One of the first things you will have to teach your Pomeranian is potty training and besides having a well-behaved pet it will also help you to keep your home clean and tidy. That been said it is natural to ask are Pomeranians easy to potty train.
Pomeranians are not hard to potty train in general. What makes it hard is the owner’s perspective. For small dogs like Pomeranians, it’s easy to get away with potty everywhere.
They produce small amounts of waste and they are more likely to be forgiven for accidents than larger breeds which naturally encourage them to continue with bad habits.
Plus, many Pomeranians live in high-rise apartments so the owners let them do the toilet business inside sometimes which confuses a pup that has just started with potty training.
Table of Contents
Why Are Small Dogs Like Pomeranians Harder To Potty Train?
People always assume that dogs are den animals. Logically and naturally, den animals should never soil their own home ( a den) so they do potty elsewhere, outside of the den.
So does the problem with small breeds like Pomeranians lie in the fact that their instinct to keep their den spotless is rather weak? No, actually Pomeranians ( same as other breeds) are not den animals.
Classic den animals are rodents, moles, groundhogs. They spend a significant amount of time in their dens ( burrows ) that give them protection from predators and harsh weather conditions.
So are dog den animals? No, they are not. They do have some instinct to hide in some small place occasionally but still, they cannot be qualified as den animals based on that. What does it mean? It means that they don’t have that natural instinct not to soil the place where they live.
Of course, if they are born and raised in clean conditions, properly potty trained, they will surely learn where they can and cannot do their toilet business.
The problem with small breeds like Pomeranians is in their size and the willingness of the owner to forgive accidents.
First of all, people tend to look at small dogs like they are babies. Due to this fact, Poms owners are more willing to forgive accidents than Great Danes owners for example.
Second, Poms produce much smaller waste than larger breeds so they can easily get away with potty everywhere around the house. A tiny piece of poop or a small dribble of urine is easy to clean up.
Sometimes you might overlook it and find it later. Anyhow, Poms waste is less likely to annoy you comparing the waste of larger breeds.
The point is that you should train your Pom the same as you would train some big dog. Dogs are not supposed to potty inside, no matter how small they are.
Third – Due to its size, for Poms every space ( house/apartment ) is large. What does it mean? Well, it means, that if he pees in a corner of one room and then goes to another room, he won’t have a feeling that he has soiled his own home, because the pee spot is just ”far away” from his doggy bed or food bowl. Simple as that.
Some people think that smaller breeds are hard to potty train as they have small bladders and faster metabolism. It’s true that the size of Pom’s bladder is small.
For example 8 Lbs Pom has a bladder capacity of 1/8 cup which about 30 milliliters. But Poms like other small dogs drink smaller amounts of water comparing to larger dogs. So small bladder is not the reason for challenging housebreaking.
Small breeds can hold their bladders the same as larger breeds. If your Pom is one month old, he can hold his bladder for one hour only, if he is two months old, he can hold it for 2 hours and so on until 6 hours.
You should never leave your Pom for more than 6 hours without access to the potty area. Some adults may hold it for a max of 8 hours but that is a struggle and you shouldn’t expose your dog to that.
How To Potty Train My Pomeranian?
I guess you are well aware of the advantages of buying a Pomeranian from a reputable breeder. One of the benefits is that a puppy that is born and spent his early days in clean conditions is more likely to be potty trained easily than a puppy reared in a dirty environment.
A reputable breeder will most probably start with basic house training using training pads, newspapers, or cardboard even before you buy your little Pom.
After you have bought your tiny Pom, you are anxious to bring him to your home. But before you let him enter your house for the very first time, take your puppy to a bathroom area.
After he does the potty business, praise him generously and give him some treats. Then you can allow him to explore the house.
Make a proper potty schedule. You need to take your puppy out as soon as he wakes up in the morning, after meals, after playtime, and before going to bed in the evening.
Bear in mind that very small puppies need to eliminate often ( number of months equal to the number of hours during which they can hold it).
Be persistent and consistent, take your puppy always to the same potty spot and shower him with praise and treats after he finishes the business.
If happens ( and it will ) that your puppy doesn’t eliminate when you go out, after 5 min, take him back inside, to the crate.
Let him be in the crate for 30 min and go outside again. As soon as he pees or poops, praise him and give him treats.
Poms like attention and cuddles ( and treats as well) so it’s important to understand that he will get them every time when he does things right.
Remember that Pom cannot become well behaved, potty-trained puppy overnight. This process may require several months to complete but it’s very important and you both have to go through it.
What To Do When My Pomeranian Has Potty Accident?
Every dog has a potty accident at some point. So first accept that this will happen to your puppy as well.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot be sure that your puppy is fully potty trained until he turns 1 or in some cases even 2 years. So accidents will happen and you need to respond to them properly.
The most important thing is not to punish your dog. If you catch your Pom while he is doing potty business inside, say one firm and loud NO and then race him to the potty area.
You shouldn’t be yelling at him or punish him because this would only encourage him to find a more secluded place next time.
How To Clean Soiled Spot?
It’s super important to clean properly the soiled spot. Dogs respond to odors so if your puppy peed in the corner of your room and you didn’t clean it, he will urinate there again, attracted by the smell.
You can use the cleaning products that are specially designed to clean the animal waste ( such as Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner or Bissell Multi-surface Pet Floor Cleaning Formula)
If you prefer a more natural way to clean your soiled spots, you can mix white vinegar and water 50/50.
