Are Pomeranians Easy To Train? The Truth + Tips & Tricks

You’re considering getting a Pomeranian dog. You imagine how you will hold him, walk him and smile when he looks into your eyes.

But you’re also aware that you’ll have to do your part in the Pomeranian training to get there. 

So, you wonder – are Pomeranians easy to train?

In this article you’ll discover:

• The truth about Pomeranians and barking.
• How to potty train a Pomeranian (+ if it’s hard).
• What a toddler and a Pomeranian puppy have in common (things to consider while training).
• And much, much more…

Are Pomeranians easy to train?

Pomeranians are easy to train as long as you don’t use complex language for commands. The best way to train a Pomeranian is through positive reinforcement. Scolding and punishment will not work for training a Pomeranian and will only make the process harder for the owner and the pet. 

Congrats! You’ve just learned the answer to one of the most important questions regarding Pomeranians.

But hey – if you actually want your Pom to come out of training well-behaved, there are some specifics that you cannot do without.

Keep reading to learn what they are.

Here you’ll find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Pomeranian training:

Are Pomeranians easy to potty train?

Pomeranians are not very easy to potty train due to their small size, and bladder. Part of the reason is also their independent nature. They can be trained to use puppy pads, to go outside, and even to use a litter box. With supervision, consistency, and patience, training will become easier. 

Believe it or not, potty training a Pomeranian might be harder than potty training a German shepherd (and most larger breeds for that matter).

Wondering how this could be?

Pomeranians can be very stubborn. That’s one of their breed-specific characteristics. Plus, they are part of the toy dog breeds which are generally considered harder to train.

The key to get around that has nothing to do with causing pain to your Pom, punishing him by locking him in a separate room or raising your voice at him. 

Tip: Don’t get frustrated if it takes more time at first. A Pom puppy can be seen as the dog equivalent of a human toddler. 

Sure, it’s challenging but you can’t expect them to know what they’re doing. Or get mad at them because they’re not doing what you want them to. You’re supposed to be their ‘teacher, ‘leader’ and ‘parent’.

Note: If you’ve taken your Pom puppy from a shelter, a pet store, or a puppy mill, your Pom might give you a harder time during potty training. That has to do with the fact that he was never taught proper potty habits. Instead, he was able to urinate and defecate all around the place whenever he felt the need to.

Before you start potty training your Pomeranian pup, you’ll need to prepare your home prior to the puppy’s arrival.

#1: Equip yourself with patience and the following items:

• Crate.
• Collar.
• Lead.
• Treats.
• The right cleaning products (ammonia-free).
• Puppy pads.

#2: Look for the indicators

1. Your Pom puppy suddenly stops playing and starts strolling around.
2. Pom puppy starts whining.
3. Pom puppy starts sniffing around the room.
4. Pom puppy has no interest in playing or getting a treat.
5. Pom puppy starts acting excited – spinning, barking.
6. Pom puppy goes to the area where he has peed/pooed on before.

#3: Have a routine

You’ll make it easier on your Pomeranian puppy to relieve himself outside if you get him used to a routine.

According to a new formula that was developed recently, you can calculate easily how many times the Pomeranian puppy should be taken out. 

It goes like this: Take the number of months your puppy is and add 1. If your Pomeranian puppy is 3 months old and you add one, you’ll get 4. That means 4 is the number of walks your Pomeranian puppy will need. 

Insight: This formula might help you especially if you’re working part-time or from home. Don’t worry if you’re busier and cannot implement it consistently. 

If you can implement a routine based on the formula, that’s great 

If not, you still have other options. 

One of them is to take out the Pom puppy according to a specific time frame.

Let’s say you do the first walk from 07:30 a.m. till 08:00 a.m. The second, if there’s one, from 12:30a.m.-01:30p.m. Then, the third could be from 06:30 p.m. till 07:00 p.m.

It’s up to you to craft a dog walk schedule that will serve you and your puppy best. If for some reason you cannot walk your Pom at specific hours each day, it’s fine.

You can rely on another method to get your pup at the right time so he can potty outside. Some of the best opportunities to catch before your pup poops or pees at home are:

1. Immediately after your Pomeranian wakes up.
2. After mealtime.
3. A bit after your Pomeranian puppy has drunk a sufficient amount of water.
4. After an active play session.

Whether you choose to go with the formula, the specific hours, or the key activities that indicate it’s potty time, you can turn the preferred option into a routine.

Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s head to the question.

