Do Pomeranians Protect Their Owners (Is Your Dog Protective)

Dog’s are known as man’s best friend. We’ve probably all heard the story of Lassie the Collie that was always at Timmy’s rescue. Are fluffy Pomeranians anything like Lassie? Do Pomeranians protect their owners?

Pomeranians are known as fluffy little lapdogs, you may be surprised to discover that they are excellent watchdogs and are very protective of their owners. Pomeranians are very loyal to their pack and are quick to alert you of danger. Be aware that some behaviors that may appear as protection can actually be signs of an aggressive dog.

Why Do Dogs Protect Their Owners

Dogs are descendants of wolves and are still drawn to the natural pack instinct.

Protecting their pack is instinctive and is one-way wolves survive in the wild. Our domestic dogs of today have inherited this protective pack trait.

When we as humans bring a dog into our home and care for it, the dog considers us part of its pack. Since we are now in the dog’s pack, the dog will instinctively want to protect you and your family. The protective pack bond will be extended to all members of your household and can include other animals that live in your home as well.

Dogs are very smart and are aware that the humans they are living with are providing them with food, shelter, and play. The basic elements of survival include food and shelter. Your dog is very aware of who is providing these things and will protect them to survive.

What Is The Difference Between A Protective Dog And An Aggressive Dog

Protective dogs are excellent at evaluating a situation to see if there is a threat and is able to respond appropriately.

An aggressive dog doesn’t evaluate situations and views everything as a threat. They go into aggressive mode all the time.

Characteristics Of A Protective Dog

A protective dog must have many characteristics combined to be called protective versus just being an aggressive dog.

Friendliness
Calmness
Intelligence
Obedience
Loyalty
Protective Edge
Approachability

Why Protective Dogs Must Be Friendly

All dogs need to be socialized in order to be well adapted to people, animals and a variety of situations.

If a dog isn’t socialized well and isn’t friendly towards people it’s no longer a dog that can be considered protective. A dog in this situation can have behavior issues that can lead to dangerous aggression.

Not all is lost if this happens to be your situation. Consult with a professional dog trainer for advice on how to work with your dog.

Why Protective Dogs Must Be Calm

A good protective dog must be calm in order to live in our homes among our family.

You want a dog in your home that is a good match for the energy of your home. Some dogs can be too energic and too quick to react to situations putting your family and guests at risk.

Why Protective Dogs Must Be Intelligent

A high level of intelligence is absolutely nessessary for a protective dog.

A protective dog must be able to learn many commands and have a strong natural instinct for situations. A protective dog must be able to determine the difference between a threatening and non-threatening situation.

Why Protective Dogs Must Be Obedient

A protective dog must be obedient and follow it’s handlers commands.

If a dog is disobedient, it will be very hard for the owner to take control of the dog and possibly cause dangerous situations.

Why Protective Dogs Must Be loyal

A dog that shows a strong sense of loyalty towards it’s family or pack and much more likely to be protective of them.

Why Must Protective Dogs Have A Protective Edge

In order for a dog to truly be protective it needs to have a natural protective edge.

A protective edge is made up of a strong instinct to naturally protect you and your family.

Why Must Protective Dogs Be Approachable

Very similar to protective dogs being friendly, a dog must be approachable.

If a dog is not approachable it may be an aggressive dog that is in need of training.

Characteristics Of Pomeranians

We love our fluffy little Pomeranians. These dogs make wonderful family dogs and companions.

Let’s take a look at the characteristics of Pomeranians.

Intelligent
Playful
Independent
Defensive
Curious
Loyal
Cuddly
Stubborn
Friendly
Alert
Confident
Territorial
Obedient
Low energy

Will My Pomeranian Protect Me?

Pomeranians make wonderful watchdogs. They are always on the lookout for intruders and will gladly alert you with their distinctive bark.

These little dogs have a larger-than-life personality and can become very attached to their owners.

