The Pomeranian at
present has been bred to include an extensive variety of colours, patterns and
markings-and development still continues.
In South Africa we have almost all the colours and patterns mentioned
here-though some in limited quantities. We do not have Merle or Brindle
Pomeranians in South Africa.
In this list I
mention the UK Breed Standard a lot, as South Africa follows suit to Britain,
except when we host FCI shows. I also
mention the American Breed Standard extensively, as in my personal opinion, it
has become The Breed Standard we all should follow-the most complete, and
distinctively well written Standard, I feel, of any breed.
The current UK Standard
does not list every variation it simply states ‘All whole colours permissible,
but free from black or white shadings’ however just as in South Africa, at
shows, whole colours and shaded sables are given preference(this is supposed to
be ‘if exhibits are of equal merit’) over colour patterns.
The AKC allows all
colours and colour patterns and are all judged equally. There are no
‘disqualifying’ colours or patterns in Britain, America or South Africa; yet,
judging decisions are still influenced by the prejudicial clause in all previously
British-occupied country’s Breed Standards.
The AKC has a
beautiful sentence at the start of the colour section of their Breed Standard
that states ‘All colours, patterns, and variations there-of are allowed and
must be judged on an equal basis’. Some of the Asian and Pilipino countries
have opted to adopt revised versions of the American Breed Standard.
If you are planning
on showing your Pomeranian in South Africa, you can follow the guidelines set
out by Britain, as we follow the UK Breed Standard as it is revised(we have yet
to change ours from ‘All colours permissible’ to ‘All whole colours
permissible’-a mistake made in the KC’s 1986 Breed Standard revision). You are
able to register all these colours(we don’t have a list of register able colours)
but you must follow the Breed Standard guidelines
and that inevitably remains unfair, as whole colours are almost always favoured-I
suspect a change in South Africa though with the new generation of show
breeders and club members willing to broaden their perspective and able to
notice that the current SA Breed Standard leaves much to be desired concerning
its colour section.
The Pomeranian is a
WORLD breed, I do believe, not belonging to any one country. It might share its
inheritance with different countries and different breeds, but we cannot merely
copy another country’s Standard. Britain
is anyway not recognised as country of origin, Germany is. Ultimately meaning
that, if we should copy anyone’s Standard, it must be the FCI Standard-which
groups the five Spitz dogs in one Standard-also not the ideal.
These descriptions
are made off of my own assumptions from seeing pictures of the colours and
markings and from research I have done and questions I have asked. A lot of
help from Vivienne of Pomkins, without whom I would never have been able to
complete this list. Vivienne, thank you for all the help, all the links and all
the extra information you have allowed me to use from your own studies. I do
not personally own all the colours mentioned, thus I have to make due with
imagery and other breeders’ experiences.
Beaver
Beaver
coloured Pomeranians are varied in hue from a dull creamish colour to a tannish
brown. Beaver is a chocolate dilute. The points on Beaver are a pinkish liver colour,
which is what sets them apart. Beaver is
an official whole colour AND it is a common dog. Most Beavers are born brown
and fade to a liver colour. Lips, eye rims and foot pads are a dilute of
chocolate. Beavers are not TYPICALLY a desired colour for the show ring due to
the fact that they usually have hazel eyes. To the inexperienced eye, a Beaver
Pomeranian may appear to be the result of bad breeding-confused with a dudley
nose-but a good breeder will recognize that the unique nose is a trait
displayed by the dilute gene, one very few comes across.
** Accepted
by all registering bodies as a whole colour.
Beaver
Sable
In all
factors the same as Beaver, except for the light sable tipping-mostly fading as
the pups age (clear sable).
** AKC
recognises this colour as an Alternate. Would fall under ‘any colour not
recognized’-KC and ‘other colour’-FCI. Brown tipping is described as sable thus
darker brown tipping on an otherwise dilute brown dog would be Beaver Sable.
Black
A Black is
generally described as jet black or pictured as coal black, completely devoid
of any white, red or brown hairs. The guard hairs are consistently the same
colour all over the dog's body although some reddening, or sun burning of the
coat may appear in those dogs which spend time outdoors. The undercoat may be
duller in colour particularly prior to shedding. The points -eye rims, nose,
lips and pads-are black. When seen in the sunlight, a bluish hue is preferred
to a rusty hue (called foxy black in Germany).
Some feel the Pomeranians with the bluish cast, being what are called
true blacks. Some Blacks have white markings;
this either shows they have the Parti-gene (Parti-factored/mismark) although
breeders with no Parti Pomeranians in the bloodline have also reported random
white hairs on the chest and breeches (mismark-discussed further down). White
markings are highly undesirable for show. With age a white muzzle will form,
greying much the same as humans, this is affectionately termed: Frosting, by
some. Frosting/greying occurs in almost
all colours and patterns with age but more noticeable on dark colours or Pomeranians
carrying the mask gene.
** Accepted
by all registering bodies as a whole colour.