Are teacup Pomeranians easy to train?

Teacup Pomeranians are members of the toy dog group. When it comes to potty training, they have a hard time holding their bladders. Their general training can be going smoother by giving them toys and treats to stimulate wanted behavior.

Are Pomeranian puppies easy to train?

Pomeranian puppies are generally easy to train if you start as soon as they enter your home. Training could take up to several months. 

7 tips on how to train a Pomeranian puppy

Before you begin, remember – just because your heart might start melting by the sight of your Pomeranian puppy, this doesn’t mean you should let him get away with everything.

One aspect of early Pomeranian puppy training is potty training.

Here are some practical tips you can start using right away to turn your Pom into that good boy or girl you want them to be:

#1: Limit the access of your puppy to one room

That is until the pup is fully potty trained. You can use crate-training to protect your house and the well-being of your pup.

#2: Set up a potty place

It’s important where you will position your Pom’s potty place. Even though there’s a variety of puppy pads with a lavender smell and so on, the puppy pad is likely to still smell like urine.

If you don’t want to sense that aroma too strong, better put your Pom’s toilet near a window or in the corner of the room.

For your convenience, you can buy scented puppy pads. Their smell will help your Pomeranian puppy do his ‘job’ right where you want him to.

Note: If you get scented puppy pads and your Pom doesn’t always do his job on them, that’s perfectly normal. He needs to get used to the place and besides, all puppies pee and poo all over the place. That’s why it’s best for your Pom puppy to have access to only one room in the beginning.

#3: Reward your Pom for using the same place

Positive reinforcement will take you a long way. When you notice your Pom using his designated puppy pad, be quick to give him praise.

You can choose a word such as ‘bravo’ and give him a treat immediately after he has finished his business. This will show him he’s doing something good.

Repetition here is key. Whenever you see your Pom going to the same place, give him a treat and use your tone of voice to give approval. In time he will learn that this particular behavior brings him good things.

#4: Prevent your Pom from relieving himself elsewhere

You will begin to recognize when your Pom is about to pee or poo. If the pup starts going in circles and sniffing the floor or stops playing and starts looking around, he might be about to relieve himself.

You should act fast and calm. Draw attention to your Pom by whistling or clapping your hands loudly. Then point to the Pom toilet area where peeing and pooping is allowed.

If your Pomeranian puppy does something unwanted, don’t scold him. Just say firmly ‘NO’ and move him away from the affected area. When he does something desired, reward him with a small treat.

Caution: Never attempt to punish your Pom if he doesn’t go potty where he should. By yelling at him or using physical punishment, you could involuntarily teach him to associate going potty with bad emotions. These could build up into anxiety and fear as he grows to be an adult.

#5: Clean the mess asap

If your Pom has peed or pooped where you don’t want him to, you should clean the place immediately.

Why does this matter?

It’s the smell of urine that draws a Pom to relieve himself on the same spot again.

Caution: Don’t use cleaning products that contain ammonia. The smell of ammonia smells like pee to dogs, so instead of unteaching your Pom puppy to do his job on the floor, you’ll be reinforcing him. You can use an odor-eating detergent instead.

#6: Use a chart along with a routine

Puppies have a fast metabolism. It’s common for a puppy to poo directly after he has eaten.

You can use this to your advantage while your Pom puppy still poos at home because you’ll be able to clean up after him immediately.

As to going outside, here’s what you’ll need to do…

First, decide at which hours of the day you’re gonna take your Pom out. Pick the most convenient hours during the day so you won’t rush through the walk and stress over about going to work, fixing breakfast, lunch, or dinner on time, etc.

Then, keep a chart and a pen in your jeans or jacket pocket.

The chart should have about 3 columns with:

• Time: Put in the exact time you take out your Pom.
• Question: Did he poo? If he did, use a checkmark.
• Question: Did he pee? You can put a checkmark with the number of times he did so.

#7: Empty your Pom’s bladder

This is easy.

All you have to do is go on along enough walk with your Pom so that he pees enough times.

The goal?

To not surprise you with peeing on the carpet, floor, or even on the puppy pad soon after he has been taken out.

Note: For best results, avoid giving your Pom treats before he has finished ‘marking that place’. They can easily distract him from doing what he went out for.

Try to pay attention to how many times your Pom popped has peed. It’s normal for puppies to pee at least 3 times during a walk.

Praise the Pomeranian puppy with a snack after he has relieved himself and has already stepped away from the place where he urinated.

