Do you own a Pomeranian or know someone that owns a Pomeranian and you just can not understand why this tiny, fluffy, cute, and cuddly dog bark so darn much. Well, there are a couple of factors that would be responsible for their incessant barking.
Pomeranians bark a lot, largely because they are a vocal dog breed. If your Pomeranian barks incessantly, it could also be for various reasons such as calling your attention to a potential threat or it is due to bad behavior which is a result of a lack of proper training or socialization.
If your Pomeranian specifically barks unnecessarily at anything and anyone all the time, it is a behavioral problem and in the subsections below I will be explaining and exploring certain scenarios and issues that would help you understand what the cause is and possible solutions to apply in regards to your Pomeranian incessant barking.
That being said, let’s begin.
Understanding what causes your Pomeranian to bark
Dogs bark as a means of communicating and for other various reasons.
Understanding why your Pomeranian is barking can go a long way in preventing future incessant barking incidents, by either eliminating the trigger or helping to resettle your Pom back to a calmer state.
Pomeranians are tiny dogs and due to their small size, if not properly socialized, they can easily feel intimidated or threatened by humans, especially those they don’t know, just as other unsocialized dogs would.
With that being said, let’s go further into understanding the various possible reasons for your Pomeranian incessant barking:
1. Barking to alert you: Pomeranians posses a high pitch bark that can be equally annoying, as well as, effective. They utilize this feature of their bark to alert you to any perceived intruder or threat.
Being an intelligent dog bred, the Pomeranian can be trained to become a great guard and watchdog, alerting its owner(s) when an intruder enters the yard or house.
2. Barking to seek attention: Seeking an owner’s attention could be a reason for a Pomeranian’s continuous barking.
Calling your attention to maybe a pressing need to go pee or potty outside, or just wanting some petting and play.
In the case of needing to be petted, such behavior if unchecked and rewarded could encourage the development of bad behaviors in your Pom.
3. Barking because of pain: Your Pomeranian may be barking incessantly because it is in pain. It is important to pain attention to your Pom, especially if the barking starts suddenly and you know there are no noticeable triggers to be responsible.
Carefully inspect your Pom, watch for any limp, excessive licking of certain areas of its body, amongst other things. If you don’t see any signs nor injury, still take your Pom to the vet.
When in pain, the bark of a dog is usually high pitched with a series of yelp and whimpers in between.
Can constant, continuous barking hurt my Pomeranian?
You might be worried that the constant barking and yelping might hurt your Pom and you won’t be wrong to be.
Fortunately, Pomeranians, as little as they are, have the ability to bark all day long with little to no repercussions. This is true for healthy Poms.
Pomeranians, unfortunately are often prone to ‘Collapsing Trachea’ amongst other health issues, in this case barking so much can hurt your Pom’s trachea.
Pomeranians suffering from Collapsing Trachea would exhibit the following symptom; when they bark it would sound like they are making a honking noise or it would sound like he/she is coughing up a hairball.
A trip to the vet becomes necessary as an X-ray would be required to diagnose this issue. Fortunately, medication can be prescribed to help reduce the coughing.
Collapsing Trachea is a life-threatening issue with Pomeranians and should not be overlooked nor ignored.
Understanding what different barking sounds mean
It is known that dogs use barking amongst other things to communicate with us and themselves. This in turn raises the question of how necessary it becomes to understand what your dog is trying to say when it barks.
It is important to listen to the tone, pitch, and frequency of each bark, as usually, your Pom might be saying something different with every bark.
Here are some examples of barking sounds and their meanings:
| S/N | Reason for Barking | Barking Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Raising an alarm | A rapid mid-range bark with occasional pauses and breaks in between. | Your dog would bark when it notice something suspicious, to alert you. This could be someone peeking over the fence or trying to sneak in through the window. |
| 2. | Saying i don’t like it | Low growl that progresses into low pitched short barks | When your dog isn’t so keen on whatever you are doing to him/her, like, putting them in a crate or putting a leash on them, they would warn you to communicate their displeasure. |
| 3. | I need your attention | Prolong high pitch barking with short intervals in-between | Lonely or bored dogs could bark at you seeking attention. It is important to avoid encouraging this behavior as it might escalate into separation anxiety |
| 4. | Saying hello | One or two sharp, fairly mid-range barks. | When you or someone they know come home, your dog could greet you with a bark, saying ‘hello, I am happy to see you again’. |
| 5 | I am nervous/anxious/ scared | High pitched with short intervals of growling. | When a dog is nervous or anxious, they tend to bark loudly, wagging their tail while moving backwards or away from whatever or whoever is making them nervous. |
How to stop your Pomeranian from barking so much
Now we have understood the various reasons for your dog’s incessant barking and what these barks mean, we have to take control of the bark fest.
It is important to train your Pomeranian not to bark unnecessarily from its early puppy age, this would help control their natural instincts as alert watchdogs.
If unfortunately you didn’t do the early age training or you got your Pom as an adult, no worries, in this section I will tell you what to do to help get control of their constant barking behavior.
It is important to know the goal of this is to minimize the rate of your Pom barking and not to make your Pom mute altogether.
That being said, let’s get started.
1. Remove the trigger:
It is more important to be concerned about what makes your dog bark than it is to be worried your dog is always barking. The barking is a symptom of a problem.
In the table above, I listed five different types of barking sounds and the reasons behind them.