Black
& Tan
Black &
Tan Pomeranians are Black Pomeranians with a tan or rust pattern. The undercoat of the base colour should be a
lighter shade of the base colour and the points -eye rims, nose, lips and pads-should
be black. In Black & Tan dogs of equal quality, darker rust markings are
preferred over lighter Tan markings.
Pattern: The
pattern is sharply defined with Tan points appearing above each eye, on both
sides of the muzzle, cheeks, inside of ears, throat, fore chest which has
either one very large tan spot or two tan spots called "rosettes" on
each side of the chest above the front legs; on all legs and feet, there may be
a distinct "pencil mark" line in the base colour running lengthwise
on the top of each toe on all four feet; the underside of the tail which is on
top when the tail is carried over the back; and the breechings or skirt. The Tan
marking ranges from a light cream (sometimes referred to as "silver")
to a dark mahogany rust. Occasionally there is a lack of the ‘& Tan’
pattern causing some of the markings to be lost or diminished.
‘& Tan’
markings are clear tan markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Silver’
markings are silvery grey markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Rust’
markings are copper/rusty markings on a solid colour coat. *Preferred
** Official
AKC Standard colour, allowed by the FCI under ‘any other colour’, still
regarded as highly undesirable by the KC and thus KUSA and the rest of the
previously British-occupied countries (though able to register as ‘any colour
not recognized by the KC’)-the German Spitz Club (noted by the FCI as country
of origin) insisted on an amendment when the KC omitted Black & Tan (a
starting foundation colour of the breed) from the list of recognized colours. To me it is HIGHLY OBJECTIONABLE that South
Africa follow suit and merely use a copy of their Standard. We are a dog country in own right and it is
time we step up and protect the breed from personal dislikes towards colour. When we all want to claim the breed
Pomeranian to be so much different from their cousins the Klein Spitz, why
stick to a hundred year old Breed Standard which was more suited to the dogs of
the day-with only an amendment of a word here and there.
America has
embraced the Pomeranian breed and it is clear in their well-structured Breed Standard.
*** For more
information on the history of this colour and the blatant personal dislikes
that made this colour so ‘objectionable’ visit the Pomkins Pomeranians website
and read the History of Black and Tan under the colour section of the
Pomeranian Project.
****A
wonderful article on Black & Tan, the Saddle pattern of some Sables as well
as Wolf Sables- ‘A SINE Insertion Causes the Black-and-Tan and Saddle Tan
Phenotypes in Domestic Dogs’-April 13th 2011-Dayna L. Dreger and
Sheila M. Schmutz
Blue
A dilute of
the colour Black. Coat may be many shades of Blue from a slate colour to a
shade of grey. Blue is a solid colour which is actually light to dark grey and
often has a bluish cast. The undercoat is also grey. Blue puppies are born the colour
of silver or appear black before developing a silvery grey undercoat and a
darker slate blue top coat. Some blues may be so dark as adults that they
appear Black until they are seen next to a true representative of that colour.
The points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads-are blue, it is possible for the eyes
to be a light colour (blue or hazel), although this is a fault according to the
Breed Standard, eyes must be dark. Blue can be a deep grey with a blue tint,
too an almost black coat colour with a blue tint, lighter colour more desired
for show. Colour Dilution Alopecia is a
major problem amongst the Blues and that is probably why we see so little of
them.
**AKC
standard colour-still recognized by all registering bodies as a whole colour
accept the KC whom neglected to add this WHOLE colour to their online
list of permissible colours when the breed standard was amended. In Britain, blue
still remains in the Breed Standard as a whole colour. The FCI makes no direct
mention of the colour in the breed standard but would be register able under
‘other colour’.
Blue
& Tan
Blue &
Tan Pomeranians are Blue Pomeranians with the ‘& Tan’ pattern. The undercoat of the base colour should be a
lighter shade of the base colour and the points (eye rims, nose, lips and pads)
should be blue. In Blue & Tan dogs of equal quality, darker markings are
preferred over lighter Tan markings, although I have yet to see a Blue & Tan
with dark tan markings. The tan is usually a dulled version of the tan on Black
& Tan.
Pattern: The
pattern is sharply defined with Tan points appearing above each eye, on both
sides of the muzzle, cheeks, inside of ears, throat, fore chest which has
either one very large tan spot or two tan spots called "rosettes" on
each side of the chest above the front legs; on all legs and feet, there may be
a distinct "pencil mark" line in the base colour running lengthwise
on the top of each toe on all four feet; the underside of the tail which is on
top when the tail is carried over the back; and the breechings or skirt. The
tan marking ranges from a light cream (sometimes referred to as
"silver") to a dulled tan. Occasionally there is a lack of the ‘&
Tan’ pattern causing some of the markings to be lost or diminished.
‘& Tan’
markings are clear tan markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Silver’
markings are silvery grey markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Rust’
markings are copper/rusty markings on a solid colour coat
**AKC Standard
colour, yet if we can’t even get the rest of the world to allow black and tan
on equal basis, I am rather unsure if a dilute of the same pattern would make
the cut. Would be register able under ‘any other colour-KC and ‘other
colour’-FCI
Blue
Sable
In all
factors the same as Blue, except for the sable tipping-mostly fading as the
pups age.
