WHY DOES MY PUG BARK SO MUCH: PUG BARKING PROBLEMS.
Pugs have so much to say, and they communicate primarily by barking! Baby Pugs will bark when they want treats, Puggles will bark when they want to go out, older pugs bark when there is a car in the driveway! Some Pugs bark at the TV when they see another dog! Pugs will yap, yelp, woof, and even howl when they want your attention. Often times a pug’s barking sound is cute, but sometimes when the mailman comes and your on an important call, a pugs barking can get out of hand.
Too much pugs barking can be a problem and when your pug barks at inappropriate times it can be a BIG problem. We have a 3 year old toddler and I can’t even explain the annoyance of trying to put him to sleep while worried about something setting off our pug and waking him back up! Besides everyday quiet issues, we all want to be respectful of our neighbors too and when if there is a pug barking at night it can get annoying. So what can you do to get all this pug barking under control?
Here we will discuss what pugs barking sound like. Why pugs bark at nothing. How to stop a pug from barking too much. What to do if your pug is barking for health reasons and how to deal with multiple pugs barking at once.
IN THIS ARTICLE WE WILL DISCUSS:
What Does A Pug Bark Sound Like
Quick Tips For Pug Barking Problems
Investigating Your Pug
Why Do Pugs Bark So Much
Common Reasons Pugs Bark Alot
Using A Bark Collar For Pugs
Health Related Barking in Pugs (Old Barking Pugs)
Dealing With Multiple Barking Pugs
WHAT DOES A PUG BARK SOUND LIKE
Pugs have a very distinctive Bark. Its very rapid and barky and sounds like a yappy machine gun. In addition to their Bark the pug vocalization also has a distinctive whine and a funny scream. They also have a very distinctive squealy Pug whimper. Below you can download a pug barking sound. NOTE: The Pug bark is very similar to the Puggle bark sound.
Here are three videos of pugs barking. One is pugs howling which is another very weird pug sound. Another is pugs barking at nothing at all (a very common thing in our house) and finally the cutest baby pug puppy barking!
QUICK TIPS: PUG BARKING PROBLEMS
Investigate why your pug barks too much. What are they trying to say?
If your Pug is barking for medical reasons, talk to your local vet.
Don’t yell at your barking Pug. They will think your barking with them.
INVESTIGATING YOUR PUG
First lets figure out why the heck your best friend pug or puggle is barking so much! With a little bit of sleuthing we can figure out why your pug is barking like crazy all the time. This might be a little difficult if your pug barks when you are not home, but you can always ask your neighbors for ideas on what might set your pugs off, or even get a nanny cam. In the end, with a little detective work you can narrow down pug barking to a few of the most common reasons.
COMMON REASONS PUGS BARK A LOT
Attention/Demand: Perhaps your pug just wants to get your attention. Do they want to go out? Are they hungry? These are all reasons a pug might bark.
Boredom/Frustration: Has your pug been left alone for a long period of time? Perhaps they are barking because they have too much pent up energy and just need a release!
Fear: Your pug might be barking because it is scared. This can happen sometimes when there are loud noises, like a motorcycle, fireworks or thunder. Your pugs posture can tell you if they are barking out of fear. Typically their ears are back and their tail is held low and not in its normal curley position.
Territoriality/Protectiveness: Your pug is barking in the presence of "new comers" this might be a mailman, delivery person or even a friend who they know well! If your pug is being territorial their posture might be more threatening, their tail will be held high and their ears forward.
Playfulness/Excitement: Your pug could just be ready for a good time!
Health Issues: Its true, your pug barking might be the sign of a Canine Cognitive Dysfunction or deafness. Deafness can often cause excessive barking because your pug can not hear themselves.
TRAINING YOUR PUG TO STOP BARKING
common cause of dogs barking to much is that they are simply lacking training. A little bit of obedience training will both give your dog confidence and let them know what you are expecting of them. Look at our free Ultimate Guide To Training Stubborn Pugs for more info on general training.
QUICK BARKING TRAINING TIPS:
Don’t yell at your dog to stop barking. They will think you’re barking with them.
Use positive re-enforcement. Never punish a dog, it will not help change their behavior.
Bark Training takes time and patience. Prepare yourself for LOTS of patience!
Manage Surroundings: If your dog barks when alone, leave them with familiar sounds, like the TV or radio.
BARK TRAINING 1: QUIET
When your pug is barking up a storm, say “Quiet” in a calm and firm voice. You MUST wait until they stop barking. A pause in barking can be them stopping to take a break. When they stop, you praise them and even give them a treat.
PRO TIP: When you yell at a dog to stop barking they think you are barking with them and will bark twice as much.
BARK TRAINING 2: DISTRACTION
When your dog barks, give them something else to do. There are a bunch of fun interactive puzzles and toys for dogs to distract them. You can also spend time training your dog when they are barking. Work on their sit and stay commands. *NOTE: just make sure you do not reward your dog for barking when you want them to be quite.
BARK TRAINING 3: TEACH YOUR DOG TO SPEAK
Its funny but sometimes opposite training works. If you teach your dog to speak, then they will know that you also want them to be quiet. We had one pug who wouldn’t come. They were so stubborn with this but finally after we taught them to STAY, they figured out the come command in a jiffy! This will also give you a better idea of your dogs different vocalizations and why they are barking. This is a slightly tricky thing to teach, so here is a video that might help!
USING A BARK COLLAR FOR PUGS
As a final resort, some people use a bark collar. We strongly disapprove of using a shock collar on your dog. If you have a shock collar, put it on your neck and feel what its like before putting it on your pug! They are very painful and should be avoided. However, there are many good alternatives to shocking collars including ones that vibrate. A vibrating pug bark collar may be able to help with incessant barking.
Bark Collar Quick Tips
Never leave a bark collar on your dog unsupervised
Most dogs will know when a collar runs out of batteries. So they are only effective when charged and used properly.
Never let a bark collar get wet.
Never use a shock collar.
Use a vibrating collar with caution, pugs have very delicate tracheas and you don’t want to hurt them.
If your pug just won’t stop barking and you need some peace here is a good brand of vibrating bark collar. This bark collar has various levels of sensitivity depending on how barky your pug is. *Remember never leave a bark collar on your dog unsupervised!
HEALTH RELATED PUG BARKING
(aka Old Pug Barking Syndrome)
If your pugs bark because of age-related dementia or deafness there is hope! First off, remember to be extra patient with an old or sick pug. Keep their environments as stable as possible including their location and diet. You can talk to your vet about medication if you think your pug suffers from dementia. If you think your pug is deaf, try teaching them a "quiet" command using hand signals or a flash of light.
DEALING WITH MULTIPLE BARKING PUGS
If you have a grumble you might be aware of how one pug can set off another at the drop of a hat! You might be on the phone and suddenly one of your little angels thinks they hear something in the driveway. Suddenly you have a symphony of barking pugs and have to put your call on hold! Sadly, you much train each individual pug separately before you can get the group to stop barking. It takes much more effort to subdue a barking grumble, but you will be well rewarded by their angelic new behavior.
CONCLUSION
Pugs and Puggles bark for all kinds of reasons. Some bark because they want to play, some pugs bark because they are nervous and some pugs bark at nothing at all. We discussed some tricks to help get your pug to stop barking and what to do when you think your pug might be barking or whining because of medical reasons.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WANT TO TELL US YOUR BARKING PUG STORY
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