Pomeranian Dogs - Characteristics

The official Breed Standard for Pomeranians defines the characteristics as: "Sound, vivacious and dainty." This terse description does not do sufficient justice to the breed. All Pom owners will have  their own views, and here are mine:

Pomeranians are intensely loyal and protective towards their owners. They are energetic and like   going for short walks, but they are generally suited to apartment life. They spend long period asleep    or dozing and don't make so many demands on the resources of their owners. Pomeranians would in the right circumstances make a good pet for children or the elderly. They require relatively little feeding, but they love snacks (in our case sweet biscuits and hard cheese!). Pomeranians are quite intelligent, though they perhaps look more intelligent than they really are; and they may take a little while to become fully house-trained. They are easier to house train than most Toy breeds, however. A few chew sticks lying around will stop them from damaging the furniture. They enjoy being groomed and cared for, and many Pomeranians relish going to shows. They will chase strange cats, given half a chance, but they will get on with cats and other pets that live in the same house, and often play with them. Because of their size and smiling faces many people who are otherwise not too keen on dogs find them very attractive. Walking a Pomeranian can extend your social circle! Female dogs are less likely to yap than males. Pomeranians make good watchdogs, and are generally not frightened of even the largest Great Dane.

Pom intelligence

According to Stanley Coren in his publication "The Intelligence of Dogs" Pomeranians rank as the 23rd most intelligent breed, out of 79. Top place goes to Border Collie, bottom place to the Afghan hound. I do not know on what basis this information was constructed, but Pomeranians are not really obedience dogs, and develop their own characters. This doesn't make them less intelligent, indeed it is one their strong points.

Poms will challenge other dogs, and people, that they do not know, that wander into what they consider their territory. They are not aggressive, but territorial and determined to draw a line as to where you should be. They also thoroughly enjoy the pampered life.