Keep Calm and Pug On! How to Effectively Train Your Pug

Many Pug owners would say that their dogs are the light of their lives – perky, loveable and clownish, these toy breed dogs are amazing canine companions. After you’ve fallen in love with their big brown eyes, funny faces and stubby bodies, however, you might find that a Pug’s personality isn’t quite what you expected – they’re independent, naughty, get into everything that’s edible, and darn it – they just peed on the floor again! Although some people tend to pigeonhole Pugs into the ‘dumb puppy’ category, they actually aren’t that stupid. Most Pugs, in fact, are quite intelligent, tough, and stubborn enough to hold out on you in order to get their own way. Like any other dog, they can become positive terrors without clear boundaries and consistent training, so let’s take a look at how you can effectively help your Pug to become a (mostly) model citizen. (Hey, no dog is perfect!)

Update 2023: RIP Benji (above). It’s been 3 years since his passing and I just missed having a pug… I would like to introduce everyone to Lats the Pug! And take a look at how her training is going just at just 9 weeks old: 

How to Train a Pug 101

Here’s a summary of what we’ll cover:

• Housetraining (and Potty Training)
• Walking
• Obedience and Manners
• Negative Reinforcement
• Positive Reinforcement

First, as a general rule, remember that Pugs are dogs, not just lap pets, and need attention and daily exercise to feel content; a tired dog is far less likely to misbehave! Your furry friend will also be able to learn more effectively when they’ve had a chance to burn off some steam and get some mental stimulation; so though your Pug appears to be content to laze the day away on the couch, it will do them a world of good to get up, out and doing ‘dog’ things (like walking, or going to the park, or meeting other pups to play with!).

Although Pugs are often very treat motivated (see some of the best dog foods for pugs here), toys, play and affection can also be great incentives for your little snort monster, too. Last week, we talked about 15 things every pug owner should own, we’ll mention some of those and we’ll link to a few other recommended products as we go through this post. Additionally, I’d recommend one of our latest post on, “Pug Puppy Supplies: 27 Essentials for Your New Pug Puppy.”

Let’s look at some training tips for the most common situations that pug owners encounter.

House training and Potty Training for Your Pug 

Pugs are not known for their speedy ability to learn proper toilet habits. They can often reach the age of 5 or 6 months before they truly get the hang of housetraining, and need toilet breaks overnight for a longer time than other breeds. Although this is perfectly normal, it can be very frustrating for some owners! Patience, consistency, a regular daily routine, and the use of an appropriately sized crate (just big enough for your pup to stand, lay down and turn around) are all excellent ways to help potty learning along.

First, set an approximate routine for your Pug – they should be eating, playing, and having the opportunity to pee and poop in a designated area at roughly the same times each day. Puppies cannot be left along for long periods of time, either – most need a toilet break every two hours at least – and even adult pugs need to have the opportunity to go potty several times a day.

My last adult pug was generally okay with going once in the morning and once at night. My new pug puppy at 10 weeks currently goes every 2-3 hours.

When you are out of the house, or otherwise not able to directly supervise your Pug, then a short rest time in their crate is a good idea to prevent house accidents – most dogs instinctively hate to soil their sleeping places. If your pooch has an accident inside, simply say a firm ‘no’ when you catch them going, and remove them outside right away to continue their potty break. I’d avoid any physical forms of negative reinforcement and focus on positive reinforcements when they correctly go outside (pugs love treats!).

For potty training, start here with these 12 Tips to Potty Train a Pug Puppy.

Do make sure to go out with your Pug to their toilet area during housetraining– this is so you can make a big fuss over them when they actually do toilet outside! A yummy treat and lots of praise are great ways to make it clear that they’ve done something right. Pugs are highly food motivated, Benji learned a host of tricks with food as a motivation! For owners of older puppies or adult Pugs who already mainly potty outside, training them to ring a bell beside the door is a great method to get them to communicate that they need to go out. Hang the bell at nose level (your dog’s, not yours!) beside the door used to access your Pug’s toilet area. For the first week or two, reward him (clicker training works well here too) each time he sniffs or touches the bell with his nose. Once he rings the bell consistently each time he approaches, begin pairing the bell ringing with a word like ‘Potty’ or ‘Out!’ and then immediately open the door to let your dog outside, and reward them when they pee or poop. They’ll eventually start to understand that ringing the bell is the new doggie way of saying ‘open sesame!

When I first got Benji, I lived downtown on the 4th floor of a high rise condo, for apartment/condo dwelling pugs a potty station on the balcony can be a huge help. I was lazy with cleaning it though, and in retrospect I would have used potty pads underneath the grass to ease the cleaning.

