Pug Issues

B

bernz84

O.G.
Aug 31, 2006
6,469
1,486
#1
Hello...I normally don't post here as I'm not a pet person, but this has been driving me crazy ever since I moved back home with my parents (since December 2009...so over 7 months). I feel super guilty about posting this because I know a lot of the posters here are animal lovers and I am not, but I have been irritated about this for a while and I need some sense knocked into me, if necessary....

My cousin (who lives in the same town I do) has a 3 year old pug who is incredibly aggressive and distrusting of strangers. He hates me because he doesn't know me; this is mainly because I have lived away from home for over 2 years since he was a puppy and have only seen him on occasion. My family (especially my sister, whom I'm starting to resent) adores this dog and they will bring him over to our house 3-4 times a week (and he will stay for several hours).

The whole family knows I don't like this dog, and I don't want to get acquainted with him. I will admit I am at fault here, but like I said before, I don't really care for pets that much...I don't hate animals per se; I'm more neutral towards them. The reason why I don't like this particular dog is because as I said before, he is very aggressive towards me (just as he is with other strangers), and his attitude makes me not want to be around him. Actually, he has scared me on more than one occasion (which might seem funny for some people because he is a small dog), which has made me very distrusting of other dogs when I first meet them. This dog is NOT afraid to bite hard, and I know he has bitten my cousins and friends.

His attitude is worse when he is around my sister because she constantly coddles him and now he is fiercely protective and "possessive" of her...which makes him really aggressive when strangers come around her or when my cousin pretends to "fight" with her, he will not hesitate to become aggressive. He even bit my youngest cousin (who's 8) because my cousin was trying to hold him back when the dog was trying to follow my sister to the car (and yes, my cousin bled from the accident).

Although I understand that they want the dog over to our house (my other family doesn't take care of the dog very well; it's actually my sister who spoils him and babies him), it is driving me crazy because when the dog is here, I will stay in my room and hardly go anywhere around the house. I cannot reason with my sister because she is enamored with the dog and almost always sides with the dog (I think she thinks it's cute that the dog is protective of her and adores her). My cousin (who actually owns the dog) is more understanding and realizes that the dog's attitude is out of hand at times.

On the other hand, my friends have other dogs who are bigger and heavier, but I have had no problems with meeting them because they were usually friendly.

Everyone tells me that I should try to be acquainted with the dog so he'll become used to me, but how can I do that when I am personally scared of him? My family (minus my sister) has tried disciplining him, they've neutered him, but nothing is working and he is still aggressive towards people he doesn't know.

I have asked friends on how to deal with him, but they're unsure, mainly because they've never dealt with pugs before. However, I've looked up information about pugs and apparently they're supposed to be even-tempered! So why is this dog so vicious? ARGH!!! Please tell me what I should do to so I could be less scared of this dog and hopefully become more tolerant of him when he comes over...thanks.
 
#2
Oh, and I know this dog doesn't like me in particular because he barked at my mother once when he was over, thinking it was actually me but then stopped suddenly when he recognized her (he is actually fond of my mother). He doesn't like it when he sees me around, though.

BTW, I have done nothing to this dog, other than not being around him.
 
#3
The dog needs to be controlled by your sister, but probably senses your dislike. I think that dogs and cats have a keen sense of such things. I would try to give him a couple of treats and I always talk to my dog and cat. I can't think of anyone that my Brussels doesn't like, but then, if someone doesn't, I don't have them to my home. lol

Talk to your sister about this and quickly!!!
 
#4
I think she's tried disciplining him herself (for example, if a stranger tries to walk by her or speak with her), but once he starts barking he cannot stop...I don't think she knows how to control him or raise her voice at him unless he acts aggressive towards her.

Like I said, it is hard to reason with her because she loves that dog. I hate to admit this, but I almost hate that dog. However, I do get why she loves him and I am sympathetic to a degree; he adores her and is protective of her...she's not exactly a people-person and is happy to have a pet that is unconditionally loving towards her.

ETA: I will try the treats, like you suggested...so long as I live in this house, I will have to tolerate him because I everyone else likes him, too. :sad:
 
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#5
bernz-
Please don't fel guilty about admitting that you're not a "dog person." It's ok!
I work with strange dogs all day-there are lots of great pugs out there-there are also lots of aggressive pugs out there! Labs too, and yorkies, and border collies....

It dosen't sound like there's too much hope of changing the way your sister interacts with her dog. Maybe it would work to create a controlled environment for him when he comes over? A nice, enclosed play area? A seperate space where he can have some toys. A roomy crate?
 
#6
Buy her a dog training book.

jk, but you really should talk to her. We all want the wonderful unconditional love that our dogs give us, but not when it goes too far and is harmful to others.

My dog loves my grandson and plays with him, but I can always see the look of relief when he goes home. Jack, the dog gets in his bed and sleeps for a long time.
 
