¶Table of Contents
¶Quick Facts
The Pomeranian is the smallest variety of German Spitz: a very small but lively companion dog with a dense double coat, an alert nature and a readiness to bark. It is best suited to someone who wants to train and engage a real dog in a small body, rather than someone looking for a dog that will mainly be carried.
- Breed and origin: German Spitz, Pomeranian/Zwergspitz, originating in Germany and later developed in England
- Size: typically 18–23 cm at the withers and around 2–3 kg; the breed standard specifies 21 cm with permitted variation and says weight should be appropriate for the dog's size
- Expected lifespan: approximately 12–16 years is a guide, not a promise for an individual dog
- Temperament: often alert, cheerful, affectionate and quick to learn, although the individual, upbringing and daily life all have a major influence
- Activity: daily walks, scent work and short training sessions, with time for calm and recovery
- Coat care: a thorough groom approximately every other week and more often during shedding
- Points to consider: barking, dental care, patella status and safe handling around young children and much larger dogs
“Teacup Pomeranian” and “mini Pomeranian” are not separately recognised size varieties. They are marketing terms that offer no more reliable prediction of adult size, health or temperament. The official variety is called Pomeranian or Zwergspitz. Assess the parents, adult relatives, health information and the breeder's aims instead of relying on a sales label.
¶Appearance & Coat
The Pomeranian is compact and squarely built, with a small, pointed head, small upright ears and a profuse tail carried high over the back. Its abundant coat gives it a rounder outline than the body underneath.
The breed has a double coat. The outer coat should be long, straight and standing away from the body, while the undercoat is short, dense and soft. The coat forms a distinct ruff around the neck, breeches on the hind legs and a bushy tail. The standard describes a natural coat that should not look shaped by trimming. Recognised colours include white, black, brown, orange and wolf grey, as well as several other defined colours and combinations.
A thorough groom approximately every other week is a useful starting point according to the Swedish Kennel Club, but many dogs need more frequent brushing while shedding. Work through the coat down to the skin rather than merely smoothing the surface. Increase care as soon as small tangles begin to form. Frequency should follow the dog's coat, the season and its daily routine; one fixed schedule will not suit every individual.
Coat quality matters more than maximum volume. A correct double coat contains both outer coat and undercoat. An abundance of undercoat combined with a lack of outer coat is a recognised problem in the breed and can make the coat difficult to manage. When meeting a breeder, it is therefore useful to see adult dogs, not only a puppy's soft puppy coat.
¶Temperament & Personality
Pomeranians are often alert, lively and strongly attached to their people. The breed standard describes a cheerful, affectionate and trainable dog without a pronounced hunting instinct, but this is a breeding ideal, not a guarantee of how every individual will behave with strangers, children or other animals.
The Spitz's watchfulness means it may react quickly to sounds, movement outside a window or someone arriving at the door. Barking has its roots in the breed's alarm role. The aim need not be a dog that never announces anything, but one that can stop, seek guidance from its handler and settle again. Limit opportunities to rehearse long bouts of barking, reward pauses and practise a calm routine around recurring triggers.
Socialisation is valuable but does not promise a particular temperament. Let the puppy meet people, environments and steady dogs at a pace at which it can still think, make contact and recover. More exposure is not necessarily better if the dog feels overwhelmed.
A BPH behavioural assessment can show how the dog being assessed reacted during standardised exercises, but the result is not a pass or fail and does not predict everything. The available Pomeranian data are also limited. Consider any BPH result alongside the parents' everyday behaviour and what the breeder can tell you about adult relatives.
¶Training & Exercise
A Pomeranian needs physical and mental activity every day, but there is no universal number of minutes that suits every dog. A sound routine combines walks at the dog's pace with scent work, cooperation, play and undisturbed rest. Judge the balance by the dog's body condition, movement, concentration and ability to settle, not only by the distance covered.
The breed may enjoy nosework, rally obedience and agility when the tasks and setting are adapted to the dog's size and experience. Loose-lead work, recall, tricks and searching for food or objects can also provide worthwhile engagement. Let the dog's interest determine the length of each session rather than following a fixed five- or ten-minute schedule.
