Pomeranian Grooming: 10 Expert Tips & Tricks for Easy Maintenance
By Kit Copson
Updated on
The Pomeranian is famous for many things, not least the fluffy, puffy double coats that give them a real foxy look. These coats shed moderately throughout the year but more heavily during shedding seasons. Moreover, their coats are long and thick, so keeping them knot, mat, and tangle-free is important.
You can keep your Pomeranian’s coat in great condition with proper coat care routines, and at the same time maintain their health and comfort with general grooming routines. In this post, we’ll share some grooming tips and steps for those who aren’t sure where to begin with the Pomeranian’s very special coat.
Bathing and Trimming Tips
1. Follow the Proper Bathing Steps
It’s easy for long-haired dogs’ coats to accumulate dirt and debris from playing outdoors and generally doing what dogs do! For this reason, it’s a good idea to ensure your Pomeranian gets a thorough bath once per month to reduce odors and clean off any buildup on the coat. Bathing also helps prepare your Pomeranian for brushing by loosening dead hairs.
If you plan on bathing your Pomeranian yourself, you can do so with a dog-safe shampoo that’s tear-free and gentle on the skin. Never use human shampoo—our PH levels are different from those of a dog, so human shampoo could really irritate your Pomeranian’s skin and make them more susceptible to skin conditions. Be sure to brush your Pomeranian before the bath.
You can use a loofah to help distribute the shampoo evenly and get a good lather going before rinsing off. Take care to avoid getting it in the ears and eyes. Then, apply a dog-safe conditioner to moisturize, let it soak in for a few minutes, carefully comb your Pomeranian through in the direction of growth to loosen up dead hairs, and rinse thoroughly.
Dry your Pomeranian with an absorbent towel, then blow dry while running a brush through the coat to get out any leftover dead hairs. Finish off with a comb to smooth the coat.
2. Lightly Trim the Fur
After bathing your Pomeranian as described above is the best time to lightly trim any overgrown or untidy-looking bits of hair on and around the paws, ears, bottom, and the backs of the legs with a pair of pet-safe clippers. You can finish off with some pet-safe grooming scissors to shape the areas nicely if this is something you feel comfortable doing.
Bear in mind that this should just be a light trim in the right places, not a shave-fest or a full-on haircut as this could damage both the outer and undercoat. Poms’ coats are the way they are for a reason! If you don’t feel confident using clippers on your Pom’s coat yourself or they move around too much, it’s best to send them to a groomer.
Brushing Steps & Tips
3. Gather Brushing Supplies
In your Pomeranian grooming toolkit, you’ll need a wide-toothed comb stainless steel comb, a narrow-toothed stainless-steel comb, a leave-in conditioner spray, a slicker brush, a de-matting tool, an undercoat rake, and a pin brush.
4. Use Leave-in Spray When You Comb
It’s a good idea to brush your Pomeranian’s coat at least once every week outside of shedding seasons. Brushing distributes natural oils all over the skin and coat to condition it and removes dead hair buildup. It also improves circulation. However, you’ll need to start the brushing process by combing.
Spray a leave-in dog coat spray (just a light mist is fine, you don’t need too much) on the coat from about 6 inches away and simultaneously comb (don’t brush yet) through the coat. After four or five strokes of the comb, mist the coat with the leave-in spray again in another area, and continue in this manner. Use a narrow-toothed comb for the areas that aren’t very wide, like the top of the head.
5. Tease Out Mats and Tangles with Your Fingers
While combing your Pomeranian, check for any mats or tangles and work them out with your fingers. If you come across any especially big or stubborn mats, crack out the de-matting tool to tackle it.
6. Brush After Combing
Once you’ve combed through the coat with the stainless-steel combs and have checked for mats and tangles, you can start brushing your Pomeranian’s coat with either a slicker brush if they’re an adult or a pin brush if they’re a puppy. If it’s shedding season and your Pom is losing a lot more hair than usual, use a de-shedding tool or rake.
Continue lightly misting the coat with the leave-in spray while you’re brushing, but don’t let the spray get too close to the roots—aim for an inch or two away. Finally, take the comb and go over any areas that still need it.
7. Use a Pin Brush for the Final Brush-Through
For adult Pomeranians only, finish the procedure with a last light spray and brush the coat through once more with a pin brush to polish up the coat and give it some shine.
General Care Tips
8. Clean the Eye Area Daily
Light-colored Pomeranians in particular are prone to tear staining, which is brownish-red marks beneath the eyes. To help prevent this, you can use a pet-safe eye wipe around the area every day, then dry the area with a cloth to avoid leaving too much moisture behind.
9. Keep the Nails Trimmed
Getting your Pomeranian used to nail trimming is important because overgrown nails can make it painful for them to walk and lead to a host of other issues. Check the nails regularly and if they’re looking a bit long, give them a trim with some dog nail clippers, taking care to avoid the quick, which is the pink part of the nail (on dogs with clear nails) containing a blood vessel.
If your Pom has darker nails, it’s a bit harder to know where the quick is. Your best bet is to look for a groove between the hard nail end portion and the lower portion where the quick is located. If in doubt, head to a professional groomer.
10. Check the Ears for Debris
Check your Pomeranian’s ears regularly to check if any dirt or debris is lingering, or if there are any signs of infection, like a bad smell, discharge, or redness. If you spot signs of an infection, contact your vet for advice. If your Pom’s ears just need a clean, you can do this with an over-the-counter pet-safe ear cleaning solution.
To clean a dog’s ears, you squirt in some of the solution, then massage the base of the ear so that you hear a squishing sound. Do this for about 30 seconds, then stop so your dog can shake their head to get everything out. Gently dry the area with a cotton ball or some gauze but take care not to go too deep into the ear canal.
In Conclusion
Though a Pomeranian’s coat isn’t as easy to care for as shorter-haired dog breeds, it doesn’t shed as much as you might think, and a thorough brushing at least once weekly goes a long way to keep the coat in lovely condition. An occasional bath is also a great way to prep the coat for de-shedding and a nice trim in the right places.
Anyone can learn to take care of a Pom’s coat, but bathing and clipping can be a little more tricky and time-consuming, so, to reiterate, if you’re not comfortable doing these things, it’s best to leave it to a pro.
Featured Image Credit: travelarium.ph, Shutterstock
