Timid Pomeranian

Help My Timid Pomeranian

How can I help my one-year-old Pomeranian not be so afraid of everything? He is quite comfortable around me and my husband, but he gets very nervous around new people, noises, fast movements and many other things.

Perhaps it is his size, he only weighs five pounds. I don't even feel comfortable telling him "no" if he has a house accident. I only try to nurture and comfort him.

Help!

~~ Lacey

Expert Reply

Hi Lacey,

I imagine the world must seem quite awesome from the perspective of a five pound dog, don't you think? That said, here's what I believe is going on.

Your Pom may not have gotten enough socialization in the early stages of his development. You sound protective of him and while that's not an entirely bad thing, you may not have taken him out into the world enough to accept the hustle and bustle as an everyday normal occurrence.

Now that he's a year old his personality is more set and it will be harder for him to adjust to new people and places, but you can help broaden his horizons by taking him to puppy socialization classes at your local dog training establishment. You can expose him to new things in a controlled environment, and reassure him that it's all okay.

As for the house accidents, I recommend you try training him to use WeeWee pads. Put them on the floor in places he tends to go. Once he begins using them, you can slowly move them to the area you like him to use all the time.

I hope this advice will help you get your little buddy back on the right track.

~~ Kelly