| How to Care for a Pug Posted: 18 Sep 2017 05:00 PM PDT Pugs are a friendly and goofy dog breed that love attention almost as much as people love their folded-up faces. Those folds need special care, though, to keep your pug happy and healthy. Create a consistent routine of meals, play time, and quiet time for your pug, and make sure you provide them with regular fold cleanings, ear cleanings, nail trims, and baths. It can take a little extra work, but with some attention you can care for all of your pug's unique needs. EditSetting Up Initial Care for a New Pug - Schedule a vet check. The pug's distinct physiology makes them susceptible to a number of health problems including breathing and joint issues, so it is important to schedule a vet check as soon as you bring your new pug home. Your vet will be able to check for common pug health complications and recommend a regular check-up schedule.[1]
- Younger pugs may need to see the vet more often until they are spayed or neutered and have completed their first course of shots. After that, a healthy pug should get a checkup every six months.
- Your vet will also help you work out a preventative care schedule for things like annual shots and teeth cleanings, both of which are important parts of keeping your pug healthy
- Enroll in an obedience class. Regardless of whether you bring home a pug puppy or an older rescue, enrolling in a training class is an important part of introducing your pug to your home. This will help both of you learn a shared set of commands and provide a designated time each week for the two of you to bond.[2]
- Pugs, especially young pugs, are energetic and eager to please. Enrolling in training will help them learn how to channel that energy into constructive behaviors and help you learn how to manage destructive tendencies.
- Create a space especially for your pug in your home. Pugs require attention, but should also have a space of their own in which they feel comfortable when you are not home or are otherwise occupied. Provide your pug with an area of its own including a bed and blankets, some toys, and easy access to food and fresh water.[3]
- Consider putting the space in the corner of a well-used area in your home. This way, even if you cannot pay attention to your pug for a moment, they do not feel alone.
- Remember that pugs are sensitive to very hot temperatures and rapid temperature changes, so avoid setting up their space in areas with continued direct sunlight or near heating and cooling vents.
EditEstablishing a Daily Routine - Feed your pug an age and size-appropriate diet. Pugs love to eat, so it's easy for them to become overweight. You need to monitor their diet closely to ensure proper portion control. Choose a quality small-bite dry food appropriate for your pug's age, and feed them consistently once or twice a day according to the manufacturer's serving size recommendations.[4]
- Remember that food packaging indicated the maximum your pug should eat for a day. If you feed your pug twice a day, divide the maximum serving in half to get the proper meal size.
- If you follow the manufacturer's portion size suggestions and notice your pug gaining unhealthy weight, talk to your vet. They can help you modify meal sizes or switch to a more appropriate food for your dog.
- Limit treats. Treats can be an important part of training, as well as a way to reward your pug for good behavior. Remember to factor their treats into their daily diet, though. Too many treats could cause unhealthy weight gain, which could cause or exacerbate respiratory and joint problems.[5]
- Stick to small treats with your pug, such as training treats. Treats meant for larger dogs should be broken or cut into pieces.
- Try to use treats consistently for one or two behaviors, such as after a walk or a bathroom break. Avoid giving your pug extra treats outside of these times.
- Offer them several shorts bursts of exercise throughout the day. Pugs are active, but often in short bursts, since their facial folds make it hard for them to cool down when running and playing. Help your pug exercise by offering one or two moderate walks during the day, along with periods of playtime such as playing fetch, tug-of-war, or chase in the home or in your yard.[6]
- Avoid relying on a collar while walking your pug, as this could limit breathing. Attach their leash to a harness, instead.[7]
- Ideally, a healthy adult pug should get two 15-20 minute walks a day, along with smaller play times with toys throughout the day. If your pug has health problems, walks may need to be shorter.
- In warm areas or seasons, adjust your walks so that your pug isn't out during the hottest part of the day. In cold climates or seasons, consider getting your pug a coat for outside time. Avoid walks during very windy or excessively rainy days, as these can cause eye problems.
- Be consistent in your daily schedule. Pugs are prone to nervousness and anxiety. You can help them calm down by being consistent in your daily routine. This means scheduling feeding times, walks, play times, and quiet times as close to the same time every day as possible.[8]
- Your personal schedule may change, but it is important to you try to keep your pug's schedule the same. Ask a friend or neighbor to help you out with feeding and walks on nights you know you'll be home late.
