Things I’ve learnt from having a pug after 5 months

Since I was little and running around the playground with my friends, I've wanted to welcome a pug into my life.
A friendly, happy puppy who will be my fur baby for existence.
This was only a dream until that day.

 While I thought Carl was at work, someone knocked on my door, extremely loud and quite aggressively.
So I rushed down the stairs thinking what the actual hell that person think knocking on people's door like that I will tell him what I think. When I opened the door, Carl was standing there with this little tiny pug in his arms tucked in nicely and looked so cosy in that blanket.
I got pretty emotional. I was so overwhelmed with happiness and love for both of them that I quickly forgot about telling him off for knocking so damn harsh.
Carl handed him over to me he was just staring at me for so long with his big bulging eyes then he gave me a big wet kiss on my cheek.
I knew straight away that we were soul mates.
Being a pet parent for five months has changed my life and taught me so much.
Pugs have so many unique characteristics and having a pug puppy of my own now I have learnt so many new things about this adorable breed. Either though it's hard to say no for them, there are some things that you may need to consider before you adopt one of your own.

1. You will never ever be alone again.
I'm pretty sure that you have seen paintings or movies which shows that pugs were bred as lapdogs for the Chinese emperors in the accent times.
This can give you a hint that even nowadays pugs are very good at this.
Happy follows me around the house literally everywhere. He is like my shadow; he goes everywhere I go.
I mean everywhere, including the bathroom. No more private time to yourself once you get a pug.
Not to mention, there is absolutely no personal space.
Happy literally sit in our face if he feels like it. He is really not bothered, and he thinks that's a perfect place to rest.

2. Gain weight easily.
Now that my brother moved in with us, I live currently with two chefs and a pug. They are all obsessed with food, so it's tough not to pick up their habit. I feel confident to say that out of the three boys, Happy has the biggest obsession of food.
Happy is such a small breed, but when it comes to food he will make room for it, I mean literally anytime.
He eats like there is no tomorrow. He doesn't get full; this is why when it comes to a pug, you always need to measure their food intake or they will plump out in no time.
Always follow a healthy diet and regular exercises with a pug.

3. They will eat literally everything.
I've seen Happy eat the strangest things ever. Like snail's house, orange peels and even broken brick bits.
No matter how cautious we are about things dropping or lying around on the floor, he will find something that he really not suppose to, and he will eat it.

4.Some expensive vet visits.
This is the part that scares a lot of people away from getting a pug.
They are prone to health problems such as eye ulcers, epilepsy, skin fold infections, kidney stones, breathing problems and even food allergies. You also need to be extra cautious about their bulging eyes as they can easily scratch them.
To summarise this, do your research about their health issues and make sure you check up on the breeder before you adopt your furry friend. Carl's did his research very well before getting Happy, his parents and even grandparents never had any health issues, so that's a good start, but again this doesn't mean that he cannot get any.
Fingers crossed. Also, make sure you get pet insurance.

5.High maintenance.
Don't get me wrong I'm definitely not complaining as I love pugs and I love Happy, but he is without any doubt a high maintenance puppy. Cutting his nails, brushing his fur, bathing him every two weeks or we will end with a very dirty smelly pug, brushing his teeth and a lot of facial care.
Those beautiful wrinkles on a pug's face require a lot of cleaning, or it will result in infections.
Yes, he needs just as much carrying as a child. If you don't have time for all this, pugs aren't the right breed for you I'm afraid.

6. Attention seekers.
Pug puppies always want to play and like to be in the centre of the attention. They are people dogs.
They aren't the kind of breed who are okay with just left for themselves all the time.
Anytime Happy plays with his toys, he always around us. He tries to get as close as he can, and he is continuously checking upon us from the corner of his eyes to make sure we still there.

7. Love or hate relationship with water.
Some pugs absolutely cannot stand water. Puddles, ponds, showers, rains all a big no for those who hate water.
However, certain pugs love water just as much as food. Luckily our little boy is the second one.
Anytime he hears the shower or the bath running, he runs all the way up on the stairs across the hallway to the bathroom hoping that it is his bathtime. Carl loves running the shower for a minute or two before jumping in and by the time he is trying to get in Happy is there having so much fun with the dropping water on his face.

