First Pug

[Tuitonga]

Hello, I just bought our first Pug today. I bought her from a girl who was taking care of the puppy because her roommate moved without notice and left the puppy behind. She already has two dogs and couldn't take care of her. She said the puppy is around eight weeks old and is due for her third set of shots. She said the dog was papered, but that the roommate probably took those with her, I'm not too worried about that. Well I just wanted to introduce myself to the board and I'll be browsing the website for any help with raising this puppy.

[puglover22]

welcome to PV!
you will find a lot of good info here.....
It's good that you are giving this little one a home, sounds like she's been bounced around too much already......

[tall grass pugs]

I am sure that she will grow into being your best friend and confidante. Thank you for taking care of her. The puppy seems awful young at eight weeks for a third set of shots----please ask your vet for an opinion. Sometimes the vets have puppy plans which will smooth out the cost of shots, well dog checks and spay. So glad to have you with us, we love to see pictures.

[Tinker's mom]

Hello & to the village! Thanks for taking this little one, she will reward you in so many ways!

[Spud]

Welcome. Sounds like a good deal for you and the pug.

[Tuitonga]

Thanks all! The whole family is in love with her. She does seem young to have her third shots, i am going to try and find a vet for her tomorrow. I am not too familiar with this breed and can't tell how old she is but looking at her, she's so tiny! I already found a couple good tips on potty training that have worked. We are now trying to establish a little seeping/personal area for her while we are away from the house.

[Hellas]

Hi
Congratulations on your new best friend. Pugs are amazing!

If your puppy is only 8 weeks, please remember that she is very young. Pug puppies tend to mature slower than some other breeds. A lot of breeders don't sell pug puppies until they're 9 or 10 weeks. It sounds like your girl was probably taken prematurely from her mom. I advise you to give her A LOT of physical affection. All puppies need that and pugs are the most affectionate dogs of all. Keep her close to you as much as you can. That will help build a strong bond between you. Please, don't expect her to sleep on her own in a separate room. That could be very traumatic for her unless she can share a bed with another dog. She is still only a baby.

If you read the health section on this board, you'll find some great tips on how to take care of a pug's eyes and nose wrinkle. Both very important.

As for training, positive is the way to go with a pug. I strongly recommend learing about clicker training. It works amazingly and the dogs absolutely love it! Pugs are smart dogs and love to learn. Just make sure there's a good reward involved :)

Good luck!
Jo

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Before 8 weeks shots are nearly useless as the pup's maternal immunity is still active. The maternal immunity fades somewhere between 8-16 weeks of age. You don't give a series of 3 shots because you have to in order to confer immunity, you give it because you want them covered whenever the maternal immunity wears off. For the early ones, the 8 week shot, for the average, the 12 week, for the late bloomers, the 16 week. If you received your puppy at 16 weeks or older, and they had not had any shots previously, you would only have to give one.

So, forget any previous shots and if the dog is truly 8 weeks old, start from scratch. Personally, if i could keep the pup indoors and away from other dogs until 16 weeks, I would rather give just the one shot. Over vaccination is very hard on the immune system and can lead to lifetime problems later. So a puppy whose maternal immunity was gone at 8 weeks and received their 8 week shot was conferred full immunity at 8 weeks....the 12 and 16 week shots were unnecessary and dangerous. HOWEVER we never know when the maternal immunity is gone, so the policy is shoot monthly until 16 weeks to cover all the bases.

Depending on your family's lifestyle either start fresh with the vaccine series, or keep him in until 16 weeks and have it once.

Thank you for taking this little one in!!

Take care,
Lisa

[PrincessPugGirl]

to the board, I am sure you will get all the answers you will need.
Ohh yeah we love pictures so please share

[Tuitonga]

Thanks guys!! We took her to the Vet and he estimated her age at around 10-11 weeks. We have noticed that she doesn't like being in her little pen area, so she sleeps with someone in every night, not a big deal since everyone wants to be around her. Thanks for the advice on the shots, it's all so much to take in, but well worth the time. Thanks again guys and I will try to get some pics posted asap!