EditGrooming Your Pug - Give their facial folds a weekly clean. Your pug's facial folds can hold onto food, saliva, dirt, and other debris that may be smelly and irritating to your pug. Use a cotton swab dipped in warm water and run it along the folds around your dog's nose and eyes, being careful to not let the swab make contact with their eyes, nostrils, or mouth.[9]
- Don't leave the folds damp as this could cause further irritation. Dry them with a towel or a dry cotton swab.
- While this is recommended as a once-weekly routine, you can do it as often as necessary if you notice your pug starting to smell.
- Brush your pug one to two times a week. Pugs shed, there is no way to avoid it. You can help keep their coat healthy and their hair off of everything you own, though, by brushing them once or twice a week with a slicker brush or a specialty shedding brush.[10]
- Clean their ears with a specialty solution once a week. Those cute little pug ears are just the right shape to trap dirt and debris, so they should be cleaned regularly with a cleaning solution meant especially for dog's ears. Squirt the ears with the solution, then wipe the inside down with a cotton ball.[11]
- Do not push the cotton balls into the ear canal or use cotton swabs, as this could damage the ear. In you notice deep wax blockages, talk to your vet.
- Bathe them once a month. Regardless of whether your pug is dirty or smelly, a once-monthly bath is recommended. Be sure the bath is shallow enough for your pug to stand, and use a shampoo formulated for dogs, which is available from most local pet stores.[12]
- Make sure to rinse your pug thoroughly after shampooing them. Their folds will hold onto soap, so check carefully to make sure your pug is completely rinsed. Be sure to cover their sensitive eyes while you rinse, them, too.
- Trim their nails as necessary. Pugs don't wear down their nails the same way some more active dogs do, so regular nail trims are important. You can take your pug to a groomer or your vet for a nail trim. If you decide to trim at home, make sure to use clippers meant for dog nails to avoid cracking and splitting, and always cut below the soft center of the nail, called the quick.
- Injury to the quick can be very painful for your pug. If you cannot see the quick because your pug's nails are dark or opaque, it is best to have a professional trim your their nails instead.[13]
- Don't leave a puppy by itself. Pugs are curious creatures. There is no telling what they might get into.
- Due to their short muzzles, pugs sometimes breathe loudly, snort, and snore. Remember this before letting a pug get used to sleeping in bed with you.
- Pugs are prone to heat strokes if the weather is hot enough, so be sure to never keep them out in the heat on an especially sunny day.
- Improper breeding can easily result in poor health, so be sure to do your research and adopt a rescue pug or a pug mix instead of supporting disreputable breeders.
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| How to Avoid Falling in Love Posted: 18 Sep 2017 09:00 AM PDT Perhaps you think you might be falling in love with someone you know is off-limits or just not right for you. Or, maybe your life is just too hectic to fall in love with anyone right now. Well, don't panic! You can rein in your feelings by distancing yourself from a particular person, diverting your attention from love in general, and keeping a healthy state of mind as you're going through the process. EditAvoiding Falling for a Particular Person - Spend less time with them. If you hang out with them on a regular basis, you'll never be able to detach yourself. Occupy your time with healthy diversions. This way, you'll be telling the truth when you tell the person you don't have time to hang out.
- If you hang out with them, avoid physical contact. Don't hug, touch hands, kiss, or have sex. These actions can stir up the feelings you're trying to conquer.[1]
- Cut back on contact over the phone and social media. Don't read their posts or timelines on social media. Don't call, text, or email as often (or at all). If they call you, keep the conversation short. If you're busy distracting yourself with other things, you'll have a valid excuse for saying, "Sorry. Gotta go!"[2]
- Stash things that remind you of that person. Gather them together in a box or two and bury them in a closet or attic. If you have the money, rent a personal storage garage. Store digital files on a flash drive that you can store with the other mementos. Keep them hidden until your feelings for the person cool down.[3]
- Focus on the person's negative aspects. Forget about their cute face and concentrate on their annoying neediness. Recall that argument you got into over politics or religion. Think about how you felt when they told you they want five kids, but you don't want any. Focus on the real deal breakers that would make a relationship difficult or impossible.[4]
- Process your emotions without dwelling on them. Practice mindfulness, a form of emotional processing in which you observe your emotions in an objective, non-judgemental way. Recognize that your feelings for the other person may be exaggerated. Try to view them as interesting mental processes and let them pass.[5]
- For example, imagine you are overcome with the thought that you'll never meet anyone like this person again. Through mindfulness, you might recognize that this thought comes from fear and doesn't have much basis in reality.
