Whether the Pomeranian Was Once Called a Loulou
The name “Loulou” can make Pomeranian history feel muddier than it is: was it an old breed name, a French nickname, or a different kind of dog altogether? The useful distinction is that “Loulou” was commonly used as a French name for small, fluffy companion dogs, including dogs associated with the Pomeranian, but it was not a precise modern breed label.
What “Loulou” Meant in Pomeranian History
A French name for a small companion dog
“Loulou,” also written as “Lou-Lou,” appears as a French term for a small, fluffy pet dog. It could be used affectionately, much like a nickname, rather than as the fixed name of one carefully defined breed. In historical references, the word may describe a dog that looks like a Pomeranian without proving that the dog would meet today’s breed standard.
That distinction matters because people often expect old breed names to work like modern registry names. They usually do not. Before dog breeds were consistently classified through kennel clubs and written standards, owners, writers, and artists used local names, descriptive terms, and familiar nicknames in overlapping ways.
So, if you find an old French reference to a “Loulou,” it may point to a Pomeranian or a closely related small Spitz-type dog. But the word alone is not enough to identify the animal with certainty. Its size, coat, setting, date, and the rest of the description all matter.
“Loulou” was not necessarily an official breed name
The modern Pomeranian is a defined breed. “Loulou,” by contrast, was a looser label. It might refer to the Pomeranian in a particular context, but it was not always used with the precision people now associate with a registered breed name.
This is common in breed history. The same dog type can be known by a regional name, a fashionable nickname, or a broader family term, especially when dogs move between countries. A French writer might use “Loulou” where another writer used a term connected to Pomerania or the German Spitz family.
For a wider view of those relationships, see The German Spitz Family a Pomeranian Belongs To and Whether the Pomeranian Is Actually German. The terms overlap because the Pomeranian’s history sits within a broader Spitz story, not because every historical name refers to an identical, formally standardized breed.
Why the name still shows up in breed discussions
The name survives because it offers a glimpse of how people spoke about small companion dogs before modern breed categories became familiar. It can also be a charming detail in a painting caption, a translated book, or an account of fashionable pets in France.
However, the word can create a misleading impression if it is treated as a direct synonym for “Pomeranian” in every historical source. A document may use “Loulou” casually, or it may be describing a related dog that shared a fluffy coat and compact appearance. Historical labels are clues, not automatic identification.
A helpful way to read them is to ask: Is the writer naming a standardized breed, or describing a type of pet? In older accounts, the second possibility is often more likely. That keeps the history interesting without forcing a modern label onto every dog in the past.
How Loulou Fits With the Pomeranian’s Name
The connection to Pomerania
The Pomeranian’s name is linked to Pomerania, a historical region on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The breed’s roots are associated with larger northern Spitz-type dogs, while the small companion dog familiar today developed over time through selective breeding.
The name “Loulou” tells a different part of the story. It reflects French usage and the way people referred to small, fluffy pets, rather than identifying the geographic origin implied by “Pomeranian.” One name points toward a regional association; the other is a familiar French label that could be used more broadly.
For the geographic background, Where Pomerania Sits and Why the Breed Is Named for It explains why the region’s name became attached to the breed. It is worth keeping geography and everyday naming separate: a dog could be called a “Loulou” in a French setting while belonging to the wider family of dogs connected with the Pomeranian.
A breed name can change as dogs travel
Dogs do not carry a single name that remains unchanged wherever they go. As they move between regions, local languages shape the terms people use for them. A small Spitz-type companion might be described by its origin in one place, its appearance in another, and an affectionate nickname somewhere else.
That is one reason historical records can feel inconsistent. A writer might not be trying to distinguish one breed from another. They may simply be describing a little dog with a thick coat, erect ears, and a lively expression. Later readers, familiar with formal breed categories, can mistakenly interpret every label as a precise classification.
The same caution applies to early accounts of the breed in England. When Pomeranians First Reached England offers useful context for the way dogs and their names traveled. Once a type of dog enters a new social scene, its name can shift alongside its popularity, its appearance, and the way people describe it.
What the name does not tell us
Seeing “Loulou” in a source does not establish that the dog was a particular color, a particular size, or a purebred Pomeranian by today’s definition. Nor does it prove that the animal belonged to a formal breed club or met a written standard. Those details require evidence from the source itself.
It also does not mean that every Pomeranian was called a Loulou. The word was part of a wider vocabulary, and its use depended on language, place, and context. A historical label may be accurate for its time while still being too broad to map neatly onto current terminology.
This is why responsible breed-history writing usually avoids turning “Loulou” into a definitive alternative breed name. It is better understood as a historically useful French term that sometimes overlaps with the Pomeranian story.
Why Historical Pomeranians Looked Different
The Pomeranian was not always toy-sized
The modern Pomeranian is known as a small dog with a dense double coat and a distinctive, upright outline. Its ancestors and earlier relatives were larger Spitz-type dogs. Over generations, breeders selected smaller dogs and developed the compact companion breed people recognize today.
