Pomeranian Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Pomeranian is a compact, short-backed, active toy dog.
He has a soft, dense undercoat with a profuse harsh-textured
outer coat. His heavily plumed tail is set high and lies
flat on his back. He is alert in character, exhibits
intelligence in expression, is buoyant in deportment, and is
inquisitive by nature. The Pomeranian is cocky, commanding,
and animated as he gaits. He is sound in composition and
action.
Size, Proportion, Substance
The average weight of the Pomeranian is from 3 to 7 pounds,
with the ideal weight for the show specimen being 4 to 6
pounds. Any dog over or under the limits is objectionable.
However, overall quality is to be favored over size. The
distance from the point of shoulder to the point of buttocks
is slightly shorter than from the highest point of the
withers to the ground. the distance from the brisket to the
ground is half the height at the withers. He is
medium-boned, and the length of his legs is in proportion to
a well-balanced frame. When examined, he feels sturdy.
Head
The head is in balance with the
body. The muzzle is rather short, straight, fine,
free of lippiness and never snipey. His expression
is alert and may be referred to as fox-like. The skull
is closed. The top of the skull is slightly rounded, but not
domed. When viewed from the front and side, one sees small
ears which are mounted high and carried erect. To
form a wedge, visualize a line from the tip of the nose
ascending through the center of the eyes and the tip of the
ears. The eyes are dark, bright, medium in size and
almond-shaped. They are set well into the skull on either
side of a well-pronounced stop. The pigmentation is black on
the nose and eye rims except self-colored in brown, beaver,
and blue dogs. The teeth meet in a
scissors bite. One tooth out of alignment is acceptable.
Major Faults: Round, domed skull; under-shot mouth;
overshot mouth.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is short with its base
set well into the shoulders to allow the head to be carried
high. The back is short with a
level topline. The body is compact and
well-ribbed with brisket reaching the elbow. The plumed
tail is one of the characteristics of the breed, and
lies flat and straight on the back.
Forequarters
The Pomeranian has sufficient layback of shoulders to carry
the neck and head proud and high. The shoulders and
legs are moderately muscled. The length of the shoulder
blade and upper arm are equal. The forelegs
are straight and parallel to each other. Height
from elbows to withers approximately equals height from
ground to elbow. The pasterns are straight and strong. The
feet are well-arched, compact, and turn neither in
nor out. He stands well up on his toes. Dewclaws
may be removed. Major Faults: Down in pasterns.
Hindquarters
The angulation of the hindquarters balances that of the
forequarters. The buttocks are well behind the set of the
tail. The thighs are moderately muscled with stifles
that are moderately bent and clearly defined. The
hocks are perpendicular to the ground and the
legs are straight and parallel to each
other. The feet are well-arched,
compact, and turn neither in nor out. He stands well up on
his toes. Dewclaws, if any on the hind legs may be
removed. Major Faults: Cowhocks or lack of
soundness in hind legs or stifles.
Gait
The Pomeranian's gait is smooth, free, balanced and
vigorous. He has good reach in his forequarters and strong
drive with his hindquarters. Each rear leg moves in line
with the foreleg on the same side. To achieve balance, his
legs converge slightly inward toward a center line beneath
his body. The rear and front legs are thrown neither in nor
out. The topline remains level, and his overall balance and
outline are maintained.
Coat
A Pomeranian is noted for its double coat. The undercoat
is soft and dense. The outer-coat is long,
straight, glistening and harsh in texture. A thick undercoat
will hold up and permit the guard hair to stand off from the
Pomeranian's body. The coat is abundant from the neck and
fore part of shoulders and chest, forming a frill which
extends over the shoulders and chest. The head and leg coat
is tightly packed and shorter in length than that of the
body. The forequarters are well-feathered and thighs and
hind legs well-feathered to the hock. The tail is profusely
covered with long, harsh, spreading straight hair. Trimming
for neatness and a clean outline is permissible. Major
Faults: Soft, flat or open coat.
Color
All colors, patterns, and variations there-of are allowed
and must be judged on an equal basis. Patterns:
Black and Tan - tan or rust sharply defined, appearing
above each eye and on muzzle, throat, and forechest, on all
legs and feet and below the tail. The richer the tan the
more desirable; Brindle - the base color is gold,
red, or orange-brindled with strong black cross stripes;
Parti-color - is white with any other color distributed
in patches with a white blaze preferred on the head.
Classifications: The Open Classes at specialty shows
may be divided by color as follows: Open Red, Orange, Cream,
and Sable; Open Black, Brown, and Blue; Open Any Other
Color, Pattern, or Variation.
Temperament
The Pomeranian is an extrovert, exhibiting great
intelligence and a vivacious spirit, making him a great
companion dog as well as a competitive show dog.
Even though a Toy dog, the Pomeranian must be subject
to the same requirements of soundness and structure
prescribed for all breeds, and any deviation from the ideal
described in the standard should be penalized to the extent
of the deviation.
Approved December 9, 1996
Effective January 31, 1997