Help Pug acting weirdly (not in a good way)

Hi, I don't post much on here but come in from time to time. I need help please and I apologize for this being long winded.



I have a 3 1/2 year old pug named Clyde who is a bit skiddish at times which is part of his demeanor. However we had him in a kennel for the last two weeks in July with our other rescue pug while we were on vacation. Ever since we got him home he has been peeing in the house and now he attacked our babysitters younger brother. I was told that Nate (who is 12 years old) went out to un-tether Clyde from the back yard to bring him in after doing his business. He lunged at Nate, ripped a 2 inch gash in his sock and scratched the hell out of his legs. Now he won't let anyone go near him and so I told Amanda our babysitter to give him water and to stay away from him until I get home. This isn't the first time he has attacked someone for "no reason" (for a lack of a better term). He also bit my mother in law shortly after Clyde let her pet him. He actually drew blood from her.



I am hoping that you can all shed some light on the subject. I am concerned that something is really wrong with him. The worst of it is - he does these things when I am not around so I don't have a first hand account of what is setting him off. I am going to call my vet when I get home to see if there is any advice they can give me too. I would rather not crate him all day but if this keeps up I don't want have my husband tell me to put him down because he is becoming aggressive. I am so upset at all this so any advice would be appreciated.

I'm sorry to hear about Clyde. Do you mind telling us a little about his background? When did you get him, was he always like this-I know you mentioned he had been skittish in the past, but did that also translate to biting?

I think a vet work up is definitely in order to make sure he's not in pain, which is often a reason they can lash out so I'm glad you are going to be checking in with your vet too.

Saira wrote:
I think a vet work up is definitely in order to make sure he's not in pain, which is often a reason they can lash out so I'm glad you are going to be checking in with your vet too.

Saira took the words right out of my mouth. I'm sorry to hear about Clyde but I agree with Saira, I think a vet check is in order.

GracieNEmma wrote:

Saira wrote:
I think a vet work up is definitely in order to make sure he's not in pain, which is often a reason they can lash out so I'm glad you are going to be checking in with your vet too.

Saira took the words right out of my mouth. I'm sorry to hear about Clyde but I agree with Saira, I think a vet check is in order.

I have to third this as well.

I know it is extreme - but, we had a very similar case in rescue. A pug was surrendered for suddenly becoming aggressive. It turned out that he had a brain tumor. Another one we got in, it turned out she had not peed in a week because of bladder stones.

Any number of things can cause aggression. It's best to try and rule out any medical reason first.

Yep. You need to get a full medical done on Clyde to rule out anything that could be creating this. And if he's started peeing in the house, I'd wonder about bladder issues--infection, crystals or stones. And some dogs with Focal Seizures will lash out like this.

IF he gets the all clear medically--and he might--then you need to try and get your hands on a good canine behaviourist--one who uses only positive methods. They aren't cheap, I will warn you.

If this is new since the boarding, I would wonder if something happened during boarding that has escalated his anxiety or fear response.

Thanks for the responses. A little on Clyde... we bought him from a breeder (backyard at the time didn't know) when he was 16 weeks old. He did a 6 week puppy program at Petco (doesn't do any of the commands very well) and was our only pug til last August. We got our 2nd pug at the end of August 2010 but seems they have a decent relationship though they have their moments. Clyde also has a love hate relationship with my 6 year old because when we got him they were like the same size so I think he could pick on her. But he has NEVER tried to bite her.



Another thing about when we got him home from the kennel - he was quite a bit thinner than when we left him. I know he can go on a "food strike" when he is not in the mood to eat his dry food so I chalked it up to that and he is putting weight back on now that he is home. He just doesn't seem right.



Also another question - when he was a puppy we crate trained him for potty reasons only. Now he has full run of the 1st floor of our house. Do you think if I put him back into the crate while I am at work he will view that as punishment? I don't want anyone to get hurt or for him to feel threatened. I am just so torn up about this, I don't know what to think. And if there isn't something phyiscally wrong with him, then what to I do?



Again thanks for the advice.

For the crate training; you can make it fun place for them. We used to let our pugs have free reign of the downstairs. Then they started peeing on the couch, so we kept them in our pug proofed study. But, to get them used to it, we fed them in there, and we always give them a treat when we leave. Now they run to it. So if you try to give him special treats/bones in there, he should get used to it again. You may want to try to babygate him in a bathroom or an ex pen instead-I personally like giving them a little more space than a crate, but that's just my own preference.

If it's something that has happened post kenneling, it's possible something happened there. I'd definitely check for stones/utis too-stress and if he wasn't drinking as frequently could bring aggravate that.

First things first though, but if the vet doesn't show anything, then there are options with a behavioralist can help. I think it's tough too since you said you haven't witnessed it, so you don't know what the triggers are (some dogs get overly excited when a door bell rings, etc). So a behavioralist can help figure that part out and how to redirect. But, first see what the vet says.

You've been given absolutely the best advice possible by everyone so I just want to add hope for a solution. Please keep us updated.

Thanks all! I was able to get him into the vet yesterday and there is nothing phyically wrong with Clyde. The vet seems to think that because Clyde is naturally skiddish that the two weeks in the kennel made him so much worse. We are currently giving him rewards for doing his business outside only since he was doing it in the house when we got them back from the kennel and it seems to be a deterent to peeing in my house. As for the aggression, he suggested if we can't remedy the problem in the next couple of weeks with positive reinforcement that we contact a dog behaviorist. I am hopeful that showing him love and positiveness that he will be better. Thanks again for all your advice. It's nice to know there are so many to help out when it's needed.



Will keep you all posted on Clyde.

KrisGio wrote:Thanks all! I was able to get him into the vet yesterday and there is nothing phyically wrong with Clyde. The vet seems to think that because Clyde is naturally skiddish that the two weeks in the kennel made him so much worse. We are currently giving him rewards for doing his business outside only since he was doing it in the house when we got them back from the kennel and it seems to be a deterent to peeing in my house. As for the aggression, he suggested if we can't remedy the problem in the next couple of weeks with positive reinforcement that we contact a dog behaviorist. I am hopeful that showing him love and positiveness that he will be better. Thanks again for all your advice. It's nice to know there are so many to help out when it's needed.



Will keep you all posted on Clyde.

Sounds like you have a good plan in place. I hope he improves! Thanks for helping him through this

For what it's worth, the ASPCA has a virtual behaviorist on its website (aspcabehavior.org). I used it a lot when I worked at the Humane Society.