The important is not to clean potty accident spots with ammonia-based products. The urine contains ammonia as well, so if your Pom smells ammonia after your cleaning, that might actually encourage him to urinate on the same spot inside.
How To Prevent Potty Accidents?
If your Pom is very young, you are aware of the fact that he cannot hold it for a great period of time. So if he has potty accidents often, you have to take him out more often. Once per hour is justified if your puppy is young.
It is also recommended to get out with your puppy, not just let him outside for a bathroom break. Spend that time with him, once he does the business praise him generously and give him some treats.
Make a solid and positive link between doing a potty business at a designated area and your positive reaction which means a lot for your puppy ( attention, cuddles, praise, treats…)
Note that frequent potty accidents might be caused by some medical issues. Diarrhea, urinary tract infections, bladder and kidney stones might be the reason for accidents.
Many Poms owners claim that potty training sprays ( such as NaturVet – Potty Here Training Aid spray) are highly efficient and can help you a lot during housebreaking.
These sprays are designed to help your puppy where to go potty. They are equally applicable on outside areas, artificial grass, or puppy pads. These sprays are also called Attractant sprays.
Besides Attractant sprays, you can purchase Repellent sprays that can help you with potty training. Unlike the first one, the Repellent spray is formulated with an unpleasant odor to send a clear message to your Pom were not to potty.
Don’t forget to pick up the water bowl at least two hours and a half before bedtime to avoid any potty accidents.
Do House trained Pomeranians Have Accidents
Of course, even fully trained dogs can have accidents. The cause might be a health issue or a simple fact that they were locked inside for too many hours.
Another thing that can happen is that your Pom doesn’t empty its bladder completely outside so he just finishes the business inside. This can happen because your Pom is distracted.
It might be happy to see you, especially in the morning or you might hurry him with praising him too early without letting him finish his thing.
There is also something that is called – Potty Training Regression. It happens when fully potty-trained Pom reverts back to having accidents inside rather than going out for a potty break. There is a number of reasons for it.
Dogs love routine. Anything that disturbs that routine may seriously affect good potty habits. Moving to a new household, having a new baby in the family, getting another pet…
Every Pomeranian has its favorite person in the family. This is the one he follows everywhere and obeys always. If that person leaves the house even for a couple of days, that might trigger the potty regression.
It’s not uncommon for dogs to have potty accidents due to separation anxiety.
What all these reasons have in common is that they cause stress and the stress may make your Pom forget good potty behavior.
If the potty regression happens to your Pom, don’t punish him, nor yell at him. Clean the mess as soon as possible with the right products to eliminate odors and start taking your dog outside more often.
If you assume that your Pom might be having some health issue, rush to the vet for a detailed check-up.
Are Pee Pads Good Idea For My Pomeranian?
Pee pads or potty pads should be only a temporary solution for very young puppies that you want to teach to use one, designated spot as a bathroom and not pee and poop all over the house.
Also, people who live in high-rise apartments find using pee pads useful as they cannot take their Poms out so fast.
The problem with pee pads starts when the owner decides that is time to move forward and wants to teach his pup that the right place for elimination is outside.
The owner usually gets puzzled when he realizes that his Pom is accustomed to eliminating inside.
It’s better to do yourself a favor and never use pee pads as a method of potty training.
If you do insist on using pee pads then there a few things you have to know about it. Attractant sprays may help you to teach your Pom where is the right place to eliminate. Spray the pad to show your dog where to potty.
Also if accidents happen, put a piece of poop briefly on the pad, giving time to add some scent to the pad. This way your puppy will learn that this is the right place for potty.
Instead of puppy pads, you can also use cardboard, paper towels, newspapers but definitely puppy pads are more convenient. They soak all the mess ( similar to diapers ) and you can easily remove the soiled one and put a clean pad instead.
More natural inside potty solutions are potty boxes with real grass. Peeing there will allow your puppy to learn that the grass is the appropriate place to go potty so once you want to make a transition from potty inside to outside, it will be much easier.
Don’t forget that puppy pads are chewing hazards so never leave a pad inside the crate and your puppy unsupervised. Puppies like to explore with their mouths and by chewing.
There is no need to explain how bad would be for your Pom to chew and swallow pieces of the pee pad.
How To Know If My Pomeranian Needs To Pee?
Smaller breeds like Pomeranians pee more often than larger dogs. The healthy adult Pom usually needs to pee 5 times a day.
They need to eliminate ( same as other dogs) in the morning, after the meal, after playtime, and of course before bedtime. This is the general rule. But the thing is that is better to know how to predict that your Pom needs to pee.
Some signs are more obvious than others. Barking, circling, scratching the door, restlessness are clear signs so you need to grab a leash and take your Pom out immediately.
Other signs may be whining and licking the rear end. If you notice the sudden change in your Pom’s behavior, for example, he has been playing with the ball but he suddenly stops or he has been chewing his favorite toys but he abruptly ends the play and goes to some corner.
This might be a sign that he needs to eliminate.
Sniffing around is another sign. With this act, your Pom is searching for a pee/poop area.
Of course, don’t expect a small puppy ( up to 3 months old) to show you some signs that he needs to potty. They don’t have sufficient bowel and bladder movement control so they cannot indicate that it’s time to eliminate.
Hopefully, this article helped you with this topic so you can enjoy spending time with your fully potty-trained Pom.