Reward-based training helps the dog understand what pays off without making it more uncertain. Prioritise the following early on:
- calm handling of paws, mouth and coat
- attention and recall even when something moves or makes a sound
- being able to withdraw and rest
- a learned pause after the dog has noticed a sound
- confidence on different surfaces and during everyday travel
The small body calls for safety, not inactivity. Pick the dog up when a situation presents a genuine risk, but also let it walk, sniff and solve simple tasks independently. Prevent falls from furniture or people's arms and stop rough play with much larger dogs before the difference in size becomes a problem.
¶Health
When buying a puppy in Sweden, the parents' registered patella status, information about teeth and bite, and any coat problems in adult relatives are particularly useful. Identified dogs, registered results and open answers tell you more than a long list of possible diseases.
Patellar luxation occurs in Pomeranians and other small dog breeds. In Sweden, patella examination is not a compulsory health programme for the breed, but the Swedish Pomeranian breed club recommends examining breeding dogs. The club recommends that dogs graded 2 or 3 are not used for breeding and that grade 1 is only paired with grade 0. This is a breeding recommendation, not a guarantee of a puppy's future health.
Ask for the parents' registered names or registration numbers and check the results in the Swedish Kennel Club's Hunddata or Avelsdata databases. Verify the dog's identity, examination date and status for both parents. The statement “the parents have been tested” is not sufficient if the identity and result cannot be traced.
Hair loss is sometimes described as “black skin disease”, BSD or alopecia X. The breed's current Swedish breeding strategy stresses that BSD is neither a disease in itself nor a scientific diagnostic term, but an informal umbrella term for several conditions that can cause coat loss. Unexplained hair loss therefore needs veterinary assessment. Ask how the coats of the parents and older relatives developed, but do not demand definite assurances about inheritance when the causes are unclear.
Teeth, jaws and bite are also important in the breed. Accustom the puppy to having its mouth examined and start toothbrushing early; ideally, the teeth should be brushed daily. Seek help if the dog is in pain, has difficulty eating or if its bite appears to injure soft tissue in the mouth.
¶History & Origins
The Pomeranian originated in Germany and belongs to the German Spitz family. Zwergspitz means Dwarf Spitz, while Pomeranian is the internationally familiar name for the same official size variety.
The breed's modern type was developed further in England. The Pomeranian Club was formed there in 1891 and an early breed standard was produced. Its documented history is therefore best summarised as a German Spitz background with important further development in England, rather than an unbroken, certain story about one particular prehistoric type of dog.
The breed's former alarm role helps explain its present-day watchfulness and tendency to bark. Today the Pomeranian is kept primarily as a companion, but it retains the Spitz's alertness and often enjoys tasks that involve cooperation and using its nose.
¶Living with the Breed
A Pomeranian can live successfully with children, other animals and in a flat, but only when the adults adapt the environment to a very small, alert dog. Neither the breed name nor early socialisation makes interactions automatically safe.
Young children and dogs should always have an adult close by. The child should sit down for contact, allow the dog to leave and never carry it without help. The dog needs an undisturbed resting place. A Pomeranian is not a toy, and a fall from someone's arms or high furniture can have serious consequences even though the breed is lively and robust for its size.
With other dogs, controlled meetings matter more than numerous meetings. Choose calm individuals, practise calm contact at a distance and interrupt uneven physical play. Introduce a cat gradually, preferably beginning with scent and a barrier. The cat must have its own escape route, and chasing must not become a rehearsed behaviour. Do not leave the animals alone together until their interactions are stable.
Living in a flat can work when the dog receives activity outdoors and can relax indoors. The central issue is often noise rather than floor space. In a building where sound travels, the owner needs to prevent window and door guarding, practise calm routines and take the impact on neighbours seriously.
Pomeranians are often described as strongly attached to their people and should learn to be alone gradually. A puppy cannot be left alone from the outset. Begin with very short periods in a safe setting and increase them only while the dog remains calm. If it begins to bark persistently, pace, scratch or cannot settle, the exercise has become too difficult and needs to be simplified.
