Pomeranian Colors: The Standard & Rare Pom Coat Colors

Last Updated on April 20, 2023

The Pomeranian needs no introduction. A royal fellow with a rich heritage, they are a spitz breed from the Arctic region before being exported into Europe and stealing the hearts of many, including Queen Victoria.

They used to be entirely white, but under the guiding hand of the monarch, they began exhibiting the colors of the rainbow. From red merle to wolf sable and the very much beloved Orange Pomeranian. 

Pomeranian Colors and History of the Breed

These tiny dogs used to be a small to medium breed that pulled sleds and kept an eye on cattle before they were miniaturized into companion dogs which happened after they were popularized by Queen Victoria. 

She had a particular favorite by the name of Windsor Marco who was a Red Sable Pomeranian who went on to win many shows.

A British historian later recounted that “it would have been a brave judge to have placed her second.”

After that occurred, Pomeranians were largely shown all over the country and soon invaded American shores as well. These dogs have rubbed shoulders with many famous historical figures.

Mozart once wrote an entire aria dedicated to his Pimperl. Michelangelo painted the sistine chapel while his Pom-Pom watched on. 

Today, they are a common fixture in popular culture, social media, and on the arms of celebrities.

Perhaps the most notable Pomeranians of the 21st century was a cute boy called Boo who won the hearts of millions on Instagram.

How Does Pomeranian Color Genetics work?

There are seven identified alleles or genes that determine a dog’s coat color and patterning. Due to the many different factors and hidden genes, it can be hard to predict the Pomeranian dog’s color.

Not only do they come in many different colors, but their adult coats are also often different due to color changes.

What are the Breed-approved Pomeranian Coat colors?

One of the reasons the Pomeranian breed is so appealing is because they come in so many AKC-approved colors!

The breed standard allows anything from Chocolate Sable to Black & Tan to Parti Pomeranians. In spite of that, orange has become synonymous with the breed due to its popularity. 

A major fault would be having a white foot on any dog that’s not white or particolored. The only disqualification comes from blue eyes. Other than that, they can be any of the colors detailed below.

Orange Pomeranian

Orange Poms have dark points and a tendency to change colors from birth. A dark orange sable looking puppy might turn into the brightest orange you ever laid eyes on. 

Some start off almost white or cream. Therefore, you should never let how a Pom puppy looks dictate your decision to bring him home because he will most invariably change as he matures.

Red Pomeranian

The Red Pom-Pom can sometimes be mistaken for a deep orange, but they have a deeper and more rustic coloring with slight undertones of a reddish brown. Their points are always black.

Beaver Pomeranian

A gorgeous dilute chocolate, the Beaver Pomeranian often has a liver-colored nose and hazel eyes. Since all browns don’t have black pigment, neither should a dilute brown dog.

Their coat is a solid taupe with a faint bluish tinge, with pale skin pigmentation or brown points.

Both parents must carry both dilution gene and chocolate gene in order to get a Beaver Pom. Dilution can be found in various breeds, Frenchies are referred to as Isabella. Labradors are called Silver. 

Cream Pomeranian

These light-colored fluff balls are often mistaken for and sold as White Pomeranians since Cream Pomeranians can be quite pale. Look for tell-tale signs of cream around the ears or back of the body. 

Some Cream Poms can be quite dark and look brown. Sometimes they are called Tan Pomeranians. What separates them from Chocolate Pomeranians are their black eye rims and paw pads. 

Chocolate or Brown Pomeranian

Solid Chocolate Pomeranians are not extremely common. They can range from light milky chocolate to dark mocha tones.

Their noses and points should always be liver or brown. Sunburning can occur, whereby their fur turns reddish red due to extreme sun exposure.

Chocolate Poms will only produce Choc Poms, but you can get them from Black pairing, as long as there’s a Brown Pom in both parent’s pedigree.

Blue Pomeranian

What happens when you put a dilute gene together with the black gene? You get a Blue Pom! Their points will always be dark grey instead of black.

Their eyes are generally lighter but can also be as dark as any non-dilute dog. 

Pomeranian Markings

Aside from the colors detailed above, Pomeranians can have many different types of markings and patterns, as well. They can have any combination of the two.

Brindle Pomeranian

Also known as Tiger Stripes, Brindle causes black stripes in the coat. In short-haired dogs like the Frenchie, it looks rather neat and slick. However, due to the Pom’s longer guard hairs, their brindling is often broken up. 

Brindle is a dominant trait that can only be suppressed by solid black. You can have this pattern over any color, but the most notable are Blue Brindle Pomeranians and Black Brindle Poms.

