The Pomeranian is a breed of dog in the spitz family, named for the Pomerania region of Historical Eastern Germany, which is today part of northern Poland and part of eastern Germany, and classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size. Originally part of the German Spitz breed, and of the Zwergspitz, or Toy German Spitz, designation, the breed as a whole did not fully exist until the 19th century.The Pomeranian originated from the sled dogs of Iceland and Lapland, which were eventually brought into Europe in Pomerania. This region, bordered on the north by the Baltic Sea, has been under the control of the Celts, Slavs, Poles, Swedes, Danes and Prussians, at various times. This region extends from the west of the Rügen Island to the Vistula river - there it became popular both as a pet and working dog. The name Pomore or Pommern, meaning "on the sea" in Slavic languages was given to the district about the time of Charlemagne.Breeders in Pomerania improved the coat and bred the dogs down for city living, but they were still 20 pounds or more when they reached England.English breeders, through trial and error and Mendelian theories, are credited for reducing the dog's size and developing the many colors. The Pomeranian of today is small due to selective breeding, but the breed still retains the hardy disposition and thick coat typical of dogs in cold climates.Queen Charlotte first introduced the Pomeranian to English nobility, however; the Pom gained international popularity when her granddaughter Victoria returned from vacation in Florence, Italy with a Pomeranian named Marco.(It should be noted that the Pomeranian as a modern breed did not exist until the 19th century. The dogs owned by Queen Charlotte & Queen Victoria were much larger and were European Spitz, probably a German Spitz and a Volpino Italiano. The same is true of any other historical pom from before the 19th century)The closest relatives of the Pomeranian are the Norwegian Elkhound, the Schipperke, the German Spitz(and American Eskimo Dog), the Samoyed, and the whole Spitz group.References:1.Spirer, Louise Ziegler; & Spirer, Herbert F. (1965).This is the Pomeranian. TFH Publications. ISBN 0-87666-354-4. 2.Liebers, Arthur; & Sheppard, Georgia M. (1959). How to Raise and Train the Pomeranian. TFH Publications. ISBN 0-87666-352-8. 3.Tietjen, Sari Brewster (1989). The New Pomeranian. Howell Book House. ISBN 0-87605-251-0
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