CHAPTER IX
CLUB STANDARDS, DESCRIPTIONS AND POINTS OF VARIOUS TOY BREEDS
Pomeranians.—These are now divided into Pomeranians (over 7 lbs.) and Pomeranians Miniature, and the Committee of the Kennel Club have laid down the following standard, applying from June 1, 1909:
The Pomeranian.—Appearance.—The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small erect ears that appear sensible to every sound. He should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportment. In weight and size the Pomeranian varies considerably. He must be over 7 lbs., but preferably he should weigh about 10 to 14 lbs. Head.—The head should be somewhat foxy in outline or wedge-shaped, the skull being flat, large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The hair on the head and face must be smooth and short-coated.
The Pomeranian Miniature—Appearance.—The Pomeranian Miniature in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog. His head and face should be like a miniature fox, with small, erect, and very mobile ears, pricked and brought well together, and in no case lop-eared. He should be full of life, intelligent in expression, and docile in disposition. The Pomeranian Miniature should preferably weigh about 3 to 5 lbs., but must not exceed 7 lbs. Dogs above 7 lbs. must be registered as Pomeranians. Dogs below 7 lbs. in weight must, at twelve months of age or after, be registered or re-registered as Pomeranians Miniature, and being so registered or re-registered, can never compete in classes for Pomeranians. Head.—The head should be wedge-shaped and rather foxy in outline, but the skull may be rounder than the Pomeranian.
Standard and Scale of Points as laid down by the Pomeranian Club.—Secretary, G. M. Hicks, Esq., Granville House, Blackheath, London, S.E.[2] Appearance.—The Pomeranian in build and appearance should be a compact, short-coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small, erect ears, that appear sensible to every sound; he should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportments.—15 points. Head.—Somewhat foxy in outline, or wedge-shaped, the skull being slightly flat (although in the toy varieties the skull may be rather rounder), large in proportion to the muzzle, which should finish rather fine, and be free from lippiness. The teeth should be level, and on no account undershot. The head in its profile may exhibit a little "stop," which, however, must not be too pronounced, and the hair on head and face must be smooth or short-coated.—5 points. Eyes.—Should be medium in size, rather oblique in shape, not set too wide apart, bright and dark in colour, showing great intelligence and docility of temper. In a white dog black rims round the eyes are preferable.—5 points. Ears.—Should be small, and carried perfectly erect, or pricked like those of a fox, and, like the head, should be covered with soft, short hair. No plucking or trimming is allowable.—5 points. Nose.—In black-and-tan, or white dogs, the nose should be black; in other coloured Pomeranians it may more often be brown or liver coloured; but in all cases the nose must be self not parti-coloured, and never white.—5 points. Neck and Shoulders.—The neck, if anything, should be rather short, well set in and lion-like, covered with a profuse mane and frill of long, straight, glossy hair, sweeping from under the jaw, and covering the whole of the front part of the shoulders and chest, as well as flowing on the top of the shoulders. The shoulders must be tolerably clean and laid well back.—5 points. Body.—The back must be short, and the body compact, being well ribbed up, and the barrel well rounded. The chest must be fairly deep, and not too wide.—10 points. Legs.—The forelegs must be perfectly straight, of medium length—not such as would be termed either "leggy" or "low on leg"—but in due proportion in length and strength to a well-balanced frame, and the forelegs and thighs must be well feathered, the feet small and compact in shape. No trimming is allowable.—5 points. Coat.—Properly speaking, there should be two coats, an under and an over coat—the one a soft, fluffy under coat, the other a long, perfectly straight and glistening coat, covering the whole of the body, being very abundant round the neck and forepart of the shoulders and chest, where it should form a frill of long, flowing hair, extending over the shoulders, as previously described. The hindquarters, like those of a collie, should be similarly clad with long hair or feathering from the top of the rump to the hocks. The hair on the tail must be profuse and flowing over the back.—25 points. Tail.—The tail is a characteristic of the breed, and should be well twisted right up from the root tightly over the back, or lying flat on the back, slightly on either side, and profusely covered with long hair, spreading out and flowing over the back.—10 points. Colour.—The following colours are admissible: White, black, blue, brown, black-and-tan, fawn, sable, red, and parti-colours. The white must be quite free from lemon or any colour, and the blacks, blues, browns, black-and-tan, and reds free from white. A few white hairs in any of the self-colours shall not absolutely disqualify, but should carry great weight against the dog. In parti-coloured dogs, the colours should be evenly distributed on the body. Whole-coloured dogs with a white foot or feet, leg or legs, are decidedly objectionable, and should be discouraged, and cannot compete as whole-coloured specimens. In mixed classes—i.e., where whole-coloured and parti-coloured Pomeranians compete together—the preference should, if in other points they are equal, be given to the whole-coloured specimens.—10 points. Total—100 points.
