What Is A Mismarked Pomeranian

Have you ever heard the term “mismarked” dog before? In this article, I discuss what exactly a mismarked Pomeranian is.

A mismarked Pomeranian is a dog that has colorings outside of the breed standard. For example, a mostly solid-colored dog with a white chest or paw would be considered a mismarked Pomeranian.

What Is A Mismarked Dog

A mismarked dog is a dog that has markings that are outside of the desired boundaries for the breed.

What Colors Do Pomeranians Come in?

What Would Be A Mismarked Pomeranian

Although Pomeranians have a wide range of coat colors and patterns there are some that could be referred to as mismarked.

Mostly Soild Dogs With White Markings

A dog that is mostly solid with a white chest, paws, or tail would technically be a mismarked dog.

It’s very common for black puppies to have a white chest like our little Willow.

Willow also has a tiny patch of white fur on one of her paws and under her chin.

Parti Pomeranians With Less White Markings

This can be confusing because Parti Pomeranians are supposed to have white patches of fur, how can that be considered mismarked?

A Parti Pomeranian should have a minimum of 50% white fur. If a parti Pomeranian has less than 20% of white fur it is considered a mismarked Pomeranian.

Improper Sable Coloring

Sabling refers to the dark-tipped hairs on the ends of the Pomeranians outer coat.

The most common colors that appear in the sabled fur pattern are black, chocolate and orange.

A mismarked sable Pomeranian would have tipped guard hairs in their outer coats that are blue or liver-colored.

Blue and liver are diluted versions of black and chocolate.

Incorrect Nose Pigmentation

There are four accepted nose colors by the AKC standard they are.

Black Noses– the black nose should be found on all Pomeranians except the chocolate, beaver, blue, or a diluted “washed out” black.

Chocolate Noses- chocolate noses are found in dogs with chocolate, red, orange, or parti coats.

Beaver Noses- Beaver-colored noses are light brown and often look pink. If a dog has a beaver-colored nose the dog carried the diluted gene.

Blue Noses- Blue noses are diluted black nose. A Pomeranian with a blue nose also has a diluted blue coat.

What are the mismarked nose colors?

A mismarked nose is a liver or blue nose that is found in a red, orange, or cream dog or a pink beaver-colored nose in a parti dog.

Can Mismarked Pomeranians Be Show Dogs

The AKC breed standard states that all colors, patterns, and variations there-of are allowed and must be judged on an equal basis.

That said a dog that has one or more white feet (except on a white or parti dog) is a major fault.

What Are The Differences Between A Show Pomeranian And A Pet?

Can Mismarked Pomeranians Be In A Breeding Program

Mismarked Pomeranians can be in a breeding program.

Breeders may be breeding for show Pomeranians or those that are pets each looking for different results.

There are many different genetics and traits that a breeder may choose to aim for between colors and size for example.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a mismarked Pomeranian.

Should I Get A Mismarked Pomeranian

Yes, Mismarked Pomeranians are the same as a perfect show Pomeranian in my eyes.

If you are searching for a show dog you will obviously have your goals and standard in mind, a pet on the other hand doesn’t need to fit inside the show standard box.

Other Dog Breeds That Can Be Mismarked

All dog breeds can have dogs that are considered mismarked.

Every dog breed has its own standards for colors and markings, any dog that falls outside of that standard is a mismarked dog.

Is Trying To Avoid Mismarked Dogs Bad For The Breed

This is a matter of opinion.

Trying to avoid certain markings is going to naturally narrow down the gene pool for the entire breed of dog.

Over time if only “perfect” dogs are selected for breeding there will be less genetic diversity.

Luckily for Pomeranians, there is a wide range of colors and patterns that make them each uniquely beautiful. I hope this remains.

Final Thoughts

This topic actually go me a little fired up.

I’m an animal lover especially when it comes to Pomeranians and feel defensive when one animal is viewed as a negative over another just based on its looks.

On the other hand, I also understand why the AKC has the standard that they have in order to document and “preserve” the breed.

It feels like a double-edged sword to me.

Luckily as pet owners, we don’t care where our dogs have white patches of fur or what colored nose and eyes they have.

All we care about is the love, companionship, and lifetime of memories that we have with our dogs.