Pom Information, Pomeranian Colours

What is a Parti Pomeranian? Learn About the Unique Parti Pomeranian

Pomeranian Headquarters

Sharing is caring!

Last Updated on 03/11/2023 by Dochlaggie. Post first published on June 4, 2023.

The parti-color Pomeranian pattern has existed as long as we have had Pomeranians. Numerous vintage Pomeranian books and early artwork display Pomeranian parti dog pictures.

Pomeranian dogs are small, fluffy, and adorable. These toy dogs have a long history of being bred as lapdogs for ladies in the Victorian era because they’re so cute.

What is a Parti Color Pomeranian?

Parti Pomeranians are an interesting color pattern with a white base color and patches on their coats. The ideal Parti Pomeranian is a white dog with colors distributed on the body in patches. A symmetrical white blaze on the head is preferred. A true “parti” has 50%+ of their coat being white.

Important Facts about Parti Pomeranians

  • The Parti Pomeranians have all-white fur broken up with colored patches.
  • The preferred Parti Pom coat is 50% white and 50% colored patches.
  • Parti Pom coats come in three different types.
  • Parti Pomeranians can be larger than the breed standard.
  • The Parti Pomeranian is one of the original Pom patterns, and they’re purebred.
  • Parti Pom dogs are not a rarity.
  • The Parti Pomeranian, also known as the “Pom” for short, can live 12-14 years.
  • A Parti Pomeranian is a fun-loving, intelligent dog with an affectionate personality.
  • Owing to the breed standard wording, the Parti Pomeranian is not a desirable dog breed for show rings in some countries.
Parti Pomeranian Puppies
Parti Pomeranian Puppies

What is a Parti Color Pomeranian Exactly?

Parti-color Pomeranians are white, with other colors appearing on the body in patches. It’s preferred that they also have a white blaze on their heads. The markings on his head need to be symmetrical. Excessive ticking is regarded as a fault.

These markings are found on any base color or combination of colors and patterns:

  • Cream and white parti Pomeranian
  • Red & White
  • Orange parti Pomeranian
  • Sable Pattern & White
    (blue sable, chocolate sable, cream sable, orange sable, red sable, wolf sable, beaver sable)
  • Parti Pomeranian Black & White
  • Chocolate parti Pomeranian
  • Blue & White
  • Brindle & White
  • Beaver & White
  • Lavender & White
  • Merle & White. (blue merle, chocolate merle)
  • Tan Pattern & White – sometimes referred to as tri-colored Pomeranian
    (black & tan, blue & tan, chocolate & tan, merle & tan)

What Does Parti Pomeranian Mean?

In the Pomeranian dog world, the word Parti means being a predominantly white color broken by patches of another color.

Parti Pomeranian Black & White
Parti Pomeranian Black & White

Parti Pomeranians Are Easy To Identify

If your dog has a minimum of 50% white coloring on his body in a design, it is a parti Pomeranian dog. If you own a sable or an orange Pomeranian with a white or buff undercarriage, it’s NOT a parti-color Pomeranian dog.

Parti-colored Pom’s points need to be the same color as his patches. What this means is that dogs with black points can be:

  •  Sable colored, cream, red, black, blue, red merle, brindle parti, and orange.
  •  Dogs with blue points need to be blue or blue sable.
  •  Dogs with brown color points will be beaver, brown, or brown merle.
Parti Pomeranian Puppy
Parti Pomeranian Puppy

The Three Types of Parti Pomeranians

There are three types of parti Pomeranians where white is listed as one of the colors:

  1. Extreme Piebald Parti. This extreme piebald Parti is primarily white with patches of color on his head and the base of the tail.
  2. A Piebald Parti Pom is white and has patches of color on his body, head, and base of his tail.
  3. An Irish Mark Parti Pomeranian has color on his body and head and white on his legs, collar, and chest. Dogs with more color patterns in their white markings are frequently called Irish-marked partis. They generally have a white chest, feet or legs, a neckband, and a white-tipped tail. They can sometimes also have a blaze.
Parti Pomeranian
Parti Pomeranian

What is a Parti Pom Mismark?

A mismark is when a dog has less than 20% or traces of white markings, but they are still particolored Poms (genetically speaking). They’re invaluable in a parti breeding program.

Using a mismark to breed parti Poms can help avoid heavily white parti dogs. So Parti Pomeranian breeders don’t breed an almost white dog that may be deaf; sure, it’s a rare incident, but it’s still possible.

If mismarks do carry the parti gene. They can produce partis and probably will give birth to a litter of parti puppies if bred to particolored dogs. If bred to other mismarks, they’ll often produce some partis in the litter, and some mismarks.

Parti mismarks can be all colors and patterns including lavender Pomeranian parti, grey Pomeranian parti, cream parti Pomeranian, orange parti Pomeranian, black, sable, parti merle Pomeranian, black chocolate and white parti Pomeranian, tri parti Pomeranian, and brindle.

Pomeranian Parti-Color Patterns
Pomeranian Parti-Color Patterns. Left the Piebald Parti Color, Middle an Extreme Piebald Parti Pom, and right an Irish marked Parti Pomeranian Puppy.


Exhibiting a Parti Pomeranian

It seems there has always been an issue with the Parti Pomeranians in the show ring. The early Pomeranian breed standards included this phase in their color sections.

