There are affiliate links in this post.

We lucked out and managed to have our two pugs for over 7 years without either of them requiring a cone of shame. However, sometimes they are needed. You probably know that pugs shouldn’t wear collars, so you may be wondering how to handle a cone of shame with a pug.

Can Pugs Wear A Cone Of Shame?

Pugs can wear a cone of shame. It shouldn’t be too tight around their neck, as they are at increased risk of collapsing trachea. You may find that alternative cone styles work better for your pug.

The reason why pugs shouldn’t wear collars is because they shouldn’t have pressure on their necks. In other words, it’s not really wearing a collar that is a problem, it’s having a leash connected to a collar, that is the problem. As long as you won’t be pulling your pug by the cone (as I’m sure you won’t!) it should be fine for them to wear.

Something to consider though, is pugs have a large neck compared to their overall body size. They will likely need a fairly large cone, and in a traditional cone that will mean it will stick out pretty far from their head. This may frustrate them or make it challenging for them to walk around. Also, traditional cones don’t leave dogs with the ability to access their food or water bowls easily. So if you go with a traditional cone, make sure to assist your dog with getting water regularly.

Vets often provide patients with a plastic cone after surgery, so the upside is that they may be free (or at least included in what you’re already spending at the vet). However, many dogs are afraid of traditional-style cones. They don’t understand what is going on when they see the edges of the cone in their field of vision and it often frightens them.

Do Pugs Need A Cone Of Shame?

Something to consider is your pug’s flexibility. Many pugs are not as limber as other dogs, due to being short and compact breeds. For example, if you are getting your pug neutered but they cannot curl around to reach between their legs, they may not need a cone.

The Best Style Of Cone For Pugs

The best style of cone for pugs is cone collars, in my opinion. These look similar to neck pillows that people wear on airplanes. They do not stick out far from the face like traditional cones, so dogs can use their food and water disheswhile wearing collar style cones. Because they don’t stickout far from their face, they won’t be at risk of running into the walls or furniture with the edges of the cone, either.

The collar style cones are thick enough that they reduce how much movement your pug can make with their head. They won’t be able to turn their head around to look at their backend, for example. This keeps them from being able to see or reach parts of their body that are injured or healing from surgery.

Also, because the collar style cones don’t stick out very far, it’s a lot harder for dogs to get them off. They can’t drag their head along the side of furniture to try to knock the cone off their head.

If they are still nervous or uncomfortable even with the collar style of cone, you can give them a kong or bully stick to try to help distract them. Yet another bonus of this style of cone!

Cone of Shame Size For Pugs

Pugs are a toy breed, though they are the largest breed that is considered a toy breed, so I tend to think of them as small breed instead. Anyway, when looking at cones of shame you may assume that a pug should fit in a size small sees how they are small dogs.

Cones are sized based on neck circumference though, and most adult pugs have large necks compared to the rest of their size. My pugs had 14 and 16 inch necks. This is quite large, many “large” size dogs (such as labs) have a neck around that size!

When looking at different collar style cones on Amazon, most of them listed those 14 and 16-inch neck sizes as a “large”.

If you aren’t certain of your pug’s neck size and they are full-grown, I’d recommend ordering the E-KOMG collar in size large as it fits dogs with 12-18 inch necks and most all adult pugs would be within that range. It’s affordable at under $15 and has lots of great reviews.