Housebreaking Tips

Here are some housebreaking tips that can teach your pommie early.  The key is persistence and patience....

1.  Take your Pom to the "relief spot" after each meal or drink of water.

2.  When your pom relieves itself in the designated area, praise it enthusiastically.

3.  Arrange for a relieve stop after all long playtimes.

4.  Schedule your pup's last relief break as late at night as you possibly can.

5.  The very first thing each morning, as early as possible, rush your pup outside.

6.  Plan on several relief breaks whenever you and your Pom are home together.

7.  Be aware of the warning signs that a puppy, or even an adult dog, displays when it needs to go outside.

* Your pom will have an anxious look on its face.

* It will begin circling in one spot, sniffing for the right place to relieve itself.

* In an obvious attempt to get your attention, your Pom will whine, whimper, and run toward the door.

* Your dog or puppy will begin to squat.

In Case of Accidents

If your puppy can't hold back any longer, pick it up and go calmly (and quickly) to the outside relief spot.  Do this even if your pup has already had an accident.

Again, wait patiently (and quietly) at the relief spot until your Pom has relieved itself, then heap on the praise, thereby reinforcing the fact that it relieved itself at the right spot.

Thoroughly clean the accident site and apply scent removers that work on enzymes.  Do this to each spot to keep from sending false signals about the right place to urinate or defecate.

Do not speak harshly or punish your pup at the relief spot.  This should be the place where a puppy knows exactly what to expect; it will relieve itself and get praised for doing so.

As you go with your Pomeranian (s) to the relief spot - and as you wait for action at the site - be quiet.  Play is for another time.

Never rub your puppy's nose in any urine or defecation.  This is an old myth that only results in a confused and soiled puppy.

Never strike a puppy when it makes a mistake.

Don't scream at a puppy that is not housebroken.  You can make some noise, such as clapping your hands, to break inappropriately defecating or urinating puppy's train of thought.  The hustle the pup outside to the relief spot.

Consistency

Be consistent in all your housebreaking efforts.  Make certain that other household members are doing the same things that you are doing and in the same manner.  Note:  Never just push a Pomeranian out the door, even into a safe, fenced backyard, to defecate or urinate alone.  Your praise is the reward if gets for going in the specific spot each time it goes outside.

Paper Training

If you have to use a paper-training area inside your home, place your puppy's food and water as far away from the paper area as possible.  Because paper training is less effective, continue to take your Pomeranian outside after meals and drinks and early in the morning and late at night.

Crate Training Hints

Maintain a realistic and positive attitude about the use of crates/cages/carriers and the positive role they can play in providing a "den" for your Pomeranian.

Obtain a large enough crate/cage/carrier to comfortably serve as a den for your Pom when it is an adult.  Make a movable, temporary partition to keep the den just the right size as your puppy grows.

Locate such a den in an out-of-the way, but not isolated, place in a part of the household that is always in use but away from any temperature fluctuations that would make it uncomfortable at times.

Put the puppy in the crate/cage/carrier for naps and when it must be left unattended for several hours.  Upon your return, immediately take the puppy outside to the relief spot.  Praise the puppy when if defecates or urinates and go right back inside with the pup.

Use the stern alpha-leader, authoritative voice to quiet any whining or barking that the pup makes as it is being placed in the makeshift den.

Do not praise the puppy for about ten-minutes after it is let out of the crate/cage/carrier.  Immediate praise will make getting out more of a reward than you want it to be.

During training, put the puppy back in its den after it has spent about 30 minutes outside of it, and make the puppy quiet down.  Through consistent reinforcement, the amount of time you can leave the Pom in the den can be extended.

Don't leave any dog, especially a younger animal, in a crate for an overly long period of time.  Your dog won't be able to hold back its need to relieve itself and you will have a real mess to clean up.

Always keep a mat or towel in the den along with a favorite chew toy to make if a comfortable place.

In order to cut down on possible spillage, do not put food or water in the crate/cage/carrier.

Make sure your family and frequent visitors to your house fully understand the importance of crate training and how it must be done.