One of the first characteristics about your Pomeranian puppy that you will discover is his love for barking. Pomeranians are natural born barkers and will alert you if a stranger is at a door, or when a leaf falls off a tree. In other words, while a Pom makes an excellent watchdog, he can easily become carried away when barking to the point where he’s barking at literally everything.
Since you don’t need your Pomeranian puppy to alert you to the changing of the seasons, it is essential that you control his barking habits during his puppy hood so he will listen to you.
Here’s how you can effectively control your puppy’s barking:
Don’t Shout at your dog – If you want your dog to stop barking do not shout commands at him such as “No!”, “Stop barking!”, “Shut up!” or “Quiet!” Your dog will only interpret your shouting as barking, which will only make him bark all the more, as he will take your “barking” as a sign that what he’s doing is right. Never forget that your Pomeranian puppy sees you as the pack leader. Therefore, you need to act like one.
Be a Pack Leader – In the wild, the pack leader of a dog group would not bark at a puppy to get him to stop. Instead, the pack leader would firmly clamp his mouth around the muzzle of the pup and release a low growl to silence him. This would not hurt the pup, but would immediately stop him from barking.
You can mimic this maneuver by sitting your Pomeranian puppy beside you, slipping the fingers of your left or right hand under his collar at the back of his neck, and using the opposite hand to firmly fold over the dog’s muzzle and press down. In a firm and emotionless tone say “Quiet.” This will instantly silence your dog. Simply repeat this action anytime you want your dog to silence his barking.
It may take many repetitions before your Pom puppy understands the command “Quiet” and stops barking. However, persistence is key – don’t give up!
Don’t discipline your dog for his natural instinct – Just remember that it is in your dog’s nature to bark. Therefore, don’t silence your Pomeranian puppy when it is unnecessary. If he is barking when a stranger comes to the door, or he spies another animal out the window, don’t silence him. If you want to calm him down in these instances, simply call him over to you and give him a good pat.
Pomeranian Training…
