Pugs are renowned for their unique facial features that you would be hard pressed to find in many, if any, other dog breeds. They have large round heads with black face masks, characteristic undershot jaws, large and round dark eyes surrounded by deep wrinkles, cheek moles, and smooth, black, and velvety ears. Put together, the face of a Pug has the look of a human fist. In fact, that is how the Pug got its name.
The coating of a Pug can be found in three colors. They are silver, apricot-fawn, and black. If you are looking for help with how to groom a Pug, you have come to the right place.
The Process For How To Groom A Pug
1. Brush Your Pug’s Hair
One of the issues faced by many dog breeds is matting which, if left unaddressed, can be painful for a dog as his/her skin is being pulled at. However, since Pugs have short and smooth coating, matting isn’t known to be an issue for this dog breed.
What worries a Pug owner the most is the dog’s shedding. That is because, despite their short and smooth coatings, Pugs are known to be a heavy shedding dog breed all year long.
Because of that, you will want to be proactive when it comes to your Pug’s shedding as all hair that is shed will end up on your floor or furniture and that can get messy. You can keep your Pug’s shedding under control by brushing his/her coating in order to get rid of dead hair before they fall off.
So, in order to bring your Pug’s shedding under control, you will want to brush his/her coating three times per week at the very least. As for which brush to use, the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is a popular choice that is effective at collecting the dead hair from your Pug’s coating without scratching his/her skin.
The brush also comes with a self-cleaning feature that is designed to make it easy for you to clean out the brush as all you need to do is to press the button on the brush in order to clean it.
Once you have the brush in your hands, you are ready to start brushing your Pug’s coating. You will want to brush in the direction of hair growth for best results.
2. Brush Your Pug’s Teeth
All dogs need to have his/her teeth brushed and your Pug is no exception. Brushing your Pug’s teeth is needed in order to prevent tartar buildup from taking form on his/her teeth because that can cause tooth decay if left unaddressed.
So, be sure to brush your Pug’s teeth regularly – ideally on a daily basis. You will want to get the Virbac toothpaste for your Pug’s teeth because that is the one that veterinarians often recommend to dog owners for their dogs’ teeth.
You can use a toothbrush to brush your Pug’s teeth.
3. Bathe Your Pug
Your Pug can be bathed once per month, but you want to be careful not to bathe him/her too often because that can result in the loss of natural oils that nourishes his/her skin and coating.
Once you are ready to start bathing your Pug, here is how you can go about doing that. Start out by taking your Pug to your bathtub. Once there, fill a cup with warm water and then pour it onto your Pug’s coating in order to get it all wet.
Now, thoroughly apply the shampoo onto your Pug’s coating, taking care not to get it into his/her eyes. As far as shampoos are concerned, the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is one of the best shampoos that I can find. So, it’s well worth getting for your Pug.
Once you are done shampooing your Pug, be sure to rinse his/her coating until every trace of the shampoo has been rinsed out. With the bath over, dry out your Pug’s coating with a bathing towel and then re-brush it.
4. Clean Your Pug’s Ears
Your Pug needs to have his/her ears cleaned out. That is needed in order to prevent wax buildup from taking form inside your Pug’s ears. If wax buildup is left alone to take form inside your Pug’s ears, that can cause ear infection.
So, be sure to check in on your Pug’s ears periodically. If your Pug’s ears start to look dirty, that indicates that it is time for you to clean them out. You will want to get the Virbac ear cleaner for cleaning your Pug’s ears because that is the one that veterinarians often recommend for a dog’s ears.
You can apply the ear cleaner onto cotton balls and then use them to clean your Pug’s ears.
5. Clip Your Pug’s Nails
Your Pug also needs to have his/her nails clipped in order to keep them short. That is because you don’t want your Pug’s nails to be too long as that can cause paw pain for him/her which in turn can cause discomfort when walking around.
So, be sure to keep an eye on your Pug’s nails or listen for any clicking sounds when he/she is walking around. That way, you will know for sure when it is time for you to clip your Pug’s nails.
You can use a nail clipper like Millers Forge Dog Nail Clip to clip your Pug’s nails. Be careful not to clip the quick part of your Pug’s nails as that can easily cause bleeding.
Concluding How To Groom A Pug
There you have it for how to groom a Pug. As for trimming your Pug’s hair, given the combination of his/her short and smooth coating and the fact that he/she is a heavy shedder of hair all year long, it isn’t going to work out for him/her.
If you are in need of help with getting your Pug to cooperate with you while you are grooming him/her, this post will help you with that.
What are your thoughts? Have you groomed a Pug before? Feel free to leave a comment down below.