#7
I've never met an unfriendly pug, so this is interesting to hear about. Have you tried feeding the pug treats? Pugs love to eat, so maybe you can try feeding the dog whenever he comes over. I once met a Pomeranian that was really mean and protective of his owner but I won him over after a few hours of slipping him treats. Good luck!
 
#8
Your sister has what the dog world calls: Small Dog Syndrome. (The dog has a neopolian complex hehe)

They have literally ruined the temperament of that dog. And its going to take more effort than your average training session to fix. Something most with SDS don't put in... Because the little holy terror is just "soooo cute".

But since the owner, your cousin, acknowledges the problem, there may be some hope? The sister is going to need to be cut off from the dog for a bit unless she contributes to the training and rehab...

And the dog NEEDS to be trained and rehabilitated out of that behavior. Because eventually it is going to bite someone who wont be so forgiving.

Don't worry, nothing is wrong with your take on this issue. Even many dog lovers hate this.
 
#9
Your sister is the one who needs to control the dog. Talk to her in no uncertain terms: tell her you are afraid of the dog and unless she does something about it you think it will end up biting you at which point animal control will have to be notified. Tell her that you are uncomfortable around the house and that you'd like she keeps the dog away from you. If she pooh-poohs you, tell her that this is a serious issue and that you have warned her of the possible consequences.

Regarding the dog: Resume the use of the house in the presence of the dog. He will never get used to you unless he sees you on a regular basis.

p-WA
 
#10
Thanks everyone for the advice!

I know this is unbelieveable for me to say, but it really is hard to talk to my sister about this! My cousin and mom have told her many times that she babies the dog too much, but she doesn't listen. Add to the fact that I openly hate the dog, she just thinks I'm being unfair and not trying to get myself acquainted with him. Ugh, based on how she treats this dog, I can only imagine what kind of kids she will raise! She is 25, btw.

lizavet8: lately the dog has been only allowed in the sunroom because he is ruining my mom's wood floor...thank God. He still irritates me because whenever he sees me he starts banging against the glass sliding door and barking at me.

I will talk to my cousin about rehabilitating the dog. I spoke with her about this last night and she has agreed that he gets ridiculous.
 
#11
your cousin needs to understand how to control her dog.
you seem to know enough to stay away from it.
once it bites or hurts a small child that is a stranger, she's going to have bigger problems.
 
#12
^I seriously think my aunt (her mom) bought it because they thought he was cute (and he was, especially as a puppy). The problem is, is that they don't know how to take care of him, and at this point he basically has an attitude of an entitled, bratty teenager.

They mostly keep him away from other strangers, but I don't know if it is doing more harm than good (since he doesn't have a lot of interaction with other people). I know that one of my friends' dogs has a lot of interaction with different people, hence she is friendly (golden retriever)...but yet my other friend's dog is mainly a housedog and is super friendly as well (siberian husky). Heck, even my friend's huge rottweilers were much friendlier than this dog, and I know those dogs are known to be aggressive (and I happened to love one of them :heart:)! Argh, it is so confusing.

Thanks again for the help, ladies...I'll forward the info to my cousin. :smile:
 
#13
Maybe she could take the pug to training classes or hire a dog trainer for a few lessons to help her learn to control him. :\ If I were you I would just try to act friendly towards the dog, and perhaps give him a treat to try to win him over... hopefully not at the expense of your fingers. :wtf:
 
#14
^^^ That won't help, in fact it will just encourage the problem.

Do NOT bribe this dog to like you. It will not help anything.

Its going to take a lot more than "a few lessons" to fix the problem they've made out of this dog. Its going to take a lot of lessons, consistent and strict re-enforcement outside of lessons and a complete change in their interaction with the dog day to day and the dog's boundaries. :/

Its going to be more work to train now, than it was as a clean slate puppy.
 
#15
^^^Argh!!! I guess this is a lot worse than I thought, but I am not surprised. But are you sure? I know he gets very hostile around my cousin's and family friends (and initially he did NOT like my dad), but when they show they are not afraid of him, he gets used to them and starts to interact with them. I am actually afraid of this dog; I have not had many good dog experiences in the past, so it is hard for me to be around him.

The only time he will act hostile and aggressive with people he's familiar with is if he thinks someone is "threatening" my cousin (owner) and my sister (whom he likes more than my cousin). The only times he will act "docile" is when someone scares him, which I know can't be healthy.

I spoke to my cousin about this and although she acknowledges the problem, she feels that she is too busy to discipline him (even though she wants to) and thinks she might look into it later on. Ugh!!! Then why have a dog in the first place if you can't take care of him?! This is mainly the reason why I see this dog frequently at my place...no one takes care of him at her house, but at my house, my sister is too crazy in love with him to do anything about it!
 
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