How To Housetrain an Adult Pug Dog
If you are thinking about housetraining an older Pug then it is important to understand that it involves as much of a commitment from your family as it does the Pug. While you may assume that since the Pug is already grown and may have very well been potty trained in another home, this is not the case. The Pug will have to adjust to your home and needs time to learn your home’s elimination schedule.
Let’s be realistic here. Your Pug needs some time to adjust to the new environment of your home. He also needs to know that you do not appreciate him peeing on the floor - especially if his prior owner did not seem to care.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because he’s an adult Pug that he’ll just “know” what to do. Start with him as if he were a puppy and gradually teach him the routine of your home’s pet potty schedule.
A good place to start is by crate training or restricting the Pug to going in the bathroom only. Then you can make up a schedule for potty time. Once a Pug is grown it is very picky about where it uses the potty. Typically, they prefer not to use it where they eat, sleep or play.
Take your Pug outside in your yard and choose a spot for your Pug to go potty. The key is to bring the Pug back to that same exact spot on each visit outdoors so that he knows that is where he needs to go. Monitoring your Pug’s elimination patterns can help you devise the right schedule for potty breaks as well.
Keeping your Pug on a schedule is important so be sure to feed your Pug at the same times each day. He may have never had this type of organization in his life before so it is crucial to remain patient while he adjusts. The old phrase, “you can’t teach a Pug new tricks” is a common misconception. In fact, you can teach a Pug anything if you just practice a little consistency.
Your Pug may have lived in an abusive home in the past so be careful about the way you treat your Pug when he behaves out of turn. Show your Pug that you care and exercise a little patience. You need to let the Pug know that he can be comfortable around you so that he is not afraid to learn the new rules.
Be prepared to clean up a lot of accidents at first. Training an adult Pug is no easier than training a puppy. Both Pugs require a lot of adjustment before they can really get a grasp on how things are supposed to work. Being consistent and training with love will boost the Pug’s confidence so that good behavior becomes habit.
An older male Pug may be accustomed to marking his territory by urinating on it. This is an instinctive behavior for male Pugs - you aren’t going to break him of it without breaking his spirit or having him neutered.
