I'm 10, would a pomeranian make a good pet for me?

[pomeranians]

I want a pom, and I need some thoughts on rather I should get one or not.

[Pumpkin the musher]

I would not recommend a Pom for first time dog owners. True to their northern dog heritage they can be stubborn and head strong, and need firm consistent training early on. If you could find an adult rescue dog that was already trained, that would be your best bet! In my opinion they are extraordinary little dogs, but because they are small, they can also be damaged easily. Someone on a Pom chat site that I frequent just had her Pom to the vet because one of her kids stepped on it and broke it's leg. :(
This is my pom Cricket-
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQAjY8Yaq6j3leiDT1dyCV4Yhj1udjblCfEjZOn13WW3gYVK9PiRdYAEZ0DF4D0FrgQOhAF3F6BpLorbQ7V9UWT8H3tEXj96uyf7aC6lIlA1tQUZVMFOZXjGhEQy5eiWiM*NXZEZze0/2109151-R1-028-12A.jpg?dc=4675489135235440234[/img]

[pomeranians]

well, I dont know if id be considered a "first time" dog owner. My mom has two dogs, and I work with training them. One dog knows 14 tricks, and the other can be a little stubborn, but Ive taught her to play- dead and crawl so far, shes learning how to beg, (a trick Max, the other dog, has already mastered) Im the youngest child, so there wouldnt be any little kids running around the house.

[pomeranians]

Your dog is very pretty, Ive never seen a black and white pom before.

[pomeranians]

Was that picture of the huskies taken in Alaska?

[Pumpkin the musher]

Sorry if I assumed your were a first timer! :D You would have to be careful with the other two dogs as well, otherwise, as long as you are consistent with training, you shoudn't have a problem. Cricket coloring is called "Parti-colored", and there are a ton of other colors as well- I would check out the [u]American Pomeranian Club[/u]web site. The husky pic was taken in Wisconsin- those are my dogs, and me on the sled!

[pomeranians]

Thats neat. Parti colored is probably my second favorite then, right after orange. Im not an expert at owning dogs, but I do know 130 some dog breeds. I have worked with my dogs though like I said, and every dog has to have a diferent tecnyce of training, if I just figured that out for my certian, I dont think Id have too much trouble training a pom.

[Guest Anonymous]

Pumpkin-- you are very true about them being hard headed and stubborn. I got boonie and he's 5 years old and has had NO training what so ever.. i've been workign with him since the day i got him and he still wont sit .. he'll lay down.. but not sit.. so when we come back from holiday, it's off to petsmart we go !!! hopeuflly that will fix the problem of him not listening..

pomeranian's here's a pic of my pom Boonie
[img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4cf31b3127cce9aa1197d35f800000016108AcOGjhw0Zts[/img]

[pyrless]

well, despite my nickname here on the boards, I too have a pom-she is orange and cream, ten years old, her name is Muffin. She is a doll, but this is an extreeeeemely hardheaded little breed, and mine in particular will not back down from any big dog including our pyrenees which has got her into trouble twice. At any rate, I have found Muffin relatively easy to train, pretty amazing since at 10 and a rescue she had had no training except house-training! She will do anything for food and snuggles, and in that order! She's a tough little broad, but do be careful with the big dogs, your best bet is to get the opposite sex, if at all possible. For some reason, a lot of poms end up in rescue, which is a good first place to look if you haven't already. HTHS! :D

[pomeranians]

... Your freind must have had a little pom. They are hardy little dogs, and it is possible to get bigger "pet" quality ones. Thats what I want, so I guess I just forget that there still are tiny fragile poms out there. Not all are breakable, they can be very tough.

[Horsefeathers!]

Wow, this has been very informative for me! I never really imagined Poms as being kind of hardheaded and stubborn. The Poms I see in our clinic and at my groom salon have all been well mannered, happy little smiling dogs. I just assumed it was a breed trait since I've never researched them any further (other than coat care related stuff). I can't think of a single ill mannered Pom I've ever handled. This is why I'm glad I read stuff.

