diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_container.c b/src/lxc/lxc_container.c
index e848e8e407e2ab89f5c91d44a9e6c1328f5913bb..cc20b6d84fa1e613ecf731c9012e5fd01cdaae1e 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_container.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_container.c
@@ -274,6 +274,10 @@ static int lxcContainerSetupFDs(int *ttyfd,
     size_t i;
     size_t j;
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Logging from the container init will now cease "
+              "as the FDs are about to be closed for exec of "
+              "the container init process");
+
     if (setsid() < 0) {
         virReportSystemError(errno, "%s",
                              _("setsid failed"));
@@ -2250,6 +2254,7 @@ static int lxcContainerChild(void *data)
     if (virSecurityManagerSetProcessLabel(argv->securityDriver, vmDef) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Setting up inherited FDs");
     VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(argv->handshakefd);
     VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(argv->monitor);
     if (lxcContainerSetupFDs(&ttyfd,
@@ -2264,11 +2269,13 @@ static int lxcContainerChild(void *data)
     VIR_FORCE_CLOSE(argv->handshakefd);
 
     if (ret == 0) {
+        VIR_DEBUG("Executing init binary");
         /* this function will only return if an error occurred */
         ret = virCommandExec(cmd);
     }
 
     if (ret != 0) {
+        VIR_DEBUG("Tearing down container");
         virErrorPtr err = virGetLastError();
         if (err && err->message)
             fprintf(stderr, "%s\n", err->message);
@@ -2379,6 +2386,7 @@ int lxcContainerStart(virDomainDefPtr def,
         cflags |= CLONE_NEWNET;
     }
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Cloning container init process");
     pid = clone(lxcContainerChild, stacktop, cflags, &args);
     VIR_FREE(stack);
     VIR_DEBUG("clone() completed, new container PID is %d", pid);
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_controller.c b/src/lxc/lxc_controller.c
index 00d0e2362851e211653c7c2c49db1c3ee890cd37..03dff29cce355b5e42403dd13b9f358d99f8c682 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_controller.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_controller.c
@@ -693,6 +693,8 @@ static int virLXCControllerSetupResourceLimits(virLXCControllerPtr ctrl)
     virBitmapPtr nodeset = NULL;
     virDomainNumatuneMemMode mode;
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Setting up process resource limits");
+
     if (virLXCControllerGetNumadAdvice(ctrl, &auto_nodeset) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -1263,9 +1265,12 @@ static int virLXCControllerSetupUserns(virLXCControllerPtr ctrl)
     int ret = -1;
 
     /* User namespace is disabled for container */
-    if (ctrl->def->idmap.nuidmap == 0)
+    if (ctrl->def->idmap.nuidmap == 0) {
+        VIR_DEBUG("No uid map, skipping userns setup");
         return 0;
+    }
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Setting up userns maps");
     if (virAsprintf(&uid_map, "/proc/%d/uid_map", ctrl->initpid) < 0)
         goto cleanup;
 
@@ -1866,9 +1871,12 @@ static int lxcSetPersonality(virDomainDefPtr def)
 {
     virArch altArch;
 
+    VIR_DEBUG("Checking for 32-bit personality");
     altArch = lxcContainerGetAlt32bitArch(virArchFromHost());
     if (altArch &&
         (def->os.arch == altArch)) {
+        VIR_DEBUG("Setting personality to %s",
+                  virArchToString(altArch));
         if (personality(PER_LINUX32) < 0) {
             virReportSystemError(errno, _("Unable to request personality for %s on %s"),
                                  virArchToString(altArch),