About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Grooming Pomeranians

I have been amazed at the number of hits that my blog about a Lion Cut on a Pomeranian has gotten.
Apparently a lot of people Google that particular cut for a Pomeranian.
Although I do think that that cut can be cute on the Pom, I do not recommend it to my customers.
Of course if it is the cut they want, they are the paying customer, and I will do the cut they want.

Before I agree to do the cut, I like to educate my customers about what the Lion cut or any kind of clipping could do to their dogs coat, if not right away, over time.

I tell my customers that the Pomeranian's double coat is not meant to be cut much less shaved.



 This is my girl 'Sparkle'.

This is a picture of her right after I got her in Dec. of 2001.

I have had customers bring in Pom puppies and ask to cut their hair because the coat looks so scrappy.

I will talk myself blue-in-the-face to get a customer to change their mind about clipping a Pom puppy.




This is 'Sparkle' 4 monthes later.
She was a skinny, scrawny looking little thing.

I explain to the customer that it takes time for a Pomeranian's coat to come in.
They will go through the 'puppie uglies' before they get their beautiful adult coat.

I also inform the owner that  their Pomeranian's true coat will not come in until the dog is a year to a year and a half old.




 This is 'Sparkle' with her adult coat.

I manage to talk about 95% of my customers out of clipping their Pomeranian's.

I have seen the damage it can do to a coat over the years.
I have also heard stories of Pomeranian's coats that never grow back after the first clip.








Over the years I have taken pictures of Pomeranian's and Pom mixes that I have groomed.




This little guy is a Pom Mix,  he is mostly Pomeranian, and has a Pom's coat.

This picture was taken in 2005.
This little guy had just started getting his coat scissored shorter.


This is what he looked like after his scissor cut.  The cut was an outline trim, where all of the feathering and flyaway hair was trimmed to give the dog a neat appearance without taking him too short.

Over time the owners asked for the scissoring to be a little tighter, but still not too short.




For a long time the coat did grow back between groomings.

Fast forward 4 years to 2009.
This is the same little guy from the pictures above.
This picture is after his bath and before he is scissored.

Because his coat type was not meant to be cut and regrow over and over again, the coat has slowly started  to not grow back anymore.
The coat has been damaged from scissoring.

He still gets scissored to make him look all nice and neat again, but as you can see now, the coat only grows back in some sections, causing him to look all chopped up.


Obviously this is not a Pomeranian. :)
I am using this picture because this dog had the same type of coat as a Pom before the owner started getting her clipped.

At first the coat grow back looking fairly normal.
After about five years of being shaved with a #5f blade a couple of times a year, the coat no longer grows back in fully.

After a couple more years, towards the end of the dogs life, the coat barely grow back at all.

The picture above and on the left were both taken after the bath and before any clipping was done.

This is the reason that I try so hard to talk customers out of clipping double coated breeds.




This customer was warned years before, when she first asked for her dog to be shaved, that this would happen.
By the time the hair stopped growing back, the owner had forgotten that I had warned her that this would happen and she wanted to know what I had done to her dog to cause this.
She was kind enough to admit that remembered me warning her when I reminded her of our conversation so many years before.

The owner of the dog above was physically unable to take care of her dogs thick double coat, and opted to have it clipped short.
As I said before it is ultimately up to the customer, and they are paying me to groom their dog the way they want it.
As groomers I feel it is our responsibility to educate our customers whenever possible.
It also helps to cover our own butts.
I don't want a customer to come back and accuse me of ruining their pets coat.

A lot of Pomeranian's come in looking like this guy.
Full and thick with undercoat.
The owner asks to have them clipped to help stop the shedding and take some of the thickness away because they think that their dog is hot.

I explain to the customer that removing the undercoat will reduce the thickness and shedding considerably.



Even after all of my explaining and talking some customers still insist on having their Pomeranian's or PomX's clipped or scissored.

Below are some different clips and scissor jobs I have done.

<--Before



This is a Pom Mix who wanted her clipped very short but not too short.



