Pomeranians are best known for being picture-perfect little cuties, but they are also well known for a much less desirable characteristic: they’re little misfits if not properly trained.
When it comes to training a Pomeranian, there is good news and bad news: The good news is, they are very smart dogs, so training them can be rather easy. The bad news is, they require a lot of training to become well behaved pets. Continue reading to learn more…
Necessary Training for Pomeranians
It’s necessary for Pomeranians to receive specific types of training to counteract their bad characteristics. If left unchecked, not only can your Pomeranian become a real nuisance to you and your neighbors, they can even be a danger to themselves It’s important they receive proper training in all of the categories listed below.
Socialization
Pomeranians may be small but they’re fierce. In fact, they can be downright aggressive, and this is where lots of potential dangers can arise.
Pomeranians aren’t really aware of their size, nor do they seem to appreciate the size of other dogs, animals, and people. If they are not properly socialized, they may attack dogs and animals that are much larger than them. Doing so could result in serious injury and death.
Pomeranians are also known to attack humans, which is obviously something you want to avoid at all costs. The last thing you want is a lawsuit from a delivery person or passerby because your Pomeranian bit their ankle.
This is why it’s important that you begin socializing your Pomeranian as soon as possible – the younger, the better. Make sure they get plenty of exposure to other pets and people at an early age.
General Obedience Training
Pomeranians can be stubborn little buggers with a mind of their own. This is why some basic obedience training can really go a long way.
As I mentioned earlier, Pomeranians are intelligent dogs, so obedience training should be fairly easy. Keep in mind, Pomeranians respond much better to positive reinforcement than negative. In fact, this is true of all dogs.
Lots of rewards and praise will go much further than yelling at them. While going through this training, it’s a good idea to keep a small bag of treats on you at all times.
Barking
Perhaps the greatest challenge you’ll face while you’re training your Pomeranian is training them not to bark. Pomeranians are yappy dogs with a loud, high-pitched bark. They also love to bark at just about anything and everything.
Not only will their constant barking give you and the rest of your family a headache, it won’t exactly make you the best liked person in your neighborhood. My neighbors actually have several – untrained – Pomeranians, and if I had a dollar for ever time their barking drove me crazy, I’d have enough money to hire Caesar Milan to go over there and train them.
When training your Pomeranian not to bark, it’s crucial that you don’t yell at them. Yelling will not make them stop, it will only encourage them to bark more.
Potty Training
Last but not least, there is the all-important potty training. When potty training a Pomeranian, you need to have a lot of patience. Your Pomeranian is smart enough to get the concept fairly quickly, but physically it is difficult for them to not make a mess inside.
Pomeranians have very tiny bladders, which means they need to urinate frequently, and it isn’t easy for them to hold it in. It is especially difficult for them to hold their bladders when they are puppies. For this reason, try not to become frustrated or discouraged if you have been potty training your Pomeranian for a long time but they still make the occasional mess on your floor.
Ideally, you should let them out every two to three hours, especially while they are puppies. As they get older, you can widen this interval, but they will still need frequent bathroom breaks.
References:
American Kennel Club. Pomeranian. Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/pomeranian/
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