Pomeranian Breed Standard
From the American Kennel Club.
Toy Group
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
