How to Train a Pomeranian puppy not to Bite (5 Simple Steps)
Pomeranians like to bite when they play, just like any other puppy. It’s a way for dogs to play fight, and all dogs do it naturally. That’s because their wolf ancestors bit each other to play and learn how to protect themselves.
This is good for wildlife, but not so good for domesticated pets like the Pomeranian.
It’s important to teach your Pom puppy not to bite before he hurts someone or destroys something else, either now or when he grows up.
Despite being petite, Pomeranians are known to have very big personalities. Interestingly, Pomeranians are even more active than some kids, this says a lot about their personality.
You love having your little canine friend around, however, they are starting to bite whenever it’s playtime and this worries the hell out of you. Now, this seems like harmless teasing, but you know it could easily turn into something worse.
The smartest thing to do is to train your Pomeranian puppy to stop biting now so it won’t grow into a bad habit that will be difficult to break when they mature.
In essence, it’s important to teach your Pom to stop biting while playing. You want to be able to play games with them like fetch, tug of war, and rolling around without getting bitten.
If they keep biting, they could become aggressive and startle a bigger, stronger dog into reacting, which could at the very least lead to expensive vet bills.
But because they are so small, getting into a fight with another dog could get them seriously injured.
Why do Pomeranians bite?
Pomeranian Puppies start out their lives by exploring their new world with their mouths, just like human babies do. They do this not only to learn about different shapes, textures, and tastes but also to figure out how to move things since they prefer to use their mouths over their paws for this.
Secondly, Pomeranian Puppies bite so much because they are going through a painful process called Teething. This happens when their baby teeth start falling out around 3–4 months of age and are slowly replaced by about 40 adult teeth.
As these sharp teeth come through your puppy’s gums, they hurt, which makes your puppy want to chew on things to make the pain go away.
During this painful time, Pomeranian puppies will often chew, gnaw, or bite anything they can find to help them feel better. Often, teething pain will make your puppy feel restless and always on the lookout for something to bite (and of course, that would be YOU).
Thirdly, Pomeranian puppies bite so much that it’s a normal way for them to get their siblings to play with them.
During this time, they develop a way to talk to each other which makes them less likely to bite. Puppy bite inhibition is when they learn to control how hard they bite.
If one puppy bites the other too hard, the puppy that got hurt will usually yelp and stop playing.
This will teach the guilty one not to bite so hard the next time.
Your Pomeranian puppy may also be biting and nipping too much because it has a lot of energy or because it is stressed out.
Puppies often get too excited, which makes them bite a lot. Or, like a toddler who throws a fit when it’s time for a nap (Lol), your puppy may be trying to tell you that they need time in their crate or playpen to calm down and relax.
Another reason is that Pomeranian Puppies may bite to get our attention as well.
Picture sitting on the couch and watching TV. Your dog might not be as interested in the show as you are.
Instead, they might be looking for something fun to do. For instance, they would walk up to you and bite your foot, move your foot away, look at them, and say “not today!”
Even though you are yelling, your Pomeranian may still find it funny. Your foot moving away means chasing, and nipping him means you are looking at him and talking to him. He will probably use the same tactic to get your attention again.
Last but not least, Pomeranian puppies may bite out of fear, anxiety, or because they feel trapped.
This is a sign that you should pay more attention to the things that make your puppy upset and how they show it with their body language, like staring, ears pulled back, mouth closed, tense face and body, etc.
Before you do the training, here are some things to keep in mind: It’s not true, despite common beliefs, that all small dogs like Pomeranians are “snappy.” This kind of behavior has nothing to do with a dog’s breed.
Pomeranian ancestors lived in cold places and pulled sleds. On average, they weighed 30 pounds. They have shrunk over time, but that hasn’t made them more likely to bite.
A Pomeranian will usually keep doing things that make him happy (like getting attention) unless he is taught that the bad things that could happen are worse than the good things.
If you want to stop your Pom from nipping or biting, you should do this in a calm and controlled way. You should never scold or yell at your dog because all that will do is make your Pom afraid of you. When fear or stress are added to the mix, the problem gets worse.
When a Pom learns to fear his owner, he doesn’t gain anything and loses a lot, including the wonderful bond between humans and dogs.