That change helps explain why old descriptions can seem at odds with modern expectations. A writer could be discussing a dog connected to the Pomeranian’s ancestry without describing the tiny, plush-coated pet seen in a contemporary home. The label might cover a broader type or an earlier stage in the breed’s development.
For a sense of how much size could differ, The Twenty Five Pound Pomeranian of the 1800s explores the larger dogs associated with the breed’s history. The modern image should not be projected backward onto every dog that was once connected with Pomerania or called a Loulou.
Selective breeding reshaped both size and appearance
As small dogs became popular companions, breeders selected for traits that suited that role. Reducing size was one part of the transformation, but it was not the only one. The desired outline, coat, head shape, and overall presentation also changed over time.
This was not a single overnight switch. Breed development is gradual, and people in different places may have favored different features. As dogs became more consistently bred and shown, written standards and organized registries helped establish a more recognizable type.
The progression is explored in How Breeders Selected Pomeranians Down in Size. It also helps explain why old names and old images do not always match modern breed descriptions: the dogs themselves were changing while the language used for them was changing too.
| Historical clue | What it may suggest | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| A French text calls a dog a “Loulou” | The writer may mean a small, fluffy companion dog, possibly a Pomeranian or related Spitz type | That the dog is a registered Pomeranian by modern standards |
| A description mentions Pomerania | The dog may be associated with the region or the breed’s historical naming | That it had the size and appearance of a modern Pomeranian |
| A picture shows a compact, fluffy dog | The animal may resemble a Pomeranian or another small Spitz-type dog | Its exact breed, ancestry, or formal name |
| A source uses several names for similar dogs | Local terms and broad categories may have overlapped | That the terms were interchangeable in every place and period |
Queen Victoria and the familiar modern image
Queen Victoria’s interest in small Pomeranians helped make the breed fashionable in Britain. Her dogs are an important part of the story of how the breed became associated with a smaller size and a more familiar companion-dog appearance. But the history is more complex than saying one owner created the modern Pomeranian.
Fashion, breeding choices, changing preferences, and organized dog showing all contributed. Victoria’s influence helped raise attention around the breed, while breeders continued shaping the dogs across generations. It is useful to think of her as an influential figure in the breed’s popular history, not as the sole cause of every change.
If you encounter “Loulou” in connection with an older French dog, it should not automatically be identified as one of Victoria’s Pomeranians or as the exact same type. Whether Victoria's Dogs Would Be Pomeranians Today considers how historical dogs compare with the modern breed. The answer depends on what a particular source tells us about the dog.
How to Read the Word “Loulou” Today
Check the date, place, and description
When you see “Loulou” in a historical source, begin with the basic context. Where was the text written? When was it published? Is it discussing a named individual dog, a general kind of pet, or a recognized breed? Those details can narrow down what the writer likely meant.
Next, pay attention to the description. References to a dense coat, erect ears, a curled tail, and a small companion dog may suggest a Pomeranian or related Spitz type, but no single feature settles the question. Look for multiple clues and consider whether the description fits the period’s dogs rather than the modern standard alone.
A painting or portrait needs the same care. Artists sometimes stylized animals, and a fluffy outline is not a reliable breed certificate. The safest conclusion may be “a dog resembling a small Spitz” rather than a confident modern breed identification.
Separate affectionate nicknames from breed labels
A nickname says something about how people felt about a dog; it does not always tell us how that dog was classified. “Loulou” may have been used warmly and familiarly, particularly in settings where small companion dogs were fashionable. That use can be historically meaningful even when it is not taxonomically precise.
Modern breed names can encourage us to seek hard boundaries that did not exist in the same way in earlier periods. Before formal standards became widespread, dogs were often grouped by practical traits or broad appearance. A word could describe a family of dogs rather than one narrowly defined breed.
This does not make historical language unreliable. It simply asks us to interpret it on its own terms. A source using “Loulou” is valuable evidence of how someone referred to a dog, but it may not answer every question about lineage or breed identity.
The clearest answer to the title question
Was the Pomeranian once called a Loulou? In some French-language contexts, “Loulou” was used for small, fluffy companion dogs and could refer to a Pomeranian or a closely related type. But it is too broad to treat it as a universal, official former name for the breed.
The distinction is straightforward: “Pomeranian” is the breed name used today, while “Loulou” is best understood as a historical French term or nickname whose meaning depends on context. It belongs in the breed’s naming history, but it should not replace the geographic and Spitz-related background of the Pomeranian.
So when a source calls a dog a Loulou, think “possibly a Pomeranian or related small Spitz-type dog,” then check the surrounding evidence. That cautious reading respects both the old terminology and the more specific breed categories we use now.
Disclaimer
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.
