Pomeranians, also known as squirrel dogs, have lively and cute personalities and are deeply loved by people.
Through training, Pomeranians can learn to obey their owners’ commands, understand their intentions, and thus communicate and interact better with their owners. At the same time, training can also help owners better understand the behavior and needs of Pomeranians, enhancing mutual trust and affection.
Trained Pomeranians can learn some basic etiquette and skills, such as sitting, lying down, standing, shaking hands, and defecating at designated times. These skills can make it easier for owners to take care of and manage Pomeranians in their daily lives.
In addition, training Pomeranians can also improve their intelligence and physical fitness. During the training process, Pomeranians need to constantly learn and think, which can exercise their brain and improve their intelligence level. At the same time, training can also allow Pomeranians to engage in appropriate exercise and training, enhance their physical fitness, and prevent the occurrence of diseases.
I. Key elements of training
（1） Appropriate training time
The age of 2-3 months is the most suitable for training Pomeranians. At this point, the Pomeranian puppy is curious about the things around it and has already developed a certain level of intelligence. At this stage, they are more likely to accept their owner’s training instructions. According to data, 85% of Pomeranians have a higher probability of following their first command during this stage. Training Pomeranians with basic behavioral habits such as regular urination and defecation during this period can often achieve good results.
（2） Scientific training methods
Positive training or reward method should be used to train Pomeranians. Bomei is a relatively petite dog, and forcing it can easily suppress all of its behaviors, leading to training failure. Positive training can encourage Pomeranians to learn new behaviors through rewards. For example, when a Pomeranian performs the correct action according to instructions, giving it a chicken jerky snack as a reward will make the Pomeranian more actively and seriously participate in training.
（3） Fixed training personnel
It is best for one person to be responsible for training Bomei personnel from start to finish. Because everyone has different passwords and requirements, it can leave Bomei at a loss. If multiple people train, Bomei may feel confused about different instructions and not know who to follow. So, in order to ensure the effectiveness of the training, it is best to have one person responsible for training the Pomeranian.
（4） Appropriate training duration
You can train Bomei 2-3 times a day, with each session lasting about 10-15 minutes. This length of time will not make Pomeranians feel bored or lose interest in training, and it can also fully utilize the attention span of Pomeranians. And it is best to train about an hour before the Pomeranian diet, which can improve the motivation of Pomeranians during training. If the training time is too long, Pomeranians may feel tired and affect the training effect. If the training time is too short, it may not achieve the training goal.
II. Specific content of training
（1） Behavioral habit training
- Fixed point excretion
When Pomeranians are young, their urine and feces are irregular and they excrete frequently, making it difficult to train. The owner should be patient and ensure that the Pomeranian understands their name, tone of praise and criticism, and commands to go to the restroom before training them to defecate at a designated location. You can first choose a fixed location, such as a dog restroom or urine pad, and then dip a little dog urine there. When a Pomeranian shows signs of needing to urinate or defecate (such as sniffing or barking), the owner should promptly take it to a designated location. If it comes out, put it back in, repeat this process until it excretes. If a Pomeranian defecates at a fixed location, the owner should give appropriate rewards, such as praise and dog snacks; If it does not excrete at the designated location, use a stern tone to tell it that this is wrong. Generally speaking, after about two weeks, Pomeranians can learn to urinate and defecate at a fixed location. - Fixed diet and sleeping location
Prepare a kennel for the Pomeranian and give it a fixed place to sleep. This kennel should be kept away from designated areas for urination and defecation, as Pomeranians are very clean and generally do not defecate near their own “kennel”. From a young age, Bomei was trained to eat and sleep in a fixed place. By repeatedly guiding, Pomeranians can gradually develop the habit of eating and sleeping in fixed locations. If a Pomeranian eats and sleeps in the right place, the owner can give appropriate rewards such as petting and praise to make it understand that doing so is the right thing to do.
（2） Skill training
- Basic actions
Sit down: Ask the Pomeranian to come up to it and say “sit down”. At the beginning, you can press down its buttocks with your hands to form a sitting position and repeat several times. After each sitting, encourage with words such as’ really well behaved ‘. Training several times a day, over time, even Pomeranians can “sit” without the need for manual pressure.
Lie down: Combining gestures and language, say “lie down” while pointing your hand to the ground or patting the ground, and then press down the Pomeranian. After doing too much, it can still do without making gestures.
