When it comes to dog breeds with lots of personality and charm, nothing beats the Pomeranian. If good things come in small packages, then the Pomeranian is the real deal. It’s fun to be around and doesn’t make a fuss except maybe as far as food is concerned, it’s a little finicky.
And because they’re really smart and have a lot of brain power, these hyperactive dogs enjoy exercising and thrive on a good training regimen. That makes them easy to train since they love to learn new tricks and execute them with near perfection almost from the first time.
So what does it take to get your Pomeranian up to speed with the kind of training you have in mind? More importantly, how do you build a strong relationship and bond with your Pomeranian, one that is built upon love, respect, and loyalty? This article answers these along with other pertinent questions regarding Pomeranians.
At What Age Can I Start Training My New Puppy?
The earliest you can start training your Pomeranian the better. This means that from day one as soon as you welcome the new puppy into your home, that’s when the training starts. Don’t delay this important step since Pomeranians are known to be habit dogs. If they develop a habit, it’s hard for them to give it up.
This applies to both good as well as bad habits. If your Pomeranian gets into the habit of eating the couch or peeing on the rug, it will keep doing that for the rest of its life. And the longer you tolerate its bad habits, the harder these habits set and become part of its personality.
So make sure to set a training program well in advance even before you go pick your new puppy. And once it’s home, take the time to train the dog and instill a sense of loyalty and obedience in it that will stay with it for life.
Teach Your Pomeranian to Respect You
There’s no doubt that respect is one of the best qualities that you can teach your Pomeranian. There’s a stubborn streak with these dogs and if left to their own ways, they’ll break the rules one by one and become wild at heart even if on the outside they still look cute, adorable, and fluffy.
So from the get-go, you need to set boundaries and teach your Pomeranian the difference between being playful and disrespectful. This by no means implies that you should be stern or heavy-handed as far as the puppy is concerned. Far from it. Being loving and kind are the conduits to the dog’s heart and mind.
Obedience Training
Closely related to respect is the concept of obedience. Even though they look meek and have the puppy look, many Pomeranians still have the wild streaks that they inherited from their wolf ancestors. So you need to pay extra attention to teaching your dog to be obedient.
Even though it’s a very smart dog, when it comes to obedience training, you might find it display signs of being obtuse or even refuse to follow with the training. That’s when you need to be extra alert and patient at the same time. Keep trying and using treats to reward it when it follows your instructions.
Teach The Right Words In The Right Ways
Your approach can make or break your whole training. If you come across as impatient and demand quick results, you risk pushing the dog away and maybe reinforcing the bad streaks instead of cultivating obedience and respect.
So as the trainer, you need to be calm, patient, and open minded. If you feel the Pomeranian is getting tired, take a break. Encourage it with good words and always reward it with treats and kind words. This sets the dog on the path to success and it will begin to enjoy the training and get a lot out of it.
Socializing Your Puppy or Adult Dog
Like many dog breeds, Pomeranians are sociable dogs. They don’t like to be alone and they seek the company of their species even if they live in a bustling house full of kids. So it’s important you take your Pomeranian to the park often so that in interacts with other dogs.
Social interaction is an important part of the dog’s life and it helps it develop the necessary skills to learn and become a loyal and obedient dog. It’s not that dogs sit around and gossip about the humans they live with. But just like children, dogs become more skillful and adept around people when they spend time with other dogs.
Environment is Important
When you look back at your school years, you might remember that certain classes were fun and you learned a lot from them. Others not so much. Why? Because of the teacher of course. The good teacher was the one who created a fun environment that facilitated the learning process.
This same principle applies to training your Pomeranian. If you decide to be strict and have preconceived notions about how fast the Pomeranian should learn (more on that later) not only do you risk alienating the dog but also make it harder on yourself to train them properly. Always approach the training process with comfort and a light-hearted disposition. You’ll be surprised at how effective this method works with the dog.
Establish a Training/Exercise Schedule
As we said, you need to prepare a training program from the start. And once you have the program in place, stick to it. If you decide that you have the time and energy to train the Pomeranian twice a week, stick to that. Don’t get lazy because that means the dog too will get lazy.
From an early age, the Pomeranian is a malleable dog. They adapt to your schedule and style of life surprisingly well. So if you establish a training schedule, the dog will learn to follow with and expect the training session on time. This is why you need to train the Pomeranian puppy at an early stage in its life.
Struggles of Training Pomeranians
However, you might be lucky enough to get a puppy and teach it your ways. Sometimes you find yourself with an adult Pomeranian on your hands and you need to train it. Here the training involves two steps. The first is to help the dog unlearn all the bad habits it acquired throughout the years so far.
Then the second step is to replace the bad habits with good ones. Easier said than done, right? Especially since Pomeranians are not easy to train once they have reached a certain age. But with patience and showing kindness, you can still win the dog over and help it cross that basic threshold of its training.
Common Mistakes Made While Training
Being human is to err. We all make mistakes and nobody is perfect. If this is the first time you train a Pomeranian or any dog for that matter, then you need to be aware of some of the common mistakes that you might make. Mistakes like not sticking to a schedule, not being patient enough, or trying to hamfest the training.
Dogs are highly sensitive animals and they can detect your mood by just looking at your face. So avoid trying to rush things or expecting fast results. Everything takes time. The dog is learning new habits and is doing its best to adapt to your rules and the boundaries you introduced into its life. Be patient.
Commands That All Pomeranians Should Be Taught
As active animals, Pomeranians need to be introduced to many commands and learn them at an early stage. This makes their subsequent training much easier. Things like sitting, jumping, lying down, and rolling over are basic commands that should be taught early one.
After that, you can introduce the dog to more advanced concepts such as fetching things, waiting at the door and going to bed. As you interact more with your Pomeranian, not only do you build a strong bond with them, but also improve their cognitive skills. Pretty soon, the dog will understand your commands without you having to repeat them or demonstrate what you want them to do.
How Long Does it Take to Train a Pomeranian?
The answer to that really depends on many factors. One of them is the age of the dog. Puppies are quick to learn because they’re faster to adapt. Older Pomeranians not that much. They need to unlearn the bad habits and behaviors first before they can learn the good ones.
One average a puppy can take up to 2 months of training with a twice a week schedule to fully get through the basic commands and become a well-behaved and loyal dog.
How Long Do You Need Every Day?
You don’t have to train the dog every day. But if you have the time, then an hour a day should be enough.
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- Pomeranian Temperament: What Is It Like to Own a Pomeranian?
Mike is the Founder of Familylifeshare. Mike is well-knowledged in marriage, parenting, dogs, blogging and committed to sharing his knowledge and expertise with his readers. Know more about Mike from here.
