Early Pomeranian Breed Standards
1875 - 1909
-
Meet the Ancestors Ch. Dragonfly
-
History of the Mismark Pom
-
CDA 1897
-
Extracts from Early UK Show Critiques
Pomeranian Breed Standard 1878
J H Walsh known as Stonehenge wrote in 1878 - 'The following are the generally recognised points of this dog, though hitherto no attempt has been made to define them'. Walsh appears to have originated the standard of points, which developed into breed standards, for all the popular breeds of his day. In 1878 the Westminster Kennel Club ( USA), adopted Walsh's standard of points for the assessment of all breeds exhibited at their show.
POINTS OF THE POMERANIAN
Value - Head 10, Muzzle 5, Ears and Eyes 5, Shoulders 5, Chest 5, Loin 10, Legs 10, Feet 10, Coat 15, Colour 15, Tail 5 , Symmetry 5
Grand Total 100
1. The head (value 10) is very wide between the ears, and tapers towards the
eyes still more than in the colley, resemblng the head of the fox almost exactly.
Upper surface flat, with a slight furrow down the middle. There is a marked
occipital protuberance, but not so much pronounced as in some breeds. Brow
sufficiently raised to prevent a straight line.
2. The muzzle (value 5) tapers from the cheeks, which are wide, to the point of
the nose, which is very fine and fox-like. The tip should be black. Lower jaw
generally shorter than the upper.
3. Ears and Eyes (value 5). The ears must be small and pricked, resembling
those of the fox in shape, and only very slightly exceeding them in size.
A large ear is a great defect, even if properly pricked. The eyes rather
large, and generally of a dark brown or hazel colour. Eyelids generally set
obliquely.
4. The shoulders (value 5) are greatly hidden by the frill, but they must be
oblique and muscular.
5. Chest (value 5) round, and rather deep ; but the back ribs are generally very
short, leading to a nipped loin.
6. The loin (value 10), owing to the above cause, is often weak if examined
carefully beneath the thick coat, which conceals this defect.
7. The legs (value 10) are generally straight and strong, with elbows well
let down, and clean hocks. Any defect therefore in these points will be severely
penalised.
8. The feet (value 10) are cat-like, and rather small ; toes well arched ; but the
soles are apt to be thin and unfit for road work.
9. The coat (value 15) is of a peculiar texture, differing from that of all other
dogs in its resemblance to coarse fur rather than hair. It is so marked in this
respect that the under-coat, which exists as in the colley, can scarcely be dis-
tinguished from it. The frill is of the same character, but rather more hairy
in the texture of its long fibres. It is quite as full as in the colley, in the best
specimens, and when deficient should be estimated accordingly. In the black
varieties the coat is more hairy, and has even a tendency to be silky. In the
best strains the coat stands out uniformly from the body like that of the fox or
cat, without any disposition to collect in flecks or wavy curls. The fore legs are
slightly feathered, but the hind are quite clean. The face is quite bare of all
but very short hair.
10. The colour (value 15) should be a dead flake white, without any mixture of
yellow. A patch of fawn is often to be seen on the head or body, but it is very
objectionable. There is a black variety highly prized in Germany, though
apparently the produce of a cross, as the texture of coat and size of ears are very
different from the best specimens of the white breed. A red strain, closely
resembling the fox in texture of coat, and in all respects but the tail, is also
met with occasionally on the continent of Europe. This strain is in all respects
like the Chinese sheepdog, of which many specimens exist in England, and one or
two of them usually go to make up the foreign class in our large shows.
11. The tail (value 5) is tightly curled over the back, shaggy, and rather short
than otherwise.
12. In symmetry (value 5) this dogs equal most of his compeers, all his several
component parts being in good proportion.
The specimen (Mrs Prosser's Joe) I have selected for illustration is only of average perfection in
the shape of body and head, but his coat is highly characteristic of the true breed.
He took the first prize at the Islington Show of the Kennel Club.
POM CLUB STANDARD OF POINTS 1892 - 1898
Appearance The Pomeranian in build and appearance should somewhat resemble the Chow Chow, but the head must be much finer and the ears closer together, and in coat he should be almost a duplicate of a well-coated Scotch collie, with the difference that his coat should be softer in texture, long and lustrous, with a fluffy under-coat, and standing out from the body more than does the collie’s. He should be a compact, short coupled dog, well knit in frame, with his tail curled tightly over the back, and covered with long, flowing hair. His head and face should be foxlike, with small erect ears that appear sensible to every sound; he should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportment.
Head Somewhat foxy in outline, or wedge-shaped, the skull being large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The head in its profile may exhibit a little ‘stop’which, however, must not be too pronounced, and the hair on head and face must be smooth or short-coated.
