ThePomeranianSite.Com
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ThePomeranianSite.Com
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When to Begin Training Some lessons, like housebreaking and basic rules can begin immediately. More involved training should begin between 5 and 8 months based on your dog’s own timetable. Some pups are ready earlier than others. Don’t push your puppy to be an “early bloomer” (in a form of behavior often identified with backstage mothers or little league fathers). Let the pup learn what it can in the security of the home, and when it seems ready (physically and mentally mature) for further training, move on to the next step. Always remember the mother dog’s training example: (a) quickness of reprimand, (b) fairness, (c) consistency, (d) without anger, (e) in an environment where affection and security was clearly in evidence.
Essentials of Training 1. You and your puppy will need a regularly set time (perhaps a couple of times a day) free from distractions (other dogs, running children, etc.). This time should be short (not more than 15 minutes), and while enjoyable it should be work time not play-time. 2. You need to have a clear idea (perhaps discussed with other members of your family) of what you want your Pomeranian to learn. Consistency is important. You can’t be correcting behavior that everyone else in the family ignores or even rewards! Whether “strutting its stuff” in the show ring or carrying out commands in an obedience trial, the Pomeranian always has a sense of presence that draws the attention of onlookers. Praising your Pomeranian when it does what you want it to do is the best possible reward you can give your pet. Appropriate and consistent praise also serves as a positive reinforcement that makes the entire training process much easier. 3. You are the boss, the alpha dog. Use a stern tone of voice during the training sessions to differentiate from other times when you and the Pom are together. This is an authoritarian hat, but not a drill sergeant’s hat. These sessions should never be conducted when you are angry at the dog, your spouse, or your boss. 4. Each session should be conducted as a class. Learning is the objective. If the command “come” is to be taught today, don’t try to get into the variations of “fetch” or “roll over.” Stay to the subject. Review previous lessons, praise the dog when it does something right. Correct each time it doesn’t do what it should, but make sure that the dog understands the desired action. If you can’t get a lesson across, go back to something the dog does well. Do that several times, then praise the dog and stop for the day. 5 Use appropriate praise for successful behavior. This doesn’t mean the dog does what you want one time and then you rough house for the rest of the time. Praise effectively, but save play for later.
6. Correct misdeeds immediately while you can. Cause the puppy to identify the action or misdeed with your reprimand. Don’t attempt to punish the dog for something done some time ago. It won’t remember or understand why you are reprimanding (free-floating reprimands don’t do anything but confuse the dog when you do want to change its behavior). 7. Be patient and never lose your temper. Ranting and raving or whipping the dog can ruin the puppy’s trust in you. Remember the lack of anger the mother dog used with ,their puppies.
Discipline As mentioned previously, your Pomeranian should never be the victim of severe physical punishment. If you follow the previous training-session design, a stern voice using the word “no” in a firm manner will convey your displeasure. Some dogs will test the limits of your control and your ability to be the alpha dog. Just because a Pom is small doesn’t mean this testing won’t take place. Counter any such behavior immediately and consistently. You are the alpha dog and as such you can’t put up with such behavior. Setting the Stage for Training Your puppy will need to learn its name early in your relationship. If your dog is a registered Pom from a long line of champions it may have an impressive (or even pretentious) formal name. It will need a short name that will be its “call name,” preferably of one syllable. Name your puppy and stick with that name. Have your family stick with it. If the dog’s call name is Mike, call him Mike, not Mickey. Your dog definitely needs to know what its name is in order for training to begin. Housebreaking You have already begun to help your puppy learn in this area. Your puppy will want to please you, but it will also have the basic need to eliminate wastes. Your task is to help the puppy learn how to please you by eliminating its wastes at a certain place and time of your choosing. No matter how much your Pomeranian puppy may want to please you, it will have only limited bladder control until it reaches between 4 and 6 months of age. Until then, don’t expect total housebreaking to take place. That does not mean that you don’t provide a solid foundation for the time when the dog’s physical functioning catches up with its desire to please you. Never use physical punishment or rub the puppy’s nose in any messes it might make. A firm “no” will convey your displeasure, won’t scare the puppy, and you won’t have to clean up the Pom afterwards. Crate-training takes advantage of the Pomeranians innate desire to keep its den clean (see crate Crate Training Hints). It is also a very excellent way to help housebreak your puppy. But it does require a regular plan for feeding and for walks. When crate-training is combined with such a plan and loads of praise when the puppy does what you want, it will work well. Some basic understanding of when