How to Stop a Pomeranian Puppy from Biting: Five Simple Steps
Figure out why your Pomeranian puppy bites.
Before you can figure out how to teach your Pomeranian puppy not to bite, you need to figure out why it’s doing it.
Pomeranians as a whole are not an aggressive breed, and they don’t bite out of pure anger very often. Most of the time, your Pomeranian puppy bites because it is teething or because it is hurting or uncomfortable.
When Pomeranian puppies start to get teeth, their gums itch and hurt. So, your puppy will try to chew on everything it can find to ease the pain of its adult teeth coming in.
Sometimes, your fingers and toes look as good as any toy to chew on. So when you pick up or pet your Pomeranian, it might bite you.
They are just trying to make the pain of teething go away. Pomeranian puppies may bite when they are sick or when they are growing new teeth. You should take your Pomeranian puppy to the vet right away if it looks tired, doesn’t want to eat, or seems to be in severe pain.
Help with the pain of teething
If your Pomeranian puppy is teething, the first thing you should do is get him some good toys to chew on.
If your Pomeranian puppy has enough toys to play with, it will be less likely to try to chew on your hands and feet. You don’t need a lot of toys for your Pomeranian to chew on, just a few which will do the trick.
Most Pomeranians like rubber chews with nubs because they make the gums feel good and scratch the itch that comes with teething. But you should also have some soft toys for your Pomeranian to play with when his gums hurt too much.
Let your Pomeranian see you as the boss of him
You have to appear firm if you want to teach your Pomeranian puppy not to bite.
Typically, Dogs in a pack think twice before biting their leader because they know they’ll get in trouble. So if you’re the leader, your Pomeranian puppy is less likely to see you as something to bite.
One of the easiest ways to show that you are the pack leader is to make your Pomeranian puppy obey the “Sit” command every time you feed it. That shows your puppy that you are in charge, and if they want to eat, they have to listen to you.
Also, you should always be the first one out of the house and the first one in.
You should lead your Pomeranian puppy, not the other way around. In addition to these methods, you can show your Pomeranian who is boss by maintaining your ground.
You can take this further by not sitting on the floor with your Pomeranian puppy, and you shouldn’t let it sit next to you on the couch.
Teach your Pomeranian not to bite
If you’ve ever seen puppies play, you know they wrestle, play, and bite each other.
But sometimes one puppy bites too hard on the other. When this happens, the puppy that is hurt usually yelps and then ignores the other puppy for a while.
This teaches puppies that they need to control how hard they bite. If not, nobody will want to play with them.
So, when your Pomeranian puppy bites or nips at you, you should act hurt. Even if it doesn’t hurt at all, say “Ouch!” out loud. Then don’t pay attention to your puppy for a few minutes.
Your Pomeranian puppy will eventually learn that when it bites, you won’t play with it. This should stop them from biting you when you pick them up.
Don’t give them their usual treatment and ignore them
If your Pomeranian puppy keeps biting you, then you have to find a way to deny them their favorite treat, this will make them understand that biting is bad behavior.
Most times, when your Pomeranian puppy bites you on the leg or hand, it does so because it knows it will get your attention.
Another thing to do is to put your Pomeranian puppy in its playpen. Then, let them stay there for a few minutes. It’s very important that you don’t pay your puppy any attention.
Don’t even look at them or talk to them.
Your Pomeranian puppy might not know right away that you are “ignoring” them. So, don’t let your puppy out of the playpen until it starts to whine and pace.
Even when you let them out, don’t play with your puppy right away. Instead, wait a few minutes.
Then you can begin communicating with them in a casual way. If your puppy bites you again, you put it back in the playpen.
But if they are on good behavior, you should praise them and give them rewards.
This is how you’ll teach your Pom that biting gets them kicked out and not biting gets them a treat.
How to train a Pomeranian puppy not to bite conclusion
It is quite easy to teach your Pomeranian puppy not to bite. All you need to do is exercise some patience and keep a consistent routine.
Keep it calm and play the same way every time. When your puppy starts to bite, you should endeavor to stop them instantly. Always give a reward for what you want to see.
You can teach a Pomeranian puppy not to bite by being consistent, and it always works.
Good luck with that!
