Pros and Cons of owning a Pomeranian dog

Pomeranians are tiny cute dogs, that look like a small white cloud of happiness. Yes, I have had a few pomeranians and they are awesome. I can say that based on my experience. Probably that’s why they are so popular. I bet atleast someone you know must have a pomeranian dog. At least that’s the case in India.

If you are thinking of getting a pomeranian puppy for yourself or your wife and kids, go ahead. He will fill your life with bliss. But if you are more of an analytical kind, then you may continue reading this article, as we will discuss both the positives and negatives of owning a pomeranian puppy or a dog.

Table of Contents

• Pros of owning a Pomeranian dog
• Cons of owning a Pomeranian dog

Pros of owning a Pomeranian dog

Let’s see what all factors make these dogs such a popular breed.

Pomeranian dogs are best for first time dog owners

Pomeranians are tiny dogs, with a height of only six to nine inches when fully grown. Obviously, they weigh a lot less too. So, their food intake is less too, making them more affordable to maintain.

You just need to take them out for a walk couple of times a day and have some playtime with them. So, contrary to some people’s beliefs, they are not actually high maintenance, time-wise or money-wise.

They are very energetic, but not throughout the day. You will find them getting active suddenly for a short period of time, especially when they are young. At that time, they will like to run around, play with you and what not. If you are busy, get them some toys, a ball etc. They love playing with toys and balls.

Also, most first-time owners have some inherent fear of dogs, some uncertainty of what a dog might do if it gets in a crazy mood. The tiny size of a pomeranian dog will help diminish some of those fears. Once you have handled a pomeranian, it will give you enough confidence to get a bigger breed next time, say a German Shephard or Golden Retriever etc.

Pomeranians are perfect for small houses or apartments

As they are small in size, they are suitable for small homes and flats. They do not need a large yard or garden to play around. They will find enough space in the house to run around. Though they do like playing in grounds when we take them out.

We can also train them to use a litter box or some designated area, just like a kitty. So, we can avoid taking them out via lift again and again and run the risk of other members of the society complex complaining, in case there is a poop accident.

Good with kids

If you have small kids in the house, getting a small dog makes more sense. Not only from safety point of view, but also from point of view of the bond that these will make with your kids. As they are never going to outgrow your kids, as far as height is concerned, your kids can always be their play buddies.

But these pomeranian puppies are one of the most active and naughty dogs. They like to play a lot and can hurt you or your kids unintentionally, as they have sharp claws and teeth. So, you have to be a bit cautious while fooling around with them. Keep them away from your eyes and face. You will have to teach your kids to be precautious too.

You will have to take care of their safety too. These are not only a small but also a delicate breed. So, you need to handle them with care and gentleness. Do not play very roughly with them. Keep in mind where they are when you are walking, as they tend to follow you around and you may accidently step on them.

Also, when you get a new pup, let him walk and run. Sometimes, kids love the pups so much that they always carry them in their arms and it may weaken their legs. When we were small kids, we used to carry our pomeranian puppy in our arms all the time. Sadly, it ended up weakening one of its legs. Too much love can be harmful to your puppy.

So, basically if you have very young kids, you will have to train them how to handle these puppies.

Little bundle of joy

Pomeranians are one of the happiest breeds of dogs. Most of them like running around and jumping on things for no reason at all. Believe me, if anyone in your home suffers from depression, get him/her a pomeranian. It will work better than 100 trips to a psychiatrist or watching hundreds of motivational videos. Just meet a pomeranian puppy and you will see how friendly, playful and extroverted they are.

My pomeranian dog used to wake me up every morning. He always wanted me to play with him, atleast twice a day. He would sometimes bring me his ball so that we can play fetch, or would unnecessarily attack my hands playfully and then would wrestle with them till he was totally exhausted with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Sometimes he liked to chew on my hands, but never did he hurt me by biting. So, I know that these are smart dogs. Though they do many stupid things too, like many other breeds. But that makes them look even cuter.

They are good in gauging your emotions. If you are in a serious or sad mood, or are serious in general, they will not bother you too much. But if they see that you are in a playful mood, they will soon turn on their play mode. It’s the same other way round too. Sometimes, they are not in mood to play or get tired of being snuggled. If you get such clues, leave them alone or you might get a nip.

