Adding a pug to a home with high activity breed

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Me, again :). We have a 5 year old Goldendoodle and are hoping to add a pug puppy to the mix. I’m (neurotically) analyzing everything to make sure it’s the right call.

Our Goldendoodle is very much our 8 year old son’s dog. They are connected deeply and they do everything together. My son will spend hours jumping on the trampoline outside and our girl will spend hours outside with them. They play games with her tennis balls on the trampoline (she jumps up there with him), they play fetch and chase each other. We as a family aren’t overly active, we don’t go hiking, kayaking and take our dog, for example. I understand the pug has a lot of energy but cannot endure for as long as our current dog. My question is, do you foresee that being a constant issue of having to restrain the pug from participating? If my son & Goldendoodle are outside for 2 hours on a hot summer day playing actively, the pug will obviously need to be indoors for the majority of that time. Do the pugs long to be a part of that situation or are they happy to sit it out? If I have to constantly exclude the puppy from the activity and the puppy is unhappy about it, it will be a lifetime of unhappy puppy while the more active dog gets to play. That doesn’t seem fair to the pug. Are pugs better matched in a home with similar temperament/activity level dogs? Thank you.

Until the next post....

[LilyFayre]

Pugs certainly aren’t noted for being able to tolerate extremes of temperatures, however having said that my Xanthe who is of the slimmer built, leggy, hyperactive type can easily outpace my cocker spaniel running for miles with far less panting than her. She also has a single, slightly silky feeling coat and shows no signs of being bothered by hot weather at all. Darwin however, although of the slimmer, leggy type has a flatter face than Xanthe, a thick, rather woolly textured double coat and pants far more than her. He obviously did feel the heat this summer to the extent I needed to buy a cool coat for him and keep him inside during the hottest part of the day in summer.

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Pugs certainly aren’t noted for being able to tolerate extremes of temperatures, however having said that my Xanthe who is of the slimmer built, leggy, hyperactive type can easily outpace my cocker spaniel running for miles with far less panting than her. She also has a single, slightly silky feeling coat and shows no signs of being bothered by hot weather at all. Darwin however, although of the slimmer, leggy type has a flatter face than Xanthe, a thick, rather woolly textured double coat and pants far more than her. He obviously did feel the heat this summer to the extent I needed to buy a cool coat for him and keep him inside during the hottest part of the day in summer.

Interesting how they can be so different. So, how would Darwin react if the kid of the house was playing with the other dog outside for hours? Does Darwin WANT to be outside & playing but YOU have to restrict it because you know he overheats & it’s not good for him....or would he be happy to sit in the cool a/c and observe the kid & other dog playing outside with favorite balls, toys?

[GordonBrunoPugMom]

My Gordon could care less if Bruno was outside playing. He is a snuggle pug. Now if I was leaving in the car ( they can see us leaving from the window ) he would mind.
My Bruno on the other hand needs to be stopped he will play, show off without stopping. He get’s exhausted quick especially in heat and we need to pick him up and remove him from the frenzy. I would say even with a puppy what will play to exhaustion you need to make sure to stop the activity after you realize your baby had enough, but just has to much fun playing. Puppies can get overstimulated . But again I say start the routine now. Take the puppy out to play and bring it in after 30 min or so while your other dog still plays. They will never know different because you establish the rule now. It is good thinking. Your baby will be happy to just spend time with you inside. My 2 guys are so different and we had to learn a lot new Pug traits when we added Bruno. Every pug is unique but they do sleep more than regular dogs and that is for both of mine true.


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[LilyFayre]

Darwin generally just wants to be with me. I don’t have any children, so it’ll be a surprise what he does when my 7 month old grandson is big enough to play outside!

Originally I had an elderly Trailhound that my cocker spaniel from a puppy, always slept snuggled up with him. I was concerned how she’d cope as an only dog after he’d gone so decided to get a pug. Old Harvey begrudgingly accepted bonkers Xanthe, the spaniel was definitely not keen! She really dislikes bouncy dogs and would only rarely permit a tug of war game with a toy played to her rules. So that is how I ended up buying a second pug! They play puggy wrestling games with each other and what looks a bit like head butting competitions and there are endless chases. Xanthe does boss him around, but he never complains. Because he is so much more placid than her the spaniel will let him snuggle. Darwin however, has other vices. For such a small dog he can jump really high gaining access to the table and kitchen tops! He is very determined about what he wants, and will wait until he is unobserved by myself or the other dogs to succeed in his aims!