**Standard
AKC colour, not mentioned by any other registering body. Would
fall under ‘any colour not recognized’-KC and ‘other colour’-FCI, but again
quite possible as blue tipping is described as sable, thus darker blue tipping
on an otherwise pale Blue dog would be Blue Sable.
Brindle
The Brindle
pattern consists of stripe overlays on a base colour; one colour makes zigzag
patterns over the dogs other coat colour. The base colour is gold, red, or
orange. It may appear in conjunction with another coat pattern such as Parti or
Black & Tan (the stripes will show in the tan areas). The undercoat and
points -eye rims, nose, lips and pads-should be correct for the base colour.
The stripes may be broad or thin and may extend the entire width of the body or
only part of the width. Because adult Pomeranian coats become longer than their
puppy coats, the stripes may appear broken in the adult coat. Some Brindles may
have a dark dorsal stripe. Brindle is
considered a pattern or marking and not a colour as such.
A different
version of this pattern exists in some Asian countries, whereas the zigzag
pattern is far broader than the norm, see below for more information.
** Standard
AKC markings register able in conjunction with a whole colour i.e. blue brindle
and black & brindle, Japan Kennel Club (Japanese brindle), China Kennel
Club, yet this pattern would have to be registered under the ‘any other colour’
tag in other countries including South Africa, where it is not recognised as a
pattern-yet mentioned in stud books from early the 1900’s.
Calico
I believe
the term was coined by Canton Pomeranian owner and breeder, Basilio Yap, as a
future quest, a new colour.
I do not
have evidence of this occurring in other countries but it seems in some Asian
countries (the Philippines to be more correct) there has been experimentation
to develop a colour pattern with much the same patchwork look as Merle except
they are developing it from Brindles-some incorporating this with a white
spotting gene and others with the merle gene. Some refer to it as Japanese Brindle,
which behaves quite differently from the Brindle described above. In Japanese Brindle,
the patchy colour is believed to be due to two alleles of the E series side by
side on the same chromosome. Only one can be expressed, and different parts of
the animal will show the expression of different genes. The result is a coat
made up of random small patches of tan and black pigment, rather like a tortoiseshell
cat. If a Japanese Brindle animal also has the genes for extensive white spotting,
the tan and black pigmented areas tend to become larger and more compact,
similar to what one sees in a calico cat (genetically, a tortoiseshell with
white markings.) This animal would have a coat which is a rather random
patchwork of black, yellow and white. The colour has very little similarity to
Brindle in the dog. Think koi fish patterns-if they could produce that, there
is no doubt we will be seeing more and more Calico Pomeranians in the near
future.
**Well this
will be a whole new debate once the colour is properly developed and more
available.
Chocolate/Brown
The colour Brown
includes all shades from the darkest chocolate to the lighter beaver. The Chocolate
is a rich dark candy colour that is self-coloured throughout. Some reddening,
or sun burning of the coat may appear in dogs which spend time outdoors. The
points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads-are brown.
A dog which
has any black in its coat or points is not a chocolate. Chocolate (brown)
should be a rich Nestle colour. Some are very dark though and can look almost
black at first glance. A dilute of black, and can range from almost black to a
dusty cinnamon colour. Some Chocolates have light green, yellow or blue eyes-a
fault in the show ring. Eyes must be black.
** Accepted
by all registering bodies as a whole colour, UK refers to it as light-or dark
brown.
Chocolate
& Tan
Chocolate
& Tan Pomeranians are Chocolate Pomeranians with tan or rust. The undercoat of the base colour should be a
lighter shade of the base colour and the points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads
should be Chocolate. In Chocolate & Tan dogs of equal quality, darker clear
tan markings are preferred over lighter/silver tan markings.
Pattern: The
pattern is sharply defined with Tan points appearing above each eye, on both
sides of the muzzle, cheeks, inside of ears, throat, fore chest which has
either one very large tan spot or two tan spots called "rosettes" on
each side of the chest above the front legs; on all legs and feet, there may be
a distinct "pencil mark" line in the base colour running lengthwise
on the top of each toe on all four feet; the underside of the tail which is on
top when the tail is carried over the back; and the breechings or skirt. The
tan marking ranges from a light cream (sometimes referred to as "silver")
to a dark mahogany rust, which makes the ‘& Tan’ pattern les visible
causing some of the markings to be lost or diminished, especially with sun
damage to overall Chocolate coat.
‘& Tan’
markings are clear tan markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Silver’
markings are silvery grey markings on a solid coat colour.
‘& Rust’
markings are copper/rusty markings on a solid colour coat.
**Again the ‘&
Tan’ pattern comes to question-allowed and registered as a standard colour by
the AKC yet still falls under the clause of ‘dogs other than white with tan or
white markings highly undesirable’ by most other registering bodies blah blah
blah.
Chocolate
Sable
In all
factors the same as Chocolate, except for the sable tipping-mostly fading as
the pups age.
