is a pom for me?

Question
Hello

I am thinking about getting a puppy later this year but cant decide on a breed. I would like a dog thats farly small and certintly no bigger then knee height and one that will get along with my bicon/shiz-tuz x and one that is eaily house-broken and canbe tought a few basic commands. Could you tell me what the temper of the pom is like?

Answer
An excellent website regarding breed information is:
www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/dogbreeds

They also have lots of interesting information on training, health, vaccines, what to feed, etc.

Poms weigh between 3-7 pounds.  Most get along well with other smaller dogs.  Big dogs can accidently hurt or even kill a tiny toy breed. I dont' recommend getting one if you have children under seven.    They are very intelligent dogs and can be taught many things.

Some can be difficult to housebreak. Here's an article I wrote on house training you may find helpful:

It will take lots of patience and persistence.  Some pups can take several months or so to train.  Do not allow the puppy to have free reign in the house until he is completely trained.  When you are home keep him with
you at all times.  When you leave the house either put him in a crate (never for more than four hours at a time) or block him off in a small area (bathroom, utility room or kitchen) with a gate.  Put newspaper or puppy pads in an area for him to use.  Neutering him by five or six months
of age will help, and can prevent him from developing the habit of leg lifting.  If he has an accident but you don't catch him don't scold him for it.  He won't understand what he's done wrong.  Clean up the mess completely.  Using a product like Simple Solution will remove the stain
and the odor.  If you catch him it the act, firmly say, "NO" and take him outside.  Never rub his nose in it.  He can be trained to go in a particular area in your yard and to go on command.  Take him to the same spot every time and use the same command like, "Go potty".  Praise him when he goes!  Of course you'll want to take him out frequently, especially after sleeping, eating, and playing.

I was never able to use a crate for training.  My pom would go potty in it.  I blocked him off in the kitchen and set up a dog liter box.  I didn't use dog liter but lined the box with newspaper.  Puppy pads would work as well.  I would put him in the box and say, "Go potty".  If he did, I would praise him profusely.  Sometimes I would give him a treat.  I always took him to the same spot outside too. It took approximately two and a half months and after I had him neutered at five and a half months
he was pretty much trained.  I kept him blocked off in the kitchen when I had to leave the house for about the first year.  Now, he has free reign when I am gone.  He is liter box trained and trained to go in a specific spot in the yard.  Having him liter box trained is great for when I am
gone and when the weather is bad. (Rain, snow, etc.)

Find a good breeder! Make sure that the breeder is not a backyard breeder but breeds to improve the breed.  Someone who breeds to show poms.  Do not buy one from a pet store.  Poms are very overbred. There are many hyper, yappy, unhealthy poms with behavior problems that barely resemble the bred.  It can be hard to find a good dog but well worth the effort!  My pom is calm, even tempered, happy and healthy.  He weighs 7 pounds and looks just like the poms in the dog shows on TV.

Poms are happy, loyal, fun, affectionate, active dogs that love nothing more than just being with you.

Hope this helps you decide!
God Bless,
Carrie