Pugs are faithful and loyal companions that can be a great companion. However, there are several Pug behavior problems that you need to be aware of. The great thing is that you can learn how to discipline your pet, even if you’re a first-time pet owner.
Pug Dog Behavior
Every Pug is different and has its own personality. Mindy, my black Pug was amazing, but it didn’t start out that way. When she was a puppy, she was extremely stubborn and sometimes it was challenging to get her to do what I wanted her to do.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the common problems that pet owners face, such as:

- Uncontrollable whining
- Separation anxiety
- Barking
- Pug jumping
- Growling Issues
- Pug dominance issues
- Chewing
- Pug biting
- Stubborn Temperament
The great thing is that not every Pug owner is going to struggle with these issues. From my personal experience of owning one, Mindy had a great personality.
Yes, she had some issues, but not a ton of issues that made me regret the decision of getting a Pug.
Pug Behavior Problems You Need to Know About
Uncontrollable Whining
If your pet is whining a lot whenever they are left alone, there’s a good chance that they are overly dependant on human companionship.
Pugs are sociable dogs that love human companionship. It’s not uncommon to find Fido following you around the house and quickly becoming your shadow.
Mindy was overly dependent and wherever I was, she was right there at my feet. There were a couple of times when I almost tripped over her because she was right under my feet.
If your dog is suffering from uncontrollable whining, then it’s time to get them to stop.
Whenever they whine, ignore their behavior and turn your back. Don’t give them any attention, until they stop. You can also give them a treat when they stop whining and praise them.
Eventually, they will realize that they get rewarded when they are not whining.
Separation Anxiety
If you rescue an older Pug, there’s a good chance that they have had many homes in their lifetime. The lack of a regular routine can lead to separation anxiety issues.
This issue is not as common if you’ve had your pet since they were a puppy.
If your dog is struggling with anxiety issues, it’s important to put your dog on a regular routine. This will help calm them down so they know what to expect.
It takes time to get your dog to calm down, but with patience and love, you can eventually get your dog to calm down and understand your daily routines.
Uncontrollable Barking
Barking is a form of communication and also a way to alert you of danger.
No one wants a yappy dog, at least I didn’t. The great thing is that you can teach your dog to stop barking so much or not bark at all. With this breed, you won’t really have to worry about dealing with a Pug barking problem, which is what makes this breed perfect for apartment dwellers.
Whenever Mindy started barking we would always tell her to “be quiet” in a regular tone without getting upset. After doing this several times, she stopped barking and developed a little dove cry when she wanted something.
It was cute and it was nice to know that you could actually teach Pugs not to bark. Just remember, it takes patience and a lot of practice to get them to stop that excessive barking.
Jumping on People
Pugs love attention, at least ours did. When she was about 4 years old, she had a bad habit of jumping on people because she wanted them to pet her.
Whenever someone came over, she would jump on them. We hated this behavior problem because we realized that not everyone likes dogs.
We realized that dogs usually jump when they are excited or have too much energy. So, we started taking Mindy for long walks and made sure that she got plenty of exercise.
This helped us get her to stop that unwanted behavior. If your furbaby is jumping on people and you hate it, here’s an article with more tips.
Some dogs will jump when on furniture because they don’t want to sit on the ground or just want to be close to their owner.
Growling Issues
A Pug is a has a docile temperament, but there are times when they may growl at you such as when they are eating or playing with their favorite toy.
You may not think anything about it, but growling is a form of aggression, that needs to be dealt with. According to experts, growling is usually a form of communication. They can’t talk like us, so they growl to alert you about something.
A Pug will only growl if they are feeling territorial, such as they don’t want you or another dog touching their toys or their food.
At times you may experience the growling issues if they are experiencing some type of pain. Unfortunately, Pugs have quite a bit of health issues and as they get older, they may experience aches and pains that can cause them to growl.
Pug Dominance Issues
Pugs are stubborn dogs and if you let them, they will try to become an alpha dog. This is why it’s so important to start training them as soon as possible.
You have to let them know that you are in control and they have to listen to what you want them to do.
Chewing and Tearing Up Stuff
Chewing is a natural Pug behavior and it’s just a part of owning a pet. One thing we noticed about Mindy was she loved chewing the strings of our rugs and our hair when we laid down with her.
A puppy chews to help them relieve the pain from incoming adult teeth. The best thing you can do is buy them chew toys that they can chew on to help them relieve the pain. Check out some of the best chew toys for Pugs that will help stop this destructive behavior.
Older pets will chew if they are bored or dealing with separation anxiety issues. As a pet owner, you’ll want to make sure they have plenty of toys that they can chew.
It’s also important to stop the excessive chewing behavior before they chew something that can hurt them or damage something that you love.
One of the best ways to get them to stop is to give them their favorite toy. If they are bored and have too much energy, put a harness on them and take them for a long walk.
They’ll be too tired to tear up things in your home.
Pug Biting
According to Canine Journal, over 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year, with over 800,000 of those needing medical attention.
As a pet owner, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your dog does not injure people. Pugs don’t have big teeth like big dogs, however, you dogs tend to bite when they are put in stressful situations.
They also have a tendency to bite if they are scared, feeling protective of if they are not feeling well.
It’s also not uncommon for your dog to bite if they are playing hard. This is important to know if you have children and they are playing with the family pet. I’ve personally never heard of a story where Pug bites child, but I’m sure it is possible.
The dog can become excited and accidentally nip them while playing. If this happens, make sure that your dog understands this behavior is not acceptable.
Just remember, they didn’t bite the child with the intent to hurt.
What About Pug Puppy Behavior Problems?
Who doesn’t love Pug puppies? They are extremely adorable with those wrinkles. These little bundles of joy will struggle with some of the same issues I’ve mentioned above, the biggest one is biting.
All puppies love to bite and let me tell you, it hurts! So you’ll definitely need to learn how to teach your puppy not to bite as soon as possible.
We also had to deal with issues of stubbornness with Mindy. There were times when she just didn’t want to listen, no matter how much we called her.
A Pugs Stubborn Temperament
One of the things you’ll notice about your new Pug puppy or adult dog is that they can be stubborn. This can make training them challenging.
However, every pet owner needs to learn how to discipline their pet. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a dog that doesn’t listen and does whatever they want.
No parent would let their kids run their household, you set rules that need to be followed. The same goes with your furbaby, you need to set the rules you want them to follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pugs territorial? Most Pugs are easy to get along with and you won’t really have to deal with territorial issues. However, every dog has its own unique personality.
Some people have had to deal with aggressive territorial issues when they added a second Pug to their household or a dog that is the same sex.
Final Word On Pug Behavior
Hopefully, you realized that you can control any behavior that you don’t like. Dogs are fairly easy to train if you can stay persistent and train them properly.
The most important thing is to make sure that you start training them and correct bad behavior as soon as you see it. If you choose to ignore it, it will just get worse and it won’t go away until you correct it and teach them what you want them to do.
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