Pomeranian vs. Chihuahua: the coat is the real difference

Weight will not separate these two: the Pomeranian standard says 3 to 7 pounds and the Chihuahua standard says not to exceed 6 pounds. The coat does. The Pom wears one double coat; the Chihuahua standard recognises two varieties, a smooth coat and a long coat, and grooming follows from that.

Almost the same weight, nothing like the same coat

Put a Pomeranian and a Chihuahua on the same scale and the number will not tell them apart. The Pomeranian standard gives 3 to 7 pounds; the Chihuahua standard says not to exceed 6 pounds. That is the same handful of dog.

What differs is what grows out of the skin. That changes what you do with the clippers, and what you say to a groomer who offers to “take it right down for the heat”.

Side by side

The weights and coat descriptions below come from the breed standards; the tracheal collapse entry comes from VCA. Nothing in the table is our estimate.

The coat is the real difference

The Pomeranian has one coat, and it is a double coat: an undercoat with guard hairs over it. Every Pom wears that construction, whatever colour it comes in.

The Chihuahua is not one coat but two options. The breed standard recognises a smooth coat variety and a long coat variety, and for the long coat it says “with undercoat preferred”. So the useful contrast is coat type and length, not a tidy single-versus-double split. Anyone who calls the Chihuahua a single-coated breed is skipping half the standard.

With a Chihuahua you choose a coat before you choose the dog, and the two varieties ask for different amounts of brushing. With a Pomeranian there is no choice. You are getting the double coat.

Why shaving a double coat backfires

Every July, somebody decides the kindest thing to do for a Pomeranian is shave it. Veterinary guidance from Dr. Jerry Klein is blunt: shaving “eliminates that insulating layer of fur”. The coat is insulation, not just a winter coat.

It also does lasting damage. Klein notes that afterward “the undercoat hair will grow back faster, and sometimes will crowd out the slower-growing guard hairs.” The coat that grows back is not the coat you had. A good groomer tidies a Pomeranian rather than stripping it.

The molera, and what the breed club actually says

The Chihuahua standard describes the apple-dome skull “with or without molera” — a soft spot on the top of the skull. Plenty of people have heard that a molera means trouble. The Chihuahua Club of America’s Molera Statement says otherwise: “a domed head with a molera present does not predispose the Chihuahua to this condition”, meaning hydrocephalus, citing University of Minnesota research. Any concern about a particular puppy’s head still belongs with a veterinarian.

Heat, humidity and the case for a harness

VCA lists both chihuahuas and Pomeranians among breeds affected by tracheal collapse, and says the honking cough worsens with excitement, “heat, humidity”, or pressure from a collar.

Two of those three words describe a Lawrenceville afternoon from May to September. We will not tell you one breed copes with Georgia heat better than the other, because no source we trust compares them. The collar-pressure part, though, is entirely in your hands: walk either breed on a harness, and take a honking cough to a veterinarian rather than a search engine.

Temperament and early socialisation

The Chihuahua standard asks for a dog that is “alert, projecting the ‘terrier-like’ attitudes of self importance, confidence, self-reliance”. That is a lot of personality in six pounds, and it is why early socialisation matters more here than for almost any other toy breed. A self-reliant dog that has met the world is a delight; one that has met nobody is a different animal.

Which one suits your life

• If you want to choose your grooming commitment up front, the Chihuahua offers smooth coat or long coat.
• If you were planning to shave a coat down in July, the Pomeranian is not your breed.
• If you can start socialising in the first months, the Chihuahua standard’s alert, self-reliant dog rewards that work.
• Either way, buy a harness rather than a collar.

Both are small enough that housing rarely decides it. Come and see them in Lawrenceville instead, browse our toy breeds page, check the Pomeranian size chart, and look at available puppies by breed for what is here.

Common questions

Which is smaller, a Pomeranian or a Chihuahua?

Neither, really. The Pomeranian standard gives 3 to 7 pounds and the Chihuahua standard says not to exceed 6 pounds, so the ranges overlap almost completely. Choose on coat and temperament, not weight.

Can I shave my Pomeranian for the summer?

Veterinary guidance from Dr. Jerry Klein warns that shaving “eliminates that insulating layer of fur”, and that afterward “the undercoat hair will grow back faster, and sometimes will crowd out the slower-growing guard hairs.” Ask a groomer to tidy rather than strip, and talk to your veterinarian about keeping a small dog cool.

Is a Chihuahua a single-coated breed?

No. The breed standard recognises two varieties, smooth coat and long coat, and the long coat is described “with undercoat preferred”. The honest comparison with a Pomeranian is coat type and length, not single versus double.

Is a molera dangerous?

The Chihuahua standard describes the apple-dome skull “with or without molera”. The Chihuahua Club of America states that “a domed head with a molera present does not predispose the Chihuahua to this condition”, hydrocephalus, citing University of Minnesota research. Raise any worry with your veterinarian.