[Pug Mother]

Hello,
We recently (2 days back) got a 8 week old male pug pup. He was fine for the first two days, but today he vomited in his wire crate. He has an enclosed play pen attached to it, but for some reason prefers to play on our floor bed. He also likes to bite on plastic packets or paper, which he tries to eat. Today, when I prevented him from going to an area where I have packets, he rebelled by insisting on running there & ignored my 'No'. When I put him back in his enclosed pen, he went in to his wire crate, kept pulling at the comforter I've put in as a base. Then he vomited. I have 3 questions :
1. Does he think being put in the pen is like being punished and is retaliating by vomiting or did he actually eat something on his sniffing rounds?
2. How can I make him enjoy his pen? He insists on coming out & playing on our floor bed, probably because he did so the first day.
3. He is supposed to have 2 meals a day - at 6am & 6pm. Since he vomited at 9 am, do I need to feed him again before his 6pm meal?
Thanks for answering!

[J_9]

Floor bed?

When you feed him are you feeding wet or dry food? If feeding dry food, which is recommended, add a little water to it and let the water soak up so that the food is moist. It will be easier for him to digest. I would give him a handful for now, but that is all.

Are you keeping him in the pen all the time? If so, why? Would you keep your baby in a crib all the time? Puppies are very energetic and curious creatures. You have to puppy-proof your home so that he has a loving place to run and play.

[valinors_sorrow]

Be sure to have water available for him to drink as vomiting can create dehydration. Offer a small amount of food after vomiting but only for a short time.

To be certain, no dog is capable of retaliation - they simply don't think like that. And vomiting occurs for a variety of reasons, some as simple as he got excited and ate too fast. If it continues, I would see a vet though.

He also chewed the items you mentioned because they were available. Its your duty as a responsible dog owner to provide the proper things for him to chew while preventing him chewing wrong things.

But you are correct to try and understand what he is up to. A few of your statements suggest you could really use some basic help in how to raise a dog. Get yourself a good dog training book FAST! One of the things it should cover is proper "crate" training. Also most books may mention that while you need to properly correct bad behavior, you also need to reward good behavior - dogs learn to do good things very easily when rewarded with treats or affection. The book can help you will learn how to help him grow up without being penned up all the time, hurting himself or destroying your home.

At the very least, puppies like to eat, sleep, poop and play - a lot! If you aren't up to the task of supervising that, then perhaps you may need to reconsider raising a puppy. The animal shelter usually has many fully grown dogs to choose from as a better alternative.

PS - I would venture to guess that he likes your bed so much because it has your scent in it and that comforts him.

Good luck.

[Pug Mother]

HI again!
Thanks for answering. Creo's (our pug) breeder told us to feed him 2 wet meals (6am & 6pm), and leave some dry food out.
His breeder also told us that to train him we need to enclose a part of our house (we live in a loft) with an exercise pen so that he feels secure, as pugs like smaller spaces.
Also, since both my husband & I work full-time, we need to get him used to our routines (9am-8pm), and the breeder suggested to make the pen fun for him. We've put in his toys and play with him in there, but he loves running around. His breeder said that for him to learn good behavior, every time he comes out of the pen, he needs to be in a harness, so that he gets a feel of the space.
I've had big dogs while I was growing up as a child (alsatian, doberman, labrador, dalmatian), but it's my first time with a pug! I'm confused as I'm getting lots of clashing advice. I personally am not comfortable keeping him in a pen, but was advised to do so by his brreder & various websites. So, what's a good way to go about it?
I love him & want the best for him.

[J_9]

Well, I kept all 3 of mine (2 labradores and 1 bassett hound) in a pen for housebreaking only while we worked. However, I would have to come home on lunchbreak to take them out. While at home with them I would make sure they were never in the pen and never in a harness unless going outside.

I am not sure about making the pen fun as there are toys that he may "eat" that may not be good for him, but certainly comfortable, I used a baby blanket for instance. I would sleep with the blanket for a few days to get my scent on it that way they felt like I was there with them.

[valinors_sorrow]

HI again!
Thanks for answering. Creo's (our pug) breeder told us to feed him 2 wet meals (6am & 6pm), and leave some dry food out.
His breeder also told us that to train him we need to enclose a part of our house (we live in a loft) with an exercise pen so that he feels secure, as pugs like smaller spaces.
Also, since both my husband & I work full-time, we need to get him used to our routines (9am-8pm), and the breeder suggested to make the pen fun for him. We've put in his toys and play with him in there, but he loves running around. His breeder said that for him to learn good behavior, everytime he comes out of the pen, he needs to be in a harness, so that he gets a feel of the space.
I've had big dogs while I was growing up as a child (alsatian, doberman, labrador, dalmatian), but it's my first time with a pug! I'm confused as I'm getting lots of clashing advice. i personally am not comfortable keeping him in a pen, but was advised to do so by his brreder & various websites. So, what's a good way to go about it??
I love him & want the best for him.

I mean no disrespect here but a breeder may not be the best trainer - I know the last one I bought a puppy from wasn't, one of the littermates drown from her carelessness. I bought a great dog from her though.

If you are having problems with the specific advice from the breeder, then it works best in my experience to either call the breeder back to straighten it out or find a new and hopefully better source for advice.