Before buying a puppy, check more than colour and a promised adult weight:
- meet the dam and, if possible, other adult relatives
- ask how they behave around sounds, strangers, handling and rest
- verify the identity and patella result of both parents
- ask about teeth, bite and lasting coat loss in the family
- ask the breeder to explain the aim of the mating and how previous offspring have developed
- reject sales claims that present “teacup” or “mini” as a health guarantee
A good match is a Pomeranian whose likely temperament and care needs suit your daily life, from a breeder who provides documentation, knows their adult dogs and can speak as openly about variation and risks as about the breed's charm.
¶Characteristics
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Breed Type | Purebred |
| Aggressiveness | 1/5 |
| Child Friendly | 3/5 |
| Energy | 2/5 |
| Hair Shedding | 2/5 |
| Health | 3/5 |
| Intelligence | 4/5 |
| Grooming Needs | 4/5 |
| Learning Ability | 4/5 |
| Barking Level | 5/5 |
| Height | 18 – 23 cm |
| Weight | 2 – 2 kg |
| Life Expectancy | 12 – 16 years |
¶Pomeranian price
Here you can see typical asking prices for Pomeranian in Sweden over the last 12 months.
The calculation is based on valid Get a Pet listings from the last 12 months, including active and expired listings. These are asking prices, not confirmed sale prices.
¶Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pomeranians good family dogs and do they get along with children?
They can be good family companions, but their tiny size and fragile build mean they are best suited to homes with gentle, dog‑savvy children. Many enjoy playing and being involved in family life, but supervision is important to prevent rough handling or accidental injury.
How much exercise does a Pomeranian really need each day?
Despite their small size, they are active and typically need two short walks plus playtime each day. Mental stimulation such as training games is just as important as physical exercise, because they are alert, quick learners that can become noisy or restless if bored.
Do Pomeranians bark a lot and can this be controlled?
They are naturally vocal watchdogs and tend to bark at new sounds, people or animals. Early training that rewards quiet behavior, along with enough exercise and mental activity, can significantly reduce nuisance barking but will not eliminate their alert nature.
What kind of grooming does a Pomeranian’s double coat require?
Their thick double coat needs brushing several times a week to prevent matting, especially around the neck, behind the ears and on the hindquarters. Professional grooming every few months can help keep the coat tidy, and shaving very short is generally discouraged because it can damage coat texture and growth.
Are Pomeranians prone to specific health problems?
They are particularly at risk for dental disease, luxating patellas, tracheal collapse and certain eye conditions. Regular veterinary checkups, good dental care and careful weight management help reduce the impact of these common issues.
Is a Pomeranian a good choice for apartment living?
Their small size and moderate exercise needs suit apartments well, as long as their barking is managed. They need daily walks, indoor play and consistent training so that their watchdog tendencies do not cause conflicts with neighbors.
How fragile is a Pomeranian and what should owners watch out for?
They have fine bone structure and are vulnerable to injury from falls, jumps off furniture and rough handling. Owners should supervise interactions with children and larger dogs, use a harness instead of a collar for walks and be cautious on stairs and slippery floors.
What is the typical temperament of a Pomeranian with strangers and other dogs?
They are usually bold, curious and sometimes a bit suspicious of strangers, often announcing visitors with barking. With other dogs, they may act fearless despite their size, so early socialization is important to build confidence and appropriate manners.
Do Pomeranians shed a lot and is there a heavy shedding season?
They shed year‑round and many go through heavier seasonal shedding, especially when they blow their undercoat. Regular brushing and frequent vacuuming help manage loose hair, but people wanting a low‑shed breed may find the coat difficult to live with.
Are Pomeranians easy to train and housebreak?
They are intelligent and usually eager to learn, which makes basic obedience training quite achievable with positive methods. Housebreaking can take patience because of their small bladder size, so a consistent schedule, frequent trips outside and sometimes indoor potty options are helpful.¶Comparisons with other breeds
Compare Pomeranian with other breeds and see the differences in temperament, activity level, and care to make a confident choice. Show all comparisons
¶Find Pomeranian for sale in Sverige
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