The amount of time that we have with our dogs is never enough. When you add a Pomeranian to your family knowing what to expect during each stage of life can help you and your dog enjoy life to its fullest.
A fluffy Pomeranian puppy will experience the equivalent of 15 human years of growth within its first year including an awkward adolescent phase. Pomeranians enjoy a long adult life full of adventures and cuddles well into their senior years.
- What Are The Stages Of A Dogs Life
- What Is A Pomeranians Puppy Stage
- When Are Pomeranians Adolescents
- When Are Pomeranains Considered Adults
- When Are Pomeranians Considered Senior Dogs
- What Is Considered Old For A Pomeranian
- Can A Pomeranian Live 20 Years
- How To Calculate A Dogs Age
- What Are The Longest Living Dog Breeds
- What Dog Breeds Have The Shortest Life
- Final Thoughts
- Other Articles You May Enjoy!
What Are The Stages Of A Dogs Life
Dogs experience four stages of life.
The amount of time and how well a dog experiences each stage of life will be determined by its breed, genetics, food quality, and level of care it receives.
Even though the pattern of going through life’s stages is the same, each dog is individual and will mature and age at its own rate.
The four main life stages are.
- Puppyhood
- Adolescence
- Adult
- Senior
What Is A Pomeranians Puppy Stage
Pomeranian puppies experience an incredible amount of growth and changes during this time of life.
Life is brand new and there is so much to learn and explore.
How Long Are Pomeranians Puppies
A Pomeranian is considered a puppy from the moment it is born until around one year of age.
What Can I Expect During A Pomeranians Puppy Stage
At an incredibly fast rate, a Pomeranian puppy will go through seven different growth stages during the first year of life.
Stage One
The first stage of life starts the moment a Pomeranian puppy is born until around 3 weeks of age.
During this stage, we can expect a Pomeranian puppy to sleep and eat the majority of the time.
Newborn puppies will be able to taste, smell, and touch and feel pain.
What Can’t Newborn Puppies Do
Besides the amazing things a newborn puppy can do there are things that they can not do on their own and need the help of their mother or human interaction for survival.
- Regulate body temperature
- Urinate and defecate on it’s own
- See
- Hear
Stage Two
The second stage of life for a newborn Pomeranian puppy is between two to three weeks of age.
Puppies are still eating and sleeping the majority of the time but, they do hit some milestones with a significant amount of learning.
- Ears open and the puppy can start to hear
- Eyes open and the puppy can see
- First steps are taken
- Indroduction of solid foods
During the second stage of puppy growth, a new puppy is still dependent on its mother or humans to keep warm and to start human and animal social interactions.
Stage Three
In weeks three and four of a puppy’s life they continue to grow at a rapid rate and start to be aware of and interact with the outside world.
- Play fight with litter mates
- More stabliliy when standing
- Understanding that dogs and humans are not the same
- Learning puppy manners from its mother
- Eating soild foods while still nursing
- Urinating and defecating on its own
During weeks three and four it’s important for humans to start introducing a variety of outside noises into the puppy’s lives.
Stage Five
Stage five occurs around five to six weeks of age.
During this time the puppies are starting to become rambunctious and curious about the world around them.
- Curiosity sparks towards anything and everything
- Plays with other puppies
- Puppies take turns being the dominent puppy
- Teeth start to appear
- Weaning begins
During this time it is very important that the puppies are given high-quality dog food as they transition from their mother’s milk.
Importance should also be put on social interactions with humans, animals and preparing a puppy for separation.
Stage Six
Stage six of a Pomeranains puppyhood will be around six to seven weeks of age.
During this stage, the puppies will continue to wean from their mother’s milk and become even more curious about the world around them.
The mother and the puppies will begin to spend more time apart along with more socialization.
Stage Seven
Stage seven will begin around eight weeks of age.
At this point, your Pomeranian puppy will be extremely curious and playful.
Their motor skills have improved to the point that their curiosity may get them into trouble.
You will need to keep a good eye on puppies at this age to prevent them from finding harm.
At this age, a puppy will usually leave its nest and go to its forever home.
This is a great time to start potty training.
When Are Pomeranians Adolescents
Pomeranians can be considered a puppy and an adolescent at the same time.
A Pomeranian is an adolescent once it’s around 6 months of age until 18 months.
What Are Pomeranian Puppies Like As Adolescents
Once a puppy enters into its adolescent stage of life they are curious little buggers that are learning more every day.
