Pomeranians Guide

These beautiful little dogs have fluffy fur and smiling faces. They are very smart and eager to please their owners. They make wonderful companions and can even be good watch dogs, but you must train them with a firm hand so that they know that you are the boss. The Pom should weigh between 3 and 7 pounds (although there are much larger ones around, they are not to the breed standard but still make great pets!). They require little exercise and are well suited to apartment life. With proper care, they can live to around 15 years of age.

Breed Standard

The Pomeranian is a compact dog with a fox like face. The tail should be plume like - held high and draping over the back. Standard breed weight is 3 to 7 pounds. Demeanor is lively and alert. He has a double coat – a soft undercoat and long harsh outer. Face should include dark almond shaped eyes, small ears, a short muzzle and rounded skull with pronounced stop.

History

These tiny vivacious dogs were popularized by Queen Victoria who, in the late 1800's brought a red sable Pom back from Italy. This little dog was named Marco and weighed in at 12 pounds which was small for this breed back then. It didn’t take long for Pomeranians to become a favorite lap dog and breeders worked at making the breed even smaller until they reached an average of 5 pounds as the dog is today.

Pomeranians have long and illustrious history. Michelangelo had a pet Pom that used to sit on a silk pillow and watch as he painted the Sistine chapel. The great church leader Martin Luther favored these toy dogs and mentioned them often in his work. Even Mozart had a pet Pom that he dedicated an aria to!

Care and Grooming

The Coat

Pom’s have a double coat that requires daily care as it can easily get matted. The soft undercoat is light and fluffy and very thick. The longer top coat is sleek like long hair. Daily brushing is required to keep the fur free from matting and looking it's best. Weekly baths should be given as well as proper grooming around the feet and under the tail.

The Eyes

As in most small dogs, the Pom can have a buildup of tear “gunk" in the corner of the eyes. This can stain the fur and be a bit messy so it is recommended that you clean the eye area every other day or at least once a week. You can buy a special liquid that will help remove the stains and wipe away any goop that has accumulated with a q-tip. Be careful not to poke your pom in the eye when you are doing this!

The Teeth

Unfortunately, Pomeranians can be prone to tooth problems. Tooth loss and bacterial buildup is not uncommon in these little dogs so you should take extra care to make sure your pet has the proper dental care. Brush your dogs teeth daily with a specially formulated enzymatic tooth paste that fights bacteria and have yearly dental checks and scaling if necessary. Tooth care is quite important to your dogs overall health as if bacteria is left unchecked in the mouth, it can spread throughout the dogs body and cause health problems for your pet.

Feet and Nails

Like any other dog, Poms need to have their nails trimmed. There are 2 basic types of clippers and you will need to find out which one works best for you. You should also trim the hair on your dogs feet as it has a tendency to grow out pretty fast. The preferred cut is the trim it close so the paw resembles that of a cat.