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Thanks everyone. My mind is racing in the middle of the night with all the "what ifs", we get her on Sunday. I'm so nervous.

Darwin generally just wants to be with me. I don’t have any children, so it’ll be a surprise what he does when my 7 month old grandson is big enough to play outside!

It will be interesting, because I find the child/dog bond to be stronger than anything. Our Goldendoodle was not intended to be my son's dog. I trained her, spent all my time with her, and she was very much "my" dog, but she and my son are so attached now. As an only child, he depends on her for so much, such as following him into a dark room at night or staying in his playroom with him when he has to clean it or playing outdoors together. She misses him more than anyone else in the family when he's not home. My perspective was that I wouldn't want to deprive the pug of that time together if she'll have to be restricted from a lot of play. It's good to hear that probably won't be an issue.

[LilyFayre]

I think your reaction is what any responsible person would feel. Taking on a new puppy is a big thing and something that really does need careful consideration. Pugs are without a doubt very different to any other breeds that I’ve lived with over my lifetime, but I wouldn’t want any other breed now! I like the fact that they are so free thinking (albeit a bit frustrating at times) that they all seem to change their names by about 9 months old only answering to things like sweeties, cheese, ham, sausages etc or the sound of the fridge door opening! They think (and behave) quite like a young human toddler!

[Nina_W]

My first pug was a more classical pug in that his energy was more moderate, he would 'play' outside with us by basically laying around near us. The fox terrier would jump and chase balls and all that, but he'd just sort of benignly look on it all and go "that's lovely, where's my cheese". We never had to limit him in any way, he just had naturally less desire to run and behave like a madpug.

Talos is more like Xanthe above. She was run over by a bicycle when she was 10-ish months old and that left us with permanent nerve damage. This is a big feature of her life, unfortunately, because she wants to go, hike, kayak, run, jump and generally be a lunatic, but we have to limit her otherwise she gets hurt. It's five years on now and we've hit a comfortable balance (mostly), so even that is not a big deal long term. Comparing a pug with physical injuries to a healthy dog isn't necessarily useful, mind you.

In terms of the heat, we live in South Africa. The summers are deadly hot. But, outside of the same guidelines you'd need for most dogs, it's not a big issue - heat stroke is very dangerous for all dogs (and humans, though we cope way better with the heat than dogs do). We're never out in the middle of the day, we carry water, know the early signs of heat stroke and what to do... Breathing compromised pugs, dogs with tracheal collapse or other issues, have different needs than this, and may well need their movement restricted. This is not every pug, nor, I think, even most pugs.

[puglover22]

I'm not sure I would do it.......UNLESS the pug is to be your dog and YOU will give it all the attention......
the thought of your son playing with HIS dog, and the pug being left out makes me sad.....
Another reason I wouldn't do it, I'd be too worried about the pugs eyes.....

[jennkaotic]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. You will see how the energy balance goes. The pug may play for a short burst then be done. We have one dog in the house that makes the energizer bunny seem lethargic. We also have a St. Bernard (Also not good in heat and short of energy). Paw will wear out all the other dogs and ask for more but when the others are done they stop. Just watch for signals that the pug is tired or hot and let them inside (if you don't have a dog door). I wouldn't set up artificial barriers to the pug participating. Our St. Bernard rarely plays with the other dogs outside... (sometimes on a cool evening). When he wants to play he generally does it inside where it's cool or in fall or winter. One thing having a pack of 5 has taught me is that dogs won't quibble to do something separate from the pack if they feel like it. They come together and they wander off frequently. What bothers them more is being blocked from participating. Try putting up a gate to separate them and all they want to do is be on the other side. Take the gate down and 20 minutes later they aren't anywhere near each other. LOL

Also the best invention ever was the dog door. We have pretty hot summers here (excess of 100) but our dogs regulate themselves. You will see them outside for a few minutes then come back in. If you have a place where you can install one (I know rentals are a pain) I recommend it. Also, teaching your son about the signs of fatigue in your pug would be a good thing and he can let the pug in if she/he? seems tired.