One of the first things most people work on when they bring their new dog home is housetraining. This is probably the hardest part in training a puggat. In our experience with our puggat, it took about a month before Roogy would walk himself to the sliding door to let us know he needed outside. This may seem like a long time to be totally trained, but he was constantly making small steps from the start. The first week is really the hardest. First, your puppy has to adjust to a new environment. They don’t know where they are supposed to go to the bathroom. On top of that, you need to learn to watch for the signs that you need to take your pup outside. When we thought that Roogy needed to go out, we would say “outside” while taking him out the door, set him on the ground, and give him the command to go. Treats and lots of praise when he was done helped with conditioning his behavior. So stick at it, and use commands so your dog knows what is expected. We can now ask out dog if he wants to go outside, and he knows exactly what we mean and heads straight for the sliding door. Keep at it!

Another useful command in housetraining is “kennel up”. We were surprised at how fast Roogy picked up on this one. Starting the first day we got him, we would use the command each time we placed him in his kennel. As he got older, we would randomly try saying it without actually picking him up and placing him inside. It never seemed to work, and I was giving up hope on him actually listening to that command. What dog wants to get locked up anyways? But to my surprise, he started listening. It is important to add at this point that dogs respond differently to different people. M can tell Roogy to kennel up and he will trot directly into the kennel without hesitation. When I tell him to kennel up, he will pause and look at me for a couple seconds, then slowly, and almost painfully, walk towards his kennel, with his head held low, giving me the saddest looking face ever. He must know I am a woman! Puggats are good at reading people, and they know who is in charge. Make it a point from day one to show you are in charge.

Now to the fun stuff! Tricks! There is something everyone loves when a dog sits on command. Our puggat would do just about anything for a Tiny T-bone or Beggin’Strip, so this was an easy one to teach. Training with treats your dog is crazy for will make them much more willing to learn. We really didn’t start teaching Roogy to sit until he was about four months old, and he caught on very quickly. Now, at six months old, he is able to sit, lay down, stay, and fetch, and we are working on more. Of course, fetching was really a natural thing for our puggat. He would fetch and return a frisbee the first week we had him.

Remember how I mentioned puggats can be stubborn? Roogy definitely one command he only obeys when he wants to; come. Sometimes when I let him outside, he decides to start roaming to the neighbors lawn. No matter how much I call for him, he totally ignores me. But I also mentioned how much he likes his treats. I don’t know where or how he learned this, but when I ask “want a treat,” he books it from wherever he’s at. I know I’m just rewarding his behavior, but it works. Just give me a break on that one.

I feel better about giving Roogy a treat when he has to work for it. He learned in two tries that he doesn’t eat his treat until I tell him to “get it”. I have gotten to the point that I set the treat in front of him, walk around the kitchen, and then finally tell him to get it. And he waits patiently for his reward. Puggats will pick up quick when there is a reward involved!

Another thing I have learned about our puggat is that he loves going for rides! He goes absolutely crazy when we ask him if he wants to go for a ride. I never thought a dog would pick up on stuff like that, but Roogy did. And it wouldn’t surprise me if your puggat will do the same.

The latest trick I have been working on with Roogy is rolling over. He has not accomplished it on his own yet, but he is trying. In just a few minutes of working with him and pushing him over, he would start digging his shoulder into the carpet as if he wanted to roll over, but didn’t know how. I was surprised that in just one lesson he was showing that he was trying.

The most fun thing we have ever done with Roogy was take him pheasant hunting. We were a little hesistant about taking him at first. He had never been exposed to gun shots, or to running around in a huge open field full of thick grass. The grass in the field was about three feet tall, well over our puggats head. I thought I would have to carry him the whole time. To our surprise, Roogy probably had the most fun of his life. His head was constantly springing up above the grass as he jumped along as we hunted. He even ended up scaring up a pheasant. We were amazed and laughing the whole time. He was a natural! It must be the rat terrier in him. So don’t be afraid to let your dog try out different things. You may find it to be a good time!

It’s a lot of fun to see how fast our dog picks up on things. Puggats are smart, and they are excited to learn new things. So keep those treats handy and go at it. It’s really rewarding when you see your dog learning and obeying you. And it’s fun for them too! Happy training!

We got Roogy when he was eight weeks old from a dog breeder a few miles from our home. The pups had just been taken away from their mother and were in a new and strange environment, making them deceivingly timid. Even though baby puggats may appear to be shy, they most likely will not stay that way. However, each individual puggat will ultimately have a personality of its own, so keep in mind before you go looking as to what type of dog you are looking for. Our puggat happened to be the only pup that would crawl up to us and check us out. The others were very shy, although they slowly became more playful as they grew more confident with their surroundings.

