Can You Breed Brother & Sister Pomeranian Dogs?

Purebred dogs have their origins in selective breeding. Clearly, a poodle or an English mastiff would not have been able to develop or to survive in the wild. The traits that set purebred dogs apart were put in place by breeders. For generations, breeders with visions of hunting companions, herding assistants and just plain pets paired dogs with certain desirable traits to create the breeds we know today, and sometimes that involved breeding closely related dogs together, including Pomeranians.

  1. Inbreeding vs. Line Breeding

    • The American Kennel Club considers inbreeding to be the mating of two closely related dogs of the same breed, while line breeding is the practice of mating a dog to a member of an earlier generation of the dog's bloodline. Kathy Lorentzen, writing for the United Kennel Club, explains that both inbreeding and line breeding can set desirable traits that the breeder wishes to produce reliably in future generations, but that inbreeding should only be done by people who are "intimately familiar" with their dogs' genetic histories. If you are unfamiliar with the pedigree and the genetic history of your dogs, then it is best not to breed brother and sister together.

    Pomeranian Genetics

    • Pomeranians are prone to a number of hereditary diseases and disorders, just like many dogs. Of the 472 Pomeranians in the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database, only 57.6 percent of them had normal patellas (kneecaps). The rest had some degree of patellar luxation (slipping kneecaps), which can become painful or debilitating as a dog ages. According to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC), which works with breed parent clubs to improve the genetic health of dogs, the Pomeranian also has autoimmune thyroiditis, hip dysplasia, Legg-Calve-Perthes, and congenital cardiac disease. Unless your Pomeranians are free of all of these conditions, then you should not risk breeding close relatives together.

    Dangers of Inbreeding

    • Lorentzen states that "extremely close breedings can set positive characteristics, but they can also set negative ones and make them nearly impossible to eradicate." Just as genetic flaws can be "set" by close breedings, structural and temperament issues can also be bred into a line. If both brother and sister have hips that are higher than their shoulders, all of the puppies are prone to have high rears as well. Those puppies would not only pass on the structural flaw to their own offspring, but they would also have the potential to develop shoulder, elbow and spinal problems from "trotting downhill" all of their lives.

    Ethics of Breeding Brother and Sister Pomeranians

    • Finally, it is important to consider whether breeding your dogs together would be an ethical act. If you have researched your breed and your dogs' ancestors, then you might think that it is indeed ethical because you've "done everything you need to do." However, you must also consider whether breeding your dogs would benefit the breed in any way. Breeders are the stewards of their breeds. It is unethical for them -- and for you -- to do anything that might bring harm to future canine generations. For that reason, as well as those mentioned in previous sections, you can, but you should not, breed your Pomeranians if they are brother and sister.