American Kennel Club Pomeranian Breed Standard
General appearance
The Pomeranians appearance is a cobby, short coupled dog with great
intelligence and is alert in intelligence. 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, Weight
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 well proportioned to it's body, sort of wedged shaped but not
domed in it's outline, with a fox like expression. There is a pronounced stop
with a rather fine but not snippy muzzle, with no lippiness. The pigment of the
eyes, lips and nose must be black, except self colored in blue and brown, having
a domey, round skull . Light pigment on nose or eye rims is a major fault.
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 angulations 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: Cow hocks or lack of
soundness in hind legs or stifles.
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 fore
chest, 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.