When you have established the reason for your dog’s barking, you can proceed to remove your dog from that scenario or taking the trigger away so your dog can stay calm and feel less stressed.
This shouldn’t apply to every single case. If what makes them bark is unavoidably present and a constant feature in your life, then removing your Pom, individual or the object isn’t a sustainable long term practice.
2. Create an invisible wall:
Often times, our dogs would continue barking because they have been conditioned to know their barking would get rewarded in some form, either getting its owner’s attention or reaction.
Just like I pointed out in the first option of removing the trigger and how it isn’t a sustainable practice long term, the invisible wall is a great way to retrain and recondition your Pom to understand barking gets him/her nothing.
This how you do it:
- When your dog starts barking, pay no mind to him/her by looking away and pretending he/she isn’t there.
- If you are sitting, slouch into the sit with your hands folded and your head away from your Pom.
- This is to show him who is in control, so hold your ground and have patience, no matter how long it takes.
- When your Pom stops barking, wait for 3 seconds and nothing less and then praise and reward him with a treat.
- Continue this every time he continuously barks for your attention. Increase the wait time from 3 seconds to 6 seconds, and so on before you reward him/her for being calm and silent.
3. Distract and Interrupt:
When your dog barks, using the distract and interrupt method would take its focus away from whatever is making him/her bark and make him/her calmer.
You can interrupt the bark by squealing as loudly as you can, clapping hard or using a whistle, these sounds are displeasing to dogs and they would stop barking abruptly, wait 3 seconds give a familiar command to them like sit or stay, then reward them with praises or a treat.
Do this firmly as dogs are capable of reading our body language.
Distracting them would be to employ the use of a favorite toy they have limited access to, preferably a squeaky one or use their favorite treat.
Wave this toy or bring the treat close so they can smell and lick it, then give a familiar command like before, then let them have the toy or treat.
4. Provide adequate physical and mental exercise:
Boredom and excessive pent-up energy can be a reason for your dog’s incessant barking and providing adequate mental and physical exercise can go a long way in curbing the barking frenzy.
Going for walks, playing tug-of-war or fetch are great ways to physically exercise your dog, thereby relieving them of all that pent-up energy. This in turn makes them calmer, too tired to go on a barking frenzy.
Check out a previous article I wrote on 10 exercises you can do with your small dog to keep them fit and healthy HERE
On stimulating your Poms mentally, you can employ the use of a Kong toy, a Snuffle mat or hide treats all over the apartment for him/her to find.
The Kong toy is a great tool/toy to keep your dog preoccupied and distracted. Just fill it up with chicken broth and freeze or chuck it full of treats that aren’t easy to retrieve, you can smear peanut butter on the tip to perk their interest.
5. Stay patient and consistent:
In retraining our dogs to let go of bad behaviors, it is important to stay consistent and patient. These things take time and may vary from dog to dog.
Dogs just like humans are animals of habit and your consistency over time can help retrain and recondition them to stop barking incessantly.
With that being said, let’s take a specialized and specific look at some individual scenarios as regards to your Pomeranian barking.
Why your Pomeranian bark at visitors and how to stop it
Do your Pomeranian bark at visitors that come visiting, limiting you from having guests over or a social gathering in your home?
There are various reasons your Pomeranian could be barking at visitors and strangers, these include being territorial, anxious or fearful.
In resolving this issue, you can employ the distract and interrupt method as stated previously. Using treats or their favorite toy to distract them as a form of reward if they stay calm after you give them a stop and sit command.
It is important to practice this with a willing visitor before inviting more people over. Helping to reassure your Pom that visitors don’t mean any harm and where there are visitors, there may be treats.
This helps in reaffirming a positive association with visitors being entertained at home.
Ensure your guests don’t lunge at your Pom to pet them until he/she is comfortable around that visitor. Letting your guest give treats to your Pom can be a quicker way to get him/her comfortable around their presence.
Where the distract and interrupt method fails, you can remove your Pom from the room while your guest is around. Again this isn’t a sustainable long term practice.
It is important to also note that, a dog that wasn’t properly socialized as a puppy would always exhibit aggressive behaviors such as constantly barking at people.
Why your Pomeranian bark at the doorbell and how to stop it
The doorbell or a knock at the door can be a trigger to send your Pom off into a barking frenzy. It might be a visitor, the mailman, or just you, regardless, this isn’t a behavior that should be condoned.
Your Pomeranian always bark at the doorbell for various reasons but the two most prevalent reasons would be to raise an alarm to alert you or its continuous barking could be as a result of a bad behavior developed and encouraged by you over time.
To control the incessant barking at the doorbell, you should carry out the following judiciously:
- Have someone ring your doorbell and leave. When your dog starts barking, take him/her to the door on a leash so he/she can see there is no one at the door.
- Repeat the ring again but this time try to distract him/her by refocusing his/her attention back to you with a sit or stay command. Reward him/her for complying and lead him/her to the door to see no one there.
- Repeat this exercise until your Pomeranian becomes less reactive to the ring of the doorbell.
- It might get boring but don’t relent as dogs are animals of habit, they tend to repeat behaviors that are rewarding.
Showing your Pom there is another outcome to a trigger helps take their attention off that particular trigger and refocus on you.
In conclusion, understanding why your Pomeranian barks so much can go along way in providing you with possible solutions to help minimize his/her barking episodes.
Is there something we missed or do you have a specific question, you can reach us by sending us a mail and we will be sure to respond in no time.