How to train a Pomeranian puppy not to bark? 5 steps

You want to work on your Pomeranian’s barking, especially when he’s just a pup. It’s a great start to avoid facing excessive barking issues later on.

Caution: Refrain from using a bark collar as this is not a positive reinforcement method.

Here are some steps to take:

#1: Identify the cause of the barking

The reasons why your Pom is barking could vary. Some of the possibilities include (but are not limited to): lack of exercise, attention-seeking behavior, separation anxiety.

Note: Your main aim should be to eliminate the trigger that’s causing your Pomeranian to bark. You could then start working with your Pom so he starts reacting less intense to situations that would normally cause him to bark excessively.

#2: Exercise your Pom physically and mentally

Make sure your Pom’s energy goes to ball chasing, tug of war, or playing with other canine friends.

Reading tip: Can Pomeranians Swim? (​​click here)

#3: Countercondition your Pom

Wouldn’t it be great if your Pom started responding indifferently to any triggers that used to set him off?

That is possible. You can work with your Pom at home on turning his perspective of the triggers that are upsetting him.

And the best part is you’ll be using positive reinforcement to achieve that.

How?

There’s this game called ‘Look at That’ by dog trainer Leslie McDevitt you can implement in your routine.

Here’s what you need:

• A room with a window that has a clear view of the street.
• Your Pom’s favorite dog treats.

Every time your Pom sees something he would normally bark at, you should draw your Pom’s attention to you. That could happen by making a smacking sound with your mouth or by whistling.

As soon as your Pom looks at you, give him a treat.

Note: With some Poms this won’t work out immediately as they might be too focused on the trigger in front of them. That’s nothing to worry about as they need more time to adjust.

#4: Redirect your Pom’s attention

Think of this as the advanced version of step 3.

Now that your Pom has started noticing your smacking and whistling sounds, it’s time to try something new.

Try to involve your Pom in an activity you’d want him to perform. You should build this up with commands he already knows how to do.

Some simple ones you can use are: sit, stay, lie down.

But what if your Pom is unable or unwilling to pay attention to you at that time because he feels strongly about the trigger?

Well, you won’t exactly be keen on writing an essay if you’re worried that in the meantime someone might be breaking into your house. So, don’t be harsh on your Pom.

Instead, use the leash and harness to keep your Pom a bit further away from the window. That way the triggers he sees won’t set him off as much as they would if he’s right next to it.

While your Pom is leashed and looking out the window, you can smack your mouth or do a whistling sound. Give a treat as soon as your Pom ‘responds’ to you by looking at your face.

When this starts working out for your Pom, you can level up. Increase the challenge gradually by letting our Pom closer to the window.

However, if all else fails you have the option to…

#5: Eliminate the trigger

Caution: Eliminating the trigger should never be your first choice of solution. This technique works best after you’ve provided your Pom with enough mental stimulation and physical exercise.

Let’s look at some examples:

Problem:

Your Pom has access to a window and barks at every passing stranger.

Solution #1:

Put coverings on the windows.

Note: Don’t settle for curtains or blinds because your Pom will most likely still be able to detect movement and get triggered.

Solution #2:

Put your Pom as far away from the window as possible.

What if you live near a busy road and your Pom reacts to all the noises from the outside such as traffic and passengers? The best thing you can do is put the Pom in a room that’s not directly facing the road.

Tip: You can even turn on the TV or a fan so that any background noise that might come from the outside fades away compared to the noise in the room. A turned on radio can also do wonders.

For more insights, tips and tricks… check out:

Do Pomeranians Bark A Lot? 9 Reasons Why Poms Bark (click here)

​How To Stop A Pomeranian From Barking? Simple Training Tips​

How to train a Pomeranian puppy not to bite

Yeah, Pomeranians are cute and all but if your puppy doesn’t learn to not bite, he might get himself and you in trouble.

Before we continue, you should know how puppies learn bite inhibition.

It happens while they’re still part of the litter. A puppy that bites too hard will eventually have no mates to play with.

When a hard-biting pup hurts one of his siblings, the hurt puppy squeals and withdraws from play. That’s how the pup indicates ‘Ouch, I don’t want to play with you, it’s not fun’.

Then, the puppy that bit roughly starts adjusting the strength of biting, so he can get accepted by his peers and have fun while playing.

‘Ok, that’s great and all’ – I hear you say – ‘But how do I achieve this at home?’

