Pomeranians are small dogs so from their perspective people are huge and therefore can be very intimidating for little Poms. Of course, we are not talking about the owner and his family/friends but unfamiliar people, strangers.
Pomeranians are very suspicious around strangers, can easily get frightened. Many owners claimed that their Poms are afraid of men (due to their size and deeper voice in comparison to women), especially if they wear hats, glasses or they have beards. Elderly people are another group whose members might scare Pomeranian since they might look differently ( white hair or beard) and smell strange ( due to the presence of some illness). Even people of a different race might cause fear in a little Pom. This is characteristic for poorly socialized Poms that were not exposed to people of different races, ages, sizes, sex…
That fear can transfer to aggressive behavior in no time, that’s why it’s highly recommended to deal with this issue right away. Many owners often underestimate the aggressiveness in Pomeranians since they are so small, don’t make this mistake. Proper socialization is the key.
The first 16 weeks of Pom’s life are crucial for proper socialization which will help you get a well-behaved dog.
Table of Contents
Are Pomeranians Afraid Of Men?
There are some owners that have reported that Pomeranians ( same as all dogs) are afraid of men, more than they are afraid of women. Although no study has shown a clear reason for this statement, there are certain possibilities that could explain this.
If the puppy during the main socialization period was spending more time with a woman than with a man, this dog will be feeling much comfortable around women.
Another reason might be the physical appearance – men are bigger than women, with a deeper voice. Something big, loud with a deep voice may really scare little Pom with very sensitive hearing.
There is a big difference also in women/men approach to a dog. Women will approach in nurturing manner and men will come to a dog in a confident but playful manner.
The scent of men and women is different due to hormones. Pomeranians are likely to smell estrogen in women which reminds them of their mothers and associates them with nursing and care. While men’s scent is not so familiar as puppy’s father is rarely around.
Another thing – dogs live by their instincts, they generalize things. So only one bad experience is sufficient to leave an ineradicable mark. If a Pom was treated badly by a man, most probably will be afraid of men.
If you think that your Pom is afraid of men, do think twice if this is really the case. Maybe your dog has a problem with a beard or a hat or men wearing uniforms.
Even the men with glasses might be intimidating for Pomeranians that they do not have a problem with men but glasses!
In case you assume that your Pom has a problem with men or with their appearance, you should start exposing him to a fear source with baby steps and a lot of positive reinforcement.
Take one male friend of yours that is unfamiliar to your dog, tell him to wear a hat for example. That man shouldn’t be talking or trying to play with your Pom, not even making eye contact.
Let your Pom approaches him and you make sure your friend has some tasty treats in his pocket. The same thing you can arrange with a friend with a beard or glasses.
It’s good to train your dog to follow the command – look at me or watch me. This might be very helpful if you find yourself in a fearful situation for your dog. This command will distract your dog and makes him focus on you and not on fearful stimuli.
However, there is no scientific explanation for why Pomeranians and other dogs might be afraid of men. All listed above are assumptions that might help you understand better your Pom’s behavior and try to help overcome the fear.
Are Pomeranians Afraid of Old People?
They might be. Some owners have claimed that their Poms had a very sharp reaction to elderly people, no matter they weren’t strangers but cousins who came for a visit.
One of the main reasons your Pom might be scared of your old aunt is that he wasn’t exposed enough ( or at all) to elderly people in his young age during his socialization period.
Pomeranians may see older people differently than others. Old people may look different ( white hair ), may smell different ( even because of the presence of some diseases ), may walk different ( some of them use walkers or cane)
Don’t forget that dogs generalize things. So if some older person abused your dog in the past, he will always remember that and most likely feel fear in the presence of older people.
Are Pomeranians Afraid of Vets?
Many Pomeranians are afraid of vets but this has to do more with their owners than with vets.
Owners usually feel stressed as they don’t know how their Pom will react to the vet. A dog can perfectly figure out how his owner feels (due to human body language) and then gets very nervous.
Another thing- every dog, including Pomeranian, will be scared of an unfamiliar place.
A stressed owner takes his Pom to an unknown place(to a Pom). Naturally, Pom becomes very anxious and his anxiety increases with waiting. Dogs don’t like to wait!
The problem may lie in the vet him/herself. There are some vets that try to relax a dog first, play with him a bit and there are other types of vets that only do their job.
Logically, dogs feel more comfortable with those that fit into the first category.
Different smells also may cause fear in your Pom when going to the vet. Unknown smells but also the smells of other dogs’ fear may trigger fear in your Pom as well.
Eventually, Pomeranians can develop a fear of going to the vets due to previous traumatic experiences.
Do Pomeranians Hate Children?
No, there is no reason the generalize things like this. Pomeranians don’t hate children, they can even get along with them pretty well but if not socialized properly, Pom and kids are a terrible match.
If your Pom doesn’t like kids, he was either abused by kids or he was not raised and socialized in the correct manner. Many Pomeranian breeders are poorly educated and don’t know how to raise a well-tempered dog.
That’s why it’s important to get your Pom from a reliable breeder. It’s also recommended to get a very young Pom so you can socialize in your own family and get him used to the kids.
Although Pomeranians love to play, kids don’t know always how to handle them properly ( especially younger children). They may play roughly with Poms or produce high-pitched voices that Poms don’t like.
Even though your Pom is socialized properly if you have young kids make sure they never interact without supervision.
Pom can hurt a kid but also a kid can hurt a Pom so it’s much safer that you or any other responsible adult is around watching them play.
Conclusion
Pomeranians like other dogs are afraid of the unknown. Their reaction to that though can be a lot different if they have been socialized on time. If not, even a person of a different race than yours might scare them.
