12 Tips to Potty Train a Pug Puppy (and training aids that help!)

A pug puppy who isn’t potty trained can damage your carpet and rugs to the point of no return 😢

But no worries, I have you covered, if you have a pug, or are considering getting one, you may be wondering how to go about potty training them. There’s many ways to go about potty training, we’ll cover 11 tips that can help you can potty train your pug.

Before continuing, I’d start with our guide on How to Effectively Train a Pug.

But before we get into the best potty training aids for your pup, let’s talk about the basics that everyone should be incorporating:

Basic Tips for Potty Training a Pug Puppy

• #1 – Start Early: The earlier you start potty training, the easier it will be. If you get your puppy around the recommended 8 week mark – that’s a great place to start! If you’re adopting an adult pug and he still hasn’t been properly house trained, it can be difficult because they’ve built a pattern over their life, but with proper training and consistency, yes even an old dog can learn new tricks!

How long does it take to potty train a pug?

Most pug pups will be should be relatively trained with within 4-8 weeks. You’ll have accidents here and there over the next year, but that’s because a puppy has less control over their bladder.

• #2 – Be consistent: Set a regular potty schedule for your pug puppy and stick to it.

How often do pugs need to pee?

A tip that worked for me was that for every month a puppy is, he can hold his/her bladder for another hour. In other words, you should be taking your 3-month old puppy out every 3 hours, your 6-month old puppy every 6 hours, etc. As an adult, I took my pug out once in the morning and once at night.

Consistency is important when potty training a pug. if you are inconsistent with your rules and expectations, your pug will be as well.

• #3 – Create A Potty Training Schedule

To add on to #2, one of the keys to success is to create a potty training schedule and stick to it. You’ll want to take your pug out to their designated potty area frequently, especially after meals and naps. With a consistent schedule, your pug will quickly learn when and where they should do their business. Potty training a pug can be accomplished in a few short weeks with patience and consistency.

You can also restrict water at night to prevent accidents, the American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends,

“Remove water and food bowls about 2-3 hours before bedtime. In other words, if lights out is at 10PM, you should remove food/water at 8PM.”

Along with a designated time, you could also create a designated potty spot. Even better if you let your dog out in your backyard as it helps soil just one area instead of the entire backyard.

• #4 – Be patient: Potty training can take some time, so be patient and don’t get frustrated.

When potty training a pug, it is important to have patience. Pugs are a unique breed of dog and they require a different approach to potty training than other breeds. Pugs are cute and lovable, but they’re not quite ranked high on the list of the smartest or easiest dogs to train. But you can their to his strong suit…

• #5 – Use positive reinforcement: Rewarding your pug for going potty outside will help them to understand that this is what you want them.

Pugs love food (hey, who doesn’t?!). It’s no shocker and a big reason why pugs can have weight issues which can affect their lifespan. But treats can certainly help with positive reinforcement combined with praise (good boy / good girl!). Don’t go overboard, stick with one small low calorie treat to reward your pug for going to the bathroom outside, and that will help to reinforce the behavior.

Positive reinforcement can be done with treats, praise, or even a favorite toy. It is important to be consistent with the rewards so that the pug knows that they are being praised for going to the bathroom in the correct spot. Another way to reward a pug is to take them for a walk or playtime immediately after they go to the bathroom. This will show them that good things happen when they use the restroom outside and will help reinforce the behavior.

• #6 – Crate Training

There are some naysayers to crate training as they don’t like to see dogs “caged.”

But the truth is, most vets, breeders and trainers recommend crate training from a young age. Crate training can be helpful when potty training a pug. This method involves confining your pug to a small space, and the idea is that your puppy won’t want to soil his bed/home.

Overall, I found it to be a wonderful tool, and certainly helpful when you want to fly with your pug like I frequently did with Benji:

Potty Training Aids for Pugs

I’ve tried them all… and they’ll all work with consistency. Here are my thoughts:

• #7 – Clicker Training – Cheap and effective at under $10, but it’s not very convenient to have on you all the time. I found that it worked, but I phased it out within a few months of use.
• #8 – Potty Pads (aka Pee Pads / Puppy Pads) – I know a lot of people that made these work. I however, had no such luck… but I did have luck with the “upgraded version”…
• #9 – Artificial Turf Potty Station – When I fist got Benji, I lived in Downtown Portland on the 4th floor. I had it indoors and eventually moved it the patio… then completely phased it out when I moved from Downtown Portland in about a year. It’s great for apartment dwellers and though you shouldn’t be lazy and walk your dog, it rains a lot in Portland! So this saved me a lot of hassle of getting rained on and cleaning Benji on the way back in. At first, I bought the cheap one from Petco and that was a mistake – it ended stinking! These ones were much better and you can buy replacement turfs.
• #10 – Dog Bells – I didn’t use these, but I’ve since seen a lot of friends and family use them. They’re simple, cheap and do the job. They’re available in many designs as well.

More tips for potty training your pug…

#11 – Avoiding Accidents and Setbacks

One of the best ways to potty train a pug is by avoiding accidents. If you can keep your pug from having accidents, then they will be less likely to have accidents in the future. One way to avoid accidents is to take them out often, following tip #2 accompanied with positive reinforcement is really all you need. Eventually they’ll get the hang of it!

This will help them to learn when they need to go and will also give them a chance to relieve themselves before they have an accident. Another way to avoid accidents is to keep their living area clean. This means keeping their crate or designated potty area clean and free of any debris that could cause an accident. Finally, you should avoid giving your pug food or water right before bed. This will help to prevent any accidents that could occur overnight.

There’s nothing more frustrating than taking two steps forward and one step back in the potty training process. If your Pug has had an accident, don’t get angry or punish them – this will only make them more nervous and less likely to want to use the potty outside. Instead, clean up the mess calmly and continue working on their training.

#12 – When All Else Fails – Consider Getting a Professional Trainer

When it comes to potty training a pug, some people may feel that they need professional help in order to get the job done right. Not everyone is patient and many don’t mind paying a pro to expedite the process of training – hey it’s less poop you gotta clean up!

While there are definitely some benefits to getting professional help, it is important to keep in mind that potty training, and house training a pug in general, is something that you can do on your own if you are willing to put in the time and effort.

FAQ’s

How to Potty Train a Chug Puppy?

A chug – ie. a mix between a chihuahua and a pug, the training is no different. Chihuahua’s are ranked a tad bit lower on the scale of the ‘smartest dogs’, so it could make a chug a tad bit more stubborn as a learner.

How to discipline a pug?

There are many different theories with regards to discipline, and many advocates argue that you can train your dog on positive reinforcement alone. Overall, I would find a trainer online that you can learn their methodology and stick with it. Personally, I find Cesar Millan’s tactics to be effective, but some may disagree – to each their own.