Pug House Training

When it comes to Pug house training, the most important question to answer is "which housetraining method is best for me and my Pug?"

Here are 5 steps to help you pick and implement the right Pug house training method for you.

#1) Ask yourself what sort of lifestyle and flexibility you have to house train your Pug.

Are you mostly at home during the day, or do you spend long periods of time away from the house? Do you have any help from a spouse, child or dog-walker who can assist with the training?

Here are three preferred methods to housetrain a Pug and the lifestyle they are best suited for:

• Crate Training - teach your Pug to hold themselves when in their crate - best if you are home some of the day

• Paper Training - teach your Pug to go on a designated spot of house training paper - best if you are not home most of the day and do not have help

• Schedule Based Training (SBT) - teach your Pug to go out at consistent, regular times - best if you are home most of the day or have help who is home, and you can be absolutely regular with the schedule

Pick a method that works best for your lifestyle, as it's critical that you be consistent and set yourself up for success.

#2) Research your preferred method so you know it inside-out and come up with a game plan.

Once you've selected the method to train your Pug, be sure to apply it correctly. This means doing some homework to research the method, understand it and create a game plan for your Pug and your lifestyle.

Don't short-change this step! I've found the root cause of most Pug house training failures is applying a method incorrectly. Each of the methods listed above works well for Pugs, but only if implemented properly. Do your homework and don't be afraid to look to trainers or other resources for help here.

#3) Think like a Pug!

Try to step into your Pugs' "shoes" for a few minutes to consider the challenges of housetraining.

Here's the deal.., "you" are small in size... "you" have a little bladder... "you" have to go pee pretty often when young

So don't expect to last 8 hours between pees! And if you're under 3 months old, "you" can't really control your movements...so expect the housetraining to take some time before "you" get it!

This step will help you set realistic expectations for training your Pug.

#4) Be patient...very, very patient!

Housetraining your Pug is not an overnight thing. You need to be consistent and patient.

Let me break this to you now...your Pug is going to have accidents. Don't get angry or upset or give-up, it is simply part of the process. Yelling at your Pug is the worst idea here because they don't understand what the problem is and why you are so upset. Absolutely, positively do not hit your Pug.

So stay calm, cool and collected, clean up the mess and stick with your game plan. Training your Pug is an investment in time and energy...it takes several weeks to start to work and potentially longer if you have a young puppy. Remember, you'll have your Pug for 10 to 15 years if healthy, so this training time is a "drop in the bucket"!

#5) Stick to the plan.

This is the critical step - you've got to stick with your plan to make it work.

Don't abandon hope when accidents happen. Stay with your method, make sure you fully understand it, and apply its methods consistently. Don't bend or make exceptions, as this will only confuse your Pug and potentially set your training back.