**AKC register
able as Alternate colour. Would fall under ‘any colour not recognized’-KC and
‘other colour’-FCI, but again quite possible as chocolate tipping is described
as sable thus darker brown tipping on an otherwise Chocolate dog would be Chocolate
Sable.
Cream
Cream is a
very pale orange, liver or yellow colour. A Cream is an even self-colour
throughout with no white breechings. Due to the harsher texture of the guard
hairs, the top coat may appear slightly deeper in colour than the undercoat.
Creams must have black points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads. Cream is very
popular like Orange. Cream Pomeranians may be light almost white in colour with
a touch of creamy colour throughout the coat. Some Creams are richer in colour
and are almost a light Orange. Creams need to have black points. I have heard
references such as ‘Peach’ or ‘Champagne’ to describe some of the richer creams
sometimes seen. Pomeranians that are Cream (phenotype) as adults may be of two
genetic types (genotypes). New-born puppy appearance will reflect this genetic
difference. More commonly in a puppy that is born smutty (with black hairs) the
coat will become progressively more cream and less smutty as the dog matures
until it is of an overall cream appearance. Otherwise the puppy is born clear
(without any black hairs). This is the result of being homozygous for the cream
gene. The pigment of homozygous creams’ points is often not as dark as those
carrying a sable gene.
**
Recognized by all registering bodies as a whole colour except the FCI where it
falls under ‘other colour’
***Some people
nowadays believe the richer Creams (Champagne/Peach) to actually be a dilute
Orange-Orange is a dilute of Red, thus Cream would be a double dilute-obviously
we would see many more with light eyes and dudley noses and that isn’t the case
in South Africa-most of our Creams have very dark pigment-some darker than the
pigment of an Orange Pomeranian even.
Cream
Sable
In all
factors the same as Cream, except for the sable tipping. Could be black, blue
or chocolate sable tipped. There are different degrees of sable, some are very
dark retaining almost a saddle like pattern on them, and some are left with
only black whiskers at adulthood.
**The AKC
and KC, as well as the other registering bodies register cream sable as a Standard
colour, FCI-‘other colour’.
***Very
controversial term in the UK, some believing there is no such colour. As a friend mentioned it is not uncommon to
hear derogatory terms such as ‘dirty cream’ and ‘washed out orange sable’ used
privately.
Lavender/Lilac
Basically a
breeders term to describe a mixture of liver and extreme blue dilute. Has no
orange tone in the coat colour at all-unlike the Beaver colour-which has chocolate-bronze
tones. Lavender is a lighter Blue provided by further dilution with a tint of
purple on the coat, probably caused by the effect of dilute brown as well. Thus some would call this colour Lavender or
Lilac for the purple tone provided by brown dilute gene modifiers. Nose colour
will be light grey/purple in Lavender Pomeranians. Most Lavender Pomeranians
have light grey eyes with a purple tint to them.
**Not
mentioned by any registering body, but if you have a look on Beau James
Pomeranians you will see the best representative of this colour I have ever
seen.
A term being
used a lot more nowadays by breeders although I am not sure if one can actually
register a dog as Lavender or Lilac in countries where they provide lists of
recognisable colours.
Lavender
Sable
In all
factors the same as Lavender, except for the sable tipping-mostly fading as the
pups age. Could be blue or chocolate sable tipped.
**Not
mentioned but possible, again not sure as to registration.
Mask
Mask factor: This gene replaces tan
with black over part of the dog. There is considerable variation in the area of
replacement, probably affected by modifiers but possibly involving more than
one form of the mask factor gene. At its weakest the mask factor may produce
black hair fringing the mouth, or a slightly smutty muzzle. At its strongest
most of the head is black, and there is considerable blackening of chest and
legs. The effect of the mask factor shows to its fullest extent on clear sable
dogs, but is visible on the tan points of Black & Tan dogs as well. In its
strongest version, it can change a Black & Tan to a pseudo-black, with tan
so restricted in its distribution that it may not be immediately apparent that
the dog is not Black. A mask on a sable dog is acceptable but on an otherwise clear
Orange, Red or Cream considered to be a fault.
**Register able as a Standard
marking by the AKC.
Merle
Blue merle –
This is the classic grey/black pattern. The Blue Merle is actually a black or
black & tan dog with the dilution gene acting upon the black areas of the
coat. The points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads should be black, but more often
than not they are flecked. One or both eyes genetically may be blue, have blue
flecks or be brown, although to be shown in a ring eyes must be black.
Red, Liver
or Chocolate Merle – This is a chocolate dog with the dilution pattern acting
upon it. This dog will have a chocolate nose and pigment and the pattern will
be chocolate and silvery chocolate. One or both eyes genetically may be blue,
have blue flecks or be brown (as above, points must not be flecked and eyes must
be black)
Sable Merle
– this is a Sable dog with the Merle acting primarily upon the black hairs in
the coat. In a heavy sable dog (saddle back) the pattern may be very obvious,
while in a clear sable dog, it may be faint. The Merle pattern is clear at
birth but can fade within weeks. An experienced breeder can recognize the
distinctive champagne colour of the coat of an adult sable merle dog. Points of
the dog must be black. One or both eyes genetically may be blue, have blue
flecks or be brown(as above for show, must be black).