8.Their obsession with toilets.
Happy gets way too excited when he hears the toilet flushing. During a dog's house training, there are times when accidents happen.
Sometimes more sometimes less but at the end of the day you will end up picking up a lot of poops.
It all depends where the accident happens, but when it closer to the bathroom, I always flush it down, and of course, Happy inspect the situation very carefully. He gets to the bathroom before me then he stands up on his feet, putting the first two paws on the toilet seat and waiting until I flush the toilet down.
Once it's flushed, he walks away as nothing happened. Sounds funny and quite worrying in the same time writing this down.haha

9. Double coated of fur.
Well, this is something that certainly surprised me about pugs. Looking at all the furniture around the house and our clothes are more definitely don't look the same as used to before Happy. No matter how many times we clean everything, they all covered with his fur in the next hour. Fawn pugs have a double coat which means they malt I mean they malt a hell of a lot.
Once you get a pug, a hair-less outfit will be a distant memory, and a sticky lint roller will be your best friend.

10.Energy level.
Happy is a very happy and cheerful dog. He enjoys his nap times, but he thrives on activity.
He is always ready to play, but this is not uncommon with young pug puppies.
Most of them just like him—walkies, a lot of playtimes and running up and down the stairs nonstop.

11.Patience with house training.
Pugs are very stubborn, which means they will test your patience when it comes to potty training.
They aren't the easiest breed to potty train but again not impossible. One thing to keep in mind is they do not respond to punishment quite well, so try to train them with positive reinforcement like treats.

12.Stubborn breed.
Oh, yes, they are. They do not respond to commands quickly, and it will take time to accept your authority. They do love to do what they want, and lead-training will might take a bit longer than with other dogs, but if you are patient enough and you stick to it, you will notice that he is acknowledging who is in charge.

13. They're very loyal.
Just because training is a bit of challenge with a pug doesn't mean they are not as smart as other dogs.
Pugs are incredibly loyal once they are trained. Once you gained their trust, they will follow you anywhere.
They will listen to every word you say intently. Their purpose in life is most certainly is your happiness.
This is why our little boy got his name, Happy. He's already made our lives happier than ever before.

 14.Pug eyes.
Pugs have large, gorgeous, dark eyes which also make them very vulnerable. They are very sensitive, and they are easily proved to any eye issues. When Happy was about 2-3 months old, we got him a fluffy toy that he loved, but we had to get rid of it because every time he chewed it, he got a bit of fluff on his eye.
It was not pretty and wasn't a simple task to get it removed as it got stuck on his eyeball.

15. Excellent watchdog.
Pugs make good guard dogs. They keep the noise to the minimum that your neighbour also will appreciate.

16. Have space for your pug wardrobe.
Some humans love to dress their dogs in cute outfits, so if you are one of them, pugs are for you. Yep, I'm just as guilty as you are!
At times, clothing is necessary for dogs like for most of the flat-faced breeds.
Pugs are not good at controlling their body temperature, which means you need to protect them in the cold by clothing them.

17. Unique characters.
Pugs are super extraordinary creatures who will change your life for the better. They wheeze, snort, sneeze, fart and snore.
They make some super weird and funny noises while they are napping.
They will keep you laughing and put a smile on your face every single day.

 18. They will steal your heart.
Pugs are happy, loyal, charming, playful and mischievous creatures. Once you get one of your own, you will never go back.
They give unconditional love to their families. Happy always give kisses and want to snuggle up with us.
He glazes at us like we are the best people on this planet.
Completely melts our hearts.

We have happy for about five months now, and despite all his quirks I do not regret it for a second welcoming him in our lives.
He makes the perfect pet for us.
Since day one, he got me hooked for life.

Have you ever considered getting a pug?
Have you ever had a pug? If so, please share your tips or advice in the comment below.