 After-->


 I used a 5/8F blade and scissored up to blend in the head and the tail.

This cut left her very short but not shaved to the skin.
The owners were very happy with this length.





This little guy had his whole outline scissored up tight to give him a nice neat appearance.

The feathering and all of the flyaway hair was scissored to match the length on the rest of the body.









This is a front view of the same scissor cut as the dog above, but on a different dog.







This Pomeranian also had his feathering trimmed, but it was only trimmed lightly to neaten him up.







The owner of this Pomeranian has two of them, and he likes both of them clipped very short.
When told that the coat may not grow back, he said, "good."

Both of his Pomeranian's get clipped with a #4F blade, scissor to blend the head and tail.





Then of course, there is my girl as she is now.
The only things that I trim on her are her feet and right around her rectum.

Can you tell by now that I love the natural look?

Why get a Pomeranian if your going to clip all of it's hair off?
Just one of those things in life I don't understand.




Last but not least, the Lion Clip.

The body was clipped with a #4F from the shoulders back.

Some groomers like to leave a sharp line between the main and the clipped body.
I choose to lightly blend the main and body.
I also lightly scissored the main to neaten it.

Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures.
Some are pretty old, when my first camera had low pixels.
Some are even pre-digital.

I hope that this blog helps some Pomeranian owners decide what clip is good for them and their dog.
Happy Grooming, MFF


116 comments:

  1. Thanks for this! This is very helpful; we just got a Pomeranian and I now no longer want to do the lion cut on him. If anything, I'd want to do the "this little guy had his whole outline" trim.

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  2. Is it possible to get a "puppy cut" on a Pomeranian without damaging it's undercoat? The only thing I'd like to really change about my poms hair is the poofy neck look that he'll get once he's grown in his adult coat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Tina,
    I would at least try to wait till my Pom was a year to a year and a half old. That is about the time the adult coat is finished coming in. Then try to find a groomer that knows how to use thinning shears to thin and shorten the ruff around the neck and chest. This is still no grantee that the thinning won't damage the coat, but the damage might not be as severe as it would be if scissors were used.
    I hope this helps you. :)
    Lisa, MFF

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  4. Hi - Been 'googling' for hours to try and find info on grooming a Pom & yours is the best site I have found. I'm looking after Lucy - a 4yr old Pom - whilst her owner is on vacation. Lucy usually visits another groomer but have been asked to groom her before owner returns. I am relatively new to professional grooming with just 12 months commercial experience and only have one Pom on my books that I lightly thin & do sanitary area , so I'm not very experienced with this breed. But I was concerned that Lucy's fur seemed very different & so started to try and research. She has an uneven patch above her tail & a lot more of the paler, short undercoat , with much sparser, dark outer hair. In short, she just does not look right to me! Reading your blog I suspect she has been over-groomed and am therefore reluctant to groom her further without discussing with the owner. I am also reluctant to call into question the actions of the groomer she has visited for the last 4 years, who is much more experienced and longer established than myself. Any advice much appreciated

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  5. Hi Anonymous,
    It is hard to say without seeing her, but it sounds like she may have been clipped short in her past, the coat has been damaged, and her hair has not grown back correctly.
    Did the owners leave grooming instructions for you? If not, I would only bathe her, and trim her feet and privates. She should look good with her coat nice and HVed.
    Maybe the owners were never told about the damage clipping the coat could do to their Pom.
    Maybe even their groomer does not know. Then again, the owners may know and like their Pom clipped anyway. I have a Pom owner like that. He doesn't care if the hair grows back or not.
    I am very careful when I try to educate an owner on their dogs coat, not to, in any way, insinuate that the other groomer did anything wrong, because that groomer may have only been doing what the owner asked for.
    I have also found, over the years, that just because another groomer has been grooming longer than you does not always mean that they know more than you, or are better than you. Groomers have different levels of expertise. If they learned only the basics of grooming and never bothered to keep up with continuing education, they are just that...a basic groomer.
    There are always new things to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming. Just the fact that you have spent hours searching for answers to your questions about your customers dog shows that you are well on your way to being a great groomer. :)
    Well, I have rambled long enough, and most likely not helped you at all. :/ If you would like to e-mail a picture of the Pom, maybe I could be of more help to you, although I don't profess to have all the answers. :)
    My e-mail is:

    furryfriendpets@yahoo.com

    Good luck with the Pom. Just a bath and trim can make a Pom look really nice.
    Lisa, MFF

