Pug Training: Are Pugs Easy to Train?
You've sat down with a cup of tea and a biscuit, and there's a Pug sitting on your foot, staring up at you without blinking, snorting gently every few seconds. Everyone laughs at the snort and shares the biscuit. Now, the staring is a training question and the snort can be a health question, and with a Pug you need to know which is which.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Pugs are clever, food-loving companions who learn well with short, cool sessions and great rewards. The things to work on first are coming when called, walking on a harness (never a collar), settling on a mat, being handled and "leave it". Health comes first with this breed, so learn what normal breathing looks like, keep them lean and cool, and ask any breeder for both parents' breathing grades.
IN THIS POST
ā Pug temperament
ā Pug training: what to work on first
ā Exercise and mental stimulation for a Pug
ā Pug health
ā FAQs
Are Pugs easy to train?
Yes, and I'd push back hard on the idea that you can't train a Pug. I hear it a lot, usually about a Pug who has never been asked to do very much. Pugs are bright, they're watching you all the time, and most of them would do almost anything for food, which is a huge help when you're teaching something new.
So when a Pug "won't" do something, I'd look at three things before anything else. Do they understand it in this place, is the reward good enough here, and is it too hot, too hard or too long for that little flat face right now? Making it a bit easier nearly always teaches more than repeating the cue louder.
Pug temperament
Pugs come from China, where they were kept as companions in palaces and wealthy homes for centuries, and later they were favourites of the Dutch royal House of Orange. Most breeds were made for a job and became family dogs later. The Pug was made to be with people from the very start, and every Pug I meet still takes that job very seriously.
So they follow you to the loo, sit on your feet while you cook and snore on the sofa. They're funny, affectionate and usually friendly with everyone, but they can also be quite sensitive, and a worried Pug often doesn't bark or growl. They go still, lick their lips, turn their head away or try to get behind your legs, and people carry on cuddling them because they look so sweet. Watch the tail too, because a happy Pug carries it curled over the back, and a tail that drops or straightens is often the first sign they're finding something hard.
Pug training: what to work on first
Coming when called
Start indoors, saying their name and your recall word once, in a happy voice, when they're only a step or two away. Treat at your feet with a gentle touch on the harness, then play "point to point" with someone else across the room and the garden, before moving outside on a long line. Keep the best treats for recall and use tiny pieces, because a Pug only needs a taste.
Walking on a harness, not a collar
A Pug pulling on a collar puts pressure on the airway and on those big eyes, so a well-fitted harness that doesn't press on the throat is the only option for me. Reward them often for being beside your leg, stop still when the lead goes tight and carry on when it's slack, and give them plenty of free time to sniff. There's more in how to stop your dog pulling on the lead.
Settling on a mat (and the begging)
If begging has ever worked, a Pug will keep trying, so everyone in the house has to agree one rule, visitors included: nobody feeds the Pug from the table or the sofa. Before you sit down to eat, pop them on their bed with a long-lasting chew, drop treats calmly between their paws for staying there, and use a baby gate while you're teaching it so the staring and pawing at your chair don't get practised.
Handling and the chin rest
Teach your Pug to rest their chin on your hand or a cushion and hold still for a treat. It's the most useful thing you'll ever teach for eye drops, cleaning the nose fold and vet checks, because your dog is choosing to stay rather than being held, and you'll be doing a lot of all three with this breed.
Leave it and drop
With a dog who'll eat almost anything, "leave it" and "drop" are safety skills rather than party tricks. Start with a treat in your closed hand, and the moment they back off it, mark and give a different treat from your other hand. For "drop", swap a toy for a treat and then give the toy back, so letting go never means losing out.
Exercise and mental stimulation for a Pug
Pugs don't need long walks, but they do need walks, and the type matters more than the distance. Two sniffy walks a day at the cool ends of the day, a breakfast scattered in the grass or served in a food puzzle, and a couple of minutes of tricks will give a Pug a rich, full life. Families sometimes feel bad that their Pug can't keep up with the bigger dog next door, and they really don't need to.
Train with part of their daily food rather than on top of it. Weigh it out in the morning and put a quarter aside for training, because Pugs are one of the breeds most often overweight, and extra weight makes breathing, heat, backs and knees all harder. If your Pug "plants" halfway round the park and won't go any further, check the weather and their breathing before you call it a habit, because very often it's a dog who is hot, tired or sore.
Pug health
I always want health ruled out before we talk about behaviour with a Pug. A lot of what looks like a training problem turns out to be a health problem in disguise: the Pug who won't walk is overheating, the Pug who snaps when you touch their head has a sore eye, and the Pug who won't settle at night may be struggling to breathe lying down. These are the ones to know:
Breathing (BOAS): loud snoring, noisy breathing when awake, sleeping sitting up or struggling on short walks all need a vet's opinion, and blue or grey gums or collapse are an emergency
Eyes: a squinting, watery or cloudy eye needs a vet the same day, because eye problems in Pugs get worse very quickly
Skin folds and teeth: wipe and dry the nose fold a few times a week, and start tooth brushing early, because a short jaw means crowded teeth
Backs and brains: watch for wobbliness, scuffing the back feet or trouble with stairs, and ask the breeder about DNA testing for Pug dog encephalitis
Heat: flat-faced breeds are at much higher risk of heatstroke, so walk at dawn and dusk in summer and never leave a Pug in a car or conservatory
If you're choosing a puppy, ask for both parents' breathing grades (in the UK that's the Kennel Club and University of Cambridge Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, and elsewhere ask what breathing test has been done) and watch mum trot round the garden. The innate health assessment for flat-faced breeds post has more on how these checks work.
RENEE'S TIP
Film your Pug breathing while they're asleep, and again after a short walk, and keep the clips on your phone. It takes two minutes, and if anything ever changes, your vet can see exactly what "normal" looked like for your dog, which is far more useful than trying to describe a snort.
QUICK CHECK
ā Walk on a harness, never a collar
ā Use part of their daily food for training
ā Teach the chin rest for eyes, folds and vet checks
ā Walk at the cool ends of the day in summer
ā Ask any breeder for both parents' breathing grades
FROM RENEE'S BOOKSHELF
The Modern Pug Handbook
Behaviour, training and everyday life with your Pug, from choosing a healthier puppy to breathing, eyes, heat, begging and the senior years.
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FAQs
Are Pugs easy to train?
Yes. They're clever and love food, so short, cool sessions with tiny treats work brilliantly. When it isn't working, make it easier rather than repeating the cue.
Do Pugs need a lot of exercise?
Not a lot, but they do need daily walks with plenty of sniffing, at the cool ends of the day, plus brain games like food puzzles and scatter feeding.
Is snoring normal for a Pug?
Some grunting and snuffling is normal, but loud snoring, noisy breathing when awake or sleeping sitting up are signs your Pug is working hard to breathe, so ask your vet.
Are Pugs good with children?
Often, yes. Their eyes are at the height of a toddler's hands, though, and a dropped Pug can hurt their back, so children should sit on the floor to cuddle and an adult should always be watching.
Can Pugs be left alone?
They were bred for company, so being left is often the hardest part of life for them. Start with tiny absences from the first week and build up slowly.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Renee Patience Ā· National Dog Trainer of the Year 2025
Founder and head trainer of Paws Academy, with more than 30 years training dogs and a Level 6 Diploma in Applied Canine Behaviour. Renee has competed in agility, obedience and heelwork to music across the UK, including at Crufts and Olympia, has appeared on CBBC, and is the author of the Modern Training Guides and the Modern Breed Handbook series. Pictured with her boxer, Kookie.
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