Breed trainability
Are Pomeranians hard to train?
On the learning side, not usually: a Pomeranian that has learned to spin, bow and touch a target in an evening is not a slow dog. The trouble, for many owners, starts when the elevator dings or a neighbour's keys jingle outside the door. A small dog in a big building has a lot to report on, and a long way to the nearest patch of grass. We take those two jobs separately.
Last reviewed September 25, 2026
Small dog, big building
Cues often come easily, but the alarm barking is its own job.
Many Pomeranians we meet are attentive, keen on food and happy to be the centre of a short session, so the basic cues and a few tricks often arrive without much drama. We keep the sessions brief and the rewards tiny, because a dog this size fills up fast. The friction, for many owners, is alert barking. A Pom that notices a neighbour's keys, a delivery cart and a dog three floors down may announce all of it, and the habit grows with every rehearsal.
Why a particular Pom barks varies. Some are nervous in a building full of sounds they cannot see, some are simply thorough, and some have learned that noise brings a person running. We do not assume one cause, because the plan depends on which it is. House-training is the second honest difficulty: a snowbank taller than the dog makes a January trip short and urgent, and a dog this small often gets carried past the very ground it needs to practise on.
- Short sessions, tiny rewards
- Barking causes vary by dog
- Long trip to the grass
- Practice on the ground, not carried
Hallway homework
The hallway is the classroom, and the routine is the curriculum.
Markers and rewards come first, and with a Pom that means paying for the moment the dog hears a sound and looks to the handler instead of erupting. We would suggest a bed away from the door, calm and predictable trips out rather than a dash for the elevator, and a quiet cue taught before it is needed. For house-training we favour a schedule over waiting for signals, a crate the dog is comfortable in, and a reward on the ground outside, snow or not.
Puppy Fundamentals, a three-week board and train at $2,775 plus GST, is made for puppies in that early learning window, with crate comfort and structured socialization on the list. Private Training, $150 plus GST per one-hour session with a weekly plan, is built for owners who would rather do the training themselves. A frightened Pom may be a Behaviour Rehab case after assessment. We make the recommendation at the consultation, and if a smaller program covers it, that is the one we suggest.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Are Pomeranians easy to train?
For everyday cues and tricks, many are, and most we meet enjoy the attention. The catch is that a quick learner picks up unwanted habits at the same speed, so hallway barking can settle in fast if nobody interrupts it. We would rather start on the quiet early than untangle it later.
Are Pomeranians hard to potty train?
They can be, in our experience, though individuals differ. A very small dog, a long elevator ride and a snowbank in January all work against a clean floor, so we lean on a schedule, a comfortable crate (our welcome package includes a crate-training guide) and a reward outside. If accidents continue despite a steady routine, we suggest asking a vet to rule out a medical cause.
Do Pomeranians bark a lot?
Many do, and alertness is commonly described as part of the breed, though how much varies by dog. In our experience the reasons range from nerves to habit to plain enthusiasm. We look for the reason first, because a nervous Pom and a bored Pom need different plans.
Are Pomeranians stubborn?
We rarely find that the right word. A Pom that ignores a cue is often busy guarding, or has learned that the reward on offer is not worth leaving the window for. We would work on making the handler more interesting than the hallway, and expect progress to depend on the dog and on consistency at home.
Keep reading
Sort the barking from the learning.
Book a consultation and describe the building, the triggers and the winter potty routine. We will suggest what fits this Pom.
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