Do Pomeranians Make Good Emotional Support Dogs?

What Protective Characteristics Do Pomeranians Have

Pomeranians share all of the characteristics that protective dogs possess.

Friendliness
Calmness
Intelligence
Obedience
Loyalty
Protective edge
Approachability

Why Wouldn’t A Pomeranian Be A Good Dog For Protection

We’ve covered that Pomeranians possess all of the traits of a good protective dog. What would make a Pomeranian not be a good protector?

A Pomeranians only disadvantage when compared to other protective dogs would be their small stature.

Pomeranians are adorable little fluffy dogs. People or other dogs may not be intimidated by them when they rise to the occasion to protect their owners.

Do Pomeranians Growl To Warn You Of Danger

Pomeranians will growl as a way to warn you that they are sensing something not right.

Dogs use growling as a way of communicating. Many dogs use different types of growls in different situations.

Do Pomeranians Bark To Warn You Of Danger

A Pomeranians favorite way to communicate is barking.

Pomeranians will absolutely bark to warn you when there is danger.

Where you can get into trouble depends on what your Pomeranian determines as danger. My buddy Murphy is not a huge fan of wheels. I happen to have a few items that I use very often in my home with wheels like my mop bucket and vacuum. Murphy views both of these as huge threats and barks like a crazy dog when they are being used.

Will A Pomeranian Put Itself In Harms Way

I believe Pomeranians would put themselves in harms way to protect thier owners.

I’ve seen many stories where Pomeranians have alerted their owners that there were fires in their homes. Some Pomeranians are heroes like Gucci, Jezzy, Lady, Taz, and Coco.

Would A Pomeranian Find Help

A Pomeranian is capable of alerting and finding help for their owner in an emergency.

Of course, not every dog would react in such a way but the story of Honey saving the life of her owner is pretty inspiring.

Are Pomeranians Bred For Protection

Pomeranians are not bred to be protectors, they have been bred to be companions for many years.

Before Pomeranians were bred mainly as companions they were previously bred as working dogs, pulling sleds, hunting, protection, and companionship.

What Dog Behaviors Appear As Protection But Are Not

There are a couple of main behaviors that dogs can express that appear to be them protecting their owners but, are actually aggressive behaviors that need to be corrected.

Aggressive Behaviors That Are Based On Fear

Many aggressive behaviors start with the root cause of fear.

The fear can be from a variety of sources including.

Abuse
Abandonment
Loud noises (thunderstorms and fireworks etc.)
Lack of socialization

These fears can make a dog react in negative ways and exhibit aggressive behaviors like barking and growling when approached by people, noises, and situations that make them uncomfortable.

Many owners will misread this behaviors as being protective, when it’s actually a fear response.

Possession Aggression

Dogs can become very possessive of their things like food, toys and bedding.

Some dogs can extend this possession aggression to their human owners. The dog associates the human as one of their possessions or the source of their resources.

An aggressive dog in this situation appears to be protecting their owners but, they are really claiming the people as their possession.

It can be hard to tell the difference between a dog protecting its owners and one being possessive. The big difference is if there happens to be a signal of danger or a situation that reasonably makes sense for a dog to show a protective response.

If your dog doesn’t like anyone walking near you that’s a possessive behavior.

Is It Possible For Your Dog To Be Too Protective

It is possible for a dog to become too protective and transition into possessive or aggressive behaviors.

If your dog is showing signs of becoming overprotective make sure they are socialized often.

Be calm
Be assertive
Select who you socialize your dog with carefully

When in doubt seek professional help from a trainer.

Final Thoughts

Pomeranians make wonderful watchdogs with their natural protective instincts and big personalities.

They are always the first to alert you of any questionable situations with their barking.

If you are looking for a guard dog I would suggest looking at other breeds. Pomeranians are adorable lapdogs and make wonderful companions. For a true watchdog look towards a German Shepherd or Doberman Pincher.