Training your Pomeranian to stay will be fairly easy. However, if you want the behavior to be solid and reliable, plan to practice this behavior quite a bit. Poms are smart--you can train 'stay' in 5-10 short sessions. Stay consistent and your Pom will get much better with 'stay' in a few months.
Another advantage of training 'stay' is that it will teach your Pom to be patient. This can be especially helpful for Poms that tend to be a little pushy. Regular 'stay' practice is a way to teach her: “Wait, and good things will come!”
We offer three training methods below. Save “Proofing” for after you have taught your Pom to stay using one of the other two beginner methods. This will make sure she will stay even in a challenging situation, such as around new distractions, other dogs, or in new places.
It is up to you if you wish to use a non-verbal cue in addition to a verbal command when training your Pom to stay. If you go with both, just use both with the early training, and then use one or the other (randomly) once she knows the basics.
You can have your Pom always stay in the same position (such as a 'sit') by always asking for that before practicing the 'stay'. If you want her to basically stay in the position she is in when you command the 'stay', then include that into your training of the command, rewarding only those turns where she holds her position.
Food rewards are by far the most effective to use in training this behavior. Use part of your Pomeranian’s regular kibble rations with the addition of a few higher value treats cut into small bits such as hot dog, cheese, or diced chicken liver.
Making sure that your dog has lots of success while working on 'stay' is your job as a trainer. If you find that she is consistently failing to stay as long as you expect her to, then you need to lower your expectations and proceed more slowly.
Rapid reward for success is the surest way to keep her engaged in the training process, building her confidence. This will promote the fastest learning and the strongest possible stay in the long run.
For the most part, just ignore any failures, particularly early on in training. Just be careful not to reward unwanted behavior and that will be enough for him to get the message. Add an enforcement mechanism, such as a harsh tone or a “Time Out” only after your Pomeranian has the basics of 'stay' down and you have started to proof the behavior.