The AKC only accepts gold, red, or orange brindle in Pomeranians. 

Black Mask or Black Muzzle Pomeranian

As the name suggests, this is a black mask over your dog’s face, creating a Pug-like effect. Dogs with a black mask will have a black muzzle, but it’s also possible for only the muzzle to be black.

Pomeranian with Merle Markings

One of the most sought-after coats in the dog world, fortunately, it’s a dominant gene and when bred to any color, should result in at least 50% Merle Pomeranians.

This is a variation of the dilution gene that causes patches of dilution instead of diluting the whole coat.

This pattern can occur with any other color and pattern such as orange, sable, or lilac.

Tri-Colored or Parti-Colored Pomeranian

Parti is considered a hidden gene, it might appear in any pairings as long as the parents have this gene. Extreme Piebald Partis only have a few patches of color around the head or tail.

A Piebald Parti will be white with colors on the head, body, and the base of its tail. 

Any dog with more splashes of color than white is referred to as an Irish Parti Pom. Their fore chest, feet, legs, and neck are usually white, as well as the tip of their tails.

Any Parti Poms with tan points are considered Tri-Colored Poms.

Sable Pomeranians

Sable is a color pattern where they have black tips on their fur. Sables can come in all colors, but a dog that doesn’t exhibit any distinct main coloring will simply be referred to as Sable Pomeranian.

Most of the time, you’ll find that sables have a base color and black guard hairs which can cover the entire dog or just the back area. 

For instance, a Cream Sable Pomeranian will have a solid cream base coat and the black guard hairs present will depend on how heavy her sabling is.

Heavy sabling might make her look like a Wolf Sable Pomeranian but light sabling will result in a few darker areas around her withers or back.

Most sables are born quite dark and they are the pups that change the coat color most drastically. Cream sables are born a silvery color due to the black tipping on their light fur.

Pomeranian with Tan Markings

Surely you’ve seen Rottweilers and their signature eyebrows and tan areas all over that’s balanced on both sides?

The same markings can occur in Pomeranians. They come in Black and Tan, Blue and Tan, and Chocolate and Tan.

These puppies need to be bred from two parents carrying this gene as it’s a recessive trait. 

What is the Rarest Color of Pomeranian?

There are only two reasons for AKC to prevent certain colors from being bred. Health issues, and quality preservation. Soft, cottony coats are seen as a defect that occurs in overbreeding.

Excessive white-to-white pairings are discouraged for this reason and they also have a higher chance of producing throwback Poms.

Black Pomeranian

These black little balls of fluff need to be kept out of the sun to prevent their coats from bleaching and turning reddish. They sometimes have a few stray white hairs around their chest or paws.

Self-colored Pomeranians are considered quite rare, and this includes the Black Pomeranian, despite being relatively easy to breed for.

White Pomeranian

White Pomeranians are highly sought after because of their ivory coats. There’s nothing as magnificent as a White Pom-Pom parading around. They should have dark eyes and pigment.

White Poms with blue eyes and pink eye rims and noses are dogs that suffer from albinism and are not White.

True White Poms are bred with two white parents, or white-factored dogs, meaning dogs that aren’t white but carry the gene to produce white pups.

Wolf or Gray Sable Pomeranian

This is a tricky color because Wolf Sables are called Wolf Sables for their genes and not their coat.

Due to a common misconception about associating the grey color with the Wolf Sable Pomeranian, there are plenty of mislabeled dogs out there. 

These dogs look like miniature wolves with their silver grey or cream undercoat paired with a black and grey guard coat.

However, since Cream or Grey Sables can look identical to a Wolf Sable Pom, you’ll need a genetic test for the Agouti locus if you want a true Wolf Sable Pomeranian.

Their coat texture is also far harsher and wirier than Poms of other colors. They will not have any orange in the coat and their points are always black.

You must have two carriers of the Wolf Sable gene in order to produce a Wolf Sable pup.

Lavender or Lilac Pomeranian

The only color that’s not sanctioned by the AKC is the Lavender Pomeranian. These dogs are bred from two dilutes.

For instance, a dilute chocolate (Beaver) and a dilute black (Blue). They are certainly a magical sight, with their silvery pink fur which can range from a rich mauve to pale lilac.

Is it okay to get a rare-colored Pomeranian?

It is never recommended because color-specific breeders often inbreed their dogs to produce certain desirable colors.

However, there are breeders that have good breeding practices and pay attention to the quality of their dogs, be it appearance, health, or temperament.

At the end of the day, it’s more important to find a reputable breeder.