Merle can
dilute Black and Chocolate each time it occurs including: Black, Black &
Tan, Chocolate & Tan, dilute black (Blue), Blue & Tan and dilute
chocolate (Beaver), Sables, Brindles. Merle can occur in the colour areas of Parti-coloured
dogs. Other colours (Red, Orange, Cream) show little visual effect. One or both
eyes genetically may be blue, have blue flecks or be brown.
Please
note that the Pomeranian Standard does not allow for blue eyes. Eyes must be
dark.
The term
Merle represents a pattern of the coat, not a colour in of itself.
Merle
Pomeranians look like a patch work- one colour patch under another similar
shade, set in patterns over the dog’s coat. To me personally a well-bred Merle
is even more appealing to the eye than any Parti, but shouldn't be bred by
people without knowledge and education of the Merle gene. The Merle gene is
very tricky and can be dangerous for the puppies created by careless breeders.
To get Merle pups one parent must be a Merle.
The Merle
gene dilutes colours into different shades of themselves, this may affect the Pomeranians
eye colour, pigment of skin and coat colour visibly or it may not be obvious.
Pomeranians
with no visible Merle to them are called Phantom Merles. Phantoms are dangerous
because you should never breed a Merle to another Merle or a Merle to a White.
This may cause puppies to be blind, deaf or could even kill them.
**One half
of the world has embraced this colour, America adding the colour combinations
to their Breed Standard; the other half wants to disallow it. I say, its here
to stay whether someone cheated by cross breeding 20 or 30 years ago it doesn’t
matter anymore-we have to look forward and contribute to genetic testing to
isolate the gene and tag a Merle dog's pedigree to manage the delicate breeding
program this colour requires.
Mottled
Interesting
to note that whilst Merle in its broader term is fairly new to Pomeranians-
there once was a pattern called Blue Mottled-heavily ticked or roan markings on
an otherwise light Pomeranian, as Vivienne of Pomkins mentions, the term was
first noted in America in 1921, and whilst ticking can occur in Parti’s (a
fault) might there be some Merles out there which are actually Blue Mottled or
heavily ticked Poms?
Mismark
Mismarks can
occur for various reasons and should not be confused with the frosted
appearance of ageing, usually confined to the muzzle.
·
Parti-factor mismark-occurs when
breeding a Parti to a solid colour, either one foot, three feet, all feet, a
blaze on the forehead or a blaze on the chest.
Feet are usually also parti where the parti factor mismark occurs. These Pomeranians are not allowed to show
under the Standard but can be invaluable when trying to breed away from Extreme
Piebald Parti.
·
Colour-migration mismark-these
results from incomplete colour development (migration of melanocytes) before
birth. Can show as white tips to the toes, a blaze on the chest or forehead.
Points are less likely to be parti but these Pomeranians are also not allowed
to show under the Standard.
**Parti-factor-or
colour migration mismark both are faults for show and should be disqualified
but are nonetheless useful as mentioned to re-introduce more colour in Extreme
Piebald Parti’s. AKC allows this to be registered as white markings.
Orange
A proper
Orange coloured coat is as bright and clear as possible and varies from a light
dusty orange to a deep rich orange. Orange Pomeranians must have black
points-eye rims, nose, lips, and pads-according to the Standard. Pomeranians
that appear Orange (phenotype) as adults may be of two genetic types (genotypes).
New-born puppy appearance will reflect this genetic difference. More commonly
in a puppy that is born smutty (with black hairs) the coat will become
progressively more Orange and less smutty as the dog matures until it is bright
Orange. Otherwise the puppy is born clear (without any black hairs). This is
the result of being homozygous for the orange-gene. The pigment of homozygous Oranges’
points is often not as dark as those carrying the sable-gene. Orange is a very popular colour and is
usually what people associate Pomeranians with.
The KC
mentions Orange & White, as well as Orange & Cream as register able colours
on their online list- I suppose this would be lighter undercarriage and
breeches and chest-'should be discouraged'.
**Allowed by
all registering bodies and considered a whole colour.
Orange
Sable
In all
factors the same as Orange, except for the sable tipping. Could be Black, Blue
or Chocolate sable tipped. There are different degrees of sable, some are very
dark retaining almost a saddle like pattern on them, and some are left with
only black whiskers at adulthood.
**The AKC
and KC, as well as the other registering bodies register Orange Sable as a
standard colour, FCI-‘other colour’.
