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Last Updated on 23/09/2023 by Dochlaggie. Post first published on June 29, 2023.

Although Pomeranian growth stages week by week are quite predictable, every puppy and dog breed is unique and differs a little at each stage of their puppy development.

Similar to how humans develop, Pomeranian pups also have a predictable pattern of steps, although there has never been any official agreement regarding the exact ages a puppy maybe when each step is taken.

Small toy breeds like Pomeranians develop quickly, many reaching maturity before bigger dog breeds. 

The previous rule stating that one dog year is the same as seven years for a person is untrue.  Smaller dogs mature earlier than big dogs, and the Pom females are often only 6-7 months of age when experiencing their first heat.

Pomeranian Puppy Stages
Pomeranian Puppy Stages

Puppy Development Stages Month by Month

At What Age Do Pomeranians Stop Growing?

A 1-year-old Pomeranian is a fully grown adult dog.  Numerous changes occur in a puppy’s first year of living. He starts as a relatively helpless newborn pup, unable to hear, see or go potty alone.

By the end of the first year, a Pomeranian full-grown is an agile and sexually mature dog. Smaller dog breeds like Pomeranians should not be used for breeding under the age of 14-18 months.

When Do These Pomeranian Growth Stages Actually Happen?

There are Seven Acknowledged Pomeranian Growth Stages: 

  • Stage One = 0 – 3 Weeks.
  • Stage Two = 3 – 7 Weeks.
  • Stage Three = 7 – 12 Weeks.
  • Stage Four = 12 – 17 weeks.
  • Stage Five = 17 – 40 Weeks.
  • Stage Six = 40 – 52 Weeks.
  • Stage Seven = 1 year and older.

Pomeranian Puppy Development: Week by Week

Puppy Development – 1 – 2 weeks

Newborn Pups

The Neonatal Period

Puppy Milestones:

  • Touch, taste, and smell are all working. No hearing or sight.
  • Recognizes pain.
  • Sleeps and eats most of the time.
  • Can’t regulate their own body temperature.
  • Can’t eliminate on their own. Needs the mother to initiate defecation and urination.
Puppy Needs:
  • Dependent on mother for food and elimination.
  • If the canine mother isn’t available, human interactions must occur and provide warmth, food, and elimination.
  • Dependent on the breeder for a warm environment.
  • First worming at the end of this stage.
1 week old Pomeranian puppies
1-week-old Pomeranian puppies

Stages of Puppy Growth – 2 – 3 Weeks

The Transitional Stage

2 week old Pomeranian puppies
2-week old Pomeranian puppies

Milestones:

  • Eyes and ears open so the puppy can hear and see what’s happening.
  • May be able to eat solid food by the end of this stage.
  • The first significant learning time happens.
  • First few steps.
Puppy Needs:
  • Still needs to be warm.
  • The start of interactions with the mother, others in the litter, and people.
3 week old Pomeranian puppies
3-week old Pomeranian puppies

Puppy’s Development 3 – 4 Weeks

3-week old Pomeranian puppies

Puppy Milestones:

  • Puppies start knowing dogs and humans aren’t the same.
  • Mother dog teaches puppy canine manners.
  • Play fighting may happen with others in the litter.
  • Puppies begin eating solid foods but continue to nurse.
  • Starts to eliminate without assistance.
  • Puppy Is more stable when standing.
Puppy Needs:
  • Introduced to loud noises and other sounds within the environment.
  • Introduced to different textures and allowed to walk on different floor surfaces.
  • Second worming treatment after this step.
4 week old Pomeranian puppies
4-week old Pomeranian puppies

Pomeranian Puppy Stages 4 – 5 Weeks

4 week old Pomeranian puppies
4-week old Pomeranian puppies

Puppy Milestones:

  • Teeth may start appearing.
  • Curiosity about everything is a big thing at this stage.
  • Plays with other puppies in the litter.
  • Puppies each take turns in being the dominant ones.
  • Weaning is in progress.
Puppy Needs:
  • Needs to have plenty of new experiences.
  • Puppies need time on their own to stop separation anxiety.
  • Needs to be around people more than ever.
  • Needs excellent quality puppy food because they nurse less frequently.

