Knowing what signals your puppy will give you to let you know when they need to use the bathroom can be a giant savior for your rugs and carpets, or that brand new wood flooring, or that spot on the couch, or… well, you get the point. It can also help you get started on potty training by picking up on their verbal and non-verbal cues. Below we’ll discuss signs your Pug puppy (or any puppy) needs to go potty.
Signs Your Pug Puppy Needs to Go Potty
Every puppy, regardless of breed, will display particular body language signals such as:
- Whining
- Sniffing the ground.
- Pacing or walking in circles with their nose down.
- Staring or scratching at the door.
- Clenching their butt muscles.
- Tucking their tail and butt in towards their stomach as if trying to stop themselves from having an accident.
If this is your first time owning a puppy, it can be hard to pick up on their body language.
Pugs can be challenging to toilet train, but we’ve put together a potty training Pugs resource page for our readers.No matter what age, where you’re at in training, you’ll find what you need to toilet train your Pug puppy!
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Typically, your Pug puppy will need to go to the bathroom quite often. So, if you are trying to monitor how often your puppy needs to go to the bathroom so you can begin potty training or just want to avoid the unwanted soiled floor, picking up on its body language can make it an easier task.
Below are some of the most common signals your Pug puppy (or any breed of puppy) will show you when they need to go out.
Is Your Pug Puppy Sniffing Around and Whining?
When your Pug needs to go to the bathroom, you may notice them abruptly stop what they are doing and begin to sniff around. This, as well as whining, is more often than not the first sign your puppy shows you when they need to go potty, especially when they aren’t yet used to the idea of going to a designated area and everywhere is fair game.
Is Your Pug Puppy Staring and Scratching at the Door?
If you have already started potty training or are about to get started, it is highly recommended to use the same door or indoor location for your puppy’s excremental needs.
This will help them associate those spots with needing to pee and poo and can even help sharpen your communication with one another when they begin staring at or leading their owner to the door when they need to go out.
Is Your Pug Puppy Pacing?
Pacing is essentially the equivalent of the potty dance for a puppy, especially when paired with other signs. You may notice them pacing where they are, pacing back and forth to the door or potty area, maybe even whining. Like a kid doing the potty dance, get them to the bathroom, and you’ll both be happier for it.
When Time is Running Out
Sometimes it can be hard to tell what your puppy wants if they are whining or pacing. Clearer signs like leading to or staring at the door to be let out are, as mentioned, something picked up through consistent potty-training.
Before your Pug making this connection, whining and pacing can be interpreted as a slew of other things they may want, like food or attention.
Inevitably, they may give up on communication if you take too long to figure out what they need and will begin searching for an area to relieve themselves.
Some more urgent signs your puppy may no longer be able to hold it in can be found below.
Is Your Pug Puppy Heading Towards a Previously Soiled Area?
Much of the time, they will choose to relieve themselves in areas they have already soiled. Not many people are aware, but even using Clorox on a previously soiled spot won’t eliminate the enzymes left behind by their excrement. As a result, your puppy will keep going back to the location once they used it.
If you haven’t been able to get your hands on an enzyme eliminating dog pee and poo cleaning solution and see your tiny bundle of fur sniffing and heading to the same spot as before, get them outside or on a puppy pad quick!
When we were training Mindy, we used this enzyme cleaner for the few times she had an accident on the kitchen floor.
Remove the smell of urine that keeps your dog coming back! It's an easy way to keep your Pug from peeing in the house.
It is a miracle worker and we never had any issues with her topping the spot or being attracted to it over and over.
Ensure you’re using a good enzyme cleaner. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time getting your puppy to stop peeing in the house.
Is Your Pug Puppy Sniffing the Floor in Circles?
Another indicator your puppy is looking for a spot to use as their toilet is when they put their nose down to the ground and begin sniffing and circling a particle spot.
They may even start to scratch where they are circling and sniffing. The behavior means they are actively looking to go to the bathroom, and soon!
If you can, scoop them up and bring them to where it’s safe to go, so they are less likely to pee or poo on the way there.
Do You Notice Their Butt Muscles Clenching?
As funny as it sounds or that the visual is, even a puppy will try to hold it in if going where they are is inconvenient to their comfort or fun. Your puppy’s natural inclination to keep where they sleep and play clean and dry is what makes crate training so effective at helping teach them to hold it in.
If they are whining in their crate, scratching at its door, pacing, or sniffing around, it’s, of course, possible they just want out so that your Pug can indulge in your love and affection.
Puppies, like children, will often mimic attention-drawing behavior for attention, and Pugs love being showered with affection. Pugs being a mischievous breed is no help in the matter.
But, if you notice your Pug displaying the above signals and they are repetitively clenching and relaxing their anal muscles, then they are really trying to hold it in, and it’s time for a quick potty visit.
Have you Noticed Your Pug Puppy Briefly Curl in Their Tail and Butt?
Sometimes a fully potty-trained puppy or dog may take the previously signal a step further and briefly (literally a two-second action at times) tuck their tail beneath them, curling their body into a position similar to when they are about to scoot across the floor.
As strange an action it may seem, they are often attempting to stop themselves from going.
Think of it as another form of the pee dance for canines. Given that you typically get your puppy to the bathroom by this point, it is not as common a signal as the ones mentioned above. However, if you notice this brief behavior on top of all the others, your furry friend certainly deserves a treat for determination.
A Pugs tail is ordinarily curly and sits on their back. If their tail is down, it is usually a sign of sickness, being scared, or holding their bladder.
Final Word
Accidents are inevitable when training house training a new puppy. However, if you closely monitor your puppy’s behaviors, you’ll learn to pick up on their body language, letting you know they need to go pee or poop.
Like toddlers in the potty training phase, you’ll need to monitor them closely. And take them outside often.
If you’re still having a hard time training your puppy and they don’t seem to understand they can’t do their business inside, learn how to potty train any dog in just seven days. Stop struggling and get the guide that promises to end your frustrations!