Learning How to Walk a Pug (and why you should consider a harness)

Like furry locomotives, Pugs are known for pulling on leash, and their compact, muscular little bodies are surprisingly strong, making your arm feel like it’s about to fall off before the walk is half over. ‘Would switching collars make a difference?’ you ask. Well, since Pugs have a brachycephalic (pushed in) face, walking a pulling Pug on a regular flat collar usually isn’t a good idea anyways – the collar can put pressure on their delicate throat tissues, causing breathing problems in a breed that already has trouble catching their breath sometimes. Prong collars or choke chain leads are also a big no-no with Pugs for the same reasons. A front attaching harness (most have a clip at chest level) will let your pup move freely, as well as allowing you to redirect their front end (and their attention) back to you to prevent continued pulling. Puppia harnesses are super popular in the pug community. The best solution, though, is to teach your four-legged little friend to walk at your side. Use food or toys to reward your dog for staying at your side while walking. When they pull, stop walking and keep the leash still, then reward them for taking steps toward you or returning to your side. Soon, the two of you will make a great walking team!

I’m a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) practitioner, and on one BJJ channel I subscribe to, they talked about training their dog – and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. Having a dog that could walk without a leash is highly coveted, Tioki however could do much more than that:

The trainer (Nick White) has trained more than the Gracies’ dog too, apparently he’s a celebrity dog trainer of sorts. After doing some research, I found out that he uses this e-collar, as well as clicker training.

It’s pricey, but if I could take back time, I would start Benji on an e-collar for more effective training. Remember that these differ from shock collars, and I’d highly recommend anyone who buys one to put it on their neck and try it… I got my hands on one and it’s nothing more than a light buzz, or as the item description calls it, “tapping sensation similar to vibration.”

Pug Obedience and Manners

Calm, polite, dainty –these words aren’t the first ones that Pug lovers would use to describe them. In spite of their ability to leave chaos in their wake, however, Pugs are perfectly capable of learning appropriate doggie manners when consistent boundaries are set, and good behaviour is rewarded! There are two kinds of reinforcement that you can give to your Pug during training – either negative or positive reinforcement.

Negative Reinforcement – This includes verbal or physical punishment or scolding, and the use of corrective collars like choke, prong or muzzle collars. The idea of negative reinforcement is to correct your dog for ‘bad’ behaviour – which, while sometimes effective at stopping the behaviour, can have the unwanted side effect of making your pup confused, stressed and fearful. If you punish your Pug for misbehaviour, he could inadvertently end up being afraid of you, the place where he was punished, or other people or dogs that were present while he was being corrected. Negative reinforcement training might lead to growling, biting, or other unwanted behaviours from your Pug.

Positive Reinforcement – Remember how happy you were the last time someone gave you a compliment, or that time you got a work bonus for a job well done? Well, your Pug feels the same way – praise and food (especially food!) are powerful motivators – because the reward makes him more likely to repeat the behavior, positive reinforcement is one of your most powerful tools for shaping or changing your dog’s behavior! Clicker training is one very successful type of positive reinforcement training that uses a device that makes a distinctive ‘click’ sound. Because you can use the clicker to mark good behaviour immediately, even at a distance from your dog, it’s a fantastic way of training that Pugs respond very well to.

With this method of training, teaching your Pug obedience commands and good manners can be fun for both of you. Using small, bite size soft treats and a clicker, immediately ‘click’ when you see your Pug doing the activity you want at the moment (like sitting calmly, for example) then reward with a tasty treat. When your dog is offering that behaviour regularly, you can add a spoken command word. Remember that all dogs, and especially Pugs, need a lot of patience during training – work in short sessions, and keep the tone fun and upbeat for success.

To prevent naughty Pug antics like household destruction and counter surfing, initial dog-proofing tends to be the best prevention. Give your small canine companion lots of opportunities to safely ‘get out the sillies’ out with a walk or outside playtime, and when inside, remove tempting items from their reach, and give them a chewable toy or food dispensing ball to occupy both their mouths and their brains, preventing that dangerous doggie state of mind – boredom!

You can also take the Alpha Dog approach, which Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) uses, though controversial, it is effective because dogs, like wolves, are pack dogs. And respond to the leader of the pack (the alpha).

Most Pugs love nothing better than pleasing their owners, and with time, patience, and an understanding of a Pug’s unique personality, training is not only a way to teach your dog good behavior, but a great way for you to bond with your wonderful four-legged friend!