The Pigeoncote Standards

The Pomeranian Pouter: NPA Standard 1993:

ORIGIN: This pouter variety originated in the Pomerania section of Germany. It is a direct descendant of the Dutch Cropper and was developed by the breeder who favored longer legged pouters with an upright carriage.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: The physical attributes of this breed such as the huge but proportioned globe, the massive body, the long, powerful limbs, the huge muffs, and the upright station of 60 to 80 degrees combine to give this breed the look of pure power. The length of the Pomeranian from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail should be 20 to 24 inches with a corresponding weight of 22 to 30 ounces.
BREED CHARACTERISTICS

• HEAD (1 pt.): Smooth, long. and rounded.
• BEAK (2 pts.): Proportional, long, and strong. Flesh colored in whites, yellows, creams, and tail marked birds, all others have dark beaks.
• EYES (2 pts.): Bull in white and predominantly white birds, all other to have orange eyes.
• NECK AND GLOBE (20 pts.): The neck should be long and forceful with a slight curve which enables good action. The globe should be powerfully blown and in proportion to the bird's size. The globe should show a slight break where it comes into the body. The head and beak should rest comfortably on top of the globe. The globe should not be carried in a lop-sided manner.
• LEGS (15 pts.): Long and strong but not stilted. They should be approximately 1 % to 2 inches apart.
• MUFFS (20 pts.): The muffs should be large, well rounded, profusely feathered and multi-layered. The feathers should be wide and thickly quilled. The hock feathers should blend into the back of the muffs and add to the full, rounded appearance of the muffs. The muffs should be symmetrical and 4 to 8 inches long.
• BODY TYPE AND STATION (20 pts.): The body should be broad and massive. The waist should be long showing a well defined keel. The back should broad with a slight hollow by the shoulders. The wings should be long and tightly held against the body. The flights should be neatly folded and show no signs of sails.  The flights should stop at a point just before the end of the tail and they should never touch or cross. The Pomeranian should walk with an upright carriage and the angle of its station should be 60 to 80 degrees.
• COLOR (10 pts.): Pomeranian Pouters come in a wide assortment of colors. The colors are to be rich, clean, and lustrous. The colors are red, yellow, black, blue, silver, brown, khaki, various checks, and white self.
• MARKINGS (10 pts.): Pomeranians come in a wide variety of markings. The pied varieties are colored with white markings as follows: half moon placed in the middle of the crop with both ends of the same size and length ending approximately % inch from the eyes. The flights, belly, legs, and muffs are to be white. All color stops to be clean and distinct. Self varieties to be colored with no white plumage. Tail-marked to be pure white with a colored tail. There are two classes for splashes, light and dark. The light splashes are to have a white ground cover with color splashing and pure white muffs, flights, and tail. The dark splashes are just the opposite, with a dark ground cover and white splashing and solid colored boots, flights, and tail. Tigered or mottle varieties have solid colored flights, muffs, and tail but the effect on the body is one of having every other feather white.

SERIOUS FAULTS: Rosette or white markings on wing butts; over blowing; lop-sided globe; snip marking on the forehead; bull eyes in all colors but white or predominantly white birds; moon or crescent that meets behind the neck; moon or crescent that isn't half-moon shaped; cracked eyes; white flights on self colored birds; roach or hump back.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Birds standing on a horizontal plane; extremely short limbs; wry tail ( one that pulls to one side); split tail( that shows a V-shaped break in the middle. This is caused by there not being a retrice for the feather to grow from); birds that are physically deformed; birds that are sick or vermin infested; birds with a weak or small body.