POMERANIAN COLORS

Let's take a look at the descriptions of some of the most interesting colors:
 
Sable - Sometimes this color will not show in a Pomeranian picture. A sable Pomeranian will have a solid base and the sable comes into play via guard hairs that have black tips. 
 
There are many types of sables, including cream sable (light base coat with black guard hairs), chocolate sable (brown coat with black guard hairs) and just about everything in-between.
 
Red - A red Pomeranian will be a reddish-orange colored dog that is often described as a rust color. It will be the darkest, deepest orange possible in regard to fur. A brown/chocolate/dark cream that has a red or orange tint i often categorized as a red.
 
Orange- An orange Pomeranian can range from light to dark. However, once the orange deepens enough, it would be classified as a red. If any black striping occurs, this brings it to a orange brindle. Any black tipping brings it to an orange sable. 
 
Cream - With a cream Pomeranian, color can actually range quite a bit. This can be very light - one "step" darker than a white, and it goes through shade gradients all the way to what one would consider to be brown. 
 
How do you distinguish a dark cream from chocolate (brown)? It will show in the skin pigmentation of the Pom. A deep cream Pom will have black pigmentation, and a chocolate will have brown points (eye rims, nose, lips, paw pads).
 
Buyer beware - creams are often born white.
 
They will then have a darkening of hairs as they mature, most often done during the "puppy uglies" stage.
 
Black - Black Pomeranians will have deep, solid black eye rims, nose, lips and paws. A true solid black will not have a secondary color. If any exists, the dog will be a parti. Small patches can be dubbed "markings", larger patches 1/3 of the coat or more, will put the Pom into the category of "black and white", "black and tan", etc. 
 
Blue - A blue Pomeranian is a less commonly seen, yet beautiful color. The easiest way to spot a blue is by looking at the nose. All true blue Poms will have blue skin; this is what sets them apart from black coats; with blue, the coat may appear black but if the skin pigmentation is blue, the Pom will be a blue.
 
Blue is a diluted black. Sometimes the fur will look dull; with other dogs it may have a metallic tinge to it. The skin points (nose, eye rims, paws. lips) will have a blue tint (sometimes only noticeable in bright sunlight)... Blue eyes are more common in blue Pomeranians and merles.
 
 
White - A true white will be a pure snow, there will not be any shading to the coat, otherwise this places the dog into the cream category. 
 
The color will be solid without another hue mixed in. A secondary color will move the Pomeranian to a parti (2 colors).
 
Some parti's are solid at birth and the secondary color will grow in as the Pom matures. For this reason, some Poms are registered as whites, but will grow to be parti's.
 
Wolf sable - Such a wonderful coat...This is a light grey undercoat with a darker shade of steel grey guard hairs with black tips. There will not be cream or an orange tint to the grey base color. With a wolf sable Pomeranian, eye rims, nose, lips and pads are black.
 
Chocolate - Many, but not all, chocolates will remind you of a Hershey's chocolate bar. More often than not, it is a deep, dark, thick brunette. However, any hue as light as what may appear to be a cream is considered a chocolate as long as skin pigmentation is dark brown (beaver has a lighter noise). 
 
 
Brindle - This is actually a pattern. This Pomeranian dog will have a base under coat of golden tan, deep red or light orange and then have black fur crossing over in stripes, whjch can run thin or thick. With some, this brindling will only be apparent on the saddle (back).
 
 
Merle- Merling is the dilution of any color that falls into the coat. Most often you will see a light blue, grey or red blended in, usually in patches or "dots", giving the dog an interesting speckled appearance.
 
 
Beaver - Beaver is an interesting color. It is a dilute chocolate.  Some may mistake a cream Pom for a beaver; however this is determined by the skin pigmentation.  Creams always have black noses (and paws and eye rims). A beaver colored Pomeranian will have chocolate skin pigmentation. 
 
Parti - Colored Pomeranians
 
Any Pomeranian that has a second solid color is deemed to be parti-color. A parti-colored is just as valuable and highly regarded as a solid. Parti Poms are very popular...as each dog will be unique and the patterns can be quite remarkable.
 
 
What makes a parti-color? It is the genes of the dam and sire (dog's parents). In addition, genes can and often do skip generations. When 2 parti Pomeranians are breed together, this will always produce parti puppies.
 
There are 3 basic types of Parti Pomeranians: Irish Parti, Piebald Parti and Spotted Parti
  • What is an Irish Parti? This dog will have a white collar, chest, legs and most often blaze.
  • What is Piebald Parti? This type will have 50/50 coloring .
  • What is a Extreme Parti? This dog will have 80% or more of white fur and will have spots of other color on its back.
 
 
Color Change!
 
Can a Pomeranian change colors? Yes! And it happens more often than not. 
 
Some owners wonder if their once solid Pom is turning into a parti. This change most certainly can take place and often this often happens when the dog enters the puppy uglies. The puppy coat may be a completely different color than the adult dog coat. New shadings or even new hues never previously seen before may grow in.
 
During this time, a once solid Pomeranian may become a parti-colored due to the changes that take place during this temporary phase of an extremely heavy shed. In cases of change a solid may develop into a different solid... once all of the puppy fur is replaced by a new shade, the Pomeranian will be solid again, albeit a different shade. For example, a red sable may turn into a sable once having its adult coat of fur.