Housebreaking your pug is an important part of dog ownership. Some breeds and genders have a reputation for being more difficult to potty train than others. If you’ve ever wondered “are male Pugs hard to potty train?” and will he ever learn. Rest assured, anyone can potty train their pug if they take the right steps. It might be challenging at first, but you and your pug will quickly adapt to your new routine.
Are Male Pugs Hard to Potty Train?
Male puppies can sometimes be more stubborn than females making them more challenging to train, including potty training.
However, it’s important to set ground rules whenever you’re potty training Pugs. If you let your dog go anywhere at any time of the day, you’ll have trouble controlling their habits.
Dogs need structure just as much as children–and since you’re the owner, it’s your responsibility to teach them everything they need to know.
How to Make it Easier to Potty Train Your Male Pug
With a little patience, you can make it past the initial challenges. Here are some tips on housebreaking your male Pug puppy or an older adult. Read this, if your Pug is marking in your house and you don’t know what to do.
Establish a Routine
When you start housebreaking your pug, you don’t want to give them the impression that they can go anywhere as long as it’s outdoors. They might end up relieving themselves near the barbecue grill, in your flowers, or on the neighbor’s lawn. Choose a specific place in the backyard where your pug can do their business and direct them to this area during the housebreaking process.
Similarly, it’s important to establish a routine to minimize the risk of accidents. As you learn about your dog’s habits, you’ll know when to take them outside every day. If you take them outside at different times each day, you’ll have trouble predicting when your dog might have an accident in the house.
Most dog owners take their pug out at least once when they get up in the morning and once before they go to bed. You might also want to take your dog out if you’re going to be leaving for a long period of time. Additionally, you’ll need to figure out a routine so you can take your dog out whenever they need to go during the day.
Supervise Your Pug
When you first bring a pug into your house, don’t assume that they’ll tell you whenever they need to go outside. Your pug could easily have an accident inside the house if you’re not paying attention. The more accidents they have, the more they’ll feel like it’s acceptable to relieve themselves in your house.
Keep an eye on your dog at all times during the potty training process. If necessary, keep the dog in the same room as you or attach a harness to your pug so they can’t get too far. This might seem like a hassle, but you’ll be able to give your dog more freedom once they’re potty trained.
Use a Focus Word
If you’ve ever trained a dog to sit or stand up, you know that they learn better when they associate training with a certain word. You can let your pug know when it’s time to go outside by using a simple word like “bathroom.” Over time, your pug will fall into a routine and learn when it’s time to go.
You can use this focus word twice: once when it’s time to go outside and once when your dog has relieved themselves, letting them know that they’re about to get a treat. Your dog will quickly associate this word with good behavior, getting a treat and relieving themselves outside instead of inside the house.
On a similar note, you could give your pug a treat to reinforce good behavior. Positive reinforcement will make your pug want to go outside and get rewarded for their good behavior. If you only use negative reinforcement, your pug might get stressed and have more frequent accidents inside the house.
Recognize When Your Pug Needs to Go Outside
Even if you’re developing a routine, you’ll still have times when your pug needs to go as soon as possible. Don’t assume that your pug only needs to go during your chosen times. Instead, keep an eye on their habits and learn to pick up on the behaviors that signify that your dog needs to go outside.
When they need to go, some pugs pace around, move around restlessly or appear to look for a place to do their business. Others go to places wher