Pomeranian: Personality, Exercise, Grooming

(Pom)

Group: AKC Toy, KCGB Toy

Also known as: (Zwergspitz) (Dwarf Spitz) (Loulou) (Pom)              

About Pomeranian 

Country of Origin, History of the Breed This breed of dog belongs to the Spitz family, which hailed from the Prussian province of Pomerania. Because of their herding instinct they were widely used as shepherd dogs. The breed was owned by eminent royal families across Europe and was popularized in England by Queen Victoria herself in the 18th century when she first opened a Kennel club to breed her Pomeranian. Later these dogs were bred down in size and became popular as Show dogs.

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A General Description of the Dog

Pomeranian are small, fluffy dogs with fox like features, while some others have pansy faces. These dogs have pointed, small erect ears, a wedge-shaped head, big expressive almond shaped eyes and their noses are either dark or they have the color of the coat. Pomeranians have a thick, bushy tail.

Coat

Coat colors are black, black & tan, blue, blue & tan, chocolate, chocolate & tan, cream, cream sable, orange, orange sable, red, red sable, beaver, brindle, chocolate sable, white, wolf sable and sable. Dogs that have 2 or more colors (usually most of it white alongside others) are also recognized by the AKC and these are said to have a "Parti-Color". The AKC also recognizes five "alternative" colors.

Pomeranians have two coats, a top coat which is soft and thick and an undercoat which is coarse, straight and firm. These dogs shed often.

Height

Male : 7-12 inches
Female : - 7-12 inches

Weight: 3-7 lbs for both males and females

Personality

Temperament of the Dog

Bold, fiery and courageous, Pomeranians are also an active breed. These little dogs are intelligent creatures that are always ready to learn. Moreover, they are extremely devoted to their owners. They are not friendly towards strangers and are given to unabated barking. They are alert and hence, owners can use them as watchdogs if they train them properly. These dogs are demanding and bossy and owners should always try to exercise control over them. They even become snappy in their old age.

Controlling unabated barking through consistent training is a necessity. Pomeranians love company and hence it is advisable for the owners to provide them with another Pom companion.

They are friendly with other dogs and pets in the household. However, they might intimidate larger dogs in their locale if they feel threatened for some reason.

These dogs are usually good with children but Pomeranians are often mistaken for toys and children might even end up harming them. Teasing makes them snappy.

Better suited to an indoor or outdoor lifestyle?

They are highly active indoors and hence they are suitable for the apartment lifestyle. Households without yards can also have these dogs.

Are they suited to homes with kids?

These dogs are good with older children and are also good companions for the elderly. Teasing often makes them snappy.

How to take care of the Pomeranian Puppies? Pomeranians puppies need lots of care especially at this stage since their immune system is not fully developed. They should be fed high quality food, devoid of preservatives, vaccination and de- worming being a must. Owners should provide them with spacious crates and chewable toys or restrict their movement with baby gates. Harmful chemicals and electrical chords should be kept out of reach.

Spicy food should never be fed to Poms since these can make them really sick. They should be fed pieces of liver and dry canned food which would be good for their health. Giving them chew sticks can make their teeth stronger. Moreover, Pom puppies are susceptible to hypoglycemia and often require doses of nutri-cal to maintain proper sugar levels.

Training

It is not very difficult to train these dogs since they are intelligent and hence highly trainable. But they dogs are moody and owners should deal with them firmly to train them and to inhibit their excessive barking habits. Moreover, certain basic commands like: come, wait, heel, no, stop should be taught through consistent training. Owners should always take their Poms out on walks after each meal and after every nap. This will prevent any messing around in the house. These dogs need socialization.

Activity Level

They do not require much exercise but enjoy long regular walks. They love playing and are extremely lively.

Pomeranians should be taken out on walks. However over exercising them might cause hypoglycemia in the old age.

Grooming

The dog should be brushed every two to three days with a rolling comb and a small sticker brush behind the ears. Their coat should be trimmed and their nails should be clipped at least once a month, aside from regular teeth care. They have a tendency to shed. Owners should never use harsh shampoo because harmful chemicals might harm their coat. Their anal glands should also be expressed.

Health and Care

Cautions about Breeding the Dog

The breed suffers from the following genetic diseases entropion, globoid cell leukodystrophy (very rare), growth hormone-responsive and adrenal sex-hormone dermatoses, hydrocephalus, patellar luxation, sick sinus syndrome, tracheal collapse, cyclic hematopoiesis, hypothyroidism, intervertebral disk disease, methemoglobinemia, progressive retinal atrophy, sebaceous adenitis.

Inexperienced breeders should never breed their dogs since the chances of losing both the mother and the litter are very high. Owners who intend to breed their dogs should always do thorough research before starting off. Toy breeds like Poms develop lots of complications while whelping. Litters with genetic disorders are tragic consequences of ignorance on the part of owners and so a prior genetic test should be conducted.

Litter Size: 3 puppies

Life Span: 15 years

National Breed Club

British – Pomeranian Club of UK
U. S. – American Pomeranian Club – www.AmericanPomeranianClub.org

Recognition: CKC, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, CCR.