When we took Roogy home, we were surprised at how quickly he grew comfortable with his surroundings. He didn’t show any fear about his new home, but rather seemed confident. Puggats are very playful! Roogy began playing fetch and returning the object just days after we got him. It was easy to see he enjoys human interaction. He can hardly contain his excitement when someone comes to the door. Puggats are people-friendly, and not so much a guard dog. Another thing we noticed was how rowdy he could be, but not at all aggressive. So if you are looking to get a puggat, know from the start that you are getting a ball of energy, and a lot of laughs too!

House-training is something you should start as soon as you bring your puggat home. Although I have never had the experience of housetraining a dog, I found it to be much easier than I thought. I had to have Roogy in my line of sight almost all the time in order to train him the right way from the start, but he didn’t have many messes that we didn’t catch. He finally got to the point where he would go to the door when he needed out in about a month’s time. And M and I are now better trained to looking for clues as to when he needs out. So just like any other dog, puggats will need a little dedication to making sure they get house-trained.

My favorite aspect about having a puggat is their love of cuddling. Ever since the first day we got ours, he has loved to crawl into our laps and go to sleep. I don’t know if it’s the pug in them or what, but they love to tuck themselves in right next to you. And while they’re sleeping is the perfect time to clip their nails, as we’ve learned the hard way. It’s also a fun time to check out your puggat’s teeth and see if it has an under bite, which I have heard can be quite common. One thing I have learned about Roogy is he loves to sleep in late, and he loves it when we let him in our bed. He makes it in every morning, and now he expects it. So don’t spoil your puggat unless you are prepared to pay the consequences, because they have good memory!

One thing we have found our puggat to love is baths. And he needs them! I was never told how much puggats shed. They have nice short hair, but they do shed. If you’re going to wear dark clothes, keep the lint roller around. We haven’t had Roogy long enough to find out what time of year he sheds the most, or if it stops at all, but just know it occurs. Needless to say, baths keep his coat looking shiny and smelling puppy-fresh. And I can tell he can’t wait to jump in when I start running that bath water!

Another great thing about puggats is that they are good listeners…at least most of the time. M has definitely got Roogy “whooped”. M showed him who’s boss one day and Roogy has listened to him ever since. If he is doing something bad, it just takes a snap of the fingers and a firm “come here” from M, and Roogy lays his ears back and pathetically belly-crawls towards M’s feet. He doesn’t listen as well to me, but I have my own ways of getting him to come to me, such as “want a treat?” That will send him running from wherever he is. I know, that’s probably not the best way to get his attention, but he was smart enough to pick up on it the first time I said it. That’s just another humorous aspect of having a puggat.

So if you are looking for a small dog that isn’t all fluff, puggats are the perfect way to go. In my opinion, they are the coolest small dog around. They’ll drive you nuts with their spunk, and make you melt with their cuddling. I’m sure we’ve got a lot more to learn about the personality of our puggat, being that he is now only four months old, but we’ll keep you posted.

On M and I’s first anniversary, one month ago, we brought home a new addition to our family. We have talked about getting a puppy for a while, but we never seriously started looking until we one day stumbled across a puppy that made our hearts melt. We fell in love with puggats the first time we were ever introduced to one in a pet store. Puggats are a cross-breed between a pug and a rat terrier, a so-called designer dog. We had never even heard of such a mix before. As soon as I saw the wrinkly face, with a stubby nose, and the curly tail, I was ready to pay the $550 right then and there and bring the littly guy home with us. M too loved the look, but wasn’t ready to drop that much money on an impulse.

Time went by and I started searching for puggats on the internet. By luck, I stumbled across a farm only miles away that had a litter available. I was thrilled! M and I went to look at them when he got off work, and we both fell in love with one curious, fat-bellied puggat. We put money down, and two days later after our anniversary weekend getaway, we picked up our little puggat and headed home with him. Minutes after getting him we named him Roogy, after the ridges on his face. Just take an anatomy class and you’ll understand.

I was a little nervous at first, because I had never had a dog in the house. At first I was totally against it. But it has been surprisingly easier and more fun than I thought. At first I told M there was no way I would let him in the bed. But every morning as M leaves for work, he puts Roogy in bed with me and we nap together. I started breaking some of my own personal rules because it turned out to be so much fun!

Not only did my mind start changing about having a dog in the house, but as I would hold my sleeping puggat, and listen to his breathing, and feel his warm body in my arms, I started imagining what it would be like to hold of baby of my own. And as I watch M play with Roogy and baby talk him, I can see how good of a dad M would be. And now all of a sudden I am starting to think I want a baby too! I’ve even been asking M when he wants to have a baby. That is something I never did before. I’m not saying I want one now, but I actually am starting to warm up to the idea, which is definitely a jump in the right direction.

Getting our puggat was one of the best decisions we’ve made. He is so crazy and fun and cuddly, and best of all he is changing my way of thinking. So someday down the road when M and I decide to have a baby, we will have our Roogy to thank.