|
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 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
|