Two old breeds behind one small dog
The Pompoo is a cross between a Pomeranian and a Toy or Miniature Poodle, and both halves arrive with a long history attached.
The Pomeranian is the smallest of the spitz family, and it started out considerably larger. Its ancestors were the thick-coated working spitz dogs of the far north, animals bred to pull sledges and mind livestock in hard weather, and they were bred down in size in the Baltic region of Pomerania that eventually gave the breed its name. The dog we recognize today owes a lot to Queen Victoria, who brought a Pomeranian called Marco home from Italy in 1888 and showed him. He was smaller than the Poms of the day, the fashion followed the queen, and the breed shrank into the compact, plush-coated companion it has been ever since.
The Poodle came out of Germany as a water retriever. The name is from the German Pudel, itself from pudeln, meaning to splash about, and the famous trim is a working pattern rather than a fashion: the coat was left long over the chest and shorn close everywhere else so the dog could swim freely and still stay warm in cold water. France took the breed to heart and made it a national emblem, and the smaller Poodle varieties followed as companions.
Put a curly-coated German retriever together with a plush-coated northern spitz and you get the Pompoo — small, bright, and a good deal more substantial in character than in size.
Size, shape and the first thing you notice
Pompoos are small dogs. Most adults stand somewhere around eight to twelve inches at the shoulder and weigh between five and fifteen pounds, and where an individual lands depends on which parent it takes after and whether the Poodle side was a Toy or a Miniature.
The face is the part people fall for. A Pompoo can come out with the neat fox-like muzzle of the Pomeranian, the longer straight muzzle of the Poodle, or something square in between, and any of the three ends up looking like a soft toy that has learned to walk. The eyes are dark, round and extremely expressive, and the ears may stand up, fold over or do one of each, which is charming and entirely normal.
The body underneath is compact and better built than the fluff suggests. Pompoos are quick, springy little dogs that turn on a coin, and a small one will beat you to the top of the stairs without appearing to try.
The coat, and the colours it comes in
Coat is the most variable thing about the cross, and it is worth looking at the individual puppy rather than the label. Some Pompoos inherit a soft, standing, cottony coat closer to the Pomeranian. Some inherit defined Poodle curls. Most land somewhere between the two, with a loose wave that thickens as the adult coat comes through over the first year.
A Pompoo that takes after the Poodle side carries hair that keeps growing rather than dropping out, which is why the trim comes round every couple of months rather than the brush coming out every day.
The colours are wide open. Cream, apricot, red, fawn, sable, chocolate, black, blue, silver and white all turn up, along with parti-coloured dogs carrying white with patches of anything else. Many Pompoos change shade as they mature, and a red puppy quite often grows into an apricot adult. It makes the first year interesting.
Bright, busy and thoroughly involved
A Pompoo wants to be in the room with you. This is a companion dog on both sides of its family tree, and it takes the job seriously: following you from kitchen to sofa, sitting on the arm of the chair where it can see both the television and the front door, arriving in the bathroom to check on progress.
The temperament is confident and cheerful. Pompoos greet the day with enthusiasm, they take an interest in visitors, and they have the spitz habit of announcing arrivals, which most owners come to appreciate as a doorbell that also wags. Teach a puppy from the first week that reporting is followed by a thank-you and an end, and a Pompoo keeps the whole business brief.
They are good company for adults and a great deal of fun for older children who enjoy a dog with opinions. They get along easily with other dogs their own size and with cats they grow up alongside, and they take an introduction at their own pace rather than flinging themselves at strangers.
Socialization through the first year is what settles all of this into place. Different floors, umbrellas, hats, wheeled bins, calm adult dogs going about their business. A puppy that has met a hundred ordinary things by six months treats the hundred and first as ordinary too.
Grooming as a routine
The coat has a schedule attached, and once it settles into a rhythm it becomes a companionable ten minutes rather than a chore.
A comb and a slicker brush every other day, worked right down to the skin rather than skated over the top, keeps a wavy or curly coat smooth. The places that want the most attention are behind the ears, under the front legs and around the collar. Most Pompoos will lie on their side and doze once the rhythm starts, particularly if the session ends with something out of the treat jar.
Beyond that, most owners settle into a standing appointment with a groomer every six to eight weeks. A short, even puppy trim suits the dog, suits the weather here, and turns the daily job into a very small one. Some owners keep the face rounded into a teddy-bear shape; some prefer a neater muzzle. Both look good and you can change your mind at the next visit.
The rest is quick. Nails a little and often on a dog this size. Ears wiped with a soft cloth while you are already brushing. Teeth brushed from the first week so a puppy decides early that the toothbrush is simply part of the day. Start all of it while the puppy is small and enjoying the attention, and the next fifteen years are easy.
Training a quick study
Both parent breeds are clever, and the cross shows it. Pompoos pick things up fast, remember them, and enjoy the process, which makes them very satisfying to teach.
Pay properly and keep it short. Two or three minutes before dinner, another minute while the kettle boils. Food works, praise works, and a squeaky toy sometimes works better than either. Ask for one thing at a time, mark the behaviour the moment it happens, and stop while the dog still wants another go.
Two things repay real attention early. The first is house training, which goes best when it is boring and predictable: out first thing, after meals, after naps, after play, and a proper celebration every single time it goes right outdoors. The second is getting the puppy comfortable being handled, combed and having its feet touched, because a dog that enjoys the grooming routine makes everything else straightforward.
Exercise needs are modest and the interest in going out is not. Two short walks a day suit a Pompoo well, and the walk is more about the news than the distance. Five minutes of fetch down a hallway and a food puzzle in the afternoon covers the rest.
Come and meet the Pompoo puppies
No photograph gets a Pompoo right, because the coat is doing most of the work in a picture and none of it in person. What you notice standing over the pen is how quick they are, how much attention they pay to your face, and how completely a five-pound dog can take charge of a room.
Our Pompoo puppies come from our network of licensed breeders, and our team can tell you what a particular puppy’s coat has been doing and how it has been getting on with people. We have a store in Orlando and one in Nashville, and you are welcome to sit on the floor and let a puppy come to you before deciding anything. Find directions and hours, and ask about financing while you are here. Every puppy here goes home with its vet records, its vaccination history and a health warranty, and our team will walk you through what those cover.