Pomeranian Growth Stages 5 – 7 Weeks

5-week old Pomeranian puppy

Puppy Milestones:

  • Weaning begins.
  • May get the first set of shots.
  • Very curious and may venture away from litter mates and mother at times.
  • Begins to understand boundaries and impulse control.
  • Mother will spend more time away from puppies.
Puppy Needs:
  • Good time for their first car ride and first bath.
  • Not ready to leave litter mates and mother just yet.
  • Important socialization period, human interactions, and variety of experiences.
6 week old Pomeranian puppies
6-week-old Pomeranian puppies

Pomeranian Puppy’s Development 8 – 11 Weeks

Pomeranian puppy 2 months
Pomeranian puppy two months

Puppy Milestones:

  • Good motor skills and coordination.
  • Most curious phase. A puppy will move further away if his interest is piqued.
  • Traumatic events may make a permanent impact.
Puppy Needs:
  • The puppy must be protected from all forms of trauma.
  • He must be prevented from wandering too far away.
  • This is the time for the puppy’s second round of injections.
  • Not fully vaccinated, the owner must strike a fine balance between health risks and socialization.
  • If a puppy goes to a new home, he should start being trained immediately.
  • The puppy needs to hear his name called as often as possible.
8 week Pomeranian puppy
8-week Pomeranian puppy

Pomeranian Puppy’s Development 10 – 16 Weeks

3 month old Pomeranian
3-month-old Pomeranian

Puppy Milestones:

  • Puppies are taken to their new homes.
  • They have moved past the initial fear stage.
  • Puppy doesn’t mess its bed anymore.
  • Crate training should be progressing well.
  • He chews everything in sight as he continues teeth cutting.
Puppy Needs:
  • Important socialization period: Expose the puppy to different things, other dogs, and other animals without overdoing it. Stress can be felt at this age
  • Good time for potty training to begin.
  • Provide lots of chew toys and bones to chew on.
  • By the end of this time, the puppy is ready for puppy classes.
4 month old Pomeranian
4-month-old Pomeranian

Pomeranian Puppy Development. 16 Weeks to 6 Months.

4 month Pomeranian puppy
4-month Pomeranian puppy

Puppy Milestones:

  • Puppy is now more independent than ever.
  • This is the “preteen” period.
  • Demonstrates signs of a “big dog” attitude within a small dog.
Puppy Needs:
  • More socializing.
  • More training is needed.
  • Owners must have a great deal of patience.
4 month old Pomeranian puppy
4-month-old Pomeranian puppy

Pomeranian Stages of Growth 6 – 12 Months

6 month old Pomeranian
6-month-old Pomeranian Puppy

Puppy Milestones:

  • The dog starts as an adolescent, and by the end of this period, he reaches sexual maturity.
  • Very independent. He is likely to possess a mind of his own and be stubborn.
  • The second fear stage starts at around six months and can last a few days to a few weeks. Female dogs face their first heat period. Males get extra testosterone which can make them hard to control. Although their development is responsible for this problem, many think the dog is badly behaved or doesn’t obey instructions.
Puppy Needs:
7-month-old Pomeranian Puppy

An Overview of Pomeranian Life Stages

Newborn Pomeranian Puppies
Newborn Pomeranian Puppies

Newborn Pomeranian Puppy Stage

When the puppy is firstborn, his ears and eyes are shut. Only his senses of taste, touch, and smell work, but they’re not fully functional. He can respond to discomfort, pain, and minor disturbances and cry or whine to inform you.

His body temperature is far lower than a mature dog’s, and he can’t handle cool weather. To help with ideal development, the room should be kept quite warm (around 80 degrees), and breeders achieve this through the use of heating pads and/or heat lamps.

Newborn pups need their mother to stimulate the defecating and urinating process as they can’t do it for themselves.

A puppy’s first goal in life is to find food and warmth. Although they don’t yet have teeth, their nails are fully grown and might need to be trimmed within the first week of birth.

Their main activities are to look for nourishment from their mother and also to sleep as much as possible.

Newborn pups usually sleep, sometimes twitching or moving slightly to change position. The twitching happens because their main sleep is REM sleep, a level caused by higher brain activity.

