Solved! How To Stop A Pomeranian Barking

If you want to learn how to stop a Pomeranian barking then you’ve come to the right place.

People who’ve never had much to do with Poms might wonder if they bark.

However, people who’ve spent time with one have a very different question, one that usually goes along the lines of…. do they ever shut up?

Poms are high-spirited, confident, and all kinds of adorable. They’re also Loud with a capital L.

They might be small, but they’ve got big personalities: big personalities and even bigger voices.

If they’ve got a concern, they’re going to voice it…

…If they see something they think you should know about, they’re going to tell you.

And if they’ve had a bad day at the office, they’re going to spend all night bending your ear off about it.

No matter how much you love them, that kind of behavior gets tiring, fast.

We know dogs bark…

…We know it’s natural.

…We know it’s normal.

But we also know it’s frustrating. Because let’s face it, a dog who barks incessantly is a literal headache.

When a dog barks to say hello, it’s one thing. When a dog barks to say hello, goodbye, and everything in between, it’s something else entirely.

And that’s the crux of the whole thing.

You’ll never get a dog to stop barking completely. And neither should you try – it’s how they communicate, after all. But what you can do is teach them when it’s appropriate to bark and when it’s not.

With the right training, the right socialization, and the right amount of patience, you can teach your Pom to master the art of silence.

But before you get too immersed in the dos and don’ts of training, there’s one thing you need to do first…

Introduce some calm.

Poms love drama. They’re constantly on high- alert, and it doesn’t take much to set them into a tailspin of excitement.

As you’d imagine, none of this spells good things for your training. If you want your Pom to sit up and pay attention, you’re going to have to teach them a little emotional control first.

Easy to say, you might be thinking, but how exactly do you do that?

Simple.

Watch the video below from the Online Dog Trainer, Dan Abeldnoor. In it, Dan explains 5 step-by-step calming exercises that are guaranteed to teach any dog how to focus, calm down, and exercise some control.

Not only will the exercises alleviate some of the issues that could be causing the barking in the first place. But they’ll also make your training sessions a whole lot more productive than they’d be otherwise.

Anyway, here’s the link to take a look: 5 Step-By-Step Calming Exercises To Stop Your Dogs Annoying, Frustrating Barking Habits…

(video will open in a new window)

What Causes Pomeranians to Bark?

Cat’s meow. Horses bray. We accept both of these things without question. But when it comes to dogs, we’re less forgiving. Which is understandable.

When a dog barks, they’re communicating something. The problem is, they often communicate a bit too often for comfort.

It’s not their fault, and certainly, no dog should ever be punished for barking. But this is the real world. And the real world has neighbors in it.

Even if you’re perfectly happy to accept your dog’s 24/7 barking habit, it’s unlikely the people around you feel the same.

But even if you couldn’t give a hoot about what your neighbors think, there’s another more important reason to take control of problem barking…

…Your dog.

If they’re barking constantly, there could be a problem. It might be that they’re barking out of fear. Maybe they’re a little too territorial for their own good.

It could even be that they have a medical problem. Whatever it is, it’s probably not that pleasant for them.

The sooner you can figure out the reason for their excessive barking and help them take control of it, the happier they’ll be.

Understanding the reason for your Pom’s excess chattiness can take some work. Fortunately, most barking problems are rooted in the same common causes.

Causes like…

Alert Barking

Poms are clever, inquisitive, and constantly on alert. If there’s something strange in the neighborhood, you can bet they’ll be the first to know.

You can also bet you’ll be the first they tell.

If someone’s at the door, if the phone rings, or if there’s a cat in the yard, your little Pom is going to let you know…. in the loudest and most insistent way possible.

Territorial Barking

If you’re looking for a tiny watchdog, a Pom fits the brief.

They might be lively and friendly, but they don’t take kindly to strangers invading their territory.

If someone approaches ‘their’ yard, car, house, or owner (yep, a dog’s definition of territory extends to you). Their fear response will kick in, and they’ll bark, lunge, and snap until the ‘intruder’ gets the message and backs off.

Excitement Barking

Poms get excited, fast. If something good is happening (a guest arriving, a trip to the park, the expectation of a treat). They won’t be able to resist letting off a few barks to show their appreciation.

When a Pom barks because they’re having (or expecting to have) a ton of fun, you’ll notice that their barking takes on a high-frequency sound.

Usually, the barking will be interwoven with whining, jumping up and down, lots of tail wagging, and even some spinning for good measure.

Demand Barking

Poms might be small, but don’t underestimate just how demanding they can be.

If they want something, they won’t wait quietly by in the hope you’ll eventually realize. They’re going to tell you. And if you don’t get it the first time, they’re going to keep telling you until you do.

As to what they want… well, it could be anything. It might be a snack, it might be a walk, it might just be your attention.

Demand barking can be all too common in Poms.

Unfortunately, a lot of owners unwittingly encourage it by caving into the pressure.

And once a Pom knows that barking gets results, they’ll keep right on doing it.

Fear Barking

Poms seem confident, and usually, they are.

They might stand less than ten inches tall, but these are brave, bold dogs with the hearts of lions.

But having said that, no dog is immune to anxiety or fear.

No matter what breed they are, all dogs react to fear in the same way… by trying to escape.

But when they’re stuck in a house or attached to a leash, escape isn’t always an option.

So what do they do instead?

You guessed it…. bark, snap, lunge, and act in such a disagreeable way that the scary thing eventually backs away in fright.

