Charcoal Orange
Blue Merle and Tan
Black and Tan
Wolf
Sand Cream
Black
Black and Tan
Wolf
The Pomeranian Spitz is distinguished by the richness and diversity of its colors. From immaculate white to deep black, including luminous orange, delicate sand, and elegant wolf gray, each coat possesses its own unique charm.
Coat color is the result of a precise genetic heritage and the combination of natural pigments. It can be uniform, nuanced, marbled, or marked with more pronounced contrasts.
It is also important to know that a puppy’s coat color can change as it grows. Some colors lighten, others warm up, or gradually reveal their final shades.
Dresses in pictures
Understanding Coat Color
The coat color of your Pomeranian is not random. It depends on two natural pigments called melanins.
There are two:
Eumelanin: This is the dark pigment. It gives black, brown (chocolate), or bluish colors.
Pheomelanin: This is the light pigment. It produces shades ranging from sand to fawn, sometimes very golden or orange.
When there is no pigment at all, the coat is white.
Each coat color is therefore the result of a “mixture” or a particular distribution of these pigments.
The Main Coat Colors
To simplify, coat colors can be grouped into three categories.
1. Solid Coat Colors
These contain only one type of pigment, or none at all.
Examples:
black, chocolate, blue, fawn, sand, beige, white.
These coats are generally uniform and easy to identify.
2. Composite Coats
These are primarily influenced by pheomelanin (the light pigment), but exhibit different shades.
Fawn: a warm, rich color.
Sable: a lighter or diluted version of fawn.
Some coats may be:
masked (darker muzzle),
charcoal (darker hair tips),
brindle (light stripes),
black and tan or chocolate and tan (well-defined markings).
These variations explain why two puppies from the same litter can have very different shades.
3. Modified Coats
These contain both pigments (light and dark) but without white areas.
The color may be distributed differently depending on the body area:
darker muzzle, darker back (mantle), precise markings, etc.
Examples include:
masked fawn, charcoal fawn, black with tan markings, grizzled…
Important to remember: The coat color can change during growth.
In Pomeranian Spitzes, some colors lighten or change slightly over the months.
The different colours
White
The coat is pure white, without any cream tint or spots.
Black
The coat, skin, and undercoat are a deep, uniform black.
Orange
A bright orange color, sometimes with a few white hairs on the chest, tail, or feet.
Charcoal Orange
Orange base with darker hair tips (charcoal effect).
Red
A deep, rich red hue.
Brown
A dark brown, uniform over the entire body.
Chocolate
A rich, warm brown.
Wolf Gray
This is a silvery gray with black hair tips. Darker markings are often seen on the head and around the eyes. The ruff and shoulder hairs are lighter. The legs may be a darker shade.
Cream
A very pale, light shade, without any distinct white markings.
Sable
May have various shades. The base color is light (orange, cream, or fawn) with darker tips.
Black and tan: Black base with well-defined tan markings on the muzzle, above the eyes, chest, and legs.
Bicolor
White background with colored markings distributed across the body.
Partial color
White base with several patches of color.
Blue Merle
Diluted base (bluish-gray) combined with a marbled merle pattern.
Blue Merle and Fire
Merle base with fire markings.
Blue and Fire
Blue base (slate gray) with fire spots.
Blue
Uniform slate gray.
Chocolate and Fire
Chocolate base with fire markings.
Chocolate Merle
Chocolate base combined with a merle pattern.
Beaver
Shade reminiscent of light to warm brown biscuit, sometimes with a slight silver sheen.
Brindle Black
Black base with fine, intersecting reddish-brown or orange stripes.
Chocolate Sand
Sand base with darker chocolate undertones.
Lavender
Very light gray with pinkish or chocolatey highlights.
Brindle
Fawn, red or orange base with well-defined dark stripes.
Note:
The French Kennel Club (LOF) breed standard recognizes several colors for the Pomeranian, including: white, black, orange, brown, sable, wolf gray, and black and tan.
Some rarer or more unusual colors may exist, but are not always officially recognized in breed confirmation.
Merle color
The merle gene creates marbled or mottled areas in a dog’s coat.
It can also influence skin pigmentation (nose, paw pads) and eye color.
Merle is not a color in itself, but a pattern that modifies a base color (black, brown, red, etc.).
It is characterized by lighter areas (gray, bluish, or sometimes light red) giving a marbled, mottled, or irregular effect.
The merle pattern can appear on various base colors. It is often more visible on dark coats.
The merle gene is dominant: only one parent carrying it is needed for a puppy to be merle.
Effects on the eyes and skin
The merle gene can also affect:
Eye color: light blue, dark blue, odd eyes (two different colors), or eyes with spots.
Pigmentation of the nose and paw pads, which may be partially lightened.
These characteristics are normal in a single merle dog.
⚠️ Very important point
Never breed two dogs carrying the merle gene.
Such a mating can produce puppies known as double merle.
These puppies often have a predominantly white coat, but they are unfortunately exposed to serious risks:
deafness
vision problems that can lead to blindness
malformations
higher mortality rate
For this reason, these matings are prohibited.
The French Kennel Club (SCC) banned these matings in 2017. Animal welfare regulations strictly govern this type of breeding.
Key takeaway
Merle is a popular aesthetic pattern, but it must be managed with seriousness and responsibility in breeding.
Responsible breeders always prioritize the health of the puppies above all else, taking color into account.
Links to learn more
Centrale Canine’s website on coat nomenclature
article published on 14-05-2017
The website of the central canine organisation on the Livre des Origines Françaises LOF
article published on 27-04-2017
