BATH TIME 

We know this can be a difficult time for many Pug owners! Much of this depends on if your Pug had a positive first bath time experience.  It definitely required much patience but it is something that needs to be done to keep your Pug happy and smelling good.

We tend to bathe our Pug Felipe about once every few weeks, but you may have a different preference.  Pugs tend to have sensitive skin since they have a short coat.  We use dog shampoo with oatmeal which is good for sensitive, itchy skin. Don't use regular, people shampoo on your Pug. Dogs have a different pH than humans and need special shampoo for their skin.  Of course, make sure that you rinse out all the shampoo thoroughly and keep soap and water out of your Pug's ears!  Pugs are also sensitive to water temperature, so check the water carefully before bathing your Pug like you would with a baby. Dry your Pug well, they can get cold very easily.  Your Pug also may be revitalized and full of energy after its bath. Felipe does super-fast laps around the house after his bath. He feels so fresh, clean and happy!  Remember that this sudden energy burst may cause your Pug to need to go out to do some business. Just a warning!

WRINKLE CARE

Of course, all Pug owners know that what makes a Pug quite unique from many other breeds is their adorable face wrinkles! But these wrinkles need to be kept clean for your Pug's health.  We try to clean our Pug's wrinkle every day with a damp paper towel.  This may be a difficult task, especially if your Pug doesn't like to be touched on the face, but it needs to be done!

We read in a Pug book, to clean the wrinkles after a bath using a q-tip and petroleum jelly to get into the small crevices. Of course, be careful not to poke your poor Pug's eyes with the q-tip while trying to clean him! Pugs tend to put up a struggle when someone tries to clean their wrinkles! If you haven't cleaned your Pug's wrinkles before, I think you'll be surprised of how dirty they can get and how much of a difference they can make in your Pug smelling better!

EAR CARE

Lately, we have found that our Pug has been getting a lot of ear infections.  This has meant a few costly trips to the vet to get ear drops.  To prevent the same thing from happening to your Pug, we suggest making sure that your Pug doesn't get any water or shampoo in his/her ears when having a bath. You could put cotton balls in their ears to stop water from going in. We suspect this may have been the cause of Felipe's ear infection.  If you notice your Pug constantly scratching his ears, take your Pug to the vet as soon as possible to get medication. An ear infection can be very uncomfortable for your Pug or any dog for that matter. 

DENTAL CARE

Keeping your Pug's mouth fresh and clean is not only beneficial for your Pug! Believe me, doggy breath isn't very pleasant! Especially if you tend to give your Pug little treats once in a while that may contain sugar, dental care is very important.  The easiest thing we find is to brush our Pug's teeth before we give him a bath, about once a week to every two weeks.  You can buy special dog toothpaste at any pet store. Do not use regular people toothpaste.  Certain ingredients in people toothpaste isn't good for dogs.  There are also special toothbrushes that you can put on your finger to have an easier time brushing your Pug's teeth.  Don't get frustrated if your Pug is reluctant.  With a little patience and a gentle brushing, your Pug will think of brushing as a positive experience. 

NAIL TRIMMING
We got a question about the task of trimming those pesky nails!  It can seem like an impossible task. Well, here are some tips that might make it a little more bearable!

-Most dogs don't like getting their nails trimmed because they aren't used to people handling their feet

-As an exercise, you could just touch your dog's paws regularly to get him/her accustomed to being handled. After a while, your Pug will get used to having his paws touched.

-Of course, remember to avoid the quick, (the vein which grows part way down the inside of the nail) because if it is cut, it will start to bleed and cause your Pug some discomfort. This could also cause your Pug to avoid future nail-trimming experiences, so try to be careful. If you accidentally cut into it, don't worry. A styptic pencil will help stop bleeding.

-Sometimes, if someone else tries to distract your Pug while you're cutting, he won't even realize it.We usually try to give him a tasty treat he can't resist and while he's munching on it, we trim and it usually works.

-Using a nail file afterwards also helps because sometimes there are rough edges and filing them down will stop any accidental scratching.

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