Though not all pomeranians are the same. Their personality may vary from one dog to another. Even there are various varieties of pomeranians. However, in general we can say that they are pretty jolly kind. Even their facial expressions almost always convey joy. You will never be bored in their presence.

Pomeranians make good Guard dogs

As these dogs are very active, intelligent and alert, they work tremendously well as guard dogs. Though they won’t be able to attack any intruder or protect you, but they sure will alert you and the neighbours. My pomeranian used to start barking even before someone opened the front gate.

Note

When I said that they won’t be able to protect you, I meant they cannot, not that they will not try. If they see anyone attacking you or anyone in the family they WILL attack. But how effective that will be is another thing!

However, if they are sleeping in a very safe environment, they may prove to be heavy sleepers too, or may just ignore any sound. My dog, especially in his old age, used to sleep near my legs on my bed. He won’t respond to any sound then, except for a few lazy barks maybe.

Warning

In many cases you will have to protect them. These are smart dogs but they do some mindless things sometimes. You will find them attacking dogs double their size and then getting beaten up by them. My dog had no idea of his tiny size. So, I had to be vigilant.

Mouse hunters

Do you a lot of mice in your home? Many people get a pet cat for this purpose. But let me tell you some pomeranians will work as good. They love chasing mouses and squirrels. In fact anything that moves. My dog used to get crazy if he saw or heard a mouse. He will bark relentlessly, go under the bed and sofa. All hell will break loose. And many times, he used to hunt the rat down. Though they will not eat the mouse.

Training them is easy

They have a lot of energy. So, if you can train them to funnel this energy into doing some positive activities, you will have a lot of fun.

But there are couple of things you need to keep in mind:

• Start training them from a young age, or else it will become harder to train them.
• Keep your lessons short. These dogs have a very short attention span. They lose interest pretty soon and will start jumping around.

Easy to get a Pomeranian puppy

Pomeranians are a pretty popular breed and readily available. You may see them in any dog pet shop easily, at least in India. Also, many people just get them from their friends or relatives.

Cons of owning a Pomeranian dog

Pomeranian dogs are noisy

If you like peace at your home or you are a light sleeper, or if your neighbours live in close quarters, getting a pomeranian dog might not be a good idea. These dogs bark a lot and their barks can be pretty loud too. They will bark at the slightest of noise near the main gate, or if they see some mouse or insect etc. They will bark to get your attention; they will wake you up in the morning by jumping around on your bed etc. You got an idea.

For the same reason, they may not be the best choice for apartments, condominiums and other close living situations.

Though you may train them to bark less and be quieter. You can also train them not to get on your bed or your sofa. But for that you will have to carefully train them from a young age.

Though personally, I did not like the idea of curbing the innate nature of a dog. So, my dog was a spoiled brat, but only in my presence. He used to get on my bed and liked sleeping near me. But he never got on the bed of my parents, as he had been scolded by them a couple of times. So, these dogs are smart. They know what to do and what not to do, and with whom. If he had to go out, he will come to me (also for playing and head massages!) and will go to my mom when he was hungry.

They land themselves in dangerous situations

Though these dogs are of the size of a rabbit, but they tend to think themselves as mighty lions. They will bark through the gate at dogs twice and thrice their size. Once my dog even attacked one of the wild dogs as he was emboldened by my presence. He was soon subdued and I had to literally run and shout to avoid the other dog from hurting him.

To avoid this situation, I acquainted him with some stray dogs of my locality, which also used to come and sit near our front gate as we used to provide them food. So, in a month or so he had a group of friends outside the house that used to protect him against any attack. But the downside was that he always wanted to play with them and used to sneak out of the house whenever he got an opportunity. And yes, he used to get ticks from them. So, there’s a downside to this hands-off approach. I will let you decide whether you want to do this.

An Interesting Episode!

There were some monkeys in my area and my dog used to bark on them a lot. Once a couple of monkeys got hold of him and started slapping him, as if they were disciplining him. When we ran to save him, we saw our mighty lion lying upside down on his back in surrender mode. He stopped barking on monkeys for some days after that!

