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Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, with different personalities, colors and coats. In mixed breed dogs, it can be hard to predict how a puppy will turn out. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but if you're living in a studio apartment and you get a Pomeranian puppy that grows up to be three feet tall and weigh forty pounds, it matters!

The American Kennel Club knows that it matters and that is the reason for the establishment specific standards for each of the breeds it recognizes. The American Kennel Club requires that certain characteristics of a breed be stable for many generations of dogs before it recognizes a breed. Thus, a puppy buyer can predict how big or small a grown dog will be and what kind of temperament it will have. According to the American Kennel Club, a Pomeranian puppy, for instance, will weigh no more than seven pounds and have a perky, energetic personality.

Well-known, established standards for breeds encourage good breeding practices. Toy dogs have fragile skeletal systems, and preventing the breed from getting too heavy helps reduce the likelihood of injury to bones and joints. Nearly everything about the Pomeranian is covered by the standards of the breed, from the dark nose to the high, plumed tail, which, according to breed standards, must lie flat and straight against the dogs' back. Pomeranians should have small, pointed ears, short muzzles and dark, almond-shaped eyes.

Pomeranian standards rely on proportions for definition of the Pomeranian's body. The breed's height from its elbows to its withers is about the same as the height from the ground to the elbows. The shoulder blade and the upper arm should be of approximately equal length. The Pomeranian has a double-coat consisting of a soft undercoat and a long, textured outer coat. The outer coat forms feathers on the legs and a frill around the shoulders and chest. A soft, flat or open coat is a major fault that leads to disqualification.

All colors, patterns and color combinations are to be judged the same, and any color of coat is permissible under the standards of the Pomeranian breed. The most frequently shown Pomeranians have coloration patterns that include black and tan, brindle and parti-color. The black and tan Pomeranian dog has light patches above the eyes, on the muzzle, throat, chest, legs, feet and under the tail. The brindle-coated dog has a gold or red base with black cross stripes. A parti-color dog is white with patches of other color and a white blaze on the forehead.

Pomeranians are sometimes divided into three different groups for judging, depending on the color patterns of their coats. Red, orange and sable dogs to in one group whereas black and brown dogs go in another, and other combinations are judged in a third group.

Standards of the breed also cover the dog's temperament. Pomeranians should be confident, inquisitive and intelligent. In full trot, a Pomeranian should command attention. Pomeranian breed standard information is available to any breeders or fans of the breed. The American Kennel Club makes Pomeranian information easy to get so breeders can familiarize themselves with the standards of the breed.