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Teddy Bear Poms

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Teddy Bear Pomeranians

The Faces of the Pomeranian

There are 3 different face types of the Pomeranian dog. However, it must be noted that by AKC standard guidelines, the Pomeranian dog "should" have the fox face. That is the standard and is what has been seen for centuries back, throughout this breed's journey of development from larger Spitz dogs.

However, there are also 2 other types of face shapes for this breed, with one being quite popular and becoming more sought after every year.

The 3 Face Types are:
  • Fox face
  • Teddy Bear
  • Baby Doll
Differences Between the Type of Faces

There is no official breed variation of the ‘baby doll Pomeranian’ or the ‘teddy bear Pomeranian’ and technically, there is no official ‘fox-faced’ Pomeranian. There is only the one Pomeranian. These are unofficial terms given to Poms based on facial features. The most obvious feature involved is the length of the snout (muzzle). Though, with teddy bears, there can be differences in eye spacing, fullness of the cheeks, and body length. Since these are unofficial terms, it’s common for breeders to be in disagreement about what constitutes a baby doll or a teddy bear; and some mistakenly use the terms interchangeably. 

Some breeders focus solely on Teddy Bear Pomeranian puppies; this said, a non-teddy bear faced Pom can be passed off as a teddy bear since it's very difficult to know how the muzzle will take shape when the pup is very young. 
fox face Pomeranian
A fox-faced Pomeranian is the longest muzzle type; 1/3 the length of the skull. To quote a section of the guidelines, "the expression is alert and may be referred to as fox-like” and faults (in AKC conformation events) include: “Round, domed skull; under-shot mouth”. As you can see the snout is more elongated than the next two types; though not overly long for the frame of the face. It is considered small in comparison to some other dog breeds.
Baby doll Pomeranian face shape
The baby doll is slightly shorter. 
Teddy bear faced Pomeranian
And the teddy bear Pomeranian is dramatically shorter, generally just about 1/4 of the overall length of the skull. With the teddy bear, the eyes may be closer to the nose, the cheeks may be fuller, and the body may be more compact.  
Are There Any Other Differences in Appearance?

You may wonder if there are any other differences between these 3 different face types. All have the same thick double coats, all will goes though some level of the puppy uglies, and all can be seen in the wide variety of colors that are found with the Pomeranian breed. 

Because the teddy bear Pom tends to have a smaller compact body, weight may be lighter than with fox and baby doll faced Poms. 

Health Issues of Teddy Bear Pomeranians

When it comes to teddy bear Pomeranians, due to the unnaturally compressed face, there are going to be some issues with some of these dogs. Inner facial tissue and structures have to fit into a much smaller than normal area. Many teddy bears will have the same breathing issues as seen with established brachycephalic breeds. This includes stenotic nares (very small ‘pinched’ nostrils which restricts the amount of air that the dog can draw in) and elongated palate (the soft palate in the back of the roof of the mouth partially blocks the windpipe to varying degrees). 

In addition, with teddy bears, a shortened body can lead to other issues, some quite serious. The Pomeranian was already bred down from a medium-sized dog to a toy-size. Now, with further breeding to create these very ‘compact’ dogs, there is a higher chance of bone and joint-related issues like hip dysplasia and patella luxation. 

However, perhaps the worst aspect is that the quite terrible disease of chiari malformation (CM) which causes syringomyelia (SM) is now starting to be seen with Pomeranians. This is a tremendously painful and crippling condition caused by the skull being too small to accommodate the brain. The cerebellum (back part of the brain) is pushed down into the hole near the back of the head that leads to the spinal cord. The pain typically becomes so severe, a dog becomes contorted and it usually leads to paralysis. 
Other Meanings of the Term

Another way that one may refer to a Pom as a Teddy Bear has nothing to do with facial structure. Rather, it is a nickname given to this breed when the coat is shaved down. Shaving to look like Boo the Pomeranian is an example of this. Technically, this should be called the Teddy Bear cut, since the official definition pertains to the face and snout shape. 
Teddy bear cut on Pomeranian
This is  a close, teddy bear hair cut on a Pomeranian puppy. This is not recommended. The inner layer of the coat has been shaved down. This Pom's fur will most likely never grow back to the thick, wonderful coat it could have been.
Full teddy bear haircut on Pomeranian
This trimmed, rounded out coat leads some to refer to the dog as a Teddy Bear Pom. However, this is a standard Pomeranian with a coat this is trimmed nice and tidy. This type of trim does not cut into the inner layer, so it will not damage the coat. 
As we discuss in detail in our Shaved Pomeranian section and our Hair Cut section, trimming must be done with great care. Hundreds of years have gone into perfecting this breed's thick double coat. Nature calls out for the Pom to have a double layered coat...There is the inner layer which is dense and short. There is also the outer hairs (called guard hairs) that are longer and full.

The Pom's ancestors, the Arctic Spitz dog had this type of fur and so does the Pom. Snipping off the top fur to create a Teddy Bear appearance must be given great thought.

If one trims down into the inner layer, there is a very good chance that the coat will never again be able to grow as it was meant to be. Grooming in this way is essentially a life long commitment.

Now, with this said, guard hairs can be trimmed and touched up. They can be snipped back a bit to create balance and shape to give this dog the Teddy Bear look....But, this should be done carefully. If too little is trimmed, you can always go back and touch it up later. If too much is taken off to try and achieve the Teddy, it will be too late....And it can take a long time for the coat to grow back.
Why Create Teddy Bear Poms?

Even though a moderately sized muzzle is called out in the AKC standard and the much shorter muzzles seen on teddy bear faces can lead to issues, there are some breeders producing these compressed snouts. And, you may be wondering why.  

Toy breeds were not always very popular; however, after the 1950’s more and more households started to change from ‘dog ownership’ to ‘pet ownership’. Families transitioned from having larger working and guard dogs to obtaining small indoor lap dogs. One reason why toy breeds became sought-after and are still so appealing is that the adult dog is similar in size to what would be considered a ‘puppy size’ of a larger breed. As this desire for ‘puppy-sized adults’ grew, the idea of creating even more of a ‘puppy look’ did so as well. 

This led to breeders having the propensity to experiment with particular qualities regarding appearance; they learned that producing dogs with a shorter snout fit the bill of what some potential puppy buyers were looking for. And this certainly holds true for the Pomeranian. Pom puppies have short snouts. The face, just like the body, is rounded. As a Pomeranian matures, the snout lengthens into a ‘moderate’ size. But, with teddy bears, the muzzle remains short. 

A Final Thought

If you are looking to obtain a Pomeranian puppy, we urge you to not seek out a teddy bear face. Doing so only encourages the breeding of these dogs destined to have a slew of health issues. In addition, to sell to puppy buyers that insist on a teddy bear face, some unscrupulous breeders are producing hybrid dogs, with one of the most common pairings being a Pomeranian and a Pekingese which makes for an extraordinarily flat face. 
You May Also be Interested In:

Why Do Pomeranians Look so Different? - While there is only one breed, due to color, size, face shape and age, Poms have a variety of looks. 
Other Dogs that Look Like Pomeranians - While the Pomeranian has its own, unique and wonderful appearance there are quite a few other breeds that do look a bit similar. Most are in the Spitz family, however some are not.
Big, Large Throwback Poms -  Read about one possible and very interesting reason why a purebred Pom may end up much larger than expected. 
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