Pug Puppy Supplies: 27 Essentials for Your New Puppy

Taking your new pug puppy home is one of the most important days of your life.

There’s so much hope and excitement for the future, and a pug will be bring so much joy over the next 12-15 years, the average lifespan of a pug. Heck, if you’re lucky you might top the world’s oldest pug!

Honestly though, it’s probably the rest of your life as, once a pug owner – always a pug owner.

What will your pug be like when he grows up?

Will your pug be featured in his own movie on Netflix like Doug the Pug?

Or maybe your pug will be athlete like Michael Jordan, ahem I mean Air Bud.

Perhaps a mystery solver like good ol’ Scooby Doo?

Nonetheless, your pug needs a few things as a puppy to give him the best start in life.

Table of Contents

Here’s what you need as a new pug puppy owner…

Leash

There are many different leashes to choose from, personally, I like a retractable leash as it gives as much, or as little freedom as you’re willing to allow (throwback photo of me and Benji with his retractable leash below).

Here’s one on Amazon similar to what I have, whichever you choose, make sure you get a good quality one with a good locking system and a sturdy rope. The last thing you want is for it to malfunction near a busy street.

But for training, I’d start with a shorter leash with a comfortable handle. This is because as a puppy you want to train your dog that you’re walking him/her, not the other way around. And to do that, a lot of trainers recommend a shorter leash to keep your pug behind you. Famed dog trainer Caesar Milan recommends a lead leash if your pug is pulling on walks. There’s also no pull / no choke harnesses if you prefer as well.

Collar

Start here with our guide on How to Effectively Train a Pug and for the tl;dr scroll down to the section on “Learning How to Walk a Pug.”

Essentially, you could start with an e-collar, this can help expedite the house training process. But good ones are pretty pricey, there are two other options:

Pug Harness – We know that pugs are one of few brachycephalic breeds (ie. flat face), a traditional collar can choke and cause breathing issues for a breed that already has breathing issues. There are many advocates of harnesses within the pug community. However, one drawback is that it can teach your pug to pull on the leash, and for that reason many trainers recommend using a standard collar…

Collar – Just because I want Benji to look like a little badass, he has this spiky collar.

Here’s a shot where you can see Benji’s a little, hanging out in his favorite spot, my gf’s butt 😂:

Just be sure to double check the sizing. You want it tight enough that your pug doesn’t slip out, yet loose enough that it won’t choke him. Young pugs should be outfitted with small-size collars, although they will quickly grow out of it over time.

Crate

Most pug owners opt to purchase a dog crate with a divider. Since your pup will be smaller as a puppy, you’ll want a crate that’s similarly small otherwise he’ll still likely find room to soil a corner of the crate. As your pup grows, then you can remove the divider.

We recommend buying one with an easy to carry and tear down design like this crate that’s the perfect size for a pug:

When you start traveling, and you want to fly with your pug in-cabin, you’ll need an airlines approved crate. For more details, checkout our guide on How to Fly with a Pug.

Bed

Alright, if you’re new to owning puppies listen up. Personally, I wouldn’t spend a ton of money on a bed for a new pup unless it has a removable cover. Your pug will soil the bed, it’s inevitable. And again, you’ll want to scale the size of your bed with the size of your pug.

So my advice? Start with a small bed with a removable cover.

I also prefer a white bed, because you can easily throw them in the washer with Oxi and a little bleach for maximum cleanliness.

Car Harness + Dog Seat Cover

Traveling with your puppy will be fun! But pugs are terrible shedders so I would advise to get a car harness, as well a dog seat cover otherwise it’s near impossible to get those pesky little pug hairs out of your upholstery. A dog waterproof seat cover will also save you in repair or cleaning costs. I have an SUV, and when it comes to long road trips, I have Benji in the cargo area, where I have a weather resistant and washable removable mat. I’d recommend running AC, not just for your pug (and they all overheat), but also just to prevent the wind from whipping your pugs hair all over the car!

Treats

Full the full breakdown, I’d start with our guide on The Best Treats for Pugs.