Apart from that, they don’t interact with others in the litter or their surroundings except to huddle as close as possible to their mother and littermates to keep warm.

Pomeranian pups rely on the mother to supply nourishment and help them go potty. The mother also has to clean up the potty messes, which she happily does.

Puppy’s eyes start opening when they’re about two weeks old. A couple of days after that, their ears also open. Their sight is blurry at first but soon settles, and they can take their first view of their environment. Sight doesn’t get very sharp even as they start growing into adulthood.

After their ears open, they may get startled by different sounds around them. Even when their ears start working, they can hear the ultrasonic range, and their range is almost twice the capacity of humans.

3 week old Pomeranian
3 week old Pomeranian

3 to 6 Weeks Puppy Growth

At three weeks, puppies will become a bit adventurous and start to move around, albeit clumsy. This can be likened to a human infant’s crawling period. At this time, progress happens quickly. By 3 ½ weeks, most puppies are stable and can move around independently.

Hearing and sight improve each day. They can start to drink liquids and eat mushy solid foods. They will have some interaction with others in their litter, but most of this will be deciding who will act as a blanket as they sleep in a pile and cuddle up underneath.

However, they don’t mind either role. This is also the time when they first start socializing. With open ears and eyes, they crawl a lot more and even begin trying to stand up and walk properly.

By the time they’re four weeks old, they know what “real” puppy food is, eat more of such foods, and reduce their nursing.

They’re not weaned at this stage. Pomeranian pups sleep less and spend more time moving around. At this point, they begin to socialize with the world around them.

They should listen to sounds like the vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, can opener, and hairdryer. They should listen to the TV or music as well.

This is the perfect time for the puppy to walk on different textured surfaces such as grass, tile, wood, dirt, carpet, and concrete.

Additional textures can be added to his bedding, and the breeder can wear different textures in clothing so the puppy can snuggle up and feel them for himself.

The puppy is starting to control his body temperature, develop a puppy coat, and do his business without stimulation from the mother.

However, she’ll keep cleaning up after him for a bit longer. At the five-week point, he’s now considered a toddler and will spend much time mixing with humans, his mother, and litter mates.

If he has toys, he’ll explore them, but they won’t be an object of vigorous play until he’s a bit older. The mother will encourage her little to wean by being unavailable for drinks whenever they desire.

Puppies begin to “play fight” with their mates but are still too young to work out their pecking order and temperament. Some mothers regurgitate food for the puppies, but this doesn’t often happen in domesticated dogs.

Several wormings will occur at six weeks old, and it’s time for the puppy’s first shots. Tiny dog breeds like Pomeranians may not have shots until they’re eight weeks old.

Playtime changes dramatically at this stage, and toys become objects of pure fascination and delight. Puppies will find different ways to explore every possible corner of their surroundings.

Breeders should offer plenty of stimuli regarding smells, sounds, and textures and vary the environments where puppies can safely explore. The mother will keep teaching manners, particularly regarding “bite suppression.”

Puppies will gradually learn what is and isn’t appropriate canine behavior. These behaviors will continue for two weeks until they’re completely weaned and can be taken to permanent homes. Smaller dog breeds like Pomeranians might need extra time with the litter and mother.

At six weeks, a puppy is outgoing, friendly, curious, and eager to learn. If socializing is handled properly, the puppy will be keen to please his new owners when that time arrives.

8 week old Pomeranian puppies
8-week old Pomeranian puppies

8 Week Old Pomeranian Puppy

At the eight-week-old mark, many smaller breeds are prepared to be taken to their permanent homes. Other types may need as much as four more weeks in the breeder’s and mother’s care, especially if the puppies are the tiniest Pomeranian pups.

When the puppy is eight weeks old, he starts to exercise caution in his behavior. Before this, he would be reckless and exuberant, running headlong into any adventure fearlessly.

During the following two weeks, he becomes more cautious as he investigates everything around him. New owners must let him go through this stage because he’ll move past it quickly.

During this time, pet parents shouldn’t baby and cuddle” the puppy. Instead, they can assure his safety without moving in to rescue him when it’s not needed.

