Another one of the reasons we were attracted to the pug breed was their relatively low maintenance grooming routine. We once had a very shaggy long-haired cat – probably with a bit of Maine Coon in it – that was an absolute pain to keep groomed. Huge chunks of matted fur, puked-up hair balls, not to mention hair everywhere. Well, we dodged the matted fur issue and the middle-of-the-night wake up calls of a vomiting cat, but the shedding issue we did not. I was aware that pugs shed, but until you own one, you may not realize the extent of that shedding.
Of course, we could brush him on a daily basis, but we weren’t very good at that. So early on we decided we’d try to get Spanky used to a monthly bath. Not only did it help rid him of a lot of loose hair, but it also made him smell nicer. Not that pugs smell bad – I don’t think they do. But my husband thinks he starts to smell too “doggy” after a few weeks. He prefers the scent of our neighbor’s Malti-poo that has longer curly locks, which although pretty, are not water resistant like Spanky’s. But it’s this water resistance that results in that sometimes musky smell.
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| Spanky's first bath |
When Spanky was a little guy bathing was a fairly simple task that was easily managed in our large master bathroom tub. But as he got bigger, he jumped around more and resisted a bit. So one day my husband took Spanky in the shower with him. This proved to be the perfect solution. We tried some dog shampoos, but we found that one of my “moisturizing” shampoos (because it’s soooo dry here in Colorado) worked better. He just sort of walks around in the stall while my husband showers, and then when he’s done, he shampoos Spanky. A whole load of hair comes off and even more when we towel dry him. I then follow up with a combing, using a rubber-type brush to get even more hair and finish by putting ear drops in his ears. Having floppy ears, Spanky is susceptible to ear infections, so doing this as a preventative measure is an important step.
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| Must haves! Comb, Ear Drops |
The shower is also a good place to give his wrinkles a really good cleaning. Some pugs have more wrinkles than others. Spanky happens to be a pug with very deep wrinkles below his eyes which can get filled with crud. I do try to wipe his wrinkles out on a daily basis since he gets lots of eye boogers. I usually manage to wipe off these guys, but sometimes Spanky “washes” his face with his paws (I swear he learned this from our cats) and his deep wrinkles can have some pretty nasty junk in them.
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| Waiting for his turn |
Of course, your pug won’t smell good right away. It takes about an hour for the fur to dry completely and until then, the musky wet-dog smell will prevail.
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| yum! |
Now, does Spanky like to shower? Hard to say. His tail flops down when we shampoo him, which is always the sign of an unhappy pug. And we know he hates his ear drops. But after that, he seems to go crazy, zipping around the house and acting very playful. Of course, our long-haired cat did that too every time he pooped, so maybe it’s an animal’s way of releasing cathartic energy.
My one observation is that the shedding is worse at certain times of the years. This summer has been exceptionally hot here in Colorado. June was our hottest June on record, with five days of 100 plus temps (38 C.) My dark hardwood floors have been accumulating pug hair faster than I can clean it up. I've got a Roomba and that does help, but my experience is that Roombas don't get everything. So having a Swiffer or other electrostatic type mop is a big help.
