Pomeranians: Peering into the Breed's Personality Traits

By D. Caroline Coile from Pomeranians For Dummies

As a breed, Pomeranians are extroverted, intelligent, vivacious, great companions, and competitive show dogs. Here's a closer look at some of the other traits that make these dogs such satndouts.

Ball of energy: Poms' pistonlike legs move in a blur as they rush from one place to the next. If Poms were big dogs, they'd travel miles every day and drive their people quite insane. Fortunately, they're small, and even though they travel great distances, they can do it all inside your home by scurrying from room to room.

Nonetheless, don't let their small size fool you into thinking you can ignore them. In a pinch they can exercise on their own, but they need the mental exercise that only you can provide. Without that stimulation, a Pom finds his own entertainment and challenges — and then exercises his mind by getting into trouble!

Cuddle-up pup: What about being a lap dog? Poms enjoy cuddling in your lap and being spoiled, but only after they've had a chance to run around and be dogs.

Poms are affectionate but not fawning. They tend to be very attached to their family, often choosing one member as their special person.

Perky and playful: Poms just want to have fun! This fun-loving fuzz ball is always eager to play a game. For instance, he loves to play big-game hunter with tiny, stuffed, squeaky toys and may find a thrown ball irresistible.

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The little brainiac: Pomeranians are incredibly bright, although their independent nature means they often use their intelligence to get into mischief. And they won't be bullied into compliance — their Spitz ancestry makes them too good at digging in their heels. That's why positive, reward-based training methods work so well with them. When you convince your Pom that your way pays off for him, he becomes your apt and willing pupil. In fact, many Pomeranians have attained high honors in obedience trials, and they're adept at picking up new tricks.

Bold and brash: One of the less-bright traits of Poms is forgetting their size. They tend to approach much larger dogs with brash cockiness, almost daring them to cross the line. The bluff often works — the big dogs back away from this mighty mouse — but not always. As a Pom owner, you want to make sure your dog doesn't overestimate herself.

Watchdog extraordinaire: This perky patroller is always on the alert, sounding the alarm if anything is even slightly amiss. Sometimes they can get carried away in the barking department, so it's important to train your dog when to bark and when to obey your command to be quiet. Staying quiet is a challenge for most Poms, though! After all, he does have very strong opinions, and he expects you to listen to them.