The Pomeranian Dog

The Pomeranian is one of they toy breeds and weighs between 3
and 7 pounds (there are larger poms, and although not to the
breed standard, they still make wonderful loving pets!).
Intelligent and vivacious, these little dogs will steal your
heart, but don't let them get away with too much as they must
be properly trained or they will become too demanding. With
proper care your Pom can live to about 15 years old.

History

Did you know the Pomeranian was once a much larger dog that
weighed around 35 pounds? A cousin to the spitz type dogs,
this pampered lap dog once called the arctic home.

Bred down to it's tiny size over the centuries, the Pomeranian
became popular in the late 1800's when Queen Victorian brought
a 12 pound Pom back from Italy. This vivacious little dog soon
became a favorite of European royalty and was bred to be even
smaller until it reached the average of 5 pounds.

Historically, the Pomeranian has been fancied by many famous
Europeans. Michelangelo had a little Pom that sat on a silk
pillow and watched him while he painted the Sistine Chapel.
Martin Luther, the great church leader had one of these little
dogs that he mentioned often in his work. Mozart had a
Pomeranian that he dedicated an Aria to and Chopin composed the
Valse des Petits Chiens for his girlfriends Pom.

Care and Grooming

Pomeranians are easy to care for but do need some special
attention. They can be easily groomed in less than 1 hour a
day, but I am sure you will want to spend much more time than
that bonding with your pet!

Brushing your Pomeranian every day is a good way to bond with
your pet as well as insure his coat is healthy and looks good.
Poms have a double coat that can easily become matted so
brushing is necessary. A once a week - or every couple of
weeks - bath is a nice way to keep your Pom smelling and
looking good! Don't forget to groom around his paws and tail
area as well as clip his nails.

Unfortunately, Pomeranians can be prone to tooth problems.
Tooth loss and bacterial buildup is not uncommon in these
little dogs so you should take extra care to make sure your pet
has the proper dental care. Brush your dogs teeth daily with a
specially formulated enzymatic tooth paste that fights bacteria
and have yearly dental checks and scaling if necessary. Tooth
care is quite important to your dogs overall health as if
bacteria is left unchecked in the mouth, it can spread
throughout the dogs body and cause health problems for your
pet.

The Pom's eyes are another area where you should pay some
special attention. Like most small dogs, discharge from the
eye can accumulate causing staining and, sometimes a goopy
mess. Clean the area around the eye daily with a Q-tip (be
careful not to get too close to the dogs eye). If the fur
around the eye becomes stained, you can buy a special liquid
that helps remove the staining.

Health Problems

Luxating Patellas or a knee that slips out of place is common
in Pomeranians andin some cases this may require surgery. Many
Poms suffer from hypothyroidism which can cause other problems
and should be checked by your vet. Some Poms lose patches of
hair as they grow older. This usually starts at the back and
moves forward. If your Pom sounds like he is coughing then he
may have a collapsing trachea which is not uncommon in this
breed. An xray can determine if this is the problem and
medication can be given to reduce coughing. Tooth loss and
bacteria build up is a problem in Pomeranians as well as other
small dogs.