Learn something new every day. 8)

[Pumpkin the musher]

Allot of small dogs that break bones do so because they don't have good muscle structure to support the bones- Why? Lack of excercise. Period. People who get little dogs sometimes get them because they don't want to (or can't)deal with the exercise issue. Poor nutrition in puppyhood could also contribute. Regardless of the dogs size however, there is a minimum activity requirement for all dogs- they do need some exercise! My first Pom, Pumpkin, was the Pomeranian equivelant of Arnold Swarzenegger, (sp?)she would walk for miles, swim, run throught the woods, deep snow, retrieve frisbee till the cows came home. Little Cricket tho, is kind of a couch potato, actually, she's just lazy!! I have to beg her to go for walks.... :-?
Here is the queen herself, napping, of course.....
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XAAPA5kaW5b3leiDT1dyCaKrOgkFP12jtLp5G6N5GZOl1v8pBVok!ElvByDIYdpbFQdQvPjeA!8j5ZC8gLse2yIKGGhbEeTcyHiQkSEsXg0nXt3kBMb!BvXlJxKKA3yMVMqOkso4YwQ/2109151-R1-020-8A.jpg?dc=4675489116187260276[/img]

[pomeranians]

Hmmm... my beds pretty high... about 2 and half feet tall actually. I'm almost eleven now by the way, my birthdays in april. Odd actually, all the poms I've met have been little sweet hearts too. My pom wouldn't have any problem with to little of muscle, I plan on taking it for LONG walks, that is, if I get one. We have a river down the road from us. My Mom walks our dogs there all the time in the summer. A pom like Pumpkin would just love it! Ok, I need a little help, anyone know how much poms ( pet quality) cost? One breeder I've talked to said hers go for about $700, I'm not sure if that was male or female prices though. It would be a big help, my Mom and Dad aren't really rich, so I don't plan on buying a pomy if they all cost that much. Unless I can raise the money.

[pyrless]

I agree. We have a rescue Pom. There are A LOT in rescue, unfortunately because of the puppymill business. They are often oversized and thus less fragile, too, which I found to be a bonus. Muffin is about 12 pounds.

[AllAmericanPUP]

all the poms i've met were complete spazzes lol.
but very sweet once they calmed down.

good luck.

and like others said, please consider rescue.
if you choose to get one from a breeder, please please please make sure they are responsible.
meaning they compete with their dogs, heatlh test their dogs, have contracts, do checks on prospective buyers and they know where all their puppies are.

[pomeranians]

I'm not even sure if I have a rescue. I live in AK, anyone know of a rescue here? I was going to buy from a breeder, just because, like someone metioned, rescues are often puppy mill dogs, and they can have many temperment and health problems, and I really don't want my dog to have that. I've met three breeders, and they all were at shows, and seamed to deeply care about their dogs. I want to know more on price. I just need some recomendations on breeders in or around Alaska, or some price ranges for breeders here.

[pomeranians]

I'll run that by my Mom. As long as the poms are under $300, I might have a chance of getting one. Thanks for that, I did a search for Alaska pom rescues and couln't find a thing. I'll say later if I've gotten my dog! I have $50 saved up right now, and my Mom might be willing to pay another 50. I'm not sure what my Christmas present is, but she did say it was dog related. Who knows. OHHH!! I just though of something, my grandma sends about $20 for my birthday. Well, I will post an update, and if I do get a dog, I'll post some pics of it.

[AllAmericanPUP]

ok this is an american pit bull terrier site, but it's the same for all breeds.
it explains what a reputable breeder is and what a back yard breeder and puppy mill is.
[url]http://www.americanpitbullterrier.org/ReputableBreeder.htm[/url]

[CincoandDahlilasgirl]

I guess it depends where u live and goto but the dog. Around my area theres hardly any poms so when they do come availble there around 400+ dollars.

[pomeranians]

Oh no. Pure breds at the cheapest are about $600 or $700. I'm talking about rescue poms, they might only cost a hundred bucks or so.

[pomeranians]

Well, I got my dog, but no current pics. I'll take some soon though. Hes got to be the cutest little pup!

[CincoandDahlilasgirl]

Isi it a pom like u wanted??? I love poms!!!!! Well I love all dogs but i have certain favorit breeds lol.

[pomeranians]

No, hes not from a rescue, hes a pure-bred. How do you post pics, I can't figure out how to put them on.

[Pumpkin the musher]

Congratulations!! :smilecolros:

[nadooshkinz]

YAAY! A new pom! I love pomeranians, in fact my last dog was a pom named Polo! he was actually quite peaceful..
anyways congrats on your new puppy, and remember.. WE WANT PICS! :lol: