Pug Care: Grooming Tips for Pugs

Pugs are very low maintenance dogs. They require minimal grooming during the week. We have a grooming routine for our grumble that we follow to keep them squeaky clean:

Fur: Pugs LOVE to be brushed. Our pugs will push each other out of the way to get under the brush for their turn. During the week we will brush our pugs fur at least once to minimize shedding. We give our pugs a bath every 4-5 weeks unless they get into something and get dirty. We use natural oatmeal shampoo which helps with the dogs coat, keeping it moisturized. You can get an oatmeal shampoo at your local pet store. Bathing any dog too often can take away oil from their skin and dry their skin out. In our experience pugs enjoy bath time. They love to get a massage and be pampered. Every 2-3 days we also take a damp washcloth that is rung out and clean the wrinkles on their face. The wrinkles get dirt stuck in them that needs to be wiped out often to avoid an infection.

Jax in the car after his spa day

Ears: Pugs have ears that fold over. This makes it easy for dirt or dust to get stuck in their ears. 2-3 times a week we wipe our pugs ears with a damp wash cloth that is rung out to keep anything from building up in there. You can also use a cotton ball. Wipe out until nothing more shows up on the rag or cotton ball. It’s important to keep pugs ears clean because debris will build up and can cause an infection that would require a visit to the vet.

Nails: We take our pugs to the groomers to get their nails trimmed every 3-4 weeks depending on their length. You could also do this at home if you have the right dog nail trimmers. You don’t want to let their nails get very long because they can start to split and crack which will hurt your pug. (Note: In my experience taking a pug to the groomer to get their nails done requires two groomers to hold them still. Ours do not enjoy this part but it is a necessity.)

Teeth: In my experience, occasionally brushing your pug’s teeth will be enough to keep their teeth in good shape. Personally our pugs get their teeth brushed when they go to the groomer. Pet stores sell dog tooth brushes and flavored dog tooth paste so that you can brush your pugs teeth at home.

Most of our pugs grooming is done at home. But every 2-3 months we take our dogs to the groomers for a spa day. Our pugs love this and they come home very soft, shiny, and smell amazing! I highly recommend taking your pug for a spa day they will love it!

Taking care of your pug and keeping them well maintained is so worth it because there is truly no love quite like #puglove!

Mia after her spa day

Vinny after his spa day

Common Pug Health Problems

Like all breeds, pug’s are prone to certain health problems. Some of the medical problems in history for pugs are hip dysplasia, eye disease, patellear luxation (the knee cap dislocates), and pug dog encephalitis (inflammatory disease). While some of those may sound extreme, there’s no reason to worry. Overall pugs are healthy dogs.

http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/pug/care/#health

We’ve been lucky to not have any serious problems with our pugs. But there are certain health problems we’ve noticed within our grumble.

Eyes; Pugs have big eyes that stick out. This makes the dog’s eyes prone to infection, and injury. We’ve had both happen to at least one of our pugs.  The vet will prescribe eye drops to put in their eyes to get rid of the infection. Injury on the other hand can be more serious. Thankfully our pug’s eye injuries haven’t been bad, but because their eyes are so big there are many other cases with pugs that end up losing one or both of their eyes. Keeping the pug’s nails trimmed and dangerous items out of their way is necessary.

Jaxun and his big eyes, and dry snout from winter

Ears; Pugs ears need to be cleaned at least every other day if not daily. (Unless you have a mama pug who will do the work for you) Their ears flap over which makes it easy for dust or dirt to get into their ear and stay there. You can notice if your pug is having an ear problem because they will continuously scratch it. If you notice this with your pug, consult your vet. This can be a sign of infection which is painful for our pugs.

Skin; Pugs are prone to allergies and dry skin. Some pugs require medication to settle down their allergies. With our grumble we have learned to manage their coat. For our grumble we put coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil on their food at least once a week. This helps keep their skin soft and fur full from the inside out.

Jaxun showing off his shiny coat

Breathing; Pugs can have a hard time breathing. Our pug Mia has more skin above her nose so sometimes it makes it harder for her to breathe. The only way to make her breathing better would be to have surgery on her nose to remove some of the skin. When pugs have a lot of activity you will notice they have a shortness of breath and take some time to recover. Try to calm your pug down and keep them from getting to excited to help manage their breathing.

Mia, with her extra pudgy nose 

Pugs are actually very easy to take care of despite their common health problems. Even if they require a little extra love, there is no love quite like #puglove!

Just a cute picture of Jaxun

Enjoy another cute pug video talking more in-depth about #pugproblems;