Anxiety and fear issues may arise in puppies who get rescued too early, which can be difficult to correct down the track. When a puppy is taken to his new home, his first few nights can be hard because he hasn’t spent much time alone.

3 Month Old Pomeranian Stage

Socialization is critical during this period and should be maintained. Even before he’s brought home, the home must be ready for his grand arrival.

This includes puppy-proofing all rooms of the house and ensuring he has everything necessary to enable him to feel comfortable.

The puppy should be exposed to as many new smells, sounds, sights, and sensations as possible. The more stimuli and experiences he faces, the easier he handles changes as he ages. This is also an ideal starting point for training.

Potty training is the first essential focus, followed by basic commands. Teaching basic obedience skills is best commenced in the home, and down the track, he can be enrolled in an obedience school after he has been immunized and is ready for that next phase.

Pomeranian Puppy Stages
Pomeranian Puppy Stages

Immunizations Are Critical to The Health Of All Young Puppies

They must be a top priority, even over socializing attempts. A puppy can’t go into dog parks until he has received his shots. Consider a puppy in a similar vein to a newborn infant baby. If you wouldn’t do something to an infant, why would you do it to a puppy?

The puppies are now in the “tween” phase, exhibiting some examples of independence. It’s likened to the pre-teen stage in humans and is demanding in nature.

Instead of the puppy sticking to you like glue, he’ll wander off to do whatever he wants. Puppy’s behavior is more erratic, and he may be a cute little baby one minute and the most stubborn of tweens the next.

This is the point when teething sets in, and he’ll look to find anything he can chew on, including toys, a wooden chair, and even a person’s toes or fingers.

He should start being potty trained and basic obedience training, such as how to walk properly on a leash, not always by your heel.

At this point, his growth spurt should slow down, and he may eat less food. At the end of this stage, the puppy must have had his third round of shots and a Rabies shot as well.

Once vaccinated, it’s a perfect time to take the puppy exploring. Take him whenever you go out (if possible). It’s also good to start teaching basic commands.

6-Month-Old Pomeranian Puppy Stage

Congratulations, your fur child has finally reached his teenage years. His attitude is everything now. He’ll try breaking rules and testing boundaries when he sees chances to do so.

He won’t become a juvenile delinquent if you have been training and socializing with him. He can go to puppy classes and learn more commands.

His baby teeth will fall out, replaced by a full mouth of adult teeth. Dental care is critical from this point on. Puppy will be at the sexual maturity stage at some point in this time. It’s wise to have her spayed or neutered.

Most vets recommend doing this by the age of six months. A puppy needs lots of chew toys, exercise, and discipline. Patience will be your new best friend.

1 Year Old Pomeranian 

1 Year Old Pomeranian Dog
1-Year-Old Pomeranian Dog

After this stage, the puppy is now an adult dog and is sexually mature. Smaller breeds will be their full adult weight, Pomeranian size, and height. If spaying or neutering hasn’t occurred, there will be visible signs of sexual maturity.

8 week old Pomeranian
8 week old Pomeranian

Pomeranian Sexual Maturity?

Is my Pomeranian in heat? Females will have had their first heat between 6-9 months old. If the males haven’t been neutered, they will commence displaying sexual behavior and mark their territory. Males may be fathers when they’re as young as seven months of age.

Pomeranian Puppy Stages
Pomeranian Puppy Stages

Final Thoughts on Pomeranian Puppy Growth Stages

There won’t be visible changes immediately, and Pomeranians often retain a playful personality for most of their life. Over time, their youthful exuberance will fade, and (provided you did socialize and train properly) the dog will become calmer and behave more predictably with the same habits.

Copyright Pomeranian.Org. All Rights Reserved.

References and Further Reading:
[1] Denise Leo “The Pomeranian Handbook.”
[2] E. Parker, The Popular Pomeranian.
[3] L.Ives, Show Pomeranians.

The Pomeranian Handbook by Denise Leo

About

Denise Leo

Pomeranians are my passion, and I have shared my life with these darling little dogs for many decades. The creator and face behind this website is published author and Pomeranian breed authority Denise Leo of Dochlaggie Pomeranians.

Denise Leo
Denise Leo