EditAvoiding Love in General for Now - Write down your life values and goals. Think about what you hope to achieve in life and what really matters to you. Write these things down in a safe place where you can readily refer to them, like a journal or a Word document. Pursue activities and relationships that align with your goals and values, and use them to guide your decisions.
- When you find yourself being drawn into a romantic relationship, take a step back and refer to your list. Does this relationship fit with your goals, values, and priorities? If not, then it's probably not worth pursuing.
- Stay busy with academic or career goals. Map out a detailed but realistic six-month plan. Highlight what you need to do now to reach your goal. Then, hit the library to do research for your senior thesis. Customize your CV or résumé for each job you have your eye on. Chances are, your dreams will soon shift from love to graduation or that dream job.[6]
- Avoid romantic plots. This can be a tall order, but it's not impossible. Read the plot lines of books, movies, and/or TV shows before you delve in. Make sure that historical drama about Queen Victoria doesn't focus on her relationship with Prince Albert. Read a murder mystery that's not about a crime of passion. Watch a vampire movie that doesn't have a romantic subplot.[7]
- Do fun things with your friends. Invite them over for pizza and a non-romantic movie. Play sports. Go out for ice cream. Spending time with your friends will lift your spirits and keep your mind off of falling in love.
- Take up a new hobby. Think of an activity you've been curious about or really want to involve yourself in. Take local classes or watch online tutorials. Join a club on campus. If you're not in school, check social media sites for local groups that might interest you. You'll be so busy learning your new hobby that you won't have time for love.[8]
EditKeeping a Healthy State of Mind - Assess your motivations. Think about why you can't fall in love. Maybe you have too much on your plate right now. Perhaps you know the person who caught your eye isn't really right for you. When you know why you should avoid falling in love, you'll have a better chance of success.
- Write down your feelings. Keep a daily log in a diary or journal. Even if it's just a sentence or two, write something. Read over your entries to come to terms with your feelings. Put the date by each entry to keep track of how your feelings change. Pay attention to these changes and celebrate your evolution.[9]
- Talk to a friend. Choose your best friend or at least someone you can trust. They'll understand your emotional state and your motivations. If your friend managed to avoid falling in love, ask them for some advice.[10]
- Exercise. Fill your spare time at the gym, on the track, or around your neighborhood working up a sweat. Focus on breathing and hydrating. Enjoy the rush of endorphins that will boost your mood. You'll also have the bonus of better health.[11]
- Practice yoga or meditation. Either of these will help you to relax, come to terms with your feelings, and eventually move on. Find a quiet place and turn on some soft music. Focusing on your breathing throughout your practice will help to ground you and calm you down.[12]
- Focus on non-romantic love. Romantic love is just one of the many forms of love. There's also the love between friends, the love between parents and their children, and even the love for mankind more broadly. Work on cultivating these other forms by spending quality time with family and friends, or volunteering to help the needy in your area.[13]
- You may find that these forms of love are just as rewarding as romantic love, if not more rewarding.
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| How to Avoid Distractions While Studying Posted: 18 Sep 2017 01:00 AM PDT You know you really want to get good grades. Your parents have put the pressure on, or you promised yourself you would do better. But you keep getting distracted! If you work to find a focused mindset, establish a study schedule, and choose the right place to study, you can cut out the distractions you have control over and minimize the ones you can't stop completely. EditFinding a Focused Mindset - Keep yourself on track with the "be here now" technique. Whenever you feel your attention begin to wander, stop and tell yourself to "be here now." You may have to do this several times, but you will be gently reminding yourself that you want to focus on the task at hand.[1]
- If you do this consistently, you should find that you gradually spend less and less time being distracted.
