It's A Natural Thing

Like all animals, your dog needs to rid their bodies of waste- it's a natural thing they have to do. Of course, from your dog's perspective, it's much nicer to do that on a nice soft carpet in your climate controlled home then outside in grass and rough weather!

When you think about it, dogs have all sorts of natural behaviors that we humans don't always enjoy. One example, they love to chew things to ease their gums when they are teething, to release stress, and because it is just a fun thing to do! As a result, it is perfectly natural to chew on furniture, your best pair of shoes, and whatever they can sink their teeth in!

Another example is, dogs like to dig. They will dig to make a cool hole when it's hot outside and make a hole when it is cold outside. They love to dig looking for critters underground. They love to dig because it is fun and they can excel at this activity too!

Chewing, digging, and eliminating are all natural dog behaviors. But when we bring dogs into our homes, we expect them to control their natural ways. If you think about it, we want a lot from our dog! We expect them to control their instincts and live by another species' rules.

Think about what it would feel like if you had to do the same. For example, have you ever met someone from another culture? What you may be accustomed to can be considered very rude by their standards.

It is important to understand the things that dogs do naturally so you can better understand your canine family member.Now this doesn't mean you have to allow natural dog behaviors in your home. But, what is does mean is that it is up to you to set your expectations and make sure your pet knows what they are.

You can teach your dog to live by your rules as long as they are fair and realistic. You just need to channel those behaviors into appropriate outlets: "pleas don't chew up my shoes. You can play with these dog toys outside." So take time to understand these natural behaviors and the both of you will have a wonderful relationship!

Accidents Do Happen!

Despite all your best efforts, it is most likely that your dog will have a few accidents! How you deal with them will definitely affect your success in house training your pooch.

The old-fashion training approach use to recommend rubbing your dog's nose in his mess or spanking your dog. However, these methods do not teach your dog to eliminate outside. Instead, they can teach him to be afraid of you! He'll probably think you lost some marbles too!

If you come upon an accident in the house, there is not much you can do but clean it up. Make sure that you use the proper cleanser so that he won't go back to the same spot to do his business. Think about your supervision technique and see how you can improve it. See where the mistake is and what you can do to fix it. For instance, does he have too much freedom in the house?

When training my Puggles, which is considered a hard breed to housebreak, soon as I caught one of them having an accident, I'd used a sharp voice saying, "No!" That is all you need. Then immediately, grab his leash, attach and whisk him outside.

Once outside, I would give him the cue to potty. If he finishes outside, nothing but praise and a treat. I know it is tempting to give him a stern lecture about peeing in the house, but this will only confuse him. The goal is to make it crystal clear what you want your dog to do.

For Puggles Who Chew Things

Being a domestic dog is much more stressful than their cousins the wolf.Domestic dogs spend most of their time indoors and need to find ways to keep busy, burn off steam.Chewing is a good why to keep busy and burn off steam. The advise I would give people for chewing problems are as follows:

1.Add an extra 30-60 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.
2.Start a bone ritual, hollow bones are perfect to stuff with yummy things and freeze them (yogurt, peanut butter or even Cheeze whiz) We want to imprint into the dogs brain that chewing the bone is enjoyable and rewarding.We do this by offering the bone everyday, for bone time.

After a few weeks, your dog will hopefully start to seek out the bone when they feel bored or stressed. I suggest providing a little toy box to store all your dogs chew toys(have a few different type of bones available in the box). You will see the dog actually go to the box and sort through the toys and make a selection, when he feels the need.

In the mean time, when you catch your dog chewing on something you don't want, don't scold the dog. Offer him something else that is appropriate(redirect him). When you visually see your dog chewing on the appropriate things, tell him what a good dog! and even give him a treat while hes chewing.

Between the ages of 4-6 months and 9-12 months. These are the times when your puppy is teething and they will chew on anything and everything. A good idea is to have safe chewing toys all over the house. Yes you may step on them and hurt your foot once in a while but it is better for them to chew on a toy than say your underwear or that work project that is do tomorrow.

New habits can take close to 6-8 weeks for some dogs, so get busy, good luck!

Puggle Puppy Afraid to go down steps

This is so much how my Puggles were as a pup!

Puggles Have a Great Temperment!

Puggles have a great temperament. They are very sweet, playful, affectionate and social. They have a lot of energy and absolutely love to play. However, they also love to have their downtime. The Puggle makes a great lap dog; it loves to cuddle up with people. It tends to enjoy playing for a bit, but it quickly tires for a nap. It also gets along great with children and other pets. This dog seems to take the best qualities from both the Beagle and the Pug. Furthermore, Puggles are very low maintenance. All they need is an occasional bath, nail clipping and ear cleaning.

Training Puggles can be a bit slow because they are so hyper and playful. However, these dogs are eager to please and will learn with consistent training. Some Puggles will howl occasionally; they get this from the Beagle side of them.

Puggles are mid-sized dogs which make great housepets. Their size makes them perfect for living in an apartment, but they do need more exercise than other apartment dogs. It is a very sweet tempered, playful dog and makes a great companion. This dog is recognized by the ACHC (American Canine Hybrid Club).

Is It True, All Puggles Want To Do Is Eat?

To answer your question....no. I have two Puggles. But they tend to eat as much as you give them, so be careful to not over feed them. Spread it out over the day. Puggles love to play and snuggle. They are the cutest things, fun and entertaining, loving and loyal, smart...I could go on and on!

Hungry Doggies - Morphing Breeds

Cool dog video I found!

Xtreme PUG SKYDIVING

Though this is a Pug, I'm putting this video on here. It is really cool! This guy really loves his dog!

Celebrities Like Puggles

One couple found their miraculous answer in a pug and a beagle rolled into one -- a puggle. Another relationship saved, thanks to modern canine breeding science.The puggle is, currently, the most popular of the new designer dog breeds that now number in the hundreds and can cost in the thousands. They're trendy and pricey.Like handbags and shoes, puggle sales boomed when word got out that celebrities were buying them -- a lot of them from David Deitz at Brooklyn's Puppy Paradise. Actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Sylvester Stallone have purchased designer dogs.Sly's puggle was bred at a remote Wisconsin kennel where proprietor Wallace Havens invented the breed.

Why Puggle Popularity?

Within the last five years a new hybrid dog breed has originated in the United States that is fondly referred to as a puggle. It is a cross between a beagle and a pug resulting in a loose-skinned, floppy-eared, wrinkly-faced, low maintenance dog. Their bodies are thick-set with short legs and often have a curled tail with a smooth coat of fawn, tan and black coloring. puggles are small in stature, generally ranging from 13-27 pounds while standing 13”-15” tall. This makes for a perfect motor-home lap dog or a well-mannered house dog. They are sweet tempered, affectionate, energetic, and intelligent dogs. They adapt well to children and other household pets. This hybrid is typically easy to train and can master basic commands. Some have even been taught to use a litter box! A mature puggle will look like a miniature mastiff and be almost maintenance free. Puggles will shed, however, their short hair and small size seem to minimize the problem.

Many experts believe crossbred dogs are healthier because they draw from a more varied genetic background than do purebreds. Owners are looking for animals that combine the best qualities of two breeds- the lap friendliness of pugs and the well-known loyalty of beagles. The puggle’s Hollywood movie star power doesn’t hurt, either. Jake Gyllenhaal, James Gandolfini, Sylvester Stallone, Uma Thurman, and Julianne Moore are just some of the newest ‘hot’ dog owners.