Over time, students of dog breeds can develop more questions than they have answers, and we are certainly among them.

We might have one about the Pomeranian AKC breed standard, and specifically, what one might see as an “about face” in the General Appearance sections of standards published 111 years apart.

In the AKC breed standard published in 1900, the section on Appearance read:  The Pomeranian, in build and appearance, should be a compact, short-coupled dog, well-knit in frame. His head and face should be fox-like, with small, erect ears that appear to be sensible to every sound. He should exhibit great intelligence in his expression, docility in his disposition, and activity and buoyancy in his deportment (the bold face is ours).

The current AKC breed standard that was approved in 2011 now reads:  “The Pomeranian is a compact, short-backed, active toy dog of Nordic descent. The double coat consists of a short dense undercoat with a profuse harsh-textured longer outer coat. The heavily plumed tail is one of the characteristics of the breed. It is set high and lies flat on the back. He is alert in character, exhibits intelligence in expression, is buoyant in deportment, and is inquisitive by nature. The Pomeranian is cocky, commanding, and animated as he gaits. He is sound in composition and action (again, the bold face is ours). 

A century ago, the breed was described as having a docile disposition.  A little over 100 years later, and now the Pomeranian is buoyant in deportment, cocky and commanding.  An obvious question might be: What factors contributed to this shift in temperament description from docile to cocky and commanding over the past century?

But is the question even fair? We suspect not.  It’s not accurate to assume from the language of these two standards that “deportment” and “disposition” mean same thing. In both historical and modern breed standards, the terms have distinct meanings.

• Disposition refers to the breed’s temperament and personality – his or her innate character.

• Deportment refers to the breed’s outward behavior, how the dog carries him or herself in movement and attitude. It’s the body language we see.

A Pom may have a gentle and calm temperament while exhibiting lively behavior in, say, a show ring or when there is excitement in the household.  The terms, as we see it, are complementary,  but not identical facets of the same dog’s overall presentation and character.

If we came up with an answer for the question we posed earlier, it is this: Words matter. As a rule, the writers of breed standards pick their words carefully. We can presume they pay particular attention to earlier versions of their respective standards, keenly aware that subtle differences in terminology can have significant implications.

Photo by Fred Moon/Unsplash