Wednesday Woof: Pomeranian Dino

What, a Wednesday Woof that is actually posted on Wednesday?!? It has been a while since that happened but my human reminded me today.

Here is a Pomeranian dressed as a dinosaur, looking at an adorable stuffed dinosaur:
PxdaOgo
(reddit)

*Rawr means I love you in Dinosaur*

That is Boo of course, the adorable Pom with many cute pictures out there. I just loved this one for making something not really cute (dinos) into something fuzzy and irresistable. If you want to see more of Boo, you can follow him on facebook here.

– Fizz

Pomsky – Pomeranian Husky Mix

Yesterday a friend asked me if I had ever heard of a Pomsky, and I must admit I have not. So I sent Cola and Fizz on the hunt for information. Below are the results of their findings:

The designer dog mix of a Husky and Pomeranian is often called a Pomsky (plural Pomskies). There is a lot of good information out there about this new crossbreed, but also a lot of misleading information and pictures. Please, always do your research first! If you ever buy a puppy from a breeder make sure they are reputable and you can check out their facility and dogs.

We are looking at a cross of a Pomeranian:
pomeranian_01
(source)

A small breed of dog which is friendly, playful, and intelligent. They pick up training, but can also train their owners to get what they want. They are a healthy breed. Pomeranians often bark at new situations and people, which can develop into a problem.

With a Husky:
Siberian_Husky_018
(source)

The Husky is a robust and strong breed of working dog most often used in sled pulling. I am guessing that the type of husky used for breeding a Pomsky would depend on the individual breeder. “Husky” is a term which refers to any dog used to pull sleds differentiated by their pulling style. These huskies can be mixes of many types of dogs and vary in particulars like coat, height, build, and color. These dogs are often crossed based on ability and in an attempt to create better working dogs, but are not registered as purebred dogs for show purposes. On the other hand, the Siberian Husky is a specific large sized working dog originating in Siberia with a set breed standard and appearance. These differences would affect the outcome in a mixed breed pairing.

So here is the result, a Pomsky:
apexpomskies
(apexpomskies)

Given that these dogs are a mix, sometimes first generation and sometimes mixes of already mixed animals, individual dog’s characteristics vary. Most often Pomskies are small in size like a Pomeranian but have Husky coloring. This is, I believe, what breeders are working towards. Of course, with further development of the crossbreed and more generations there will be standardization of qualities like size.

Size?
Actual adult size will depend on the parent’s size and can range from around 15 to over 25 pounds. Smaller adult Pomskies will be possible with further generations.

Coat Considerations?
Pomskies can have the entire range of colors for both Pomeranians and Huskies. Coat length and fluffiness will depend on parent crosses, so some will be fuller like a Pom while others smoother like a Husky. Shedding will be close to whichever parent’s coat a puppy gets. First generation crosses are often more Husky like, medium shedding dogs which blow their coat during the summer.

Ears and Tail?
Ears should always be erect, especially if both parents had erect ears. The tail should be curled over the back like both parent breeds.
Note: This is in regard to an ideal standard, as with any other dog that should have erect ears or a curled tail. If a dog’s ears fail to come up, stand up all the time, or has an uncurled tail such a dog still makes a great pet quality animal but those traits are a “defect” detracting from a breed standard and are therefore not ideal and would disqualify a dog from being show quality.

Temperament?
Temperament is a mix of the parents, and will vary based on individual, but most Pomskies are energetic, intelligent, and may be loud. They are said to take well to training with your effort, and to be good family pets.

Puppy Cost?
A Pomsky puppy will cost around $1500. This will vary by area, breeder, and availability. These dogs are still “rare.” There are not many breeders specializing in this crossbreed and there could be a lot of puppy mill style breeders (or simply inexperienced breeders) trying to take advantage of the low supply.

If you are looking for a puppy I will direct you to the breeders page at the Pomsky Club of America.

There is misinformation that these dogs will always look like Husky puppies, often featuring pictures of actual Husky puppies or Pomskies as puppies and claiming they are fully grown. If you feel that this is actually true after seeing images of adults, then enjoy the breed for that. However, I do not find this to be true after looking at the pictures of adult Pomskies. The dogs just look like small sized Huskies.

Here are actual Pomsky puppies:
599327_332285373582449_647454652_n
(ApexPomskies)

1238896_332280676916252_2081279531_n
(ApexPomskies)

First generation Pomsky adults:
577201_155629061248082_816598298_n
(ApexPomskies)

More Pomsky Adults:
481650_10152634611515556_1125970528_n
(ApexPomskies)

9296746_orig
(Bluebreeze Pomskies)

— Cola and Fizz

UPDATE: I am not, nor have I ever been, a Pomsky breeder. As I mentioned above, if you are looking for a puppy you should check out Pomsky Club of America or Google to see if there are local breeders in your area. Please make sure you check out your breeder first before buying a puppy to make sure they keep their dogs and puppies in a good enviroment. A good breeder will allow you to see where they keep their dogs and allow you to meet the puppies before you pay the full amount for the puppy. I have seen too many fake listings for Pomskies that use puppy pictures from a Google image search. Be careful and do your research always!

Sources:
Wikipedia – Husky
Widipedia – Siberian Husky
Wikipedia – Pomeranian
Pomsky Club of America
Pomsky Information

Boo the Dog

Have you seen Boo? This little guy is quite famous on the internet with a website, facebook page, many hits on youtube, and a book.

(photos from bannedinhollywood)

He is a pomeranian with a cute haircut, which makes him stand out compared to others of his breed. Take a look:

Boo was also featured on Good Morning America:

Here are some of Boo’s youtube videos:

To see more of Boo, visit his website: boothedog.net

Are you interested in his book? It is called Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog, available on Amazon for $9.30.