Training
Pugs are very smart and stubborn dogs. They
can be trained with a little persistence and patience. Pugs will
do ANYTHING for food. Training with a treat or a toy and lots of
praise seems to work the best for me. Start training right away.
Instead of training in one long session that can get boring and
frustrating to the dog, train in short 5-10 minute sessions throughout
the day. This keeps training fun for your pug.
The following are the most important things for
your pug to learn.
Praising
Praise your puppy whenever she does something
right. Praise like crazy! Be a freak! Your puppy can
tell when you are faking and half hearted. Being upbeat and
excited to encourage your puppy to pay attention to you and not all the
other distractions, it will also make training fun and exciting.
Be positive, there are some times when you will need to say
"NO!" but as soon as she stops the bad behavior praise her
like a crazy person. You find you have to say no much less often.
Potty Training
I suggest using the crate method of training.
Don't feel bad, dogs are den animals and it isn't torture to put
them in a cage for short periods, in fact your pug will learn to love
her crate and will get in it even when not told to. This has worked
very well for me. Purchase a a crate or carrier that is not too
big for your puppy. Puppies do not like to eliminate in their
"den" and so if the crate is too big they may eliminate in
one corner and sleep in the other corner. Place the crate in a
high traffic area of your
house so your puppy can see you and still be a
part of the action even when in the crate. Make it a good
experience and not a punishment. What has worked very well for me
is giving a treat for going in the crate. Say "crate"
then put the treat in the crate. After about a week, all you will
have to do is say "crate" and your puppy will run for her
crate! Put your puppy in her crate whenever you cannot watch her.
This is very important. Letting your dog have the run of the
house right away will make potty training very difficult, as well as
teach her that she CAN go in the house, just so long as you are not in
the room. This is a mistake that is very hard to undo! When
your pup is not in the crate, watch her like a hawk, and as soon as she
starts sniffing, take her outside! When she does go outside
praise her with abandon! "Good good good good puppy, good
girl, what a good girl..." Go nuts, when you are excited so
is your puppy. You can also give a treat for going outside (make
her sit first) but make sure it is right away or they may not know what
the treat is for. I suggest not cleaning up puppy's poops right
away, as the smell will encourage them to want to go there, and you
will soon see that your dog will choose their favorite potty spot in
your yard.
Remember that just like a baby your puppy has very
little control over their elimination. This is developed with
time, so don't leave your puppy for extended periods of time and expect
them to hold it, they can't. Puppy's do not fully develop bladder and
bowel control until about 6 months. When the puppy does make a mistake
in the house, if you are not watching him do it, do not yell at the
puppy. He will have no idea what you are yelling about and just
learn that you are a person to be avoided. If you do see him say
a sharp "no", then pick him up and take him to the potty spot
immediately then praise like crazy when he does it right. Make
sure to clean the spot well, and use odor eliminators to get rid of the
smell, if you don't that may become puppy's favorite potty spot!
Potty training takes patience, but don't give up! If you
are consistent your pug will learn where to go, in fact, your pug will
not want to go anywhere else.
Sit/Stay
Sit is a very
important thing you can teach your pug. I make Charlie sit for
everything, including being petted, getting fed, getting
leashed/unleashed, playing fetch. This teaches him not to jump
when he wants something, and seems to be much more effective then
screaming "NO JUMP" at him. To teach your dog to sit,
hold a treat in your hand so he cannot get to it, but make sure he
knows it is there, then hold your hand just slightly above his head and
say sit, move your hand over his head toward his back and he will
naturally just sit, when he does give him the treat and praise.
Don't hold your hand to high above his head or he will try to
jump for the food. Repeat this until he sits consistently, then
try it without a treat, voila, your dog knows that the word
"sit" and the hand motion you make means he should sit.
Now start making him sit for everything, soon you will know when
he wants something as he will sit right in front of you when he wants
attention!
Stay is just an extension for sit. Once he
is sitting, say stay, and then give him the treat after a few seconds.
I say "release" when the stay is over, then give him the treat.
Slowly increase the time before giving the treat. Also, add
some distractions and movement before giving the "release"
command. This one takes a little more patience and consistency.
Do NOT give the treat or praise if he doesn't do what you ask.
You are only training him that he gets a treat no matter what you
say. I also find that training using his favorite toy as a lure
also works, but not quite as good as food.
With this treat/praise method of training you will
be amazed at what your dog will learn. Remember patience,
repetition and consistency are the keys to successfully training your
dog. Don't give up!
Come
It is very important to be consistent with the
come command. You want your dog to come when you call him even if
there is something really fun going on. Start with a treat and
say "Puggy, COME!" be happy and excited, make it sound like
what is happening where you are is much more exciting than chasing the
cat or chewing that shoe! When the puppy even takes one step
toward you start praising, if he stops, stop praising. DO NOT
YELL AND SCOLD him when he stops. If you punish him when he stops you
just made your pug think that coming to you is the last thing in the
world he wants to do! When he does finally come, praise and give
the treat. My husband and I play a game of hide and seek, we both
get a treat and take turns saying come, then hide somewhere else in the
house and do it again. This is fun for your pug, and so he learns
that coming to you when you call is fun and exciting! Never EVER
EVER punish your dog after he has come to you. This is a sure
fire way to ensure that your pug will never come to you consistently.
Leash Training
If you live in the city like I do, leash training
is a must. Pugs are very friendly, extremely friendly, so much so
that they want to get to know every living creature within ear shot of
them. If you do not have a securely fenced yard I would suggest
keeping your pug on a leash at all times while outside.
To teach your pug to not pull on the leash this is
what I have learned. If your pug starts to pull on the leash STOP
and say "no pull". Do not move again until he stops
pulling. He will eventually stop when he does praise him and take
one step, when he starts to pull again stop, say "no pull"
and wait for him to stop pulling. Eventually he will get the
idea. My pug tends to forget this rule when something really
exciting like a crowd or another dog is nearby. Do not use a
choke collar. Pug necks are too sensitive for a choke collar and
all you will accomplish will be injury to your dog. I use a harness,
this is great when he tries to jump off of something too high, or needs
to be scooped up quickly as this does not choke the dog. Be
consistent, if you give in he will learn that if he pulls long enough
eventually he will get what he wants. You will find with pugs
that eventually they will tire out and go no further, and instead of
him pulling you, you will be pulling him.
Socialization
I cannot stress enough the importance of early
socialization. To keep your pug from being fearful, or
aggressive, or overly excited when encountering other animals and
people socialization is extremely important. Who wants to lock
their dog up every time company comes over? Who wants a dog that
barks every time another dog walks by on the sidewalk? How about
a dog that cowers and whines every time there is a thunder storm, or a
loud siren?
To avoid problems later, as soon as you get your
pug, introduce him to everyone you know. Have a puppy party and
invite friends and family to come play with him. Take your pug to
crowded areas such as parks and sidewalks with many strange
people and dogs! I find that a weekly trip to the local
"dogs allowed" pet supply store is a great place to
socialize! Enroll in puppy kindergarten to get him used to other
dogs and people.
One thing that has worked very well has been
taking him to an outdoor cafe where there is a lot of foot traffic.
At first Charlie was trying to greet every thing that went by
including cars, after 3 or 4 times he now just sits under my chair and
watches, unless someone says "OOooohhh cute puppy!!!" then is
he is right out greeting the interested person. He is learning
who is interested and who isn't, and letting the puppy indifferent go
by without being chased!
If you don't socialize your puppy, your adult dog
will be 10 times as hard to socialize, and may develop life long
behavioral problems.