Handshake: Send the command “Handshake”, pick up the front paw of the Pomeranian and shake it, then reward it with food. Repeat the training until it reaches out on its own. - Jump training
Training Bomei’s jumping movements can start with jumping on a small board wall 30-40 centimeters high. When the owner leads Bomei from 5-6 steps away from the small board wall to the front of the small board wall, they give the command to “jump” and pull the traction belt towards the direction of the small board wall. When Bomei jumps, a reward is given. This training can be repeated 2-3 times at the same time. Food teasing can also be used. When this training becomes proficient, one can gradually switch to using passwords and gestures, and gradually increase the height. - Standing and walking training
Standing training: Taking advantage of the Pomeranian’s tendency to flirt with its owner, when the owner is sitting, use food, toys, etc. to lure the Pomeranian to lean on the sitting leg and exercise the leg muscles. At the beginning, the training time should not be too long. Repeat 5-6 times a day, and give appropriate rewards each time to keep Bomei’s front legs as high as possible. After a period of training, once Bomei’s hind legs have gained some strength, she can use something of interest to lure it to stand up completely and find a support, such as a human leg or a table or chair. About a month later, complete standing training will be conducted, using food and toys to encourage Bomei to stand up, giving the command “stand”, and gradually stepping back to allow Bomei to stand independently.
Walking training: Firstly, let the Pomeranian form a conditioned reflex to the commands and gestures of “walking”. Choose a flat surface, hold the leash with your left hand, call the name of the Pomeranian to attract its attention, and give the command to “walk”. Move forward at a faster pace or in a circular motion, with each training session lasting no less than 100-150 meters. When stopping the accompanying training, issue the “sit” command to end the accompanying training.
III. Precautions for Training
（1） Unified instruction
Consistency of instructions is crucial when training Pomeranians. Trainers need to use short, clear, and concise instructions, usually no more than three words, and once confirmed, they cannot be changed arbitrarily. For example, simple commands such as “sit”, “lie down”, “stand” can be used. This is done to enable Pomeranians to quickly understand and remember the meaning of instructions. According to statistics, Pomeranians trained with unified instructions can improve their understanding and execution accuracy by 30%. If instructions are frequently changed, Pomeranians may feel confused and unsure of what their owners want them to do, which can affect the effectiveness of their training.
（2） Clear rewards and punishments
Clear rewards and punishments are important principles in training Pomeranians.
Firstly, it is necessary to achieve fair rewards and punishments based on the actual personality traits of Bomei. For lively and active Pomeranians, when they make mistakes, they can be criticized in a serious tone; For timid and sensitive Pomeranians, the criticism should be appropriately reduced.
Secondly, one should not insult or beat Pomeranians at will, and should give them enough trust and self-esteem. When a Pomeranian performs well, timely rewards should be given, which can be gentle verbal praise, caresses, or snacks. For example, when a Pomeranian dog completes an action according to instructions, the owner can say “great” and give it a piece of chicken jerky. In this way, Pomeranians will understand that their behavior is correct, and thus participate more actively in training.
On the contrary, if a Pomeranian does something wrong, it should be punished promptly by criticizing it in a harsh tone or reducing its snacks and playtime appropriately. However, it should be noted that punishment should not be excessive to avoid causing fear and resistance in Pomeranians.
（3） Maintain patience
Maintaining patience is crucial in training Pomeranians. Training a Pomeranian is not an easy task, it requires time and patience. Do not roar at Pomeranians just because of poor training, as this will make them feel scared, leave a shadow, and fear training from then on. At the same time, it is important to avoid physically punishing Pomeranians, as this can make them wary. Pomeranians need to form memory and conditioned reflexes through continuous training, so owners need to have enough patience to guide them step by step to learn new skills and behaviors.
（4） Timely rewards and punishments
Timely rewards and punishments are crucial for the training of Pomeranians. When a Pomeranian performs the right behavior, it should be rewarded immediately so that it understands that the behavior is recognized and strengthens its memory. Similarly, when a Pomeranian does something wrong, it should be punished promptly to let it know that the behavior is wrong. If the time is too long, Pomeranians may forget their previous behavior, and rewards or punishments lose their meaning.
IV. Summary
The training of Pomeranians is a systematic and long-term process that requires owners to consider multiple aspects comprehensively. From choosing the appropriate training time, to adopting scientific training methods, to maintaining a fixed number of trainers and appropriate training duration, every step is crucial.
As long as the owner trains the Pomeranian with care, through scientific and reasonable methods and persistent efforts, they will definitely be able to make the Pomeranian a obedient, cute and lovely pet, adding more joy to family life.