When I was planning for our pug friendly adventures with a 12 day road trip covering more than 3800km, I had some real concerns about Serina’s car anxiety. I was so apprehensive about how Serina would cope with travelling in the car for long periods of time. She has always been restless in the car.…

I know the Furminator is the number one grooming tool when it comes to owning a pug. I have always been a big supporter of it because of how well it removes the pug hair from their coat. But there is a brush on the market now that does what the Furminator does but it…

Photography by Pug Patrol Rescue Australia If you haven’t worked it out yet, I have a strong belief that fat pugs are not normal. I’m not here to name and shame people who have overweight pugs. I am here cause your pug’s weight matters and I want to help you understand why. I’ve been seeing…

Keeping your pug well groomed not only helps with the hair floating around the house, it keeps them healthy as well as smelling & looking good. But every pug owner needs some grooming tools in their arsenal at home. I continue to share, in part 2, 10 essential grooming tools for pugs. If you missed…

Taking your pug to a groomer on a regular basis isn’t always practical or cost effective. Most of us will choose to do the grooming for pugs ourselves. But it isn’t always as easy as it sounds so having grooming tools for pugs is an absolute must. I am talking about 10 essential tools for…

Providing enrichment activities for your pug is super important to keeping their mind happy, active and healthy. Enrichment activities are often more rewarding and tiring for your pug then taking them for a walk making them the perfect activity to include in your pug’s life. Whilst you should be walking your pug every day, sometimes…

An upset tummy for my pugs usually means one of three things. They have diarrhoea, constipation or have been vomiting. Thankfully this is not a common occurrence but I like to have some home remedies on hand should any of them occur so a vet visit is not required every single time. These are my…

Grooming your pug can be a handful. But having a trusted and top notch dog groomer that you can take your pug to can make all the difference. There are usually quite a lot of options when it comes to dog groomers. You can have one come to your home or you can take your…

You’ve survived your furbaby’s toddler phase. You’ve struggled with the rebellion of the teenage years. Now that they’ve settled into adulthood, it’s hard to believe that the years are flying past. Suddenly they’re a little more grey, a little slower, and a little heavier. Come their annual physical exam at the vet, your veterinarian breaks…

There is no doubt that feeding real fresh food that is balanced and species appropriate is the best thing for a pugs health. But the truth is that there can be a number of reasons someone can’t feed their pug a raw diet so kibble is their only option. Whilst kibble isn’t the best food…

How many times have you been to a vet clinic thinking – I have so many questions and things to ask the vet today! And on the way home, realise that you didn’t ask half the things you wanted to? When you’re in an unfamiliar environment with your furbaby, it can be quite stressful. I…

How many times have you been to a vet clinic thinking – I have so many questions and things to ask the vet today! And on the way home, realise that you didn’t ask half the things you wanted to? When you’re in an unfamiliar environment with your furbaby, it can be quite stressful. I…

One of a vet’s many delights is anal gland issues. Anal glands, more correctly known as anal sacs, refer to the sacs on either side of the anus (ahem, the butt hole) that produce a unique scent for dogs and cats. Every time your furbaby poops, the poop gently squeezes the anal glands and coats…

It can be difficult remembering everything you need to do for your pug from day to day. They need their ears cleaned weekly, their folds cleaned anywhere from daily to weekly, their nails trimmed and brushing them. Then if you have more than one person in the house looking after them, you run the risk…

Is Your Pug Overweight? This might be a touchy subject for most of us: obesity. We all know being overweight isn’t good for us. Neither is it good for our pug babies. Today, we’ll talk about why keeping an extra close eye on your pug’s waistline might be a good idea and what you can…

Arthritis is a common occurrence as pugs age. It is quite often a result of them being so active when they are younger especially if they like to jump a lot. Jumping on and off objects like beds and lounges will put a lot of pressure on their joints and can cause injury or inflammation…

How many of you have taken your pug to the vet for an annual check up and been told that your pug is over weight? I know I have and not just once either. The vet makes it sound easy but are you still struggling to get the weight off your pug? Have you tried…

It’s not always easy developing daily routines that will benefit the health of your pug. And there can be a lot to ensure that your pug stays fit and healthy, from exercise to diet and grooming. But every one of them is important. I am going to talk about grooming and more specifically why you…

