breaks.
A few things that I found very effective when we adopted Skippy: He was tethered to DH or me any time he was out of the crate for the first 4-5 days. We also immediately implemented NILIF, making him work for everything. He didn't even know basic commands (sit, down, stay), so we taught him "sit" immediately and made him sit for everything (food, attention, going out the door, putting his leash on, etc.). We also enrolled in a basic obedience class. Not only did it help teach Skippy the basics, it helped us form a bond with him and helped him learn to trust us and listen to us.
Regarding exercise, games and indoor or outdoor play is great. However, both of my pugs benefit immensely from structured walks. Unless the weather prohibits it, they get a minimum of 1 hour of walking per day, every day (usually 1.5-2 hours on Saturday and Sunday). We do working walks, which means they are walking on a loose leash, looking up at me when I call their name, sitting at the curb if we stop, etc. I would encourage you to add structured walks to your exercise regimen. Also, treat-dispensing toys are great for additional mental stimulation. The Kong Wobbler and one of the Busy Buddy toys (they make the Tug-a-Jug) are favorites in my house. Sometimes we feed the boys their meals out of the toys.
Feel free to PM me!
our 2nd dog is a chewer also, and i was totally unprepared for that after our first dog (that we had had for 4 years before getting our 2nd ) barely ever chewed ANYTHING, even her toys never got ripped, or if they did by accident, she would bring them to you and NEVER pull the stuffing out.
Our 2nd dog chewed anything and everything, even eating the centerpieces for our reception 3 days before the wedding. We eventually realized that it was not safe for him to be uncrated while we couldn't keep an eye on him. he could have eaten something poisonous and we might not have even known.... We started crating him both while we were gone at at night all night, even if he was whining or crying. He got used to it pretty quickly and was fine with it.
We transitioned him out of a crate about 4 months ago, and he hasn't chewed much since then. when he had a relapse, he goes back to the crate for a few days, and then we generally don't have problems after that...
First off, find a new vet. Pugs don't "have issues" any more than any other breed! My vet LOVES my girls and if that wasn't the case and I didn't feel 110% confident in her ability and desire to help us and other dogs we wouldn't go there. Heck, she's the 4th vet we tried and was the one we finally chose. There are millions of vets out there, don't just settle.
You need to bring in a urine sample and rule out a UTI, diabetes and other medical conditions. I have two pugs and we foster with a pug rescue. Our foster right now is 2 1/2 and has never been potty trained. That is why the family surrendered him. I brought him to the vet and he had SO many crystals in his urine the vet techs couldn't even count them all. This means he had a raging urinary infection. Poor guy has been in pain for a long time and nobody ever ruled out a medical reason for his lack of house training. He's on meds now and we'll check his urine again once he's finished the meds. If he still has crystals then we'll x-ray him to check for possible stones. While he is doing a little better with potty training, he's still got a long way to go.
We have him wear a belly band and if you aren't using those I would suggest it! It's not going to be an overnight thing for him, but at least now we know once this infection (and possible stones) are cleared up it is possible for him to be house trained.
So long story short is bring him to a GOOD vet to get checked out and rule out any medical reason behind his lack of potty training.
Good luck and let us know what the new vet finds.
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