The best way to do that is to go through any official kennel clubs or check out the official Pomeranian club in your area. 

Do Pomeranian Colors Change?

Yes, all Pomeranians go through a puppy uglies stage where they lose most of their fur, making their coats patchy and uneven in extreme cases.

Many owners think the worst and think something horrible is happening to their furbaby. 

This occurs when the puppy is 3 – 4 months old and will only fill out when they are 14 – 15 months old. Just like puberty, it will pass and when it does, your Pom will have the glorious coat of an adult.

This means that their color might turn darker or lighter. A dark-colored Pom or a Pomeranian with heavy masking might lose their darkness. This could be due to their puppy coat growing out or simply due to age. 

Do Pomeranian Colors Affect Temperament?

Color should never affect the temperament of a dog. If it does, it would mean that the dog has been horribly inbred by an unscrupulous breeder who favors profit over the betterment of a breed.

Reputable breeders will always take great care and also go to great lengths to ensure that their breeding stock all exhibit the perfect Pomeranian temperament before allowing them to continue the line.

If there are any dogs that show undesirable traits, they are often fixed and retired.

Do Pomeranian Colors Affect Health?

Perhaps the only concern is double Merle dogs. In any dog breed, if the dog inherits two copies of the Merle gene, they are very often deaf and blind.

They can also suffer from various health issues that dogs with only one Merle gene don’t have to deal with.

Merle to Merle breedings will produce ½ defective puppies that are largely white. Breeding Merle to a full Black or Chocolate Pomeranian is recommended, as light dogs might contain a hidden merle gene.

It’s not recommended to breed Sables to Merles, too. Sable Merles can often be mistaken for normal sables and bred together, resulting in problematic puppies.

Since orange is the most common, it follows the logic that they should be the healthiest because there’s a wide selection of healthy Orange Pomeranians to breed from.

Pomeranians are quite hardy dogs and don’t have very many fatal hereditary issues.

One thing that you should look out for is hypoglycemia which can cause your Pom to have seizures.

This is fatal, especially in puppies, so be on high alert and ready to send your puppy to the emergency vet if he exhibits signs of lethargy, a drop in temperature, and doesn’t respond to glucose treatments.

How About Pomeranian Eye Color?

Many Pomeranian puppies are born with a very deep dark blue eye color. This should give way to their adult color at around 8 weeks of age.

Sometimes, in the case of Merle Pomeranians, they can have blue eyes. Beaver Poms are also known to have hazel instead of the usual chocolate brown.

Taking Care of Your Pomeranian’s Coat

Poms not only come in all shades, but they also come in all shapes too! If you’ve seen Boo, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about. A Pomeranian that looks just like a stuffed and fluffy teddy bear!

That’s not the only haircut that a Pom-Pom can pull off, you need to check out our Pomeranian Haircuts guide to see just how varied they can be.

They are particular little dogs and love staying clean so you’ll need to groom them in order to keep these gorgeous pooches happy!

A bath once every three weeks or more is best to keep them pristine. They might be small, but that thick double coat of theirs is like velcro and will attract all kinds of dirt and debris.

If you’re not keen on bathing them too often as it can be drying to their skin, you can opt for two or three brushings a week.

This will ensure that there’s no dead hair trapped in their luxurious thick coats which can cause matting and we don’t want that. 

A leave-in conditioner is preferable after a good shampoo, but some Pom owners opt for a moisturizing or detangling spray to use when their Pom’s coat needs a pick me up.

What Color Pomeranian is the Most Expensive?

It’s hard to pinpoint which color is the most expensive because it depends on the demand. Blue Merle puppies are considered to be a popular choice, despite their steep price.

Merles from a reputable breeder can easily cost upwards of $3,000.

Lavender Poms generally start at $2,500, while Wolf Sables can be sold for $8,000. For champion dogs, you might even have to shell out $10,000 or more.

Read more: How Much Do Pomeranians Cost?

Which Pomeranian Color Will You Choose?

Personally, I think that Pomeranians transcend color. No matter whether they are white or blue or orange, they will all inherit the Pom’s signature temperament.

Much like a Golden Retriever is gentle and fun, a Pomeranian is a dignified creature that will keep you young at heart, with a little attitude.

What color is your favorite if you absolutely have to pick? Let us know in the comments below!

Further reading: Pomeranian Crossbreeds

• Pomeranian Chihuahua Mix
• Pomeranian Husky Mix
• 39 Adorable Pomeranian Mixes

Reference

• https://pomeranian.org/parti-pomeranians/