About Poms

There is no such thing as "toy" or "teacup" or "miniture " size in Pomeranians. A well bred pom is a small, if not tiny dog. They fall in the "toy" catagory for purposes of Showing AKC or CKC along with other breeds such as Affinpinchers, Brussles Griffon, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, English Toy Spaniels, Havanese, Italian Greyhounds, Japanese Spaniels, Miniture Pinchers, Papillions, Pekenese, Toy Poodles, Pugs, Toy Fox Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers (To name a few)

Any puppy I sell will come from Parents who are in the breed standard for size, my females are between 3 pounds 3 oz and darned near 6 pounds. The males I use are between 3 pounds and 4 1/2 pounds. All are between 7 and 9 inches tall... It stands to reason that the resulting offspring will be the same size.

Keep in mind that sometimes even with the best laid plans and a good study of the pedigrees you may get a pup that is bigger or smaller than the parents. It is like 2 people who are 5 feet tall having a 6 foot tall son or daughter. Alternatively 2 very tall parents producing a smaller child. It is infrequent but not impossible.

If you would like a Firesprite pom please feel free to send me an email on what you are looking for and I will let you know what I think I may have coming up. If I do not have a Pom available or one that will be available soon I may know of a reputable breeder of quality Poms that does.

I do not take deposits on unborn or newborn puppies. I am very selective about the dogs I choose to breed and use only dogs in excellent health, which should go with-out saying............however you can never be 100% certian of the health of a puppy anymore than 2 human beings can guarantee they are going to produce a perfectly healthy child. All of my Poms are health checked prior to even taking a deposit. Health checks are done at birth, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and again prior to leaving my home.

Regardless of health they really need to treated like an infant for their entire life. They are fragile and for their entire life you will have to take extreme care to ensure they survive.

Before you ask me about getting a "runt" or the smallest pup in the litter, really think about what you are asking for and why you would want one so small, I will always ask many questions before agreeing to sell ANY of my dogs, if you ask for a tiny, be prepared for even more than the average number of questions. Often when a real Pom person vs. back-yard breeder has a tiny they will not let them go until they are much older so we can be sure there are no health issues to be worried about, just size concerns.

There are some dogs that always will have small birth weight puppies, this does not mean they will be tiny adults. Look at the parents, look at the grandparents, look at the dogs the breeder has produced. Your puppy will be like what it came from.

I do know of puppies who were less than 2 oz that grew up to be 5 1/2 pound dogs and I also know of 8 oz puppies that grew to be 4 1/2 pound dogs. You can not tell a humans adult size by birth size and puppies are the same.

As adults, my Pomeranians can all easily be carried under your arm, can stand on their hind legs and just see what is on the coffee table but still walk comfortably underneath it with out ducking their heads. I encourage people who are thinking about Poms to go to a show and really have a look at them, this also will answer the size question for you. You can find out about your local dog shows by visiting this web site www.canuckdogs.com

Poms love their people but are not neurotic about being left alone for the day while you are at work. They can easily live in apartments, and can easily be litter and pee-pad trained, or trained to potty outside. They get along well with other animals, they are loyal and affectionate. They are just fine to be left at home alone while you tend to lifes other activities that you must arrive at without your 4 legged friend. There are also a great many Poms that accompany their people to work & social events.

They travel very well, they are friendly and love to be clean. Keep in mind the best situation for any Pom (or other dog) is to spend as much time with his people as he can, no puppy or dog should be spending his life alone everyday without human companionship.

Poms are not a breed to be left outdoors but they do love to play in the yard, go for car-rides and walks. Mine love sunning themselves on my deck, keeping track of the squirrels that may try enter the area, and following me around to every corner of the yard.

Almost everyone I know that breeds poms will say the same thing, males are more affectionate, females more observant. When you move from room to room in your house or around your yard your boy will be on your heels, your girl will be watching you like a hawk. She doesn't need to be at your finger tips but she want to know where you are. Males usually carry a bigger coat that requies a little more grooming. Unaltered females are more moody. All pet poms should be altered. It is best for their health and with both males and females it stops them from "marking"

These dogs generally do not shed a lot year round but rather "blow" their coat twice a year. (Un-altered animals will shed more, females when in season, males when near females). This does not mean they do not shed, they just have 2 times per year where they shed the most!!!!!

These dogs do need to be brushed regularly. Puppies moving into adult coats really seem to get tangled the most and need regular attention. When they are blowing coat you can brush daily or every second day to get rid of all the fly-aways.

If you brush your Pom regularly they learn to love this time with you, this also means you are much less likely to find fur in your house. Because they are such a small dog this is not really a time consuming event. My Poms come running when they see my tack box come out, they enjoy the time together with you. Never use a pin brush with the little "nubs" on the end of them, always use a pin brush with NO tips, the tips or nubs pull out the undercoat causing permanent damage. Do not brush your Pom in the direction of the hair growth, brush it in reverse, up towards the head.

Poms have a beautiful double coat that works to keep the heat in during the winter and the heat out during the summer. Your Pom will not be cooler in the Summer with a shave and risk getting heat stroke. Shaving your pom can also cause severe permanent hair loss. The hair shaft and follicle become over stressed and the hair may not EVER return.

Poms are very clean dogs. They hate to be dirty. They can easily be bathed in the kitchen sink with a vegetable sprayer. Mine get a full bath every month or so in warm weather, less in the winter and half baths whenever needed.

You must cut back toenails a minimum of every month. Poms walk up on their toes and with long nails it is very hard on their feet.

Pomeranian puppies can go through a stage known as puppy uglies or monkies. While growing into the adult coat Poms shed out, the fur gets long in some places, shorter in others and they can look a little awkward while the adult coat comes in.

Poms are extremely clever and agile. There are more of these little beauties showing up in agility or obedience trials and doing very well at it. They love to learn new things and are quick to train. You are limited only by your own imagination.

Poms make great companion dogs. They travel very well and are happy with a single person or a family. They are not a good dog to have with babies, toddlers or smaller children, not because they will harm the child but the other way around.

These are pictures of Ripley first picture is 5 1/2 weeks , 3 months, 4 months, 5 months and mature, not in a full coat but an obvious change from 4 months!! ripley5w