Standards Pomeranian Breeders Strive For

The American Kennel Club establishes standards of various dog breeds, including the Pomeranian. Before the American Kennel Club recognizes a breed, the breed has to have certain characteristics, referred to as standards of the breed, that remain stable generation after generation. Breed standards serve several functions. A dog owner buying an American Kennel Club recognized breed of dog knows how big a puppy will be when it grows up. All puppies start out small, but a Pomeranian owner knows he or she will end up with a dog that weighs in at seven pounds or less. Breed standards also predict temperament, and the owner of a Pomeranian puppy knows the grown dog will be playful, energetic and extroverted.

If you want to see you your Pomeranian compares to the show dogs that win American Kennel Club championships, grab your dog and your bathroom scale. You're about to find out whether you have a potential champion on your hands.
Another benefit of having standards for different breeds of dogs is to encourage good breeding practices. Dogs in the toy group are notoriously fragile, and restricting the weight of the Pomeranian to seven pounds maximum helps prevent the breed from getting too heavy and risking injury to bones and joints. The standards of the breed covers a surprisingly extensive array of features, from the darkly pigmented nose to the plumed tail lying flat and straight against the back. Pomeranians have small ears, short muzzles and dark, bright, almond-shaped eyes.

Proportion is integral to Pomeranian standards. The dog's height from its elbows to its withers should be approximately the same as the height from the ground to the elbows. The length of the shoulder blade and the upper arm should be approximately equal. The Pomeranian is double-coated, with a soft undercoat and a fluffy, textured outer coat that settles in a frill around the Pomeranian's shoulders and chest. A soft, flat or open coat is a major fault that leads to disqualification.
The standard of the breed permits the Pomeranian to be virtually every color, and all colors and variations must be judged equally. Common Pomeranian patterns include black and tan, brindle and parti-color. With black and tan, light patches appear above the eyes, on the muzzle, throat, chest, legs, feet, and under the tail. A brindle coat has a gold or red base with bold black stripes. A parti-color Pomeranian is white with patches of any other color, although a white blaze on the head is preferred.

In specialty shows, Pomeranian dogs are categorized into three different groups according to the color combinations of their coats. Red, orange and sable dogs are judged together while black and brown dogs are judged in a second group, and other variations are judged in a third group.

The AKC also judges a dog's temperament. The Pomeranian should be confident, intelligent and extroverted, spirited and full of personality. Breed standards define the dog and promote predictability. The American Kennel Club makes Pomeranian breed information available to anyone who wants to know what a champion Pomeranian looks like.

The Pomeranian standard for the body are measured by proportions, for instance, the dog's upper and lower legs are approximately equal. Breeders can easily obtain more detailed Pomeranian information that specifies the precise standards of the breed from the AKC.