One thing to keep in mind is that while Pom puppies are essentially always growing, there are always growth spurts and pauses.
Calorie needs may change from day to day or week to week and for this reason nailing down an exact amount of food to feed the pup is a bit difficult. During rapid growth spurts, a Pom puppy may always seem hungry even if you are feeding him the same. If he's been growing rapidly and has a lull, he may then eat less compared to what he needed during that time.
Adults Poms often do well maintaining, however Pomeranians may be walked less often times of extreme weather (cold winters, hot summers) and this may led to the Pom needing some food adjustments; though many dogs will in turn have less of an appetite during these times.
With seniors (Poms over the age of 8), there will be a gradual slowing of the metabolism. It happens very gradually, so most owners will not notice right away. However, each year it becomes a bit more evident.
A 12 year old Pom will burn fewer calories per day than his 5 year old counterpart and therefore may either needs his calories reduced or on his own, may not eat as much.
2) Activity.
This is also a big influence in how much fuel a dog's body requires. This includes two types of activity:
1. Exercise - This refers to purposeful activity initiated by the owner for a certain duration at which the Pom is either walking briskly or playing a rousing game that requires him to energetically trot, such as fetch.
2. NEAT - This stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. NEAT is all of the little movements throughout the day that burn calories. This includes rising from a down position, walking (or scampering) across the room, jumping up, rolling around, playing with toys, etc.
So, this is not activity that raises a dog's heart rate or can be counted as exercise, however it plays a big role. A calorie burned here and another one burned there can add up to quite a bit by the end of the day.
If you take one Pomeranian that is very mellow (rests all day, stays in one room, etc.) and compared that dog to a Pom that paced a lot when home alone and ran around with tons of energy when owners were home, that second Pomeranian would have a higher calorie requirement to maintain his weight.
It should also be mentioned that spaying and neutering a dog does not in and of itself cause a dog to require less food or to gain weight. This spaying and neutering myth
is most often due to a fixed dog being less active and therefore needing a few less calories each day.
Over a few month or years, this can add up and especially for small dogs like the Pomeranian, just a pound or two can make a big difference.