Can Pugs Cry?

Pugs can “cry” in the sense that they can of make a whining or whimpering sound to express that they need something, are hurt or upset. 

Pugs can also bawl or scream! I have a post on pug bawling or pug screaming if those are what you were looking for.

Can Pugs Cry Tears?

While pugs can use sounds to express their distress, they won’t cry tears when upset, the way humans can. Their eyes do shed tears sometimes, but not for emotional reasons. 

Why Do Pugs Cry Tears?

Their eyes may tear (aka water) if they have allergies, get something in their eye, or just to help keep their eyes lubricated. If you see that your pug’s eyes are watery or that they have shed a tear, they aren’t sad, it has a physical cause, instead. 

Pug Cries When Owner Leaves

Pugs crying when their own leaves is incredibly common. Pugs were originally bred to be companions for Chinese royalty. They are quite literally made to be lapdogs. They aren’t hunters or high-energy dogs like may other breeds. They exist to be with people, so they aren’t independent dogs who enjoy doing their own thing.

When left home alone, pugs often suffer separation anxiety. Of course, almost nobody is willing or able to stay home all the time. For almost all dogs, being left home alone sometimes is just a reality of life. With experience, your pug will learn that you will come back home later. They still may cry when you leave, though.

Related article of mine: Should pugs be left home alone all day? 

Pug Cries At Night

Pugs crying at night is a big problem for many pug owners. In some pug Facebook groups that I’m in, people often ask what to do about their pug crying at night. The most common response is “let them sleep with you.”

We let my pugs, Frank and Beans sleep with us. We got them at 8 and 9 years old and they were house trained. We were told by their former owner that they were crate trained, but they cried a ton in their crate at night. The next day, they slept great cuddled up next to us during the day. We both decided that if they slept fine and didn’t have accidents in the house…why not let them sleep with us? They slept in our bed from then on out.

Others feel that it’s enabling their clingy behavior. Personally, I never saw pug clinginess as a problem or something I felt the need to try to extinguish. It’s definitely a personal opinion thing, though. When it comes to whether or not pugs should sleep with people, it might be a lot like parenting. Some people firmly believe in cosleeping with their kids, others firmly believe babies need to sleep in their own crib. The same will be true of pug owners. You’ll have to decide what your beliefs are and what is right for you and your pug.

If you decide that you want your dog to sleep alone, you’ll have to ignore the crying at night until they learn to stop. It may take days or even weeks, but it can be done.

Why Do Pug Puppies Cry At Night?

When pug puppies are born they sleep cuddled with their siblings and their mom. When a puppy is first rehomed, they cry at night because they have been removed from the comfort of sleeping with their siblings and their mom.

It’s sad, but true. Their normal way of sleeping has been removed, and they just aren’t used to being alone. They’re used to cuddling in a pile to sleep, and now they are alone. It’s unfamiliar to them, and perhaps sad and even scary feeling. That’s the main reason why pug puppies cry at night.

However, it also makes sense to check for other potential causes. For example, do they need to go to the bathroom? Could they be cold, hungry, or thirsty? If you’re crate training, you’ll be wanting to ignore your pug’s crying if they are just crying because they want attention. In that case, try to ensure that your pug puppy’s needs are all met before putting them in their kennel for the night. That way, you’ll know they aren’t crying for other reasons.

Reasons Why Pugs Cry

If you’re not sure why your pug is crying, here are several possibilities to consider.

1. Separation anxiety. Pugs love being with people, it may even seem that your pug wants constant attention.
2. Fear. Dogs obviously can’t talk like we can, so they are limited to doing things like barking, crying or using body language to communicate with us. One way that they often communicate fear is through whining. My pug Frank would cry when other animals were around because he was afraid of a lot of other animals. If your pug is crying and you can’t figure out why, look around their environment, look at what your pug is looking at, and ask yourself if they could be afraid of something.
3. Desire. Sometimes pugs cry to let us know that they want something. My pug Frank would sit near the food bowl and cry if he was hoping to get more food. If your pug is crying look around where they’re at and ask yourself if they could be expressing that they want something. For example, if they are crying and looking under the couch, their favorite toy might have gotten stuck under there! If they’re crying while sitting near your feet while you’re on the couch, they may be asking to sit with you.
4. Potty. Some pugs cry when they need to go outside. Some pugs will learn to sit near a door that leads outside and cry to make their desire a bit more obvious to you. Younger pugs may not realize that sitting near the door helps express this need, so they may just cry when they feel the urge to pee or poop, without knowing to go near the door.
5. Pain. If your dog is in pain they may cry. If your dog’s crying sounds more intense or urgent than usual, that could be a reason to suspect that they are in pain. Or if you just cannot seem to find any cause for their crying, you should consider it could be pain. If you’re uncertain, making an appointment with your vet is a good idea.