“ In mixed classes where whole-colored and parti-colored Pomeranians compete together, the preference should, if all other points be equal, be given to the whole colored specimen.”

Early Pomeranian Breed Standard

The above phase still exists in some Pomeranian breed standards and has possibly made judges unsure about highly awarding dogs of this color pattern in the breed.

If your sole focus is doing lots of high-profile show-winning with your Pomeranian, my advice, unfortunately, is to avoid exhibiting the parti-color Pomeranian and stick to showing the oranges and orange sables.

Adult and Puppy Parti Color Pomeranians
Adult and Puppy Parti Color Pomeranians

Are Parti Pomeranians Rare?

Parti Pomeranians are not rare, although finding a breeder specializing in breeding them may be hard. Finding a top-quality show parti Pom may prove a difficult task.

Are Parti Pomeranians Purebred?

As most of the Pomeranians are orange or tan colored, the color pattern of a Parti Pomeranian can lead people who don’t know the breed to believe that they’re not purebred.

Parti Pomeranian Cost

The Parti Pomeranian is a popular dog breed with an average price tag between $2000 and 6000. The perfect way to get a Parti Pomeranian puppy is by finding a breeder that specializes in these fantastic little dogs.

What Color are Parti Poms at Birth?

The parti Pomeranian puppy has a unique coat that can be identified at birth thanks to its distinct markings.

Though these same patterns can become much smaller and less noticeable as they mature, an example would be the blaze might become smaller over time.

Parti Pomeranian Puppy
Parti Pomeranian Puppy

Breeding Parti Pomeranians

The genes that create the Parti Pomeranian pattern are recessive to the solid color pattern gene.

Breeders typically focus on one of the two, but seeing a recessive color may come from as far back as five or more generations; there can be a litter of solids and a single parti or an entire litter of Parti pups and just a single solid.

Parti Pomeranian breeders can have dogs that are partly parti, and it’s achieved by breeding a parti with a mismarked dog. Then they look solid and have a white-colored chest. However, a mis-marked dog can produce properly marked parti pups if the breeder breeds them to other parti dogs.

Breeding Parti Pomeranians to Partis will produce partis but probably will not improve breed type.

To breed quality parti Pomeranians, ideally, mate a parti to a champion orange, keep the best of that litter, and mate back to the best quality parti you can find. This might be a slow process and take several generations to achieve your goal. I have found breeding quality parti poms is quicker to accomplish than many of the other colored Pomeranians.

Another issue is undesirable “ticking” on the black and white partis, and I have found this very hard to breed out.

Parti Pomeranian size may be larger than normal show-size Poms owing to some breeding practices. Parti Pomeranian price is usually similar to that of orange Pomeranian puppies of similar quality.

Orange parti Pomerania
Orange parti Pomerania

The Parti Pom’s Temperament Explained

It seems that the particolored Pomeranians are the most active, outgoing, and intelligent members of the world of Pomeranians.

Pomeranians are beautiful toy dogs with a lot of personality. They make excellent companions for people who live in small homes or apartments.

If you have ever been owned by a Parti-Pom, you would never consent to be owned by a different-colored Pom dog. My favorite Pomeranian color pattern is the parti Pomeranian. Once owned by the number one, you can’t settle for anything less.

Parti Color Pomeranian
Parti Color Pomeranian

Parti Pomeranian Size Details

The Parti Pomeranian is a small dog that should weigh between 3 and 7 pounds. Many Partis Pomeranians are above the breed standard, sometimes called throwback Pomeranians. In most cases, this is a result of poor breeding practices.

Although rare within the Parti color pattern, any Pomeranian smaller than breed standard can be called a teacup.

Parti Pomeranians Health Problems

The Pom dog is one of the more popular dog breeds, but it’s essential to know that this tiny toy dog can still have some health concerns. These possible health issues include:

Parti Pomeranian Lifespan

The Pomeranian is one of the more long-lived breeds, living 12 to 16 years on average.

Parti Pomeranian Black & White Puppy
Parti Pomeranian Black & White Puppy

Final Thoughts on Parti Pomeranians

If you’re interested in getting your own Parti Pom to love and cherish forever, it’s essential to know what makes these little guys so unique so you can keep them happy and healthy all year round.

I hope this information has answered all your questions about this specific Pomeranian color pattern.

If you have any more questions about whether this dog breed is right for you and your family, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Copyright Pomeranian.org. All Rights Reserved.

References and Further Reading:
[1] Official Standard of the Pomeranian (AKC). American Kennel Club, 2011.
[2] English Kennel Club Pomeranian Breed Standard, 2017.
[3] Denise Leo, The Pomeranian Handbook.
[4] Milo G. Denlinger “The Complete Pomeranian.”
[5] Kimbering Pomeranians “1891-1991”.
[6] William Taplin’s “The Sportsman’s Cabinet.”
[7] E. Parker “The Popular Pomeranian.”
[8] Lilla Ives “Show Pomeranians.”

Learn All About Pomeranians in The Pomeranian Handbook

Parti Pomeranian
Parti Pomeranian

About

Denise Leo

Pomeranians are my passion, and I have shared my life with these darling little dogs for many decades. The creator and face behind this website is published author and Pomeranian breed authority Denise Leo of Dochlaggie Pomeranians.

Denise Leo
Denise Leo