Eyes Should be medium in size, rather oblique in shape, not set too wide apart, bright and dark in colour, showing great intelligence and docility of temper. In a white dog black rings round the eyes are preferable.
Ears Should be small, and carried perfectly erect or pricked, like a fox’s, and, like the head, should be covered with soft, short hair.
Nose In black, black and tan, or white dogs the nose should be black; in other coloured Pomeranians it may more often be brown or liver-coloured, but in all cases the nose must be self and not parti-coloured, and never white.
Neck and Shoulders The neck, if anything should be rather short, well set in, and lionlike, covered with a profuse mane, and frill of long, straight, glossy hair, sweeping from the under jaw, and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders and chest, as well as flowing on the top part of the shoulders. The shoulders must be tolerably clean, and laid well back.
Body The back must be short, and the body compact, being well ribbed up and the barrel well rounded. The chest must be fairly deep and not too wide.
Legs The fore legs must be perfectly straight, of medium length, not such as would be termed either ‘leggy’ or ‘low on leg’, but in due proportion in length and strength to a well-balanced frame, and the fore legs and thighs must be well feathered
The tail is characteristic of the breed, and should be well twisted right up from the root tightly over the back, or lying flat on the back slightly on either side, and profusely covered with long hair, spreading out and flowing over the back.
Coat Properly speaking there should be two coats, an under and an over coat, the one a soft, fluffy under -coat, and the other a long, perfectly straight, and glossy coat, covering the whole of the body, being very abundant round the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest, where it should form a frill of long, flowing hair, extending over the shoulders, as previously described. The hind -quarters above the hocks should be clad with long hair or feathering from the hocks downwards, like the collie. The hair on the tail must be, as previously described, profuse, and flowing over the back.
Colour The following colours are admissible. White, black, blue, brown, black and tan, fawn, sable, red and parti -colours. The whites must be free from lemon or any colour, and the blacks, blues, browns, black and tans, and any reds free from white. A few white hairs in any self-colours shall not disqualify, but should be discouraged.
Size – No dog over 20lb. Weight shall be eligible to take a prize; the smaller specimens to be encouraged, and, where practicable at shows, the classes to be divided by weight, viz., ‘under’ and ‘over’ 7lbs.
Scale of points 1893 -
Value - Appearance 10, Body 10, Head 5, Legs 5, Eyes 5, Tail 10, Ears 5, Coat 10, Nose 5, Colour 10, Neck & Shoulders 5, Size 10 - Grand Total 100
Standard of Points 1898 - 1901
Appearance The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small, erect ears, that appear sensible to every sound ; he should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportments. 15 points. Head Somewhat foxy in outline, or wedge-shaped, the skull being slightly flat (although in the toy varieties the skull may be rather rounder), large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The head in its profile may exhibit a little " stop," which, however, must not be too pronounced, and the hair on head and face must be smooth or short-coated. 5 points. Eyes should be medium in size, rather oblique in shape, not set too wide apart, bright and dark in colour, showing great intelligence and docility of temper. In a white dog black rims round the eyes are preferable. 5 points.
Ears Should be small, and carried perfectly erect, or pricked like those of a fox, and, like the head, should be covered with soft, short hair. No plucking or trimming is allowable. 5 points. Nose In black-and-tan, or white dogs, the nose should be black ; in other coloured Pomeranians it may more often be brown or liver coloured ; but in all cases the nose must be self not parti-coloured, and never white. 5 points.
Neck and Shoulders The neck, if anything, should be rather short, well set in and lion-like, covered with a profuse mane and frill of long, straight, glossy hair, sweeping from under the jaw, and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders and chest, as well as flowing on
the top of the shoulders. The shoulders must be tolerably clean and laid well back. 5 points. Body The back must be short, and the body compact, being well ribbed up, and the barrel well rounded. The chest must be fairly deep, and not too wide. 10 points.
Legs The forelegs must be perfectly straight, of medium length not such as would be termed either " leggy " or " low on leg " but in due proportion in length and strength to a well-balanced frame, and the forelegs and thighs must be well feathered, the feet small and compact in shape. No trimming is allowable. 5 points. Coat. Properly speaking, there should be two coats, an under and an over coat the one a soft, fluffy under coat, the other a long, perfectly straight and glistening coat, covering the whole of the body, being very abundant round the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest, where it should form a frill of long, flowing hair, extending over the shoulders, as previously described. The hindquarters, like those of a collie, should be similarly clad with long hair or feathering from the top of the rump to the hocks. The hair on the tail must be profuse and flowing over the back. 25 points. Tail. The tail is a characteristic of the breed, and should be well twisted right.up from the root tightly over the back, or lying flat on the back, slightly on either side, and profusely covered with long hair, spreading out and flowing over the back. 10 points.
