The truth is this – there are no breed differences between a Pomeranian and a teddy bear Pomeranian. Officially there is only one Pomeranian dog and this is the Pomeranian.
People may call some Pomeranians who have certain characteristics a teddy bear Pomeranian. This unofficial term “teddy bear Pomeranian” refers to how a Pomeranian looks; particularly his fur and the way his head and legs look.
All Pomeranians are individuals, no two Pomeranians look the same. There is a big difference between Pomeranians bred by preservation breeders and people who do not show their dogs.
I would like to explain the correct information about the Pomeranian teddy bear dog. The internet is a great tool for information but, unfortunately, people without qualifications can quickly set up a website and start posting incorrect material on just about any subject.
The Pomeranian dog is not immune to these types of “get rich quick” bloggers who steal information from this site, reword it, and quickly post it on their own sites.
These people usually have never owned a Pomeranian, never been involved in showing or breeding Pomeranians and, because English does not seem to be their first language, the intent of the information is quickly lost in the rewording.
Teddy Bear Pomeranian Facts
- There is not a dog breed called a teddy bear Pomeranian.
- Pomeranian dogs who have dense and correct coats are often said to resemble a “teddy bear”.
- These types of Pom dogs do not suffer any additional health issues.
- A Pomeranian who resembles a ‘teddy bear ” is not at any additional risk of coat issues.
- Grooming can help your Pomeranian look neat, but a groomer is going to struggle to obtain the “teddy bear” look on a Pomeranian without sufficient dense coat.
Why Do Some Pomeranians Look Like Pomeranian Bears?
It’s all a matter of genetics combined with good grooming. In England in the mid-18th century, breeding began with serious working dogs. The goal was to eventually produce a new breed that was a wonderful companion. Preservation breeders spent many decades involved in selective breeding, and the result was the newly-named Pomeranian.
During the late 1880s, American breeders imported Pomeranians, mainly from England, for further breeding and to appear in shows. They also started breeding short nose Pomeranians with dense, thick leg and face fur.
This dense fur gave the dog the appearance of having thicker legs or sometimes had people assuming his bones were heavier than the norm.
However, this isn’t the truth. The dense fur on the head makes the bear face Pomeranian appear to have tiny ears, a short nose, and the cheeks appear fuller.
If Pom has plenty of dense hair on his head, it may appear as though his head resembles a teddy bear shape.
If you’re unsure, run your fingers over his skull to work out the exact shape. In most cases, the measure from the dog’s nose to the stop and then the stop to the back of his head will be 1:2.
Those people were breeding within the Pomeranian breed standard and this meant each of their Pomeranians had correct body and head proportions.
Show breeders spend countless hours trimming and grooming their Pomeranians before every show, and their neat, trimmed coat contributes to their “Pomeranian that looks like a teddy bear” appearance.
How To Buy Teddy Bear Face Pomeranian Dogs
If you’re trying to locate teddy bear Pom breeders, the best thing to do is contact a breeder who is actively showing their Pom dogs.
Ask if they have Pomeranian puppies that look like teddy bear Poms or teddy bear Pomeranians for sale.
Grooming Teddy Bear Pomeranians
Now you’re the proud owner of a bear-type Pomeranian, please don’t forget grooming and trimming play an important part in retaining the teddy bear Pom look.
A different reason why a Pom can be called a teddy bear doesn’t have any connection with the structure of their face. Instead, it’s a nickname describing the breed after his coat has been trimmed right back. For example, shaving him to resemble Boo the Pomeranian is a specific example. (Boo lost his life in 2017).
As previously mentioned in the grooming and shaving Pomeranian sections, it’s vital that trimming is carried out gently and with plenty of care about the end result. Hundreds of years have been spent ensuring the perfection of the Pomeranian’s thick double coat.
The outer layer of hair (aka guard hairs) that are full and longer in length. The inner layer is short and dense.
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 lifelong 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.
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.
As we discuss in detail in our Shaved Pomeranian Section and our Grooming 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 are also the outer hairs (called guard hairs) that are long 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 lifelong 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, you Pomeranian may experience coat loss issues.
Will Taking my Pomeranian to the Groomer Give Him the Pomeranian Teddy Bear look?
In some cases, yes and in others, no. This depends on the breed type quality of your dog and the experience and skills of your groomer. Bathing, drying and trimming a fox face Pomeranian will never make this type of dog look like a bear type Pomeranian.
Poms sourced from backyard breeders and puppy mills usually have very little chance of being turned into a Pomeranian teddy bear dog at the hands of any groomer.
To avoid any disappointments, before leaving your dog with the groomer, discuss in detail your expectations and, if possible, provide a photo of what you would like your dog to look like when you return to collect him.
Myths About Bear-Type Pomeranians
There are numerous myths about Pomeranians and, while many are obviously fake, some people are willing to believe almost anything. Here I’ll clarify myths and explain facts.
Teddy Bear Pomeranian Myth: Different breeds of Pomeranians can experience different problems.
Fact: Different types of Pomeranian breeds don’t exist!
However, Pomeranians may have different facial features, hairstyles, and sizes that may get people assuming they’re actually different dogs when they’re all simply Pomeranians.
Facts: Teddy bear faces Pomeranians don’t experience more health issues than any other type of Pomeranian. The Pomeranian that looks like a teddy bear doesn’t have health problems because of a compressed face.
Dogs who have an appearance of being bear-faced Pomeranian dogs don’t have the same breathing issues as seen in established brachycephalic breeds.
Pomeranian Fact: The Pomeranian breed can suffer from coat loss issues.
Teddy Bear Pomeranian Type Fact: A bear type Pomeranian is no more at risk from any of the diseases mentioned in our Pomeranian health section than a fox face Pomeranian.
Teddy Bear Pomeranian Myth: Teddy bears possess a shorter body and, as a result, could experience other problems, some of which can potentially be very serious. The original Pomeranian has been bred down from his medium to large-sized body to today’s toy dog.
Most toy dogs have a bigger chance of bone and joint troubles such as patella luxation. While hip dysplasia issues seem a large dog breed issue.
Teddy Bear Face Pomeranian Myth: Perhaps the worst myth is about a disease known as Chiari Malformation (CM) which causes Syringomyelia (SM) and is beginning to prevail in Pomeranians. It’s an extremely crippling, painful condition whereby a dog’s skull isn’t big enough to accommodate the brain.
The back of the brain (cerebellum) gets forced downwards into a hole at the rear of the head leading to the spinal cord. The dog experiences such pain that his whole body becomes contorted, and often causes paralysis.
Rest assured Pomeranian lovers, this is a relatively rare health issue. Only very occasionally diagnosed in Pomeranians and has nothing to do with the density of a Pomeranian dog’s fur or his looks.
Final Thoughts on Pomeranian Bear Dogs
Hopefully, this article has cleared up all your questions about Pomeranian puppies that look like teddy bears and the teddy bear Pom.
This website is a trusted Pomeranian blog. It was started decades ago by Pomeranian breed expert, Denise Leo. Read her “About Me” page for information on the author’s Pomeranian breed qualifications and feel safe in the knowledge that all information on this site has been written by a Pomeranian expert.
You should now have a clear idea of how to buy teddy bear Pomeranian dogs and how to care for bear-type Pomeranian puppies.
