Complete Information Regarding the Pomeranian Toy Dog
Overview of the Aggressive Pomeranian
Don't worry, help is here!
When a person expects to have a cuddle and sweet ball of fluff and finds themselves with an aggressive Pomeranian, this can be very overwhelming. With proper training, you can get your Pom under control.
It is rare, but some Pomeranian dogs can have aggression problems; this can usually be fixed with strict training
- Aggression towards people. This can be strangers walking by or this can even be towards other human family members.
- A Pomeranian may show aggression toward other animals. This problem will seem most severe if a Pomeranian is aggressive toward other dogs or household pets.
This can be a very frustrating situation; however training can help. Why would a Pomeranian show aggressive behavior toward people? There are several reasons, including:
- Fear - Your Pomeranian may be afraid of strangers and the unknown. This can make a dog protective and this show outwardly by growling, nipping and even trying to bite people.
- Improper Status - When a dog is aggressive towards human family members, this is often a sign that the dog is confused about their place in the family.
- Health Issues - When any dog who is normally well behaved suddenly becomes aggressive, this very often is because the dog is suffering some type of health issue. When a dog is in pain, he or she will nip, snarl, growl and even bite those who love them. Why? Because a dog cannot tell you that they are ill or in pain. Feeling very vulnerable, a dog will then lash out at humans who become perceived as threats to them.
Training for Aggression Toward Strangers
This is a socialization issue. Your Pomeranian needs to learn that as long as he or she is with you, strangers are a normal part of life and they must behave around them. It is naturally for a dog to be aggressive toward true strangers, those who may come to your home to sell you something for example..and .having your Pomeranian bark and show some aggression toward these types of strangers is not a bad thing. In the case of a break in, your Pom's barking may just scare off the intruder. As long as your dog calms down once that person has left the property, all should be fine. If you approve of your little Pom protecting them home as a "watch dog" you can say "good dog", give a pat and then show your dog that all is well by reassuring words and calm actions.
However, when you are walking your dog or in a social situation, you will want your Pom to behave. This must begin by slowing teaching your Pom what is expected of them and what is not acceptable.
You will need helpers for this. Try to round up friends, neighbors and family members that your dog is not used to. Explain to them that you will be starting a training program for your dog and see if they will agree to take turns in helping you with this.
Once you begin training your dog, it should be done every day until the training is complete. This will begin by having someone arrive at your home. Whoever arrives should have dog treats in their pocket. When you know that your helper is to enter, have your Pomeranian sitting down beside you, with their leash on. Open the door and reassure your dog that all is fine. This is done with calm words and slow actions. Have your dog see that you greet your visitors without any tension.
Have your helper give your Pomeranian a small treat, making sure to save some for later. The goal of this training is to reward your dog with good behavior and to socially isolate your dog for bad behavior. When your Pom interacts well, even for just a minute, you must behave as if your dog just did the most wonderful thing in the world. Give treats, pats, happy words and praise.
Any time that your Pom shows aggression, bring your dog into another room that is not occupied. You must then implement social isolation for 5 minutes. This mean that you must ignore your dog completely. Do not say "bad dog", do not say their name, do not talk to them. Simply stand and allow them to see that life is certainly not fun when they do not behave. After the 5 minutes, attempt to have your dog interact with your helper again.
Each action, good or bad must be acted upon with either praise or isolation. Have the 1st visit last for about 10 minutes. Have different helpers come to visit on different days. Increase the visits by 5 minutes per day until the maximum time of 30 minutes. By following this training method word for word, your dog should be very used to "strangers" and much better behaved within 2 weeks or so.
Training for Aggression Toward Human Family Members
If your Pomeranian is completely healthy and is aggressive with human family members, the most probable explanation that he is acting this way is because of a dog’s innate instinct to be the “alpha dog”. When dogs ran in packs, there always was an “alpha dog”. There had to be 1 dog that was in charge of the pack.
Pet dogs also need to have an “alpha dog” in their pack, which in current times is their human family.
A dog needs to know… “Am I the leader?” “Is he the leader?”. Without this being obvious to them, a dog may become confused. As stress mounts and the dog does not know if he is in charge or not…the dog may test family members to see who backs down, who takes charge and if anyone is going to face up to him to take his place.
Social Isolation training has been proven to work in many of these cases. It only works if it is followed precisely.
Training for Aggression Toward Other Dogs
This
is a socialization issue. Life will be a lot easier after you train
your Pomeranian to behave well around other dogs. Aggression toward
other dogs can severely interfere with walks, trips to the vet and so
much more.
Try to find a friend, co-worker, neighbor or family
member who already has a well behaved dog. Set up a "play date". Do
talk to your helper and explain that you are implementing a training
method. Not much will be accomplished in 1 day. This type of training
must be instilled in the dog over and over, for several weeks
usually...until your Pom fully understands how to behave. Rushing this
training will surely lead to failure. Having patience will ensure
success.
The dogs should both be on leashes. Have your
helper come with treats already in their pocket, you will have treats
as well. Have your Pomeranian sit. When the other dog is led into
your home, talk in a calm and happy voice. Keep telling your Pom to
sit.
If your Pom barks or acts aggressive toward the other dog, implement the above mentioned social isolation. Again, it is very important that the ignoring must be complete ignoring. You should not say their name, pat them or talk to them. Wait for 5 minutes and then walk your Pom to the other dog again.
Each time your Pom acts aggressive, bring them to the other room.
Each
time your Pom behaves well in the presence of the other dog, give
praise every minute or so. Give both dogs treats. Be sure to give
tons of praise.
The first "play date" should only last about 10
minutes. Each day, try to increase this time by 5 minutes. If
possible, this will work best if after a few days, you can introduce other dogs as well so that your Pomeranian becomes used to all types of dogs, big and small. Consistency is the key to this training. If you follow this strictly, by the word, your Pomeranian should stop showing aggression toward other dogs in about 2 weeks.
If your dog does not respond to these training methods, it is highly recommended to find an experienced dog trainer who will help turn your aggressive dog into that little, cute ball of fluff that you know he or she can be!
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