How to Train Your Pug

When you get a new puppy, there are a lot of things you need to train any kind of puppy to do. Basic commands such as sit, stay, and come are common to all pet dogs. Today, we are focusing on Pugs, not dogs in general, so there are a few additional training issues to consider;  for one thing, there are important things you should train your Pug not to do.  Pugs are inclined to chew, bite hands, behave slightly aggressively towards any other dogs that may be around, and can even be “barky.”

When introducing a Pug to your household, what happens during the first half year of his membership in your family (whom he regards as his “pack”) sets the stage for the entire relationship, so it is important to get certain things right from day one.  Dogs respond to all kinds of feedback from humans.  They love attention.  Pugs even love negative attention, so reacting to undesired behaviors should be limited.  For instance:  say your Pug has a habit of pulling your blanket off the end of the couch with his teeth.  You don’t want him to do that, so what do you do?

“Yelling or saying ‘No!’ firmly can actually give the Pug the wrong idea,” said Dale Withers, dog training expert. “If a Pug, or really any dog, gets that attention from you, he’s going to do the thing over and over again.  The best thing to do is take back the object you don’t want him to have, and remove it out of his reach, then offer no further response.”

The same is true for a barking dog that tends to keep yapping nonstop.  The best thing you can do is, contrary to shouting at the dog or telling him “no!” you should more rightly withdraw your attention from the dog.  He will not enjoy being ignored or isolated and left out.  Dogs are very sensitive to their owner’s emotions and they can often detect your displeasure whether you explicitly reveal it or not, but any aggression on your part can easily be mistaken for playfulness by the Pug, who will then repeat undesirable behavior as many times as he can get your attention with it.  It is much harder to discontinue a repetitive behavior that is not desired than it is to discourage it properly in the first few times it takes place.

Surprisingly, TV is becoming a great way to train your dog. Animal Planet, a popular tv network, offers up weekly shows on how to train your dog. If you don’t already have it, get satellite tv.