Pomeranian Puppies

Pomeranian Breed Standard

The standards which have been adopted by the American Pomeranian Club and approved by the American Kennel Club set the present-day ideal for which Pomeranian breeders are aiming. It is by these standards that the dog is judged in the show ring.

GENERAL APPEARANCE:  The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact dog. He should exhibit intelligence, docility and activity. HEAD: The head should be somewhat foxy in outline, the skull being slightly flat, large in proportion to the muzzle.

Even the most perfect specimen falls short of the standard in some respect. It's also impossible, even for a breeder or veterinarian, to tell how a Pomeranian puppy will shape up as an adult dog. Until he's about six months old, he's still developing. At about a year, he will have his final conformation and coat.

The teeth should meet in a scissors grip. The mouth is considered overshot when the lower teeth fail to engage the inner surfaces of the upper teeth. The mouth is undershot when the lower teeth protrude beyond the upper teeth. One tooth out of line does not mean an undershot or overshot mouth.

EYES: The eyes should be medium in size, bright and dark in color. The eye rims of the blues and browns are self-colored. In all other colors the eye rims must be black.

EARS: The ears should be small and carried perfectly erect. Trimming unruly hairs on edges of ears is permissible.

NOSE: The nose should be self-colored in blues and browns. In all other colors it should be black.

NECK AND SHOULDERS: The neck should be rather short, well set in and lion-like, covered with a profuse mane of long, straight hair, covering the whole front part of the shoulders and chest as well as the top part of the shoulders.

BODY: The back must be short and level, and the body compact.

LEGS: The forelegs must be well feathered and perfectly straight. The feet should be small, standing well up on the toes. The hind legs and thighs must be well feathered down to the hocks and must be free in action. Trimming around the edges of the toes up the back of the legs to the first joint is permissible.

TAIL: The tail should be turned over the back and carried flat, set high. It must be profusely covered with long, spreading hair.

COAT: The pomeranian must have two coats, an undercoat and an overcoat. The undercoat is soft and fluffy, and the overcoat is long, perfectly straight and glistening coat covering the whole body. It should be very abundant around the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest. The texture of the guard hairs should be harsh to the touch.

COLOR: The following colors are recognized: black, brown, chocolate, red, orange, cream, orange-sable, wolf-sable, beaver, blue, white and parti-color. The parti-colored dogs are white with orange or black distributed on the body in even patches, and a white blaze is preferable. Sables must be shaded throughout with three or more colors as uniformly as possible, with no patches of self-color, the undercoat being a light tan color, with deeper orange guard hair ending in black tipping. Oranges must be self-colored throughout, with light shadings and no breeching.

SIZE: The weight of a Pomeranian for exhibition is 3 to 7 pounds. The ideal size for show specimens is from 4 to 5 pounds.

CLASSIFICATION: The classes for Pomeranians may be divided by color in open classes as follows: black and brown; red, orange or cream; sables; any other allowable color.

Major Faults: Round, domey skull. Too large ears. Undershot. Pink eye rims. Light or Dudley (flesh-colored nose). Out at elbows or shoulders. Flat sides. Cowhock. Soft, flat, open coat. Whole-colored dogs with white chest or white foot or leg. Black mask on an orange dog.