POMERANIAN
IN PROFILE
by Malcolm Dupris
Pomeranians may come in a small package, but they
have a lot of heart. This member of the Toy Group in the A.K.C., comes
in a body that is approximately five inches at the shoulder, and weighs
in the range of four to seven pounds. There are smaller Poms than this
average, but with miniaturization, there comes the price of some severe
medical problems. Pomeranians never think of themselves as being
small, they have a big dog's attitude. Their ancestry comes from
the sled dogs of the Arctic, and the Poms of today still think they are
tough guys. Their character has been described as nothing short of fearless.
This can be a problem at times for the owner, because the Pom does not
know any limitations.
They possess a thick, double coat that does
need quite a bit of grooming, both at home in the form of daily brushing
and a bath every ten days, and professional grooming for any clipping
and trimming of the coat. The Pomeranian coat can come in a variety
of colors (solid, parti-colored, black and tan, chocolate and tan, blue
and tan, and brindle). They possess a top coat made up of somewhat harsh
guard hairs, and a soft, thick undercoat. A well kept coat begs to be touched,
and petted, and this dog will not mind if you give it attention every minute.
The Poms are excellent indoor dogs, being
small in size means they can get a lot of exercise in an apartment, condominium,
or average sized home. They also thoroughly enjoy the pampered life.
Poms are not nervous, shaky or high strung little doggies when they
are well bred. Poms will challenge other dogs, and people, that they do
not know, that wander into what they consider their territory. They are
not aggressive, but territorial and determined to draw a line as to where
you should be.
The Pomeranian is an alert, intelligent and
courageous companion dog. He not only loves to show off in the conformation
ring, the Pom is also excellent in agility and obedience trials.
He is highly trainable, but can be stubborn. Keep the training interesting
for you and the dog, and you won't have the challenge of a bored dog, who
is intelligent enough to make it interesting if you don't.
The life span for a Pomeranian is on average
twelve to seventeen years.
An important consideration to potential new
owners. There are some professional breeders who will not sell their puppies
to people with young children. Young children, if not supervised,
can severely injure these little dogs. The Poms can move very suddenly,
squirm out of young arms and drop to the floor with disastrous results.
Children should be supervised around any type of dog, and taught the proper
way to handle puppies.
The Pomeranian has a foxy face, a vibrant personality,
and a beautiful coat. To find good breeders of Poms, go to dog shows
in your area, talk to the people there that are working with these dogs.
Please be mindful that they do have ring times, so it is best to ask them
when it would be a good time to talk about their breed. Show people love
to talk about their dogs, and want to educate the public about their special
breed.
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