Commonly Confused Breeds: The Pomeranian VS The German Spitz

Inquisitive, bold, and lively, the diminutive Pomeranian packs a lot of personality into a small package. Despite weighing just three to seven pounds, the Pomeranian possesses the attitude of a much bigger dog. The Pom has legion of fans—it’s one of the most popular toy breeds, and with good reason. Alert, intelligent, and long-lived (12 to 16 years), the Pom is a favourite of royals and regular folk alike, charmed by the breed’s winning personality, smile, and stunning coat. That profuse double coat comes in almost two dozen colours, though orange or red are most common. Pomeranians excel at tricks, are easily trained, and even make good watchdogs. Their exercise requirements are relatively easy to meet and they’re a great choice for many families so long as the kids are old enough to respect this breed’s small size.

A hallmark of the Pomeranian is its foxy expression, which is shared by the German Spitz, an incredibly devoted and attentive breed that, like the Pom, also boasts liveliness and longevity (13 – 15 years) amongst its attributes. The big difference here is the size, with the Spitz topping the scales at 24 to 26 pounds. Like the Pom, the German Spitz boasts a glorious mane-like coat. He’s also easy to train, though more distrustful of strangers, making the German Spitz an excellent home watchdog. This smart breed can be noisy and can have an independent streak but gets along well with people and other dogs when well trained and socialized.

►Explore More Breeds For more breed profiles, go to moderndogmagazine.com/breeds