As they are tiny, they are at risk outside. As they bark a lot, they can be easily spotted by any large predator, especially other dogs.

People may also easily abduct them as they are of very friendly nature. If anyone will give them food, they will wag their tail and go to them to get the treat and be friends with them. So, you will have to monitor them when they are outside.

They are moody

They like to do things as per their mood. They will play when they want to play, they will cuddle with you if they want to, they will insist on going out if they feel like and will start barking at you if you do not budge. You will have to respect it.

Give them attention when they require it or else leave them alone. And as they have very short attention, this may change very quickly. Just to give you an example, sometimes when I used to come home after a few days in my college hostel my dog used to get crazy - bark at me, jump around me, stand up on hind legs and ask me to take him in my arms, etc. But just after 3-4 minutes of cuddling, he will try to get away from me and attend to his other things - food, toys, who’s at the main gate, are there any squirrels on the trees etc. You got an idea. He will even ignore me when I call out his name. So, that’s how they behave.

It also means that you should give him some place of his own. So that he can go there and rest when he feels like doing so. It may be a proper dog house or even a rug on the floor. Though it’s not absolutely essential. Most pomeranians like to be in the same room as the people they like, especially the person who plays with them or who feeds them. So, you will find them stalking you and then sit near you, whether on the floor or on your bed/sofa, if you allow them.

They are also very determined. When they want something, they will just press on and try every trick in the book to get that thing done. If they want to go out, they will come to you, look at you in adorable ways, touch you, then bark at you, pull your clothes etc. Same behaviour can be seen when they are hungry or if they want to play. You may train them to control their urges though.

As these guys have a strong independent streak, they do not like to be tied down or leashed. If you want to, do it from a very early age. However, as per my observation, the pomeranians who are tied down for long duration of time tend to get more irritable. They lose some of their charm. Personally, I never used to tie my dog down at home, not even a collar. I left him the way he was and believe me he was one of the happiest and naughtiest dogs in our locality. It also depends on what kind of relationship you want with your dog, a master-slave one or that of a friend.

Diseases

Though this is applicable to all dogs. Pomeranians, just like any other dog breed, get sick and you will have to take them to a vet now and then.

The more common diseases that have been found to effect pomeranians are:

• Joint problems - e.g. a condition called luxating patellas, wherein the kneecap is not properly set at the joint. It can be very painful. It may even require surgery which may be expensive.
• Eye and Ear problems - e.g. ectropion and cataracts are pretty common.
• Ticks - Keep inspecting their fur for ticks on a regular basis. Especially, if you are letting them intermingle with stray dogs.

To be on the safer side, you may have a look at the parents of the puppy you are buying or are adopting. Observe their health and any signs of sickness. Many of the diseases are hereditary, and if the parents have that diseases than it’s pretty likely that the kids will eventually have them too.

But in general, pomeranians are considered a healthy breed. They are pretty resilient to diseases.

Sometimes, they even get hurt because of their habit of recklessly jumping around, toying with unknown insects, or by getting into fights with other dog breeds (most of the times they lose!).

Though you will get to know quickly if a pomeranian is in distress, as they will become inactive. But still be vigilant of signs of discomfort such as, excessive scratching, any swelling etc. In case you find any unusual signs or sense a discomfort, take your pomeranian to your vet as soon as possible.

Shedding

Pomeranians have a thick white / brown fur coat and they do shed a lot. So, give them a bath on a regular basis and comb their hair so that most of the excessive hair gets washed away or is removed. Trim their fur now and then, especially at the onset of the summer season.

Winding Up

At the end, as a dog person, and having had a few pomeranians myself for many years, I will say that until and unless you have a problem with excessive barking, you should get a pomeranian. I am a bit biased though, as I have spent more than 16 years with them.

They are one of the most adorable breeds and will end up becoming your best friends. But as is the case with most dogs, the biggest downside is their short lifespan of around 10-12 years. But till they are alive, you will feel alive inside. They will make you feel welcome at your home so much that you will look forward to meet them again, even if you go out for a couple of hours. They will act as if you were out for days. They are a treat. Little, adorable clouds of white fur!