Because Pomeranians are small, it’s natural to be careful. Early on, that could look like carrying them frequently, limiting where they walk, or hesitating to handle them too much.
Most of us start this way. It comes from wanting to protect them.
Over time, though, that carefulness can quietly turn into uncertainty and undermine a Pom’s confidence. Below are some simple ways to treat Poms in a safe and secure way while building their confidence and autonomy.
Why establishing good handling habits is important
The term “handling” refers to any kind of active touching of a dog, including lifting, repositioning, restraining, inspecting, or moving them. In other words, anything beyond casual petting.
Handling sits underneath almost every other kind of care. Brushing, nail trims, vet visits, even working a mat out of the coat all rely on a dog feeling neutral about being touched and repositioned.
When handling has been rare or inconsistent, those moments tend to feel bigger than they need to be. Dogs can react out of fear, aggression, or uncertainty.
How to build confidence in your Pomeranian
Dogs tolerate care more easily when handling feels familiar and low-pressure. When they know what’s coming, they don’t have to brace for it.
To start, focus on handling in a way that feels predictable.
One simple thing to try is creating a consistent way you pick up and set down your Pom.
For Beignet, our calm adult Pomeranian, he wants some warning. We crouch down first, say ‘up,’ then lift from the chest so his back legs can rest in the crook of an arm. When we put him down, his front feet touch the floor first before we let go.
Bella is our senior Pomeranian, seems most comfortable when we focus on supporting her joints during the lifting and lowering. She doesn’t want her legs supported; she wants us to lift from her ribcage and very slowly let her back down so she can find her own footing.
For Boqui, our Pomeranian puppy, the hardest part is just grabbing him. He thinks that being chased around the house is the most fun game ever invented. We have to lure him with lots of treats, say “gotcha”, then grab his harness before actually picking him up. He is extremely squirmy, so we include his harness in our grab to ensure he can’t jump out of our arms. We also say “okay” when he goes back down so he knows he’ll have his time back to run around.
A deeper dive into how better handling helped Beignet’s routine
For Beignet, handling played the biggest role when it came time for walks. He would get overstimulated as soon as he saw us pick up the leash, running in circles and jumping up and down. This made it impossible to clip the leash on him without chasing him around the house, trying to corral him like a cow, and grabbing him as quickly as we could.
We decided to create predictability in how we attach and detach the leash from his harness. We designated a chair by the back door “the Beignet chair.” With leash in hand, we’d tell him to go on the chair and sit. He’d have to sit quietly while we attached the leash.
When we returned from the walk, we again told him to return to his chair. He’d then wait for us to detach the leash before jumping off to find some water.
This small handling change helped calm him down before and after walks. Don’t get us wrong, he still runs around when he hears the word “walk”, but he knows that patiently sitting means we’ll calmly attach the leash and he’ll get to go on his walk.
The overall takeaway
Predictable handling builds confidence. That confidence is what makes everything else, like brushing, vet visits, and grooming appointments, easier over time.