Parti
A
Parti-coloured Pomeranian is one with more than one coat colour. Ideally, the
parti Pomeranian is a white dog with colours that are distributed in patches on
the body, with a white blaze preferred on the head. The White is clear of
excessive ticking. The patches may be in any of the solid colours, their
dilutes and markings including Merle and Sable. All the patches must be the
same colour. The colour of the points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads-on
parti-coloured dogs should be in keeping with the points required for the
colour of the coat patches (i.e., Orange, Red, Black, Cream, Sable, Red Merle,
Blue Merle and Brindle -Parti’s should have black points; Blue and Blue Sable
-Parti’s should have blue points, and Brown, Brown Merle and Beaver -Parti’s
should have brown points. Symmetry of facial markings is desirable. Parti coloured
Pomeranians have areas of colour surrounded by White.
Three parti
patterns have been isolated in the last few years:
·
Spotted or Extreme Piebald Parti-an
almost white Parti with tiny spots of colour (25% or less colour 75% white).
*Least
Dominant
·
Piebald Parti-these are Parti’s who
are white with patchy spots of colour (50% colour and 50% white). What we
commonly associate a Parti Pomeranian to look like.
*Medium Dominance
·
Irish Marked Parti-has a white
division around the area of colour (75% colour 25% white). These Parti’s look
almost solid coloured with white markings, but their colour will be surrounded
by white.
*Most Dominant of Parti markings
** AKC
register able as Standard markings with a specific marking allocation for Irish
Marked Pomeranians, allowed by all registering bodies, but interestingly the KC
neglected to mention Black and White Parti’s in their list of register able
colours.
*** Also
interesting to note is that the UK Standard does not mention colour markings should
be on a white base colour.
Red
A true Red
is not dark Orange, but a deep rusty Red. Lots of people and breeders get the two
confused. Red is a flaming deep colour and is more pronounced than Orange, true
Red would be better understood when thinking of the colour Auburn. Reds should
have black points.
**Allowed by
all registering bodies and considered a whole colour accept FCI where only Orange
and its varying hues are mentioned-would then fall under ‘other colour’.
***
Interesting to note that ‘Red’ was in the 1892 KC Breed Standard, yet, Orange
was not. Then in 1901 ‘Orange’ and ‘Fawn’ was added, and ‘Red’ removed in the
1909 revision.
Red
Sable
In all
factors the same as Red, except for the sable tipping. Could be Black, Blue or
Chocolate sable tipped. There are different degrees of sable, some are very
dark retaining almost a saddle like pattern on them, and some are left with
only black whiskers at adulthood.
**Seeing as
Red is not mentioned in the FCI standard I doubt Red sable would be a
qualifying colour. The AKC and KC registers Red Sable as a standard colour,
although the KC also registers Shaded Red?
Sable
& Grey-UK
Mentioned in
the KC’s online list of register able colours.
An incorrect term adapted from earlier hand written applications,
probably to describe a heavily sabled young puppy of which the colour cannot be
decided. I’ll leave this one for the colour experts.
Sable
& Orange-UK
Mentioned
in the KC’s online list of register able colours. Again, is this not the same as Orange Sable??
Sable
& White-UK
Mentioned in
the KC’s online list of register able colours. This I have never heard
mentioned until I started with colour research- apparently a smutty ice White
Pomeranian- beautiful reference on the Welsh Pomeranian club colour page.
** Most
probably and early- or alternate term for a Sable Parti.
Sable
Sable-a word
dropped in the 1909 revision for the term Shaded Sable, yet still used to
describe colour sable variants- dogs can be clear sable, lightly tipped sables
or shaded sables. In Pomeranians, Sable is generally thought to refer to dogs
with Black, Chocolate or dark Blue tips to guard hairs of any whole or shaded
coloured dog, not just the associating dilute- as an Orange Sable that is, instead
of being sabled black, sabled with blue tips, this is still termed Orange Sable.
Clear sable is when the pup is born sable but the colour clears as it ages,
with almost no dark hairs left. Lightly tipped sable is when sable is
restricted to muzzle, back and tail when the Pomeranian reaches adulthood.
Sable
is the most common colour that Pomeranian’s come in. Whether it be a solid or a
Parti, sable itself can be almost any colour (most commonly black) with the
sable hairs mixed with the base colour of the dog. The dog’s base colour is
most commonly found directly behind the base of the ear. There are different
degrees of Sable, some are very dark retaining almost a saddle like pattern on
them, and some are left with only black whiskers at adulthood.
Sable has
been described many ways to me by many different people. Let me help you to
determine what colour your dog is. Brown, Red, Orange, Cream and Blues can all
be Sables. The base colour of the dog has nothing to do with the sabling on the
dog. Sable can be Black, Chocolate or Blue. The base colour is the prefix of
the description of the dog such as: an Orange Sable. The dog would have an
Orange base colour and black mixed throughout its coat.
As friend
Vivienne of Pomkins mentioned seeing as the word Sable was replaced by the term
Shaded Sable, should we then not refer to the aforementioned colours as Orange
Shaded Sable instead of Orange Sable?
Also to
note- some reasons for the undesirability of Black & Tan Pomeranians are
said to be the impact on clear whole colours-but Miss Ives (Show Pomeranians,
1911) felt that it was in fact sables who were to be kept separate from whole
clear colours as the mixed colour unions 'will be of little reliable value,
either as stud dogs or breeders'.