Protective Barking

Poms are naturally protective little pooches who aren’t afraid to take on anyone or anything that gets in between them and their property.

And yes, Poms have property. Quite a lot, actually. There’s their food, their toys… even their owner.

If your pooch has decided you belong to them, don’t write it off as something cute and enduring.

Sure, it means they love you truly, madly, deeply, but it also means they want to keep you all to themself.

If anyone else dares to interact with you, it could throw them into a jealous rage of barking, snapping, and even biting.

Boredom Barking

Small dogs have a problem…

Us.

A lot of us tend to think that the smaller the dog, the less work they’ll be. Which is true, to an extent. A small dog doesn’t need 2 hours of hardcore exercise a day. But that’s not to say they don’t need any at all.

If your idea of exercising your Pom involves a couple of 2-minute trips to the yard a day, a lot of excess barking is only to be expected.

Your Pom is bored. And when a Pom gets bored, don’t expect them to keep quiet about it.

Lonely Barking

When a Pom bonds with its owner, it bonds hard. If we could spend every hour of every day with them, that wouldn’t be a problem. But real life doesn’t work that way.

At some point or another, we have to leave them.

Bills don’t pay themselves, after all. But just trying telling your Pom that.

Unless they’ve been properly socialized and trained from a young age, Poms can suffer intense anxiety when they’re left alone, if even for a short time.

Separation anxiety can be overwhelming for your pooch, resulting in all kinds of destructive, stress-induced behaviors like barking, digging, indoor elimination, and escape attempts.

How to Stop a Pomeranian Barking

You’ll never stop a Pomeranian barking completely. And neither should you try.

Barking is how they communicate, after all. But what you can do is teach them the difference between appropriate barking and inappropriate barking.

Before anything else, figure out what’s causing the problem. Once you know why they’re doing what they’re doing, you’ll have a much easier time dealing with it.

The next step? …Teach them some calm.

No matter what the problem and no matter what the solution, a calm dog is going to be much easier to train than an excited, tense one.

Introduce these 5 step-by-step calming exercises into your life as soon as possible. They really will make a massive difference. Once you’ve done that, you can start moving forward with some of the following techniques.

Call Your Vet

Excess barking is usually explained by behavioral causes, not medical ones. But that doesn’t mean you can afford to be lax.

If your Pom’s barking habit has taken a turn for the worse or if they’ve started displaying any other worrying signs (a change in appetite or sleep patterns, for example), pay your vet a visit before anything else.

If a health problem or injury is to blame for the barking, no amount of training will make a difference until the root cause is identified and treated.

Distract Them

Lonely, bored, frustrated… a Pom can feel all three, and none of them spells good things for your peace and quiet.

The best way to counter the effects of an understimulated, frustrated pooch? Give them something to do.

While a Pom doesn’t need as much exercise as a Border Collie or a Labrador, they still need a healthy combination of structured exercise and play.

So make sure to schedule regular walks throughout the day and look for other opportunities to let them blow off some steam.

Tug of war, fetch, or even hide and seek are all great ways to have some fun and release some energy.

If you’re away from home throughout the day, leave a few interactive toys out to entertain them. A food dispensing toy can go a long way to keeping them too busy to even think about barking.

Furbo even sells a treat dispenser with a built-in camera so you can keep a close eye and even communicate with your Pom while you’re away.

Take a look at the best ones here: Furbo – Interactive, Treat Dispensing Dog Cameras To Keep Your Dog Safe…

Get to Grips With Some Basic Obedience

If you’ve never trained your Pom, now’s the time to start.

Poms are clever, but they’re not necessarily the easiest of breeds to train, especially once they reach a certain age. But don’t be discouraged – with patience, consistency, and plenty of positive reinforcement, nothing is impossible.

Start by teaching them the ‘quiet’ cue. Next time they start barking, wait until they stop to catch a breath.

As soon as they do, say ‘Quiet’ and give them a treat.

Keep repeating the process. It may take some time, but once they start to associate ‘Quiet’ with a treat, they’ll soon start silencing themselves whenever instructed.

Remove their Triggers

Does your Pom spend all day barking at the window?

If they do, you’ve got an alert barker on your hands.

One of the easiest and quickest solutions is to simply remove their access to triggering situations.

Close the curtains, remove any furniture they could use to access the window, and replace chain fencing in the yard with solid wood.

It may sound cruel to remove your Pom’s view of the outside world, but believe it or not, a pooch who spends all day barking at the world isn’t getting any pleasure from it.

So removing their triggers will instantly result in a calmer, happier pooch.

Teach Them Control

It doesn’t take much to get a Pom excited. Although it’s part of their charm, it’s also part of the reason they bark so much. If the tiniest thing is enough to send your pooch into a tailspin of excitement, it’s time to introduce some calm into their life.

Remember those 5 step-by-step calming exercises I mentioned earlier?

This is where they really show their worth.

Watch the video, follow the techniques, and pretty soon, you’ll be looking at an altogether calmer, more controlled dog.

Final Thoughts

Some dogs take to training like ducks to water. A Pomeranian isn’t that kind of dog.

If you want to teach your little Pom the meaning of ‘Quiet,’ you’re going to have to put the effort in.

Is it worth it? …Absolutely.

It might take plenty of patience and plenty of practice, but the end results make it worthwhile.

Remember to keep it positive (if there’s a treat in the cards, a Pom will always go the extra mile), keep it consistent, and keep it going.

The more time you spend tackling the barking now, the sooner you can cut it out for good.