General Pug Information
This breed wants nothing more then to be with you and have human companionship. They are very friendly, non-aggressive, affectionate dogs. They always want your attention and love. We call them Velcro dogs. We also think they have a meter that measures how much time you spend with them. If you leave the house, they want to be paid back for the time you were gone. Depending on age they can be very active to very laid back. Our adoption process ensures that the dog placed with you will complement your lifestyle and personality.
We have a variety of age levels in our rescue. Sometimes we receive puppies but most the time the pugs we receive are between 1 1/2 to 6 years old. Some come in at a much older age due to health issues or financial family hardships. Once they are recovered, with proper care can live to be 15-17 years old. Pugs range in sizes and shapes. Some are tall and some are short, some are wide and some are thin. They weigh anywhere from 14-35 lbs full grown. proper diet is a must with a pug. They need a regular feeding schedule and should not be over feed or given table scrapes or large amounts of snacks or treats. They can become over weight and un-healthy very quickly. Be aware of their cute faces…they always look hungry. It is easy to get tempted to feed them when they look at you with the look of “starvation”. (believe me….they are not starving!)
Pugs do very well with Children (within reason) If they are hurting the dog they will eventually retaliate. but 99.9 percent of the time pugs are peaceful. They are good with other dogs too. size, sex and environment do contribute to the outcome of action when introducing a pug to a strange dog. They should always be introduced in a controlled environment. Some pugs are chasers and some are never- minds. The chasers love to chase cats and anything small that runs about. The never-minds are the pugs that look at the cat and are too lazy to get up to even sniff them. They have no desire to chase or run after anything …even a ball. Age will determined this most of the time. 3 and under chase 5 and over usually do not. but, how the pug was raised in the prior home will also determined their behavior and may need correction and training if prompted to chase things. (cars, dogs, cats, and so on).
Do I need a yard or doggie door?
Pugs adapt very easy to their new homes. It can be an oversized apartment, townhouse, condo or a house with a fenced in yard or patio. As long as they are leashed when not in a fenced yard or by a pool, they can do great in many different spaces. If you do not have a yard, they will need to be walked 30 minutes, twice a day, mainly after meal times and more if needed. A fenced yard or outside area ensures the pugs safety at potty times. Never leave your pug unattended by a pool. Most pugs cannot swim. We can assess each situation individually to make sure your new family member is safe and happy in their future new home. Doggy doors are nice but we stress that your supervision is important. Hot summer days can be too much on them to have free-range of outside without you. They need constant access to fresh cool water and can also be rinsed or hosed off with water if out on a hot day.
Do they shed?:
YES! buckets! The fawn pugs are double coated and continually shed. It is light hair and can be seen on just about anything. Anything black or navy will not make it out of the house untouched by pug hair. We have pug hair for carpet, We have pug hair seats in our cars and pug nose art on our windows. We also love their sneezing,snoring, tilting head little bodies, they way they sit, sleep and breath are all part of the pug make- up. oh, Yes they fart too. If you love the smushy face dogs then you’ve got to love the Pug. Their funny personalities along with their looks make it a package worth having around. Even if you have to vacuum three times a day.
Other then shedding pugs are very clean dogs…daily cleaning of the wrinkles, ears and eyes are a must in Florida. We use Pet wipes In-between bath times and they work great to get the dust and dirt off after a walk or morning at the dog park. They do not need constant bathing or brushing.
Are they potty trained?:
We get this question a lot. That is one of the hard parts of owning a dog…. Potty training. Most of our rescues come into our homes and they are for the most part potty trained. SOME dogs when being moved from their old environment, introduced to a new environment and new smells will try to mark or pee on something but with supervision and guidance they realize that there is a better place to go, outside. Then once a routine is established there usually is no problems in this area. For the most part, if the dog is taken out regularly there should be no problem at all. If there is a rescue that is having issues with this we will tell you prior to placement in your home. Remember, we want this to work as much as you do!
We can recommend the use of several things to help fix or train a dog with a potty problem. Crates, pads, and positive praise with treats can be a winner. Most dogs will not relieve themselves in their “House” (crate). Usually it is only a matter of working with them for the first few days so that they understand that “Outside” is where they go. They are very smart dogs and want to please their owners, so it is important to get them into a routine as soon as possible.
A crate can be used to ease the dog’s transition into the open spaces of a new home. It serves a number of purposes. 1 – it gives then a safe haven during the adjustment period. 2- if you work, crating the dog while unsupervised can prevent a host of problems. also, if a dog is crate trained you are more likely to fine friends to “pug-sit” if you need to travel. Having to kennel your dog is a big concern for most pug owners. Most kennels are unattended during the night time hours and because they are so attached to their owners(Velcro dogs) a pug most likely would not be happy in a kennel environment. We offer to ‘Pug-sit” all of our rescue that leave our homes. A $10 donation per day is suggested and much cheaper then boarding.
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