** AKC
registers Sable as a Standard marking whilst the KC makes use of the term
Shaded Sable.
Shaded
Red-UK
Mentioned in
the KC’s online list of register able colours. Not completely sure what this
would mean except for maybe 3 or more various hues of Red shaded throughout the
coat( as in Red Shaded Sable maybe??)
Shaded
Sable
Shaded Sable
replaced the word Sable from the 1909 revision. Shaded sables invariably have a
‘widow’s peak’. Shaded throughout with 3 or more colours, with no patches of
self-colour. A Shaded Sable should have a brilliant coloured undercoat, not
overwhelmed by over dark tippings and the breechings and tail turn-up should be
a rich cream.
** An
extract from Mrs Parker’s book-the 1st edition of “The Popular
Pomeranian”, circa 1929:
“Shaded
Sables may either be orange-shaded or wolf-shaded, but both should have
shadings as follows. Orange-shaded sables should have rich orange undercoats
with black tippings on the top coat and lighter shadings on plume and
breechings. Wolf-shaded sables have decided black tippings on the top coat,
with warm biscuit tones in undercoat and on face and legs, shading to even
paler tints on plume and breechings. Both shaded sometimes have black on the
ears and muzzles and this is quite correct, though most people prefer clean
muzzles. They should, however, not be penalised for having dark muzzles. The
black tippings on the body coat are quite distinct and evenly distributed. It is at times a question whether a dog is a
sable or an orange. This should not be,
for a sable without evenly distributed black tippings is as faulty as an orange
sprinkled with black hairs. Wolf sables are not common, but they are
distinctive and usually carry a profuse coat. It is impossible to know why
certain colours seem to be superior in some qualities to the others. It may be
that being less in demand puppies of these odd colours are sold as pets and
only the very best find their way into the show-ring. Certain it is that few
breeders try to produce wolf sables or creams, yet, when one or other is shown
and wins there is usually a spurt of interest. Many are fired with enthusiasm
to breed this shade, but, unfortunately, do not persevere and wolf sables and
creams still remain the exceptions.”
Tri-Colour
Tri-Colour
is just as it says; 3 specific colours on a dog in a pattern and has the
"tan" gene no matter the base colour, they have to have tan markings
either on their face, legs or undercarriage of the tail. Where ever White is
present there will be no colour pattern or markings. The tan markings can range
from deep mahogany to silvery white in colour. Also referred to as an ‘&
tan Parti colour’; a dog who displays both the "& tan" pattern
and Parti-coloured pattern (a tan pointed Parti). The colour of the points-eye
rims, nose, lips and pads-should be in keeping with the points required for the
colour of the coat patches-i.e. Orange, Red, Black, Cream, Sable, Red Merle,
Blue Merle and Brindle -Parti's should have black points; Blue, and Blue Sable
-Parti's should have blue points, and Brown, Brown Merle and Beaver -Parti’s
should have brown points.
** AKC
register able as a Standard colour and as ‘tri coloured’ as a marking. Not
mentioned by any other registering body yet I suppose would fall under ‘any
other colour’. Would possibly not be easy to show due to the ‘& tan’
pattern-so frowned upon.
In Britain
considered a Parti and as Vivienne mentions in her Pomeranian Project some
breeders whom also owned sporting dogs, referred to tri-colours as ‘hound
marked’ Parti’s for a number of years in the early 1900’s.
White
White is a
solid colour. The guard hairs are consistently the same colour all over the
dog's body. The undercoat is also White. The points-eye rims, nose, lips and
pads-are black. Almost all Whites are born snow-white with pink points. As the
puppy ages, the points will darken but the coat will remain white. White Pomeranians should be icy white with no colour
tints or markings. Points need to be black on a true White adult. Some
Pomeranians look all White, but have a hint of colour on their coat (check for
a creamy colour behind the ears and on the muzzle) or the points are Parti. To
the eye the ice Whites and almost Whites look the same until placed next to one
another. The genes on the ice White are going to be very different than the
almost White or White Parti Pomeranians caused by Extreme Piebald.
** Accepted
by all registering bodies as whole colour.
Wolf
Sable
A Wolf
Sable/Wild Sable, has a light grey undercoat with a deeper shade of steel grey
guard hairs ending in black tippings (thus hair strands are banded in three
colours). There must not be cream or an orange cast to the base colour. The
points-eye rims, nose, lips and pads-are black. Wolf Sable Pomeranians are very
beautiful. A true Wolf Sable has only black, silver and grey on their coat.
