-       History of the Pomeranian

Ancient paintings on cave surfaces, depicting various dog types occasionally show one with a bushy coat , erect ears, and tail curled somewhat over the back. were, without doubt, the forerunners of the sled dog .

It took many centuries to produce the tiny Toy dogs we see today, and no doubt there were many setbacks along the way. Trial and error was the method used in reducing  their size. The instinct in man to have something to love and cuddle was the incentive, and the tiny ones were mated together in the hopes of producing even smaller ones. Pure breeds, as we know them today, were not recognized, so the only criteria for mating two dogs was size and the whim of the owner. Poor practices obviously played their part, and the smallest dogs in the litter were often the ones that were poorly ‘ nourished. Many of today’s breeding problems were probably the result of using the runt of the litter as a sire which is contrary to Nature’s law of the survival of the fittest. Thus, the practice has given us smaller litters, more fragile bones, variations in skeletal conformation, retained puppy teeth, early loss of permanent teeth, and no doubt a bigger percentage of malformed puppies than is found in larger breeds. Inbreeding, mutations, and ]climate also had a share the reduction of the size of the Pomeranian.

Indiscriminating out crossing restored vitality and vigor and also brought the variety of colors found in the breed. Several breeds were developed from the same ancestors our Poms had. Except for the obvious difference of size, the-- Samoyed, Norwegian Elkhound, and Husky could pass for Pomeranians. A number of other breeds are so much the same that their differences-    could be eliminated by several generations of inbreeding to our Poms. The immediate predecessor of our breed is considered by most authorities to have been the Spitz, which was to be found in a number of European countries, but under a variety of names. In Italy it was called the Lupino or Volpino; in France, the Lulu or Loulou; in Russia, the Laika; and in Finland, the Finkspitz. All were much bigger than the Spitz of later years, probably weighing between twenty and forty pounds, but still considered small at that time. They were used for a variety of purposes, herding sheep, pulling sleds, sounding alarms, and even hunting.

In a little district of Pomeranja in the southern part of Germany, there was produced in numbers a tiny, friendly type of Spitz dog that became quite famous, so much so that specimens were highly desired and were designated “Pomeranians” to express their worth. English fanciers, especially the ladies, became entranced with the little dogs and brought many home from the Continent in the early part of the eighteenth century. Size was reduced further, and gradually a semblance of uniform type began to evolve, although there was still great variation in style, size, color, and coat.  So, although the Province in Southern Germany gave its name to our breed, the English must be given the credit for fostering, developing, and stabilizing Pomeranians under that name. It became official when the Kennel Club of England recognized the breed. Once recognized officially, the keeping of breeding records became mandatory, but many a dog was shown in those early days with the notation following the name, “ancestors unknown.”

Three large white dogs were present at the 1871 show, the first which included classes for Poms. White, cream, and biscuit were the prevailing colors before the turn of the century, although other colors were seen occasionally and must have been strongly present in the genetic make-up of the dogs. By the turn of the century, blacks, blues, and chocolates were quite common and the whites were somewhat abandoned because the breeders were having difficulty in reducing their size.

Mrs. E. Parker, an early English authority on the breed and the author of the first Popular Pomeranian, stated that the weight of Pomeranians for showing was restricted to ten pounds in 1888 and that there was but one entry in that year’s show. The general weight at that time was from twelve to eighteen pounds. The English breeders accepted the challenge and by 1891 had made great strides, producing a smaller, more beautiful type that attracted wide interest, though entries at the English Kennel Club Shows were up some years and down others.

The organization of the English Pomeranian Club in 1891 firmly established the breed, welding the breeders together and providing a common goal with an ideal fin-age for the Pomeranian. Miss Hamilton was elected president, and she must have been a remarkable leader, for she held the office until 1919. Under her continued guidance, the breed and club became firmly established and the future of our dogs was assured. Pooling resources, discussing problems, sharing solutions, establishing a Standard, and trying to outdo each other all helped. Improvement came rapidly.

Queen Victoria chose a Pomeranian which won at some of the shows. This brought the breed into the limelight, where it has been from time to time ever since.

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