[2] In most cases the names of the Secretaries of the various clubs are given, but it must be remembered that an annual re-election takes place.
Also catered for by the North of England Pomeranian Club. Secretary, J. Tweedale, Valley House, Oversley Ford, Wilmslow; and the Midland Counties Pomeranian Club. Hon. Secretary, Mrs. E. Parker, Meadowland, Uttoxeter Road, Derby.
Toy Spaniels (English).—Points as defined by the Toy Spaniel Club. Hon. Secretary, Miss M. Hall, Chalk Hill House, Norwich. Head.—Should be well domed, and in good specimens is absolutely semi-globular, sometimes even extending beyond the half-circle, and absolutely projecting over the eyes, so as nearly to meet the upturned nose. Eyes.—The eyes are set wide apart, with the eyelids square to the line of the face—not oblique or fox-like. The eyes themselves are large, so as to be generally considered black; their enormous pupils, which are absolutely of that colour, increasing the description. From their large size, there is always a certain amount of weeping shown at the inner angles; this is owing to a defect in the lachrymal duct. Stop.—The "stop" or hollow between the eyes, is well marked, as in the bulldog, or even more so; some good specimens exhibiting a hollow deep enough to bury a small marble. Nose.—The nose must be short and well turned up between the eyes, and without any indication of artificial displacement afforded by a deviation to either side. The colour of the end should be black, and it should be both deep and wide, with open nostrils. Jaw.—The lower jaw must be wide between its branches, leaving plenty of space for the tongue and for the attachment of the lower lips, which should completely conceal the teeth. It should also be turned up or "finished," so as to allow of its meeting the end of the upper jaw, turned up in a similar way, as above described. Ears.—The ears must be long, so as to approach the ground. In an average-sized dog they measure 20 ins. from tip to tip, and some reach 22 ins., or even a trifle more. They should be set low on the head, and be heavily feathered. In this respect the King Charles is expected to exceed the Blenheim, and his ears occasionally extend to 24 ins. Size.—The most desirable size is from 7 lbs. to 10 lbs. Shape.—In compactness of shape these spaniels almost rival the pug, but the length of coat adds greatly to the apparent bulk, as the body, when the coat is wetted, looks small in comparison with that dog. Still, it ought to be decidedly "cobby," with strong, stout legs, broad back, and wide chest. The symmetry of the toy spaniel is of importance, but it is seldom that there is any defect in this respect. Coat.—The coat should be long, silky, soft, and wavy, but not curly. In the Blenheim there should be a profuse mane, extending well down in the front of the chest. The feather should be well displayed on the ears and feet, where it is so long as to give the appearance of their being webbed. It is also carried well up the backs of the legs. In the King Charles the feather on the ears is very long and profuse, exceeding that of the Blenheim by an inch or more. The feather on the tail (which is cut to the length of about 3½ ins. to 4 ins.) should be silky, and from 5 ins. to 6 ins. in length, constituting a marked "flag" of a square shape, and not carried above the level of the back. Colour.—The colour varies with the breed. The King Charles is a rich, glossy black, and deep tan; tan spots over the eyes and on cheeks, and the usual markings on the legs are also required. The Ruby Spaniel is a rich chestnut red. The presence of a few white hairs intermixed with the black on the chest of a King Charles, or intermixed with the red on the chest of a Ruby Spaniel, shall carry very great weight against a dog, but shall not in itself absolutely disqualify; but a white patch on the chest, or white on any other part of a King Charles or Ruby Spaniel shall be a disqualification. The Blenheim must not on any account be whole-coloured, but should have a ground of pure pearly white, with bright, rich chestnut or ruby-red marking evenly distributed in large patches.