Wolf Sable pups are almost completely black as puppies then can lighten as they
age. Wolf Sables do not breed true, so a wolf bred to a wolf doesn't create
wolf sable puppies. Most likely because what is registered as Wolf Sable is in
fact Cream Sable. Genetics teach us however, that if a dog tests genetically
true for Wolf(rare) and a bitch tests genetically true for Wolf(rare) than
offspring must breed true-Keeshonden, which are close ancestors to Pomeranians
breed true to their Wolfsgrau. Wolf Sable is rare and hard to come by. This colour
normally has the best coat type, with a good full, harsh double coat .A lot of
Pomeranians are called Wolf Sable while they are just regular Cream Sable. The colour
is best compared to a "Keeshond" in colour- Now this is where I feel
misguided. Yes the sable should resemble the Keeshond and yes, over the back
and head the colour should be varying hues of silver, grey and black, but note
that some Keeshonden have creamy legs and this doesn’t make them any less Wolf Sable.
To get a "true wolf sable" is a tricky issue. They can be produced
occasionally from breeding Black to Black, Black to Sable, or Black to a true
wolf sable. The modifiers for these genes are the important thing not the colour
of the parents. It is difficult to produce a “true wolf sable" because it
is easily covered up by the genes that cause us to see a dog as being Black,
Sable, or even Cream. For example you may have a Cream Pomeranian that is able
to produce that “true wolf sable" and never know it because she was not
bred to a dog that also carries the correct genes to produce a Wolf Sable.
Since the genes involved are recessive you may not physically see them present
when looking at the dog and both parents NEED to be carriers of the correct
gene combination to produce the colour.
** Accepted
by all registering bodies- though the KC mentions sable & grey as well as
wolf sable simultaneously-I can’t fathom the difference.
So there you
have it! A complex conundrum, and if I say any more about colour I would bore
myself to death. These descriptions were done to the best of my ability with
lots of help from leading UK Pomeranian expert Vivienne of Pomkins. A breed known for its stunning array of
colours yet, an issue so debate able. All I can say is embrace the vicarious
colour palette of the Pomeranian for when all health and other standard related
issues are met; it is the uniqueness of colour that will ultimately draw the attention.
With this list I wish to encourage people to not look to what ‘was’, but to
what ‘is’. Terms have been added with
great thought in order to properly distinguish between different colours and
patterns. Do not ignorantly disregard
the work that has been done by breed professionals and geneticists-know your
colours and do some research of your own on coat genetics- I have but mentioned
some simplified descriptions and terms, but there has been extensive genetic
and historical research done-confusing at first but enlightening.
I hope, in
future, to add descriptive pictures of the colours or markings mentioned-with
the help of some breeders and friends.
** For
further reading go to the Links page and for full breed standard go the Breed
Standard Page
*** The book
Show Pomeranians, Miss Ives-and the book Toy Dogs and their Ancestors, Lady
Wentworth- can both be read online, both books being jewels in the Pomeranian
world.
****A book
that still eludes me “The Popular Pomeranian”, 1st edition, Mrs
Parker- she described the colours, shadings and markings so thoroughly (as seen
in quotes above)-thank you Vivienne for sharing some extracts with me.
The
following is a record of changes to the KC Standard from 1892 up to present-
interesting to see some terms disappear, years later reappear and the inclusion
of new terms and descriptions. Beautifully listed by Vivienne of Pomkins. Enjoy.
1892
- 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.
1898
-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 reds free from white. A few white hairs in any self-colours
shall not disqualify, but should carry great weight against a dog. In
parti-coloured dogs the colours should be evenly distributed on the body. 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.
1901
- 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.
1906
- 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. Shaded sables must be shaded throughout with three or more colours,
as uniformly as possible, with no patches of self-colour. Oranges must be
self-coloured throughout, and light shading, though not disqualifying, should
be discouraged.
1909
-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 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.
1950
-Colour – All whole colours are admissible, but they
should be free from black or white shadings. At present the whole coloured dogs
are:- White, black, brown - light or dark, blue as pale as possible. Orange,
which should be as self-coloured and bright as possible. Beaver. Cream dogs,
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 heavily penalize. 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.
1986
- Colour –All colours permissible, but free from black
or white shadings. Whole colours are: White, black, brown, light or
dark, blue as pale as possible. Orange, which should be as self -coloured and
bright as possible. Beaver. Cream dogs, have black noses and black eye rims
round the eyes. White must be quite free from lemon or any other colours. A few
white hairs, in any of the self-coloured dogs permissible but undesirable. Dogs
(other than white) with white or tan markings highly undesirable and not
considered whole coloured specimens. In parti-coloured dogs, colours evenly
distributed on body in patches; a dog with white or tan feet or chest not 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.
2009
– Colour - All colours permissible, but free from black
or white shadings. Whole colours are: White, black, brown, light or dark, blue
as pale as possible. Orange, which should be self -coloured and bright as
possible. Beaver. Cream dogs have black noses and black eye rims. Whites must
be quite free from lemon or any other colours. A few white hairs, in any of the
self-coloured dogs permissible but undesirable. Dogs (other than white) with
white or tan markings highly undesirable and not considered whole coloured
specimens. In parti-coloured dogs, colours evenly distributed on the body in
patches; a dog with white or tan feet or chest not 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 all other points they are equal, be given to the
whole coloured specimens.
2013
–
The word ‘whole’ re-instated in opening sentence so it now reads – ‘all whole
colours permissible’ – no other changes made.