Small Dogs Need Training Too!
Biscuit is an awesome young Pomeranian who came to training because her owners wanted her to be the best she could be. Many people think that only large dogs benefit from training, but that is not the case. Biscuit is a great example of a toy breed who loves having a job and loves to learn new things. She thrived in our obedience board and train program, and is now a perfectly behaved little pom.
Laying The Groundwork
The first thing we started to do with Biscuit was introduce her to new skills that she would need. Her owner’s said that she was bad on a leash, so it was important that we teach her a solid heel command. We also taught her reliable stays and places, which help with impulse control. Stays and places also make managing your dog easier. For example, instead of your dog being under foot while you are cooking dinner, they can be relaxing on their bed in a place command.
Biscuit had great food drive, so it was easy to motivate her to do new things. Like all dogs, she did have her quirks. She liked to spin in circles when she got excited, which is a common trait to find with a pomeranian. We taught her a new default of a sit when she got excited. However, this is a genetic trait, so it will never completely go away. We gave the owners lots of ways to manage the behavior so that it did not progress into something obsessive compulsive.
More Advanced Training
Once Biscuit showed that she understood all of her training very well, we started adding more distractions. This included lots of dogs running around, people calling her or petting her, and food distractions. When we train a dog, we do not want them to just listen in the living room. Our goal is for the dog to listen and be responsive no matter what is going on around them.
Biscuit also had a few small behavioral issues that we had to tackle. Small breeds can run into dental issues, so Biscuit’s owners wanted to brush her teeth regularly. Biscuit had other ideas, and would be very hyper and mouthy when the toothbrush came out. We taught her how to be calm and accepting of the teeth brushing, which made her owner’s life way easier. It also is great for Biscuit. As a former vet tech, I saw many a pomeranian with dental issues. Preventing these issues saves lots of stress on the dog later on. Biscuit would also jump all over guests and onto furniture, and it was becoming an issue at home. We showed Biscuit that the key to getting attention was to sit nicely, not to jump all over.