- Tune out specific distractions as you notice them. Say you're trying to study in the library and you keep getting distracted by someone texting. Take note of this specific distraction then tell yourself you are going to overcome it. The next time you see it happen, will yourself not to look. Keep doing this everytime the distraction comes up, and eventually you will no longer notice it.[2]
- Give yourself a worry break. Life can get really busy, so it's no surprise if you find yourself distracted from studying by thoughts about everything else. Rather than acting like all of those other needs don't exist, give yourself an outlet. Spend 5 minutes thinking about everything that's on your plate, but then tell yourself it's time to focus on the main task for now: studying.[3]
- Prioritize your studying by setting a main goal. When you've got an exam coming up, it's easy to think you need to study everything. Breaking things down and establishing just one primary goal makes things more manageable and you will be less prone to becoming distracted.[4]
- For example, if you have a biology exam coming up that covers three chapters, you don't have to cram everything into one study session. Try focusing first on the parts that give you trouble, like that subsection on the Krebs cycle.
- Go off the grid. Texting, social media, calls, and other distractions that come from our electronic devices are some of the biggest barriers to staying focused when studying. Luckily, the fix is easy and totally within your control. Unplug yourself![5]
- Turn off notifications on your devices. Better still, turn them off completely.
- Don't take calls or texts. Turn off your phone if you are able, or at least keep it on silent and away.
- If you can't stop this distraction, look into apps or browser plugins that can block social media, certain websites, or any other specific outlets that pull you away from studying.[6]
- Work with your energy levels. It's natural to want to procrastinate and put off the most difficult or unpleasant tasks. Your energy level at the start of a study session will be higher, however, so it's actually best to begin with the harder things. Put off the easier tasks instead. This will keep your focus sharp when you need it most.[7]
- Take a brief study break now and then. It might seem counterintuitive, but stepping away from your studies now and then can actually be more beneficial than trying to plow through everything without stopping. About once an hour, get up and take a short break of about 5 minutes. This helps refresh you so that you can stay focused when you come back to studying.[8]
- Moving around a bit, such as by taking a brief walk, will be most beneficial.
- Don't attempt to multitask. Some people imagine that knocking out several things at once means you can work faster. Attempting to multitask, such as doing your homework while watching TV or shopping online, will cause you to lose your focus. Instead concentrate on one task at a time.[9]
EditUsing a Study Schedule - Set a study schedule. When you have many classes or things to study for, it can seem hard to get through everything. Give yourself a schedule where you set specific times to study particular subjects. This makes studying seem less overwhelming, helping you to stay on task.[10]
- For example, you might decide to study biology for an hour on Monday night, followed by an hour of English. Then, on Tuesday afternoons, you study Math for two hours.
- Keep your schedule, but be flexible when needed. For example, if you have a biology exam coming up on Tuesday, you might study Biology for two hours on Monday night, and put English off for Tuesday.
- If you are studying around other people, post your schedule so they will know when it's not ok to distract you.
- Change subjects every two hours. A little variety keeps you refreshed and focused. If you try to study one thing for too long, your energy level and attention span will go way down. Switch things up to combat this. For instance, after two hours of Math, take a short break then switch to studying English.[11]
- Give in to your distraction as a reward. Distractions can actually be used in a positive way, and an incentive to get you through your studying. Say you need to study Geometry for an hour but keep getting distracted by funny cat videos. Tell yourself that if you get through the hour of studying without being distracted, you'll then let yourself watch all the cat videos you want.[12]
EditSetting up Your Study Space - Find a place that makes you want to study. If the books and seriousness of the library put you in the mood for focusing on Trigonometry, go for it. If the comfy chairs and coffee at your local cafe are what you need to get through your reading for English, go there. The most important thing is that the location motivates you to study.[13]
- Most people like a place that is neither too cold nor too warm.
- A study space shouldn't be loud. Some people prefer a place that is absolutely quiet, others like a little background noise.
- If you are often distracted by studying, choose a seat that faces a wall rather than a window, hallway, or other seats.
- Let others know if you're studying at home. Put a sign on your door that lets others know you're studying. This will keep them from distracting you.[14]
- You can also message your friends, tell them when you're studying, and ask them not to disturb you during that time.
- Use music only if you're sure it helps you stay focused. Studies about whether or not music helps you focus when studying are mixed. If you feel like listening to music keeps you energized and focused on studying, you can use it. Keep a couple things in mind, however:[15]
- The music should be fairly quiet.
- Choose music that has no words so you'll be less likely to become distracted.
- Consider listening to "white noise" tracks for background noise instead of music.
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