If you are thinking about housetraining an older Pug then it is important to understand that it involves as much of a commitment from your family as it does the Pug. While you may assume that since the Pug is already grown and may have very well been potty trained in another home, this is not the case. The Pug will have to adjust to your home and needs time to learn your home’s elimination schedule.

Let’s be realistic here. Your Pug needs some time to adjust to the new environment of your home. He also needs to know that you do not appreciate him peeing on the floor – especially if his prior owner did not seem to care.

Assuming that your Pug will just automatically know what to do is a mistake. You will need to start completely from scratch as if the Pug were a puppy and gradually teach him the way your pet potty schedule operates.

Beginning with a crate or closing the Pug off to just using the potty in the bathroom can help a lot. After that has been established you can begin creating a schedule for potty breaks outdoors. Most adult Pugs are picky about where they use the bathroom at. Many do not want to go where they sleep, eat or play.

Take your Pug outside in your yard and choose a spot for your Pug to go potty. The key is to bring the Pug back to that same exact spot on each visit outdoors so that he knows that is where he needs to go. Monitoring your Pug’s elimination patterns can help you devise the right schedule for potty breaks as well.

Keeping your Pug on a schedule is important so be sure to feed your Pug at the same times each day. He may have never had this type of organization in his life before so it is crucial to remain patient while he adjusts. The old phrase, “you can’t teach a Pug new tricks” is a common misconception. In fact, you can teach a Pug anything if you just practice a little consistency.

Your Pug may have also come from an abusive household. Even things like yelling or smacking the Pug with a newspaper could have caused your pet a lot of fear. This is why you need to be patient and build the Pug’s confidence so that he understands your intentions and can make adjustments without being afraid.

Be prepared to clean up a lot of accidents at first. Training an adult Pug is no easier than training a puppy. Both Pugs require a lot of adjustment before they can really get a grasp on how things are supposed to work. Being consistent and training with love will boost the Pug’s confidence so that good behavior becomes habit.

Finally, older male Pugs have a tendency to mark their territory by peeing on things. It is an instinctive behavior which needs to be tended to by either breaking the Pug’s spirit or simply having the Pug neutered.