It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Switching up Google Maps, you drive over to the nearest pet store. Today’s the big day.

In this awesome store, there is a large variety of Pomeranians (or Poms, in short). You like the mixed breeds. There are so many to choose from: Pomeranian corgi mix, Pomeranian and husky mix, Pomeranian and chihuahua mix… It’s like a dog factory outlet.

‘Sir, your credit card please.’ requested the owner of the pet store.

Damn, you just blew another 2 grand on a cute lil’ Pom Pom. Everyone has one, from Elvis Presley to Gwen Stefani, you reasoned with yourself.

Pomeranian-dog-boo

Figure 1: The glorious mane of a diva in the making

Fast forward, 3 years and WHAM-BAM. Your dog starts acting up. Initially, it was all warm and fuzzy and loveable and adorable. But nowadays, it goes CRAZZZYY. Like your ex-girlfriend when you turn up late for a date.

Lil’ guy starts to poop in the living room. Or starts chewing on the new shirt you just bought at American Apparel.

‘Oh sh*t…’, you exclaim, burying your head in your hands, helpless and at the mercy of this cute yet destructive animal.

Where’s Cesar Milan when I need him most?

Your cute Pom has turned from a loyal and friendly dog into a snappy and volatile beast. Now, don’t get me wrong. Dogs are awesome, but sometimes they DO misbehave.

It is important to know what these nasty behaviors could be ahead of time. Here are 6 ways your Pom can misbehave and what you can do to get them back on the right track.

Misbehavior #1: Help, my Pom is howling and barking incessantly!

Poms can be REALLY annoying. Although they will probably sound like a muffled high-pitched trumpet. They get excited over the simplest of things from a spider on the wall to lizards shooting across the floor. Despite their tiny size, they can still act as your Chief Guard Dog and will inform you if there is any unrecognized stranger approaching the gate of your home. It will bark its lungs out, informing you of this potential danger. Through the corner of its eye, it could catch the quick movement of a pedestrian cat walking outside or a bird making mating sounds. Its bark demands your immediate attention, distracting you while you are busy trying to make a successful trade in the currency market.

So what can you do? The best thing you can do is to teach your little pup some good ol’ fashioned discipline. Put your Pom in a room or his own crate for the time being. Your pup may bark and rebel but do not be affected by its pleas. It will eventually calm down and learn that its behavior leads it away from you.

Another method would be to tell your dog ‘No Bark!’ whenever it goes berserk. If your dog responds by not barking, immediately give it the treat to reinforce this good behavior and command. Tolerance and patience is the key.

 

Sleeping-dog-cute-lil-pom

Figure 2: Don’t disturb me please I’m sleeping zzz..

Misbehavior #2: Help, my Pom is sticking to me like Super Glue!

Just like a needy boyfriend/girlfriend who wants all of your time, Poms require a lot of attention. Like true, undivided attention which the teacher expects of her students in a class. Due to their social nature, they really do not like to be left alone (no one does all right). When they notice that you are not giving them what they want, they will keep bugging you while you are at work. This can get really exasperating.

In this situation, it is back to teaching your Pom a little independence. Bring your Pom back to its crate and ensure that you provide a chewy dog toy to distract and keep it occupied. If you prefer to give him a treat, ensure that it is a snack that provides your dog with proper nutrition such as freeze-dried liver and bits of vegetables or fruit. It helps if you have other dogs, who can befriend your Pom and take the attention away from you as well.

Misbehavior #3: Help, my Pom is chewing up all my things!

The dog’s mouth is as useful to a dog as a human’s hands are to us. They use their teeth and sense of smell to make sense of their environment. For younger dogs, chewing may help them to relieve the pain from their growing subterranean teeth. For older doggies, chewing helps them to keep their jaws strong and teeth clean. Or they are just bored and want you to play with them plain and simple. They also chew for fun and stimulation.

So how can we prevent our Lil’ Pom from biting and destroying our chair legs or telephone wiring or worse, your favorite pajamas? First, consider getting some anti-chewing spray or paste, which makes you can spread on things that your dog perceives to be ‘tasty’. Place it on furniture and everything else that you deem important. Once the paste is on the object, it makes it less tasty for the dog to chew and discourages it from doing so. If possible, keep all your valuable things away and put it in your room. Don’t want to tempt them so easily!

Another way is to get plenty of different, safe toys (rubber/plastic bones, cloth tug toys, etc.) to occupy your pet. By the way, it is not advisable to give your Pom cooked bones such as chicken bones (or any other meat bone for that matter) as it may splinter and cut your Pom’s mouth. Be very careful with that!

Misbehavior #4: Help, my Pom is chasing my pet cat

It is in a dog’s predatorial nature to want to chase anything that moves. And a pet cat is definitely a fantastic and fun target for your Pom to go after. The problem is that all this running around could cause a big mess in the house. You do not want your vase to be tipped over due to a moment’s mischief. Worse, both of your pets could get injured if they start biting and pouncing on each other. If you do not stop your Pom from disturbing your cat, your cat may retaliate with its sharp claws and scratch your poor Pom, leading to painful injuries.

At this juncture, it might be best for you to step in by diverting your dog’s attention. Although this may sound unconventional, spray water lightly on your Pom’s face. This distracts and disorientates your dog for a while and might teach your dog that its behavior is unacceptable. If all else fails, ground your dog and cat by placing them in their respective crates and beds.

Misbehavior #5: Help, my Pom wants to do a Prison Break!

In a moment of impulse, your Pom may rush out of the house door and sprint towards the road in its excitement to greet your family member who has just arrived at the taxi. This places your poor Pom at significant risk of getting knocked over by an inattentive cyclist or worse, a driver. The consequences would have been too much to bear. And to make matters worse, once you have caught wind of the situation, you will panic and it may just be too late.

How can we prevent hyperactive Poms from running out of the house? There are 2 solutions that can be implemented. Firstly, training, training, and training. Whenever you are about to leave home and exit through the main front door, tell your dog to ‘Sit.’ and ‘Stay.’. If your dog obeys your command, provide it a treat. In this manner, your dog will slowly learn to wait for you to leave the door first before he can do so. We want him to stay behind the door as if there is an invisible barrier and wait on your instruction. That would be an ideal situation.

If the psychological barrier fails, then it’s time to implement the classic physical barrier. Fix a little knee-high fence that fits snugly on the width of the front door, so that your dog will think twice before running out.

Misbehavior #6: Help, my Pom is answering’s nature’s call in the comforts of my living room, in front of my guests!

No one wants to wake up at 7 am in the morning to find a fresh, aromatic pile of dog poop served in the platter in the corridor. That would be a terrible start to the day. Your dog has got to learn its manners and relieve itself at the appropriate places (ie. Grass lawn outside, or a dedicated puppy-is-safe-here territory made out of newspapers). Yes, potty training is key. Back to the basics.

The first thing you can do is to restrict your Pom’s access to certain parts of the house by using fences. Next, you could use a ‘belly band’ that can serve to control your dog’s out of control peeing. This is a band that wraps around the lower portion of your dog’s body and covers its genital area. Use this as a temporary measure.

If your Pom has left its trace in your home, make sure you use a proper cleanser to clean the area and use UV light to look for any areas left uncleaned. Sometimes, your Pom may need more time to ‘relieve’ himself. In this case, you can consider going for two potty sessions in the grass lawn to prevent any of the above from occurring again.

Poms are cute as hell but they can be an absolute challenge and nuisance to deal with. There are always reasons behind your dog’s behavior. The more you practice dealing with them, the better your Pom will get. It is our hope that by employing these strategies, your favorite Pom will bring you much more joy than annoyance into your beautiful home.

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