More Strange Behavior Questions

Hello again all,

just wondering if the following things are normal, weird, or if I should be worried. Ollie has only been with us since Saturday so I know he's just settling in and may just be getting used to things but....ok here goes...he gobbles like a little turkey when he's really worked up (hope this one is normal cuz it's soooo funny), also he wiggles his WHOLE bum instead of just his tail when he's happy (bad hips?), he gets growly when we slip his collar off or on, or when we use a stern voice with him (ex. "off the couch!"). Some of his nose is faded white, and (this one's embarrassing to mention but...) his bum hole is HUGE! Bowie has none of these traits so this is new for us. his vet appt. isn't for another 2 days so I just wanna be prepared and maybe would like to know if there are any extra issues I should bring up when I'm there.

Thanks

Gobbling noise - probably normal. Pugs have the weirdest repertoire of noises. It would only be something to be concerned about it it was accompanied by bubbling at nose or mouth, or if he seemed to have problems with breathing.
Wiggle bum - totally normal. Nothing quite so enthusiastic as a puggy bum wiggle.
Growling - I would discourage that. Spend a lot of time fiddling around his neck/collar area with collar on and collar off, all the while praising and giving him treats. Don't use a stern voice; if you want him off the couch ask him in a cheerful way and treat him for getting off. If he tries to get back on just look at him and body block him or use your arms to prevent him getting up. If he repeatedly gets on it then don't keep calling him off and treating as it will become a game to him. Instead just lift him off every time in a calm and matter of fact way, then distract him with a game while he is on the floor.
Nose - not sure about that. Have you any pics?
Bum hole - I take it you mean the area of bare skin around it is particularly large. I would not think that is an issue though hair loss could be a sign that he has scooted with irritation at something so maybe just keep an eye on the area for any discomfort.

Thank you soo much for your advice, we really appreciate it and are always eager to try your methods to keep our Ollie off the furniture. The growling is getting a bit better already today, I think he's beginning to trust us a little :) no bubbles coming out of is nose or mouth so I think we'll just enjoy our little turkey. He doesn't drag his bum and as far as i can see it doesnt look irritated. we are currently in the process of changing his food and have already noticed an improvement in his stool and wayyyy less flatulence. I forgot to mention as well that he poops and pees at the same time with his leg lifted. Again, probably not a big deal but just seems really strange to me. As for the fading on his nose, I took an up close pic of him on his 2nd day with us so you can see it in my profile pic.

Unaltered male = big butthole.

Sorry, . Its true. Every single male we have had in rescue that had his balls past the age of 2-ish, has got the biggest butt. Once they are neutered, it takes a while, but the size does recede.

Really? How interesting. I have never thought my boys' buttholes are particularly large, but maybe they are. I shall be studying buttholes now...

Snifter&Toddy wrote:Really? How interesting. I have never thought my boys' buttholes are particularly large, but maybe they are. I shall be studying buttholes now...

Yep--Renee beat me to it, but it is a feature of the intact male or any male dog that HAS been intact for a while. Tank's is huge. He wasn't neutered till he was 6.

As to the growling--work with him around the head and neck thing. It's a common thing for many dogs to be hesitant about being handled--especially anything coming over the head.

BUT do NOT discipline him for growling. In no way do you want to suppress growling as it is one of the only ways a dog has to tell us they don't like something. Many of the stories I hear about "He just bit us with no warning" comes from dogs that have been punished for growling.

Make the collar/harness thing a positive. He may well have been scruffed or handled roughly or heard loud or stern voices before being roughly handled. I save my stern voice for serious events that I need the dogs to STOP. RIGHT. NOW.

My Skeeter wasn't neutered until he was 2 years old. His butthole was pretty big looking when we rescued him, shortly after he was neutered. It took about a year, but it shrunk down to a smaller size.

Bella, I am glad we have provided you with a new passtime... studying buttholes!

What....have.....I....started? haha for the record we really do save our outside voices for "get off the road!!" or if the 2 dogs get into a brawl but I'm soo glad we got the answers we were looking for and I'm learning a tonne from all of you. It all makes a lot of sense . I'll tell you what the vet says tomorrow. I wish that we knew what he's been through so I could help him more. It's like a blank slate with him having no previous vet records. I'm realllly starting to love him though...... growls/butt hole & all!

Renee wrote:Unaltered male = big butthole.

What Reneé said... I don't know why...

PS: Don't ever be embarassed. You're around hard-core pug people here. We discuss anything and everything!

Pugs have quite the variety of noises. My little Chloe sounds like a tazmanian devil when she plays and really doesn't have a 'bark' at all.

Some of our gang wiggle their whole behind when wagging their tail. I don't think it means bad hips. Actually, the one who had hip surgery (Linda's Diamond) only wags her tail, never any other part of her body, when she is happy. She looks like a mechanical pug. LOL

Treats help with the collar/harness. You can give one just after taking off or putting on his. He'll learn it is a good thing. Oh, ours ONLY wear harnesses, I don't care for collars that can hurt a pug's trachea.

When you 'rescue' a pug (Which you did even though it was not thru a rescue), you are taking on a whole bunch of mysterious behaviors, but you will learn what they mean.

Well........ back from the vet!! teeth and eyes are good, hips are fine, bum hole is normal, has a testicle up in his abdomen, had to get a HUGE scab shaved out of his fur (thought it was glue er something), 2 shots, a years worth of revolution and a new bag of food. so besides a tiny bald spot on his back, he is fit as a fiddle!! we are booked in for another shot in 3 weeks and for a neutering/testicle retrieval June 11th!! he was soooo well behaved (very proud of my good boy) haha and when i got the bill I told my Oliver that he's gonna have to suck it up get a part time job if this keeps up!! [img]https://2img.net/u/1114/42/02/13/smiles/547493.gif[/img]