Colour The folowing colours are admissible : White, black, blue, brown, black-and-tan, fawn, sable, red, and parti-colours. The white must be quite free from lemon or any colour, and the blacks, blues, browns, black-and-tan, and reds free from white. A few white hairs in any of the self- colours shall not absolutely disqualify, but should carry great weight against the dog. In parti-coloured dogs, the colours should be evenly distributed on the body. Whole-coloured dogs with a white foot or feet, eg or legs, are decidedly objectionable, and should be discouraged, and cannot compete as whole-coloured specimens. In mixed classes i.e., where whole-coloured and parti-coloured Pomeranians compete together the preference should, if in other points they are equal, be given to the whole - coloured specimens. 10 points. Total 100 points.
STANDARD OF POINTS (BREED STANDARD) 1901
Appearance The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact short coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small erect ears that appear sensible to every sound; he should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportment.
Head The head should be somewhat foxy in outline, or wedge-shaped, the skull being slightly flat (although in the Toy varieties the skull may be rather rounder), large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The head in its profile may exhibit a little “stop” which, however, must not be too pronounced, and the hair on head and face must be smooth or short-coated.
Eyes Should be medium in size, rather oblique in shape, not set too wide apart, bright and dark in colour, showing great intelligence and docility of temper. In a white dog black rims round the eyes are preferable.
Ears Should be small, not set too far apart nor too low down, and carried perfectly erect, like those of a fox, and, like the head, should be covered with soft, short hair. No plucking or trimming is allowable.
Nose In black, black and tan, or white dogs the nose should be black; in other coloured Pomeranians it may more often be brown or liver-coloured, but in all cases the nose must be self, not parti-coloured, and never white.
Neck and Shoulders The neck, if anything should be rather short, well set on, and lion-like, covered with a profuse mane, and frill of long, straight, hair, sweeping from the under jaw, and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders. The shoulders must be tolerably clean, and laid well back.
Body The back must be short, and the body compact, being well ribbed up and the barrel well rounded. The chest must be fairly deep and not too wide.
Legs The fore legs must be perfectly straight, of medium length, not such as would be termed either ‘leggy’ or ‘low on leg’, but in due proportion in length and strength to a well-balanced frame, and the forelegs and thighs must be well feathered, the feet small and compact in shape. No trimming is allowable.
Tail The tail is characteristic of the breed, and should be turned over the back and carried flat being profusely covered with long, spreading hair.
Coat Properly speaking there should be two coats, an under and an over coat, the one a soft, fluffy under -coat, and the other a long, perfectly straight, and coat, covering the whole of the body, being very abundant round the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest, where it should form a frill of profuse, standing off straight hair, extending over the shoulders, as previously described. The hind –quarters, like those of the Collie, should be similarly clad with long hair, or feathering from the top of the rump to the hocks. The hair on the tail must be, as previously described, profuse, and flowing over the back.
Colour The following colours are admissible: - White, black, blue or grey, brown, sable or shaded sable (including red, orange or fawn), and parti -colours. The whites must be quite free from lemon or any colour, and the blacks, blues, browns and sables from any white. A few white hairs in any of the self-colours shall not absolutely disqualify, but should carry great weight against a dog. In parti-coloured dogs the colours should be evenly distributed on the body in patches; a dog with a white foot or a white chest would not be a parti-coloured. Whole coloured dogs with a white foot or feet, leg or legs, are decidedly objectionable and should be discouraged, and cannot compete as whole coloured specimens. In mixed classes - where whole coloured and parti-coloured Pomeranians compete together - the preference should, if in other points they are equal, be given to the whole coloured specimens.
STANDARD OF POINTS (BREED STANDARD) 1906
The same as 1901 Standard other than a slight re-arranging of the wording in the admissible colours – the brackets were removed after the term ‘ shaded sable’.
Colour – The following colours are admissible: - White, black, blue or grey, brown, sable, shaded sable, red, orange, fawn and parti -colours.
STANDARD OF POINTS (BREED STANDARD) December 1909 –1925
Appearance The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact short coupled dog, well knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small erect ears that appear sensible to every sound; he should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, activity, and buoyancy in his deportment.
Head The head should be foxy in outline, or wedge-shaped, the skull being slightly flat, large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The hair on head and face must be smooth or short-coated. The nose should be black in white, orange, and shaded-sable dogs; but in other colours may be “self-coloured”, but never parti-coloured or white.
Ears The ears should be small, not set too far apart, nor too low down, but carried perfectly erect like those of a fox.
Eyes The eyes should be medium in size, not full nor set too wide apart, bright and dark in colour, and showing great intelligence. In white, orange, shaded-sables and cream dogs, the rims round the eyes should be black.
Neck and Body The neck should be rather short and well set in. The back must be short, and the bodycompact, being well ribbed up and the barrel well rounded. The chest must be fairly deep and not too wide, but in proportion to the size of the dog.
Legs The forelegs must be well feathered and perfectly straight, of medium length, perfectly straight, of medium length and not such as would be termed either ‘leggy’ or ‘low on leg’, but in length and strength in due proportion to a well-balanced frame. The shoulders should be clean and well laid back. The hind legs and thighs must be well feathered down to the hocks, and must be neither “ cow-hocked” nor wide behind. They must be fine in bone and free in action. The feet should be small and compact in shape.
Tail The tail is one of the characteristics of the breed, and should be turned over the back and carried flat and straight, being profusely covered with long, harsh, spreading hair.
Coat There should be two coats - an undercoat and an overcoat, the one, a soft, fluffy undercoat, the other a long, perfectly straight coat, harsh in texture and covering the whole of the body, being very abundant round the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest, where it should form a frill of profuse, standing off straight hair, extending over the shoulders. The hind -quarters, should be clad with long hair, or feathering, from the top of the rump to the hocks.
Colour –All whole colours are admissible, but they should be free from white shadings. At present the whole coloured dogs are:- White, black, brown - light or dark, blue as pale as possible, orange which should be deep and even in colour as possible, beaver and cream which should have black noses and black rims around the eyes. Whites must be quite free from lemon or any other colour. A few white hairs in any of the self-coloured dogs shall not necessarily disqualify. Dogs other than white, with white or tan markings, are decidedly objectionable, and should be discouraged. They cannot compete as whole coloured specimens. In parti-coloured dogs the colours should be evenly distributed on the body in patches; a dog with a white or tan feet or chest would not be a parti-coloured dog. Shaded sables should be shaded throughout with three or more colours, the hair to be as uniformly shaded as possible, and with no patches of self-colour. In mixed classes - where whole coloured and parti-coloured Pomeranians compete together - the preference should, if in other points they are equal, be given to the whole coloured specimens.
Pomeranians -These are now divided into Pomeranians (over 7 Ibs.) and Pomeranians Miniature, and the Committee of the Kennel Club have laid down the following standard, applying from June 1st, 1909 :
THE POMERANIAN. Appearance. The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small erect ears that appear sensible to every sound. He should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportment. In weight and size the Pomeranian varies considerably. He must be over 7Ibs., but preferably he should weigh about 10 to 14 Ibs.
Head. The head should be somewhat foxy in outline or wedge-shaped, the skull being flat, large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The hair on the head and face must be smooth and short-coated.
THE POMERANIAN MINIATURE Appearance. The Pomeranian Miniature in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog. His head and face should be like a miniature fox, with small, erect, and very mobile ears, pricked and brought well together, and in no case lop-eared. He should be full of life, intelligent in expression, and docile in disposition. The Pomeranian Miniature should preferably weigh about 3 to 5 Ibs., but must not exceed 7 Ibs. Dogs above 7 Ibs. must be registered as Pomeranians. Dogs below 7 Ibs. in weight must, at twelve months of age or after, be registered or re-registered as Pomeranians Miniature, and being so registered or re-registered, can never compete in classes for Pomeranians. Head. The head should be wedge-shaped and rather foxy in outline, but the skull may be rounder than the Pomeranian.
Please note – “The stop” was removed in the 1909 Standard. In 1910 Miss Ives justified this by explaining there was too much latitude regarding the roundness of the skull. She said ‘ This defect has, in a great measure during the course of the last few years, been bred out, and the present day miniature specimens can rank with their larger brethren in the beautiful wedge- shaped head without the obtrusive stop and dome which largely characterised them in the past years’. ( Information from Mr Bendelow’s 1991 book).
.......................................................................................
NOTE ON REGISTRATIONS WITH THE KENNEL CLUB
Unregistered Poms were permitted to be KC registered as late as 1972, after this date the registry was closed. A late example of this was Andersley Aquita of Hadleigh (the dam of Andersley Aquaseal who when bred to Ch Ringwood Black Ace produced winning offspring) - Aquita was by two unregistered Poms - the sire was Punch and the dam Tina.
Article Copyright Vivienne Peterson B.A., March 2008 / Web design Vyctoria Brock B.A.(Hons)
