The Ideal Pug Owner

Good day and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with another Pugs newsletter.

Here we go!

You can be an ideal Pug owner if:

• You have a lot of time for your dog and can be patient with him
• You like cuddling your pet
• You can make your pet work for you
• You can be strict when you need to be and can laugh at his antics
• You’re aware of his weaknesses and alert to his illnesses
• You don’t want to keep him outdoors only
• You don’t want an athletic dog, or like the idea of going for long walks every day or take part in competitive agility

Why you shouldn’t choose a Pug dog: Yes, Pugs are wonderful, but they aren’t meant for everyone. Let’s tell you why. When you select a dog, it is important that there be a perfect fit between owner and dog, since this is the beginning of a positive and longstanding relationship.

But before you get to this stage, there are a few vital things to consider. Please consider these seriously and carefully before you decide on buying yourself a Pug.

Health problems: As you are now learning, Pugs are prone to a whole spectrum of genetic health problems for which they may need a veterinary care. This is the first thing that you need to internalize—that you will be making some trips to the vet.

This means that you need to take time off from your busy schedule and often, besides also forking out money at the vet’s clinic. But if you think that this is a complete nuisance, particularly over a 12-15 year period, please don’t invest in a Pug.

Mind you, all dogs require a certain amount of vet care from time to time.

Housetraining: As mentioned earlier, these dogs are difficult (but certainly not impossible) to housetrain. Being so small in size, they can be difficult to hold.

Also, their stubbornness sometimes prevents them from co-operating with their trainers or masters. But if you are a skilled and experienced dog owner, you should be able to housetrain your Pug within the first three months.

He’ll cling to you: Since Pugs love and thrive on human companionship they will cling to you. By doing this, they are sticking to their original duty in life—to be companion dogs.

So if you do get a Pug, you can safely expect it to be around you for all his waking hours. He will follow you from room to room, and while you may find this charming, there are those people who can’t take too much of it. So, think about it.

They are low activity dogs: Pug dogs are not so energetic that they would enjoy fetching Frisbees for you all day long. They sleep long hours, perhaps 14 hours a day.

But they are blessed with short bursts of energy, so you may be lucky to see him run long and fast and then quickly sink to the floor for a nap. If you are an outdoor person, this breed can’t share that hobby with you all the time.

It’s a stay-at-home breed: This is one breed that immediately reacts to high temperatures and humidity. This makes him sick and an over exposure to this type of weather can cause either immediate or long-term health problems in him, beginning with heat stroke and going on to organ damage.

Reconsider your decision to buy a Pug if you live in a very warm and humid climate without air conditioning.

A high maintenance pet: Pugs need a lot of grooming and general care. First, to counter their copious shedding, their coats have to be brushed frequently.

Then, their facial folds must be cleaned, every other day or oftener, depending on how dirty they get themselves. Their nails grow fast and need regular trimming.

In addition, they can be hyperactive, though they behave as pups until they are two years old.

Other problems: Pugs suffer from a whole host of medical problems such as:

• Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE): This form of encephalitis is seen only in Pugs and is fatal.
• Eye problems: Pugs are prone to eye problems and that includes cataracts. Ulcers too can sometimes be caused due to a scratch or injury, dry eye, generalized progressive retinal atrophy, pigmentary kerinitis and other problems.
• Elongated soft palate: The soft palate is part of nose and mouth. If it is too long, it can block some of the air passage to the animal’s lungs and may require surgery.
• Entropian: When his eyelids roll in and his eyelashes rub on the surface of his eyes, it causes him to feel the irritation and induces him to scratch the area. If you don’t attend to it, it can lead to him having reduced eyesight and eventual blindness.
• Slipped stifles or patellar dislocation: A dislocated kneecap can be either hereditary or due to an accident. If the problem is acute, it may call for surgery.
• Stenotic nares: When the Pug’s nostrils are too small and/or their cartilage is far too soft for the dog to breathe, then, on inhaling, they tend to collapse. The best treatment for this is surgery.

Despite this, diehard Pug owners feel that if you are a first-time owner of this breed, you’ll always have one in your life from the day you first own one.

I hope that you learned a lot from today’s Pugs newsletter

All the best and take care

Warmly,
Sharda Baker