I’m glad you asked 🙂

Let’s say you’ve brought your 2-month old Pomeranian puppy home. And he loves to bite. Well…

You should allow him to bite 

That’s his way of exploring the surroundings. It also comes in handy so the Pomeranian has better control of the pressure he applies when biting on something.

But the problem occurs when the Pom puppy starts biting on your limbs…Not cool.

Note: Humans have more sensitive skin than dogs. That’s why even if your Pomeranian puppy was taught some bite inhibition, you’d have to continue the lesson and teach him to bite even milder.

Here’s what you can do as soon as you feel the hurtful touch of sharp puppy teeth on your skin:

Do what a peer puppy would do

Yes – that’s right. As weird as it might sound, you should squeal, whine, yelp. Anything of these will do to show your Pom puppy you’re hurt. 

As soon as he hears your ‘I’m hurt’ sound, the pup will get startled and stop biting. Your job doesn’t end there though.

The next step to take is even more important. Immediately after you get bitten, leave the room. By doing this, the message you get across is that your Pom puppy will lose his favorite playmate.

Tip: You must repeat this enough times, so your puppy changes his behavior. Consistency is key. You shouldn’t be too quick to return to the room, however, as the pup might not get the message. Leave some time between exiting and re-entering the room.

How to train a Pomeranian puppy to do tricks

And now, let’s dive into the fun part 🙂 

Maybe you feel like impressing your friends and neighbors by showing what a smart cutie pie of a Pom you’ve got. Or, you’re keen on keeping your Pom entertained.

So, you start thinking of tricks your Pom could learn and do. 

When is it best to start teaching your Pomeranian some tricks? During puppyhood of course!

That’s when your Pom is most receptive, energetic and he’ll also be willing to learn plenty of stuff.

Here are some cool tricks to teach your Pom:

#1: Teaching your Pomeranian to spin

Well, Poms do it anyway, when they’re happy. But if you want your Pom to spin on command, this trick is for you.

1. Take some small treats with you.
2. Guide the Pomeranian by holding a treat in your hand and drawing a circle in the air above your Pom’s head.
3. Give your Pom a treat once he makes a full spin.
4. Repeat until your Pom masters the movement.
5. Try doing this without a treat, just by moving your hand.
6. Include a verbal cue – say ‘spin’, then do the movement with the hand.

• Note: If you want, you can also include a clicker to stimulate your Pom’s responses, as shown in the video below:

#2: Teaching your Pomeranian to sit

It’s easy and fun.

Bear in mind that the first time you do this, you might want to assist your Pom puppy by gently pushing his hind down.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Get a treat and hold it in your closed hand.
2. Say ‘sit’.
3. Hold your closed hand over your Pom’s head. This should cause your Pom to lift his chin up and sit. If he doesn’t, you can apply step 4.
4. Optional: Push the hind gently while repeating ‘sit’.
5. After your Pom puppy stays in that pose, reward him with a tasty treat.

#3: Teaching your Pom to give paw

Once your Pom knows how to sit on command, you can jump in the paw-giving training.

Check it out:

1. Put a snack in your closed hand.
2. Say ‘sit’.
3. Hold your closed hand out and let the Pom try to get the treat.
4. When the Pom paws at you, give him the treat.
   
   * Add the following steps gradually, as your Pom improves in training:
5. Repeat the whole exercise and add a verbal command ‘paw’ before your Pom paws at you.
   
   * Try out the next step as soon as your Pom has advanced in training:
6. Hold the treat in a hand behind your back, reach out to your Pom with an open hand, and say ‘paw’.

Feel free to check out this video for a visual representation of what’s written here:

#4: Teaching your Pom to lie down

You can look at this as a continuation of the ‘sit’ command. Once your Pom sits on command like a pro, you can continue training by teaching him this trick.

Let’s do it:

1. Have a treat in your closed hand.
2. Say ‘sit’.
3. Hold out the closed hand with the treat towards your Pom’s nose.
4. Gradually move the hand from the level of the nose to the level of the chest, to the floor.
5. Your Pom should start looking down and you should slide the treat along the floor, toward you.
6. When your Pom has bent his elbows or placed his chest on the floor, praise and give the treat.
   
   * Add this step to advance the learning of your Pom:
7. When your Pom has got used to lying down, say his name and add the command ‘down’.

You can also take a look at this video to see a demonstration.

Reminder: Be patient, don’t get mad if your Pom doesn’t do this immediately. When you repeat the exercise over and over again, he’ll start to get it intuitively. Give him the needed time 🙂