your puppy will need to relieve itself is essential. Take the puppy out to the established relief area after it eats or drinks (additional food causes pressure on the colon and bladder). Go out the first thing each morning and after naps during the day. Go out after a long, strenuous play session. Go out as late at night as possible. By all means, take the pup out if it begins to show signs of wanting to defecate or urinate, such as staying near the door, circling and sniffing, and a general uneasy look. Sometimes you will read the signs and get the puppy outside just in time. When the puppy relieves itself in the appropriate place, praise should be immediate. Stay with the puppy until it does eliminate and you have praised it. Make an extra effort to help the puppy learn the behavior you expect of it. Never scold the dog at the appointed elimination location. Give the puppy positive reinforcement at this all important site. Don’t confuse your Pom by sending mixed messages. Never strike the puppy if it has an accident. A firm “No” will let the puppy know the displeasure that the action merits. Never rub the puppy’s nose in urine or excrement. This will not only discourage positive behavior, but then you have to clean up the puppy. In letting the Pom know what bad behavior is and in praising good behavior, you highlight the rewarded act and make it the memorable thing. Regular feeding times with a premium quality food will help you anticipate when the puppy needs to go. Additionally, the premium dog food will produce firmer stools with less volume that will be easier to clean up if a mess does happen. Avoid table scraps and treats. They can only upset the nutritional balance of the quality food. Also feed only at the set times; do not leave food out for your puppy all day. Your Pomeranian puppy will do well on three to four meals a day. As mentioned, your Pom will not want to soil its den. Its mother gave your pup early lessons in keeping the den area clean. Take advantage of this innate behavior with regular meals and regular walks; you will help the puppy win your praise and avoid the stern “No” that comes from mistakes. Whereas crate training is probably the most efficient way to housebreak your Porn, it may not work equally well for those who cannot be at home with their puppy during the day. For these people, a slower method works, paper training. Paper-training is built on confining the puppy to some easily cleaned room (a kitchen, a bathroom, or a laundry room). It does not work particularly well with outside training because the puppy is given two “right” places to go, but it may be necessary for those whose schedules cannot revolve around the puppy. It also is effective for those who live in high-rise apartments and others to whom rapid trips outside are impractical or impossible. Three separate areas within the puppy’s confined room are needed; the elimination area, the food and water area and the den area containing the carrier/crate/cage. The area set aside for waste elimination is covered with several layers of newspaper. The puppy is encouraged to use this part of the room, the part with the newspapers. Praise is given every time the puppy does what it is supposed to do in the right area. Pomeranians and other breeds do not like to soil either their sleeping area or their eating areas, neither of which should be too close to the waste area. After the puppy uses the papered areas, the top layer is removed and the puppy's scent remains on the lower layers. This encourages the Pom to use the paper again when it needs to relieve itself. If you need to use the paper-training method, housebreaking will probably take a little longer. Even if you do use it, be sure to walk your puppy early each morning and late each night; don’t completely eliminate taking the puppy outside. Also try decreasing the size of the area covered by newspaper gradually, until only a small part of the room is used for elimination. Some trainers advocate taking that small section of paper outside with you to let the pup use it there in the later stages of training. Whatever method you use to housebreak your Porn, remember to be consistent. Crate-training is a good way to use the “den” influence to help the dog learn, but paper training (if necessary) can be successful combined with regular walks and careful feeding. Both methods depend on consistency and appropriate praise or correction when either is deserved. Regular walks with your Pomeranian will become enjoyable to both of you. Several walks a day give your dog needed bladder and bowel breaks, and also provide exercise and a change of scenery. The use of the cage/carrier/crate by the Pomeranian gives you the added benefit of being able to regulate the puppy’s access to things that might do it harm when you are not around to care for it. Such use for a Pomeranian is not only humane but in keeping with the nature of the breed. As the pup matures, its use of the crate as its own place within your home will remain a constant. If your puppy does make a mistake, be sure to get that area cleaned up quickly and use an odor-removing cleaner. If the puppy comes upon an area where its scent indicates it has relived itself, it may do so again. If your puppy has inordinate difficulty either with defecation or urination, there may be some medical issue that requires a visit to the veterinarian. Also remember, if you live in a city and your puppy must use a public street or sidewalk as its elimination area, to curb your dog; pick up and properly dispose of any excreta. Responsibility in this area is yours; many urban laws bear this out.
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