Are Pomeranians Descendants Of Wolves?

Pomeranians are small fluffy lap dogs that are loyal and energtic. Are Pomeranians descendants of Wolves?

Pomeranians have a long history that goes well beyond their current life as a companion. All domesticated dogs are descendants of grey wolves, foxes, or dingo’s among other animals that belong to the canid family. To this day wolves and domestic dogs share many of the same behaviors and DNA.

What Are Pomeranains Descendants Of

Pomeranians are descendants of Canis Lupus or Grey Wolves.

The very earliest domesticated dogs were more like dingos or “domesticated” wolves compared to the many dog breeds we know today.

The Pomeranian in particular are descendants of Ancient Spitz dogs. Spitz dogs come from cold Northern regions and have similar traits including wolf-like features including a thick double coat, pointy ears, and curly tail. They used to be hard-working dogs that were used for pulling sleds, herding, hunting, and sounding alarms.

Over time Pomeranians were bred to be the petite companions the we currently share our homes with.

How Did Wolves Evolve Into Dogs

Unfortunately, we don’t have exact records on just how wolves became the domesticated dogs we know of today.

Using the word “evolve” is somewhat incorrect. Wolves didn’t actually evolve, they still exist today as wild wolves. Some wolves kept their distance from humans seeing us as a danger and preferred to live in packs far away from humans for survival.

Others were less hesitant of humans and learned to live among them and survive off of the waste that humans created. These wolves were more like scavengers eating the leftovers from the humans hunting expeditions. Over time these wolves were no longer living in packs of other wolves, they were more like loners, scavenging from one day to the next.

We are not exactly sure how these wolves ended up living in our homes. We can assume that over time they became less fearful of humans and started to interact more in our daily lives. The pups may have also started to become more domesticated since they are naturally less afraid and humans are drawn to their cuteness.

How Did Wolves Evolve Into Pomeranians

Once these domesticated wolves came into our homes we started breeding them for the traits that suited us most.

At first the desire was for a tame, non agressive animal that could work and live with us.

Over time domesticated “wolves” or dogs started to change in appearance. They started to get bigger eyes, bigger ears, softer coats, and develop different coat colors. They developed a softer-looking appearance compared to a wild wolf.

Since humans were breeding dogs for different traits we noticed that some were better at doing certain things and we bred them more to achieve the particular outcomes that we desired. More and more dog breeds were born over time.

Pomeranians used to be much bigger than they are today and used to be working dogs like many of the Spitz breeds. In the 1800’s Queen Victoria became extremely fond of the bred and had them bred into a smaller-sized lap dog. The smaller-sized dog gained in popularity and Pomeranians became the small companion dog they are today.

What Dogs Are Genetically Closest To A Wolf

We now all know that many dogs are decendents from wolves but, which dogs are genetically closest to a wolf?

A Canid Biologist and Molecular Biologist from UCLA named Dr. Robert K Wayne has said that when you compare a grey wolf’s DNA to a modern dog’s DNA they only differ .2 percent.

A wolf’s closest wild relative by DNA is a coyote. Wolves and coyotes differ 4%, making grey wolves and modern dogs more closely related by DNA than Grey wolves and coyotes.

Scientists have been trying to find out which breeds of dogs are most closely related to wolves. In a project called CanMap. Scientists have gathered the DNA information for almost 1000 dogs across 85 different breeds.

The scientists found four dog breeds that are closest in DNA to wolves.

Shiba Inu
Chow Chow
Akita
Alaskan Malamute

All four of these dogs belong to the Spitz family of dogs and are closely related to Pomeranians.

21 Dog Breeds That Are Descendants Of Wolves

There are many dog breeds that are descendants of wolves but, which dogs are most closely related to their ancestors.

Northern Inuit Dog
Siberian Husky
Alaskan Malamute
Kugsha
Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
Samoyed
Tamaskan
Shih Tzu
Pekinese
Lhasa Apso
Tibetan Terrier
Saluki
Afghan Hound
Saarloss WOlfdog
Alaska Noble Companion Dog
Utonagan
Shar-Pei
Basenji
Shiba Inu
Akita
Chow Chow

Are All Dogs Descendants Of Wolves

Not all modern dogs are descendants from wolves.

There are many modern-day domesticated dogs that are descendants of wild dogs, dingos, foxes, and raccoon dogs. All of these animals including wolves fall under a family of mammals called candids.

Are There Dogs That Look Just Like Wolves

In The 1980s, breeders created a new breed of dog called a Northern Inuit Dog, which looks just like a wild wolf but, is domesticated. These dogs are a mixture of an unknown breed and Spitz breeds like Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds, and even German Shepards.

Northern Inuit Dogs may look like wolves but, they are actually great family dogs and do not show aggression towards humans. They can suffer from separation anxiety are notoriously hard to train.

Northern Inuit Dogs have gained in popularity in recent years due to their appearance on Game Of Thrones. Sadly, the popularity has resulted in many dogs going to rescues and shelters because people are excited to get a “wolf dog” but, are not truly prepared for the lifestyle.

Currently Nothern Inuit Dogs are not recognized by the AKC.

Final Thoughts

The domesticated dogs that we love today (including our furry Pomeranains) are distant descendants from wolves.

Even with thousands of years of selective breeding to have dogs with the traits that we desire most, our companions of today are almost genetically identical to wolves.

Dogs and wolves still share many of the same behaviors in play, submission, dominance, scent marking and the way females care for their young.