Barking Pug

[PaisleyChic]

Originally Posted by hugapug

I'm hoping to find an answer to a problem that is driving me nuts!! Due to my male fawn pug, 6 y.o., weighing in at 32lbs I've put both of my pugs on a diet. They get 1/2 cup of kibble morning and noon then 1/2 can of green beans ea. (no salt) in the evening. He did loose 3 lbs the first month but lost none this past month. Anyway, my female black pug, 8 y.o., has started to bark whenever she thinks they need to be fed. She barks right at me....and scratches on the pantry door trying to get my attention. If I'm in a room where the door is closed she will scratch and then run away when I open it. The vet thinks I am feeding enough. We have been feeding this way for about 8 weeks now. Use to the kibble was left down 24/7 and I hardly ever had to fill the bowl....now that I'm feeding only a certain amount...it seems they have gotten obsessed with their food!! What can I do about her barking? I cannot hear the tv she barks so loud. I've tried to ignore her but she will keep up for hours on end. She is such a sassy and vocal girl!! Any suggestions will be appreciated!

My mother has a fawn female pug and she does the same thing yours is doing. Mom put a small stool in front of the treat cabinet and that seems to have worked. Sukie is spoiled rotten, and she even barks at me when I'm eating. I just turn my head and ignore her. I'm sort of suspecting that every time your sassy girl barks, that you're going to check out why she's barking. You're answering her command barks. Make the "Woof" sound to her - kind of low in your throat. That's how the mother dog tells her pups to be quiet. You might have to do it a few times, but that's been working for me with Mom's dog.

I have a black male pug. Binky has an automatic food dish. He eats his fill and doesn't gorge like Mom's pug because he's gotten used to always having food available. Both of them get lima beans, brussels sprouts, cooked carrots, and dog bones for snacks.

The vet we use told Mom & I to feed 1/2 cup kibble in the morning, 1/2 cup in the evening, 2 small dog biscuits, and 1/4 cup vegetables per day.

[Viralmd]

You need to see how many CALORIES are in that kibble. An adult dog, with normal activity levels, will need about 30 calories per pound per day. My pug is very inactive, so he gets a LOT less.

If you feed too many calories, the excess calories show up as fat. It's simple to calculate how many calories your dog needs. For example, a 20 pound dog will require 20 x 30 = 600 calories/day.

If your dog gets NO OTHER FOOD and the kibble has 450 calories per cup, your dog should be getting two meals (most adult dogs do best on two meals - breakfast and dinner) a day of 600/450 = One and a third cups of kibble per day.

If she gets treats, you need to subtract the calories in the treats from the calories she'd get from the dog food and feed less dog food.

This works beautifully. I also feed my dog steamed string beans (I do big batches at once and freeze them in small baggies) and canned pumpkin with only a couple of pieces of kibble at dinner time. He's maintained his 17 pounds beautifully with a meal of low-calorie kibble at breakfast and his string beans in the evening.