We may be fostering a pug. . .need advice from owners.

[peg2001]

My SIL's family will be moving (with military) from Peru to Indonesia. She may not be able to take their young pug with them and we may end up fostering the dog until they move again. I've never known a pug and have the following questions:

Is he likely to get along ok with our dachshund? How about cats? He lives with young kids so I'm assuming he'll be ok with DD4 and DD7.

Do they have any known health problems (like dachshunds and their back injuries) that we should keep an eye out for?

Are we likely to get so attached to the little guy that we have a hard time giving him back in a few years?

Seriously, I'd love to hear about general pug personalities.

Thanks,
Peggy

 

[debster812]

I don't have any info for you, but I know there are at least 2 DISers who have pugs.

Katerbell and Dax. I bet if you PM either (or both) they could help with your questions.

 

[phillybeth]

You don't list your location, but pugs cannot tolerate hot weather, especially when it is humid. They get overheated very easily and can die from heat stress in a short period of time. If youa re in a hot climate keep the dog inside in a cool area (preferably with air conditioning) during the heat of the day- quick trips outside to potty are ok, but no long walks and no romping in the yard. Save those for the late evening and early morning.

 

[DVC-Don]

Yep, we have a pug. Lets see, someone already mentioned they love kids. Things to watch for: Careful they do get into bushes or things where they can injure their eyes. We adopted our pug and his eyes were already injured. He is now 11 years old and blind. (He has the house memorized now) Ears, keep them clean and try not to get water in them when bathing them. Awful easy to get an ear infection if water gets in there. Shedding, yes they shed a LOT! Keep brushing them. Again, someone mentioned heat and humidity. They have to stay inside with AC except for a few minutes for the "Neccessary Trips". It'll whine and cry if you go out without it, but keep it inside in the cool air. But, all that said, pugs can be the most adorable, lovable and loyal little dogs you'd ever meet.

 

[tstobb]

Our "furriest littlest child" is an absolute joy. He is very tolerant of the kids, fantastic with my parents poodle when she's here to visit when they're away, and just a whole lot of fun. He does have what we call "catitude" (cat attitude) sometimes but that's part of his character that we love so much.

In addition to the health issues above, watch his food. Pugs have a tendency to eat everything and anything so measured amounts as recommended each day are the best for them. Nemo snacks on carrots (the little baby ones) and if anyone in the house even says the word, he charges straight to the fridge and waits for his treat!

 

[peg2001]

This is great information. Thank you. I realized that their eyes may be a delicate area but I didn't realize the extent of their heat toleration problems. We would definitely keep him inside the air conditioning as East Tennessee can be very hot and humid. He would probably pine at being left behind when we walk our dachshund though. When it's very hot, the dachshund usually ends up being carried back home. LOL The heat coming off the pavement really does him in.

Watching his feeding will be simple enough. Our dachshund's nickname is "chowhound" and he will eat anything even remotely edible. We keep a close eye on his condition and tweak his feedings as appropriate. We even tried the carrot snacks, on advice of our vet, but they caused vomiting. Ugh.

Thanks again. I'd still love to hear from other pug owners as well.

Peggy

 

[Mimi Q]

We got a pug puppy exactly 3 weeks and 2 days ago. It is 12 weeks old now. She is so sweet. Great with the two cats- one is 6 years old and the other is 15 years old. She loves them, but they don't care for her too much. She can't climb the stairs yet, so they just go upstairs when they want to get away from her. We also have a 2 1/2 year old DD. They get along fabulously. I am a cat person- never have had a dog in the house. (My DH gave in to my DD on the dog issue.) She gets along great with our extended families four dogs, too. I can honestly say I love this dog. She is just adorable. I think pugs are just great dogs.

 

[Dax]

Yup I got pugs...

Most pugs I have seen get along with other animals fine. Just give them time to adjust to each other.

Health problems, yes, as mentioned, cant breath well in humidity. Definatley an inside only dog. They also are known for issues with there hips and such.

Be prepared to NOT want to give them up. Pugs are like potatoe chips, you can never have just one...

heck look at me. I have 4, and am already looking for another.