Issues with Turbo! Help!

I have had the big boy for 48 hours. In that time, I have not seen him close his eyes once!!! He does not sleep! The first night I had him I tried to get him to lay down on my bed - Juneau and Rosco were not impressed with his circling and panting - they both growled at him. So Turbo went to the spare room. Last night I tried again. Now...I can sleep through anything! I am KNOWN to sleep through stuff that average people do not sleep through...well guess what? I'm not sleeping through this big boy's breathing! Uhhh no! He sounds like a car that won't start...over and over and over. Back to the spare room he went...then he whined and barked until 3:00 a.m.!!!

Is there anything I can do to help him with the breathing? I took him for a walk 2 days in a row and his breathing doesn't get worse. He just has one sound - all day long.

He is also very rough. Almost like a puppy in a very large body. He likes to get Juneau going and they tear around the house. I put baby gates back up to stop the circular running, but then Turbo does this incessant humping on Juneau. I'm afraid he will break Juneau's back, so I'm always after Turbo to stop.

Will his breathing get better? Anything I can do to help it? It is sooooo loud! I was watching tv and didn't realize how high the volume was until my son told me to turn it down...and he was outside on the deck!

Also...Turbo is not cuddly! When I pet him he swings around to nip me! He is going to be a big challenge, so if anyone has suggestions, please throw them my way. Thanks

Has he been to your vet yet for a general check up? First, it has only been a couple of days and it is a big adjustment for any pug to come into a new house.

He def needs some exercise, but I would be careful about pacing him and building up to extended walks.

Hopefully some other people will have some tips too.

O Tarrington, pour yourself a glass of whatever relaxes you

His breathing will not get better overnight. You won't see much of a difference inside six weeks, but do keep up the exercise, gradually increasing it until you are happy with his fitness. There is also the possibilty that it can't get better if he has palate or nares issues - your vet may be able to advise you, but some things they can't check without an endoscopy, which means a general anaesthetic.

Your sleep IS important so that you don't unravel at the edges. Can you put a crate in your bedroom next to the bed and see if he will settle there? A big soft toy in the crate may help if he's not used to sleeping alone. And wear earplugs to bed if necessary.
Or put him in the spare room and wear earplugs. Eventually he will get used to whatever routine you install but it's only been 2 days AND he could be a hyper pug from the sounds of it - he will stay puppy-like for a long time! If you can get him interested in Juneau's toys rather than J himself that would be a plus (as long as J is agreeable of course!). Try him with Kongs and treat-dispensing toys also, they often keep a hyper dog out of trouble.

I foster, and sometimes have to separate a busy medium sized foster from my lot, they are on opposite sides of baby gates when I am at work OR I tether the foster to me so that I am always there to reward for correct actions and so mine can wander off to a nearby bed when they've had enough games. I know in advance what the fosters are going to be like unless they are strays or brought direct to me, then I quarantine them for 10 days anyway, so half of the blow-throughs don't even get to play with my lot. But not everyone has their house set up that way.

I imagine that right now you are having trouble thinking straight due to lack of sleep, so take a deep breath - Turbo doesn't have the manners yours have because he hasn't been trained that way. Be consistent, be calm and you will be able to reward him for the good stuff and give him the big ignore for really bad stuff. Give yourself a couple more days and you just won't hear his breathing anymore - you will be mildly surprised when other people comment on it.

Cuddly - well that will come with trust, and that will take time...you have yourself a rehab rescue there, not for the faint-hearted, hugs to you. Hopefully others will chime in with advice, not everyone approaches these things the same way.

Hopefully the breathing will get better as he loses a few pounds. And he might also be stress panting, lots of dogs do that when they're in a situation that causes stress and being in a new house with new dogs, new routines, basically new everything is very stressful. It usually takes a foster dog a week or two to adjust to your schedule. The vet check up sounds like a good idea to rule out that there's not something going on. I've had a few pugs that were just heavy breathers and I got used to them. Beavis snores loud. He still snores, but I've gotten used to it and now I actually miss it if he's not snoring beside me.

As for the rough playing, are your other two dogs giving him feedback? Resident dogs are good at letting a newcomer know when the play is escalating too far. If they're not giving him feedback, it will be up to you to teach him that if he gets too rough, he gets put in a time out. You can use a verbal warning, "Turbo, chill" or something like that and if he continues to rough house he goes into an x-pen or crate for a few minutes.

As for the nipping at you, is it play or is it a "leave me alone" sort of nip? If it's a "leave me alone" nip, so many rescue dogs don't know what petting is and it takes them awhile to get used to it. The big places dogs don't like being touched are the top of the head and their rump area. Always make sure he can see where your hands are in the beginning. You can also get him used to being touched by keeping your petting sessions (did I just type that?) short and sweet and giving him a treat for tolerating touching, gradually adding time to the sessions.

Cornell didn't know what petting was when I first got him and nipped but he loves being pet now.

What everyone above said... You've had some excellent advice and observations.

Remember, this situation he now is in is BRAND NEW to him. He's NEVER experienced it before, and he's certainly going to be nervous (hence the panting). He will settle down. Meantime print out all the advice and work it to something that fits your life.

Also, he's used to playing with a mastiff! He is probably rougher towards Juneau because of that. You'll have to work with him and teach him to play 'nice' with a smaller dog.

Also, remember we're here for you. (and him!)

Thanks for the advice! I just went home for lunch, let Turbo out and played with all 3 boys. Turbo was all over Juneau, but Juneau just freezes! So I kept saying "Turbo! Off!" He does move when I say it. I sat on the floor and let them come around. Juneau is a jealous boy and loves his mama, but he did allow Turbo to get into the circle. Turbo let me pet him a bit, then he was back to nipping (he does this playfully). He does let me put creme on his hot-spot without any problem.

I'll just keep my eyes on the prize! A good dog is in there! He does like to go for walks and he is great on a leash! Isn't it odd that he doesn't sleep though?

juneau hunter wrote:Thanks for the advice! I just went home for lunch, let Turbo out and played with all 3 boys. Turbo was all over Juneau, but Juneau just freezes! So I kept saying "Turbo! Off!" He does move when I say it. I sat on the floor and let them come around. Juneau is a jealous boy and loves his mama, but he did allow Turbo to get into the circle. Turbo let me pet him a bit, then he was back to nipping (he does this playfully). He does let me put creme on his hot-spot without any problem.

I'll just keep my eyes on the prize! A good dog is in there! He does like to go for walks and he is great on a leash! Isn't it odd that he doesn't sleep though?

No that's pretty normal for the new ones. Most fosters I have won't settle down for a few days (and I swear we never saw Sophie sleep until she was about 2 ). Usually they are nervous and they express it in different ways-some pant, some pace, some won't sleep-it takes a few days for everyone to settle in (your dogs and the foster!).

He sounds like he is still young and untrained. Getting him into obedience might help him as well.