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  6. Hi Lisa

    Many thanks for your response and vote of confidence, but "Well on my way to being a great groomer"............I wish! At times I feel such an amateur and I am still way too slow, but always take whatever time needed to ensure I achieve the best cut I can.

    As for your comment you have not helped at all' you already helped with the most informative website on grooming a Pom that I could find. You have also confirmed what I had already decided to do - which is virtually nothing other than brush, brush, brush and high velocity blaster ( is that what you mean by Hved)? I had a customer postpone today so I bathed Lucy, and spent well over an hour just brushing her and lots of the tufty undercoat came out and she really does look a lot better. The grooming is also helping us bond, so I will keep on doing it until her owners return.

    She has only been with me for 3 days and unfortunately I have found she also seems to have a 'toilet-training' and/or submissive urination problem. She urinates every time I pick her up .... even when she wants to be picked up and I have prepared her to be picked up i.e. - I dont just grab her but do it slow and gentle. At first I thought it was because she was scared, but she is fine with me now and still does it. Owners did not mention or warn me of this, but if its an ongoing problem I can see why they would want to keep her shorter.

    As for photo - thanks for offer and will see what I can do, sadly I'm not very clever with these things.

    Regards - Lesley, Muttley's Grooming, Lancashire, UK

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  7. Hi again Lesley, :)
    So nice to know peoples names. I always feel funny calling them 'Anonymous' lol.
    Wow, a Pom that let you brush her for an hour, now that is rare! My Pom has a fit if I brush her for more than 5 minutes. :/
    Anyway, Yes, when I said HVed I was talking about the high velocity blaster.
    I am guessing that you were taught to brush your double coated dogs before you bathe them. I was taught the same way. (28 years ago) I no longer brush any of my dogs before the bath. Especially those double coated breeds.
    I am not sure if you are able to get it in the UK, but some of the best advise that I could give you would be to buy and try some 'BestShot'
    shampoo and conditioner. I bathe all of my double coated dogs in this shampoo and creme rinse and then blow all of that dead coat out with the High velocity drier. When I am done drying the dog there is very little undercoat left to brush. It has saved my wrists.
    I made a video showing how nice this shampoo and conditioner works along with the drier, if you would like to check it out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYoaOLzkp6w&list=UUOxjoS17kvWZ3rsdtg5m9EA&index=3&feature=plcp

    Thankfully my Pom loves the HV drier, so I hardly have to brush her. Maybe that is why she likes the drier so much.lol

    Hopefully this will help, because brushing a Pom for an hour, or any other double coated breed, will eventually kill your wrists. It will also save you a lot of grooming time. I can have my Pom bathed, dried, fluffed and trimmed in 1/2 hour from start to finish using BestShot shampoo, conditioner, and the HV drier.

    Oh, one last thing, don't worry too much about your time, the speed will come. It is the quality of the groom that matters. One thing that helped me with my time when I first started grooming was keeping a pad of paper by my table and timing myself. I would write down when I started a dog and when I finished. Then the next time that I groomed a dog about the same size and hair cut I would see if I could have him done 5 minutes sooner then the other dog. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't, but eventually I did notice that I was slowly getting faster. :)
    Lisa, MFF

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  8. Hi Lisa

    Lucy will let you brush her until your wrist is ready to drop off! She is only getting 'special-treatment' as I am 'dog-sitting' her for 2 weeks (although I now want to kidnap her).

    I will certainly check out your video and see if available in UK - does it work with more harsh coated breeds i.e. Border Terrier coats? Much more common round here than Poms and stripping them is hard on the fingers.

    Many thanks for your advice, much appreciated.

    Cheers - Lesