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differences

19 17:16:05

Question
I have two little Poms, 10-12 lbs., but they are so different.  One is red/white and has the little pug, teddy bear face, his hair/fur is of a fine type and very loveable.
The other is black, with a long nose and straight eyes .. his fur is more course, with little hir/fur on the lower parts of the legs & paws. He too is loveable to the family but aggressive to strangers.

I have papers on him, but he does not seem like a Pom to me ... and looks more like a small Spitz


Answer
Poms come in a variety of colors and due to some unethical breeding pracitces they can come in a variety of coat textures/personality differences- good and bad and structural variables.

Pomeranians enjoy kinship ties with such breeds as the Samoyed, the Keeshond, and some others. In fact, the Pomeranian belongs to Spitz-type dogs used primarily as working dogs in countries with a cold climate. Those double-coated sled dogs could bear harsh weather conditions with ease. Small ears prevented them from catching cold and long legs helped them from sinking in snow too deeply.

Picture source:
DreamWeaver Pomeranians  
Later the dogs appeared in Germany, particularly, in its eastern part called Pomerania. Evidently, the breed's name originates from that European region. Interestingly enough, the Germans prefer to call the breed "Zwergspitz," or "Dwarfspitz." These names stress the Pomeranian's diminutive size.

The Pomeranian got the lion's share of its present day popularity once it traveled to Great Britain. It is known that these dogs were in high favor with the royalty. Queen Charlotte brought her first Pomeranian from Germany. Pomeranians in white colors seemed to be very popular in Great Britain in spite of the fact that German breed fanciers had already bred multi-colored species. Those dogs were much larger than the Pomeranian of today, the average size being 20 to 30 pounds.

The Pomeranian's appearance and functions underwent significant changes once it was introduced to British public. Queen Victoria started a fashion for exhibiting Pomeranians. Breeders were supposed to underline the dog's small size, a fluffy coat, and liveliness. By the turn of the 20th century colored, tiny Pomeranians grew very popular not only in Britain but also in America, and elsewhere.

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