Photo:    Of course, the Pomeranian pre-20th century was a great deal larger than the dog we know today, averaging about 14 kilograms.  Whereas, today's Australian Exhibition Pomeranian weighs between 1.8 to 2.5 kilograms!

An interesting fact of this breed, is that the female should weigh more (be larger) than the male.
The Australian National Kennel Club Breed Standard states  -  the perfect weight range of the male
Pomeranian is between 1.8 to 2.0 kilograms (4.0 to 4.5 pounds)
with the female's perfect weight range,
being 2.0 to 2.5 kilograms (4.5 to 5.5 pounds).

History - A brief overview:

The Pomeranian certainly seems to have a very early traceable history. This can be divided into three periods -
1. Prehistoric
2. European; and
3. Modern dating from the 18th century onwards.   

There is no doubt that the Pomeranian is descended from the Wolf Spitz of the northern climes.
These include a variety of dogs:
the Eskimo and Kamtchadales, the Laika family found in Russia, and the white Samoyed dogs, which belonged to a tribe living in the northwest regions of Siberia. 
All these Wolf Spitz dogs were used for drawing sledges and for guarding and rounding up herds of reindeer. The Samoyeds were of all colours and the white variety came from early crosses with the White Artic Wolf.

It's interesting just how the Pomeranians got their name, which was only given them in the last century. There is a state called Pomerania, which is situated on the eastern side of Germany near Poland. In this state there is a province called Samogitia.  The inhabitants of Samogitia arrived from Finland centuries ago and settled in the area, no doubt bringing their Spitz dogs with them. A number of these were known as Pommer. It's interesting that in Sweden they were known as Pommerska Spetsen, and in England in 1803 as 'Fox Dogs'.

In appearance, all the Wolf Spitz breeds of dog have kept their original wolf-like characteristics.  These include the prick ears, the abundant thick coats with the harsh guard hairs and the typical wedge-shaped head and the tail lying over the back.

It's astonishing how much the breed has changed in size in two hundred years, as is seen in George IV's Pomeranian by Stubbs painting.  The Pomeranian was bred smaller and smaller, so that by 1915 the large Pomeranian was no longer exhibited in England.

Please use the attached links to view the full history of this breed: people.virginia.edu/~fke2d/dogs/spitzes/pommie.htm  or pomeranian-zwergspitz.de/colorh-a.htm   and;  Other Toy Breeds: people.virginia.edu/~fke2d/dogs/cooltoys/index.htm

Other Miscellaneous info:

Only two dogs survived the sinking of the Titanic and one was a Pomeranian owned by Miss Margaret Hayes of New York who boarded lifeboat #7 with her Pom.

On May 1st 1907, The Pomeranian Club held its first show; it was held in Belle Vue Manchester.

Have you heard the Pomeranian song by Nancy Simmons?  It's all about her Pomeranian and why everyone should get a Pom. Not available in local stores but you can still purchase it on the Internet.

It shares common ancestry with other Artic breeds such as the Samoyed, Keeshond and the Siberian husky; they were "cousins", within the Spitz family of canines. 

Pomeranians were established as a breed in the eighteenth century after they attracted the interest of the English monarchy.  Upon her marriage to King George III, Queen Charlotte brought large white Pomeranians to England in 1761.  In 1870, The Kennel Club gave the Pomeranian recognition in Great Britain.  

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