Pugs are very social dogs. They’re often described as clingy or as being velcro dogs, even! Meaning if you’re planning to get a pug, you shouldn’t be super worried about whether or not you’ll bond. Chances are, you will bond pretty effortlessly. Still, it’s great to be prepared.

It’s also nice to analyze your bond with your pug because being conscious of your relationship may help you to improve it even more. There’s always room for improvement, right?

Do pugs bond with only one person?

Pugs often have a favorite person who they are really clingy to. They don’t only bond with one person, though! Pugs bond with lots of people, even if they have the tightest bond with one person. 

When we got our pugs Frank and Beans, within a few days we knew that Beans had chosen me to be her primary person, and that Frank had chosen my partner Ryan as his primary person. However, we both developed really good bonds with both dogs and they both had lots of love for both of us. Our pugs also created bonds with other people outside of our household.

If we ever needed to travel without our pugs, we’d leave them with Ryan’s mom. When talking to the pugs we called her “grandma”. They would get excited if we told them we were going to grandma’s, as they had a bond with her, too.

Tips For Bonding With Your Pug

Meet their needs

This actually comes from my mom! As a kid our dogs liked her more than me and I was a bit jealous. She explained that she was the one who fed the dogs and looked after their other needs, and that was a big part of why they were most bonded to her. If you take care of the dog yourself, they’ll notice and it can assist with your bond.

Avoid bothering or scaring them

If you can pick up on what your pug doesn’t like and avoid doing those things, it can help your bond. If you do things that scare your pug, they may fail to bond with you due to being afraid of you. For example, if you notice that your pug is sensitive to loud noises and you yell frequently, working on curbing your yelling may help your bond with your pug.

The same is true for things that may not scare them, but that they just don’t like. For example, if your pug gets unhappy when you put a bandanna on them, then not making them wear it may help your bond.

Let them be near you

Pugs live for being with people. While it can be tempting to leave your pug iside when you go outside, or to have your pug on the floor while you are on the couch watching a movie…they’d rather be with you. If you can allow them into your personal bubble more, they’ll likely develop a deeper bond with you.

Learn their favorite things

Keep a close eye on your pug to notice their reactions. If you see them getting excited about something, make note of their favorite things. Once you know what they like, you can do those more often to improve your bond. For example, my pug Frank made this almost pur-like sound when we kissed him, so we gave him a lot of kisses. My pug Beans went crazy for anything chicken-based, so we’d buy dog treats in chicken variety rather than beef or others.

Show them affection

I believe that pugs are quite emotionally intelligent and can pick up on our emotions. If you love your pug and express that affection in the ways that feel naturally to you, they’ll feel the love!

Bonding Activities For Pug Owners

Take them exploring

Walks are great for keeping their activity level up, but pugs often enjoy checking out new areas, too. Taking them for a walk in a new area can be a great bonding experience.

Play with them

How your pug likes to play can defiitely vary by pug. Try out a variety of toys and play styles to see what they espond to both, and then give them regular play time. My pugs liked playing with soft toys with squeakers. They’d fetch them or play tug with them.

Spend time with them on your lap

Pugs love being with people! Just letting them be on your lap while you watch TV or scroll your phone can help them feel the love.

Pet them

Of course, give them pets! It physically feels good to them and can help them relax.

Let them sleep in your bed

Again, pugs just LOVE being with people. If you let a pug sleep in your bed, they’ll love you for it.

Brush them

Some pugs may not love this, but both of mine did! I think getting brushed felt a bit like a massage to them.

Give them treats

Of course, treats have to be managed in moderation. Pugs are prone to obesity. However, pugs do love food. Givig them treats will certainly make a pug happy!

How To Tell If Your Pug Is Bonded With You

• They follow you around.
• They want to be on your lap often. 
• They’ll sit near you if they can’t touch you. 
• They’ll whine or seem sad when you leave or they can’t be close to you. 
• They act happy or excited when you get home. 
• They watch you a lot. 
• They’ll whine or cry while watching you if they are distressed or need something. This shows that they trust you to meet their needs. 
• They lick you.
• They try to get you to play with them.
• They stay closer to you than other people. 

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