Let’s be honest, your pug won’t be picky. It’s part of the reason why many pugs weigh more than the AKC breed standard.

With that being said, for your pug puppy, I recommend a low calorie snack, with supplements to support your puppies development. It’s anecdotal, but I found that vitamins A, C, and E, along with fish oil helped support Benji’s eye development, because as you recall, he was a little wall-eyed as a pup. 😅

Again, I guarantee your pug probably isn’t going to be very picky. I’ve used many different treats over the years, and for puppies, you’ll want something small, nutritional, but also a good value. You’ll want bang for the buck here because you’ll be giving them out willy nilly to train your pug with positive reinforcement… this is what I would recommend for pug puppies.

Food & Water Bowl

Here’s a not so shocking fact – Pugs love food.

Benji would actually vomit every now and then when he was younger – and I just chalked it up as normal. Sadly, it wasn’t until years down the road that I would realize he would do it because he eats too fast. To slow them down, you’ll need a bowl like this:

Food

Start out with what the breeder had him eating. From there you’ll gradually transition to the new food (there’s usually instructions on the packaging). If you feel like you want to make some changes, just make sure to choose a food meant for small breed puppies.

There’s many options to choose from, I’d recommend starting with our guide on Our Favorite Dog Food for Pugs.

Food is important, especially for a puppy because they’re in their growth stage.

Fun fact: Did you know the average South Korean is 1-3″ taller than your average North Korean? A lot of this is attributed to nutrition.

Check out Royal Canin’s Pug Puppy Food on Amazon, cross check the price with Chewy, where you can likely save in the long run with auto-ship.

Buying a pug puppy might be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. It’s important to remember that they are first and foremost dogs, and need to be treated as such!

Nail Clippers

You’ll probably find that your puppy’s nails can do some serious damage if they get too sharp, so you’ll want to be proactive with nail trimmings.

But truth be told, I messed up with Benji as a pup, now he hates getting his nails cut. Dogs have blood vessels called a kwik that grow within the nail and if you cut to short, your dogs gonna hate ya. But you don’t have to make the same mistake. Just be consistent with nail trimmings, this prevents the kwik from growing too much.

I’ve hit the kwik a few times and Benji’s never liked getting his nails cut since. It’s a bit of a process but we can still get it done (though I’ll have the vet do it for $10 any chance I get).

Just make sure to get a nail cutter that has a stopper that can help stop you (but not completely prevent you) from hitting the kwik.

I like this one on Amazon. Alternatively, you could try a nail filer – but Benji doesn’t like that either – and it takes longer. But some pug owners swear by it.

Brush

Pugs are notorious shedders and you’ll need a brush or two to keep hairs from spreading throughout your entire house.

I’ve tried a bunch of deshedding brushes and they all do the job to some extent – but this one is my favorite, I use it when I bathe him and for general upkeep.

Puppy shampoo

Since Benji has allergies, I use a few speciality formulations for him.

For the general population, since pugs shed like crazy, I recommend this shed control shampoo by Burt’s Bees.

Moisturizes your puppy’s skin and makes it feel soft and smooth. The lightweight formula won’t leave any residue, making a fun, bubbly bath time! The reason why puppies fear bath time so much is because it’s a very new “activity” for them. Like clipping their nails, it’s important that you get puppies used to bath time when they’re young so that they have no issues when they’re older.

Pee Cleaner

Yup you’ll need this – and don’t skimp on this because a cheap one could cost you a lot more in the long run. I like this one with the scrubber built-in.

And if you have carpet, you’re a renter, or both. I would highly advise in getting a carpet cleaning washing machine. You’ll likely save yourself a lot of money in the long run. You can rent them at Walmart or the like for around $30 for the day, but I’d recommend just buying one because here’s one you can get for around $100.

I’m timely with my cleanings if Benji has an accident, but you’d be shocked to see how much my carpet cleaner picked up when I left my last apartment. I had to clean the carpet multiple times to get the water even looking remotely translucent.