Housetraining Elderly Pug Dogs
There is a certain element of surprise, perhaps even shock, when the owner of a perfectly trained and well-behaved adult Pug suddenly steps in a puddle. “No, it can’t be!” he shrieks. “I don’t want to have to deal with housetraining mature Pugs!”
There’s a sinking feeling when one realizes that it’s the Pug dog that made the mess and not something as innocent as a leaky pipe or something.
It’s typical, after a lot of screaming and disbelief, for the Pug to be quickly banished out-of-doors. But the truth is that such harsh and fast action can actually have a negative impact on a mature Pug dog. That’s because most often it is a medical or psychological cause involved that requires some treatment.
Medical problems are the cause for the majority of potty train older Pug problems that we’ve seen with mature Pug dogs having accidents in the house. It’s key that you get to the bottom of the problem before you can move forward with the proper plan to solve the problems, so don’t be too hasty.
Many Pug dog owners believe that their dog will show signs of aging with reduced vision and poor hearing. They figure that signs of arthritis, decreased appetite, and more frequent naps are also typical aging symptoms. They are quite surprised though when they learn that house training is one of the most common marks of aging in mature Pugs and subsequently one of the first warning signs!
Since this is not widely known, it’s understandable that Pug owners think that his Pug has forgotten potty training, is not as smart as previously thought, is lazy, or has turned into a sneaky little dog. The truth is that this behavior is more likely the first sign of the inevitable aging process. In fact, as your Pug gets older, the muscles of the bladder gradually lose their control, much like older human experience.
For male Pugs, aging can also lead to the prostate gland getting bigger, which then leads to an inflammation that will cause him to pee much more often. Also, about 75% of Pugs over the age of 8 suffer from kidney disease. As Pug dogs get older, there is a gradual degeneration of kidney tissue with a weakening of the kidney function, resulting in more bladder control problems.
The older Pug should drink at least twice the amount of water than a younger Pug since the older Pug’s kidneys will require it. Naturally, this will involve more frequent urination, thus more trips to the bathroom.
Older Pugs therefore need to go outside more often. In many cases, the mature Pug dog will try its best to make his needs known to you. But many times the owner simply isn’t aware of their Pug’s new requirements and misses the dog’s signs. Then, the mature Pug is left with just one option, which is to go inside the house. The Pug is just as upset and embarrassed as the owner in these cases!
When this happens, negative reinforcement will only make the situation worse, especially if the Pug tried to communicate to its owner and these signs were ignored.