Having a healthy & happy pug who will lead a long life is everyone’s goal for their pug. But these things don’t just happen overnight. They take time but with every positive thing you do, you will enhance your pug’s health & wellbeing. And there are so many things you can do too but what…

Do you find yourself wondering how your pug ate their food in 5 seconds flat? I have always been amazed at how fast Ref would eat his food. Even at dinner time when he would get his bowl of food, a whole carrot and a roo tendon and would still finish well before us humans…

Does your pug ‘bunny hop’ when running or getting up the stairs? Are they reluctant to exercise or have difficulties to get up after rest? Do they sway their back end back and forth when walking or have their hind legs straight out behind when lying down? And do they avoid playing rough with other dogs or even snap at them? Unfortunately,…

It is very common for pugs to suffer from allergies. And they very well could have an allergy but you don’t even know they are suffering. And I will admit, that was me. The signs have been there since Ref was a pup but I honestly had no idea that he could be suffering from…

Copy by Brydie Charlesworth Photography by Kristy Beck Imagine being trapped in your home, day in day out with no tv, friends or activities to do and only the occasional stroll outside. Imagine the cabin fever you would get! This is the life that many dogs face every day. Lucky there are ways to keep…

What we see as the adorable squishy face of our pugs is actually a breeding ground for bacteria. Yep, those cute little face folds can get really disgusting. That is of course unless you clean their wrinkles regularly. Cleaning your pug’s wrinkles is so important because moisture, loose hair, dirt and debris can get caught…

There was a story on the news here in Sydney of a dog sitter who suffered a stroke and couldn’t remember where the pets were located that they was looking after. No one else knew where they were or who their owners were. And it made me stop and think about how I could let someone…

With the weather heating up, it is time to put in some action plans for keeping your pug cool this summer. But first, let me tell you a bit about how pugs keep themselves cool naturally. A pug’s coat is important in helping them to keep cool. Their coat helps to prevent their skin from…

The Oxford Dictionary definition of Brachycephalic is “having a relatively broad, short skull (typically with the breadth at least 80 per cent of the length).” So in other words, a squished face. But it means a lot more than just a squished face. Brachycephalic syndrome is something to take seriously. In dogs with short noses,…

August is Pet Dental Health Month. It is such an important issue considering 4 out of every 5 dogs and cats over the age of 3 years has some sort of dental disease. That is an incredible statistic that can be changed with a number of easy solutions. And it is never too late to…

We all have some sort of First Aid Kit at home for ourselves in case we have a minor accident but what do you do if your pug has a minor accident? I was thinking the same thing… I don’t know. I don’t have a First Aid Kit for Ref. So I did some research…

If you have a pug that is nervous and fearful of fireworks, then this pug training post is the one for you to start on now so come New Years Eve, your pug will be cool, calm and collected around the big night. Have you ever wondered why some pugs are so calm around noisy…

This month’s app of the month feature is on the Mans Best Friend app. The Mans Best Friend app is available on both Apple and Android devices and is filled with great diet, enrichment and training information. What is the app? Mans Best Friend is an app designed by a dog trainer to help dog owners provide a happy, healthy…

The latest training post is here for you and it is all about teaching the recall command. Teaching your pug to come when called is one of the most important commands you can train. A good recall command can save your pugs life. When trained well your pug should hear their name, the command, and…

What an important skill to teach a pug. We know they have an impressive appetite and they can be reinforced for quickly gobbling things up off the ground.  While this can be an issue for our heavier pugs on diets it can also be a danger to our beloved babies. If a pug has had…

Everyone wants to know if your pug can shake hands. Let’s face facts, it’s a cute trick. And I will teach you how to train your pug to do just that! To begin your pug will need to have a good solid sit command. You will need some high value treats and a hungry pug….…

Welcome to my first pug training post here on The Pug Diary. If you missed the post on getting to know me, be sure to check it out here so you can find out about my background as a dog trainer. Now let’s get straight into it. I teach the command “drop” in week 2…

This month we are bringing you Sound Proof Puppy Training as our App of the Month. Sound Proof Puppy Training is an app available on both iPhone and Android that is perfect for not just puppy owners, but all dog owners. It is an app designed to help you train dogs to be comfortable with…

I am sure every one of you has done a Google search when your pug has got their paws on something they shouldn’t have, they have suddenly fallen ill or hurt themselves. And this is usually so you can quickly determine if you need to take an unexpected trip to the vet. I know I…