Pomeranian Information & Dog Breed Facts

The Pomeranian is an iconic breed that is known for its fluffy fur and cute teddy bear face that has stolen hearts all across the globe. This breed was developed in the province of Pomerania from the ancient Spitz breeds and obviously got its name after the historical region which was in the far north on the border of the countries we know today as Poland and Germany. The region was near the Baltic sea and the name derived from the old Slavic expression “po more” which means “near the sea”. However today’s Pomerania is very different from the dogs that the people in Pomeranian used and even the name ‘Pomeranian’ was not yet given to the at the time, but they were known only as German Spitz. Furthermore, Pomeranians are believed to originally have been working Arctic dogs. The old type was a lot bigger in the early days and as they had a thick double coat they were able to work in the harsh Arctic conditions. They were mostly used for sled and load-carrying. Another main job of these bigger dogs was herding sheep which can be recognized in the character of the modern breed as well. Some people also claim that they have a genetic heritage linking them to working dogs from Iceland and Lapland as well as Alaskan Malamute and Samoyed, which may be true because of the way their tail is curled over their back. Although there is evidence that these dogs were living and working across Europe as there was Pomeranian type of dogs in all sorts of different countries such as Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. Their name was finally given to them sometime in the 18^th century when they started breeding them in Pomerania to the modern, small size we know today. We are not 100 percent sure of the exact date but one of the earliest records researchers have found was from 2^nd of November 1764 in the diary of a writer named James Boswells, who wrote that “The Frenchman had a Pomeranian dog named Pomer whom he was mighty fond of”. This was the first sentence mentioning Pomeranians ever.

Moreover, even in the early days of the breed, these dogs were very popular. As their popularity grew even further, notable people were said to have Pomeranians including the theologian Martin Luther, the artist Michelangelo, whose dog sat on a satin pillow and watched him paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the physicist Isaac Newton and even the composer Mozart, whose Pom was named Pimperl and to whom he dedicated an aria. We can say that the influence of the royalty also had a hand in forming the Pomeranian as it is today. Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian and choose to breed that trait into the next generation. She started importing smaller dogs from across Europe in a variety of colors. Also, other royals, such as the wife of Napoleon I and King George IV owned Pomeranians. However, the Queen’s love towards the smaller Pomeranians inspired so many English dog fanciers to begin breeding even smaller Poms. From the late 1880s, Pomeranians often had the largest number of entries at Crufts dog shows with the breed standard being stabilized.

In addition, their popularity spread across the Atlantic and this breed were even one of the three dogs that survived the Titanic. Furthermore, in 1888 a Pom named Dick was the first one that entered into the American Kennel Club studbook. In the early 1900s, the American Pomeranian Club was accepted as a member of the AKC and designated as the Parent Club for the breed and by the mid-century, Poms were one of the most popular dog breeds in America. Overall, today they rank 14^th among the 155 breeds and varieties registered by the AKC.