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BREED STANDARD FOR THE

POMERANIAN

Compact and short-backed describe the desirable appearance of the Pomeranian.

The American Kennel Club breed standard for the Pomeranian is effectively a “blue-print” for the breed. It sets down the various points of the dog in words, enabling a visual picture to be conjured up in the mind of the reader. However, this is more easily said than done. Not only do standards vary from country to country, but people’s interpretations of breed standards vary also. It is this difference of interpretation that makes judges select different dogs for top honors, for their opinions differ as to which dog most closely fits the breed standard. That is not to say that a good dog does not win regularly under different judges, nor that an inferior dog may rarely even be placed at a show, at least not among quality competition.

The breed standard given here is that authorized by the American Kennel Club. It is comprehensive, and so is reasonably self-explanatory. However, as with most breeds, there are variances between the standards used in the US and that in Britain, where the Pomeranian first emerged as a show dog.

Notably, the British standard allows less latitude in weight, reading, “Ideal weight: dogs: 1.8–2 kgs (4–4.5 lb); bitches: 2–2.5 kgs (4.5–5.5 lb).” Another interesting point in the American standard is the statement that the skull should be closed, clearly steering breeders away from producing Pomeranians with open fontanels, whereas such a statement is not incorporated in Britain.