So you’re super thrilled that you finally brought home the little pug you’ve been eyeing for months and can’t wait for him to be waking you up with cuddles every morning. But looking at his size you are wondering whether he can actually jump on to a bed.
Can Pugs Jump On The Bed
Yes, pugs can jump on the bed as long as the bed is not too high. However, most struggle to get onto a bed because of their small stocky body and limited height. But with proper training and assistance, it’s possible.
There is not any reason why pugs should not enjoy the warmth and comfort of your bed.
In this post, you will learn whether it’s safe to allow your pug to jump on your bed, and how to assist him to jump on the bed.
What It Takes for Your Pug To Jump Up And Down on The Bed
As mentioned, pugs are limited in height and have a bulky body, this means they have to put in twice the effort to jump onto a bed or any other high surface.
When your pug is preparing to take the jump, they have to shift their weight to their back legs and joints. This is to aerodynamically align themselves for the spring forward.
And when they want to land, they have to extend and flex their front legs to “brake” and keep their body steady. See how intense this motion is and the amount of weight put on the back legs, hips, tarsal?
Similarly, when your pug is jumping down, they use a lot of muscular energy and flexing especially when “braking”. The front legs and the shoulders take in so much weight.
All these movements, while perfectly normal, add more load and stress. Dog experts refer this to as ‘increased load activity’.
Dangers of Frequent Jumps
As explained earlier, pugs use way more energy to jump up and down from a bed. And given their weight and body structure, their joints end up taking too much stress from their weight.
If they keep up with the jumping for years, it could lead to early dog arthritis, a condition that tends to affect nearly 65% of dogs due to the constant up and down jumping that causes wear and tear of the cartilage in their joints.
The other concern with your pug always jumping up and down your bed is that they are likely to “land wrongly”, causing them to twist, sprain, or strain their legs, shoulders, or hips.
There is also the possibility of your pug miscalculating and hence not making it to the bed but falling off from the edge at a high impact. This can also cause serious injuries especially if they hit a hard surface or an object.
So yes, while seeing your pug jump up to your bed every morning for that good morning snuggly cuddle is exciting, too much of it could lead to health issues.
How To Help Your Pug Jump Safely On The Bed
As you know by now, due to their height and weight, most pugs will struggle a lot to jump on to a bed.
If your pug struggles too, the best way to help him jump on the bed effortlessly and safely is to get him a doggie step.
This will make it so much easier for them to reach your bed and other higher surfaces. This will also save you on the number of vet runs (and some bucks) you would otherwise make due to injuries.
If you are quite the handy type, you can go the DIY route and make the steps yourself. It’s pretty simple, you only need wood blocks and of course an anti-slip carpet to prevent your pug from sliding off.
You can check out this step by step video on how to build a DIY dog step to learn more.
Training Your Pug To Jump On The Bed
If you have an older pug and you find that he is hesitant to jump into your bed, it could be that they have before experienced hurt or pain when trying to jump on the bed.
It could also be that the previous owner trained them not to. For these reasons, you will find that your pug becomes anxious or scared when you call them to your bed.
Regardless of the reason, you may have to assist him to get over the anxiety and train him to jump into your bed. If you have a puppy, you will want to lift them onto and off the bed to prevent injury.
Once your Pug is at least 12-15 months old, you can start training them. It’s important to wait until their growth plates are completely developed, as jumping on open growth plates can lead to long-term damage.
Here’s an easy way to train him:
- Establish cue words for jumping to the bed like “come here”, jump here”, “hop in” or whatever suits you.
- Put a treat at the edge of the bed and while tapping on the bed, say the cue word aloud. When he comes for the treat, allow him to eat, and praise him for that.
- Next, place another treat but this time, move it further from the edge, tap on the bed as you say the cue word. If he is hesitant to put his paws up, assist him by lifting his paws up. Praise and allow him to have his treat.
- Keep moving the treat further back into the bed to encourage him to stretch and finally jump onto the bed so as to reach his treat. Praise him multiple times and act super excited as you reward him with another treat.
- Keep doing this a couple of times a day every day and he will eventually get it. If he is having difficulties due to his height, use doggie stairs for the training.
What If You Want Your Pug To Stay Off Your Bed?
Now, let’s suppose you don’t want your Pug jumping onto your bed. How do you train him that your bed is off-limits?
Simple.
Train him to respect your bed just as you would train him to keep boundaries of anything else.
First, you have to ensure that his dog bed and dog blanket are nearly as comfortable as your own. Also, allow him to have one or two of his toys during the night so he’ll want to stay in his bed.
Once all that is in place, you are ready to start the training
- Take him to your bedroom and get him to jump to your bed.
- Instead of patting him, use a chosen punishment to get him off the bed. Choose the punishment wisely, you only want him to feel uncomfortable so that he leaves the bed.
- Once he jumps off the bed, praise and reward him with a treat.
- Repeat the process, until he/she understands not to jump on the bed or couch.
Remember to lock up all the other bedrooms so he doesn’t jump on a bed. Keep the living area locked too, the next place he is likely to go to once your bedroom is off limits is your couch.
Be consistent in teaching him where he needs to sleep. It’s okay to let you Pug sleep with you, but be prepared to have them sleeping on you, or taking up most of your bed. Personally, I think it’s best to have them sleep on their own bed.
Crate him when away as well so that he is not tempted to jump onto your bed in your absence.
Any leniency on your part will drag this training for longer than it should be.
Conclusion
Even though most pugs can jump on the bed, it’s safer that you practice to pick your dog up instead if you want him to join you in bed. Similarly, lift them back down when you want them out of the bed.
This is because the bed is a high surface for pugs and the frequent up and down jumping is a high-load activity that could result in a multitude of health issues.
To keep your pooch safe, buy or make a doggy step and have it constantly by your bedside so that your dog can join you for a snuggle anytime they feel like. Better yet, get them their own doggie bed so they won’t be tempted to climb and risk a possible injury.