Adolescents Like To Chew
Part of the learning experience involves lots of chewing.
At this point in time, you can expect your Pomeranian puppy to grab anything and everything it can to chew.
Your puppy’s chewing is being sparked by the teething process.
Adolescents Become Potty Trained
During this time you can expect your adolescent puppy to become potty trained and stop making messes in the house.
Adolescents Should Start Obedience Training
Starting with simple obedience training once your dog is potty trained is ideal.
Little Dog With A Big Attitude
Pomeranians are known for having larger-than-life personalities.
It’s almost like no one told Pomeranians that they are small dogs.
Expect a sassy or feisty little dog.
The Puppy Uglies
Pomeranians are famous for going through a particular phase during adolescence lovingly called “The Puppy Uglies”.
A Pomeranian puppy will transition from its puppy coat into its full adult coat.
The puppy fur falls out sporadically with new adult fur growth coming in. Since the coat change doesn’t occur all at once your pup could look pretty odd at times
When Are Pomeranains Considered Adults
A Pomeranian is officially an adult once it is one year of age.
A dog that is one year old will have reached its fully grown size in addition to its hormonal maturity.
Just because a dog is officially an adult doesn’t mean it’s not still rambunctious and active.
The coming years will be your dog’s prime of life.
When Are Pomeranians Considered Senior Dogs
While there isn’t an exact point in time where dogs are officially considered seniors, generally you could expect your dog to start showing the signs of aging around seven to eight years of age.
What Can You Expect From An Aging Pomeranian
The first thing you will notice as your dog starts to age is your dog slowing down and not having as much energy as it used to.
It’s important to know the difference between a dog slowing down because of age and one that is losing mobility due to a health concern.
If your notice your dog slowing down or having a hard time getting around it’s best to discuss it with your vet.
Once your dog is around eight years of age your vet may suggest geriatric screenings twice a year.
If you notice any of the following contact your vet with an immediate concern.
- Loss of appitite
- Weight loss
- Increased appitite without weight gain
- Vomitting
- Diarrhea
- Increased thirst
- Lethargy
- Signs of pain
- Trouble breathing
- Immobility
What Is Considered Old For A Pomeranian
A Pomeranian can be considered old around ten years of age.
This is really subjective one dog may have health problems and show early signs of aging when it is only eight years old where others may still be in perfect health at ten.
Can A Pomeranian Live 20 Years
Although Pomeranians normally do not live to twenty years old it is possible and there have been Pomeranians that have lived past 20.
How To Calculate A Dogs Age
The simple method to calculate a dog’s age is to estimate that one human year equals seven dog years.
Over time scientists and researchers have discovered a more accurate way to calculate a dog’s age.
- The first year of life equals 15 human years
- The second year of life equals 9 human years
- Each year after that equals 4-5 human years.
For example, a Pomeranian that has lived 5 human years is equal to 36 years old.
What Are The Longest Living Dog Breeds
The longest living dog breed of all is the Chihuahua.
Some other long-living dog breeds to consider are.
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Dachshund
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Australian Cattle Dog
- Toy Poodle
- Pomeranian
- Lhasa Apso
- Beagle
- Cockapoo
- Maltese
- Papillon
- Chinese Crested
Do Small Dogs Live Longer Than Large Dogs
Small dog breeds live longer than large dog breeds.
Not all dogs age in the same manner. A large Great Dane ages at a much faster rate when compared to our small Pomeranian.
Do Mixed Breeds Live Longer Than Purebreds
Research has discovered that mixed breed dogs live longer than purebreds.
A mixed-breed dog on average lives to 13.1 years of age while a purebred lives to 11.9 years.
Many different things will contribute to your dog’s life span, besides its purebred or mixed breed background.
Your dog’s overall genetics including its breed and lifestyle will both determine your dog’s life span and quality of life.
What Dog Breeds Have The Shortest Life
The shortest-lived dog breeds have a lifespan of only 6 to 11 years of age.
- Mastiff
- Great Dane
- Rotweiller
- St. Bernard
- Newfoundland
- Greater Swiss Mountian Dog
- Irish Wolfhound
- Leonberger
Final Thoughts
Why does time seem to fly by?
One day we are bring home our brand new puppy only to find our dog into it’s senior years within a blink of an eye.
I wish we could have our dogs live with us forever, since we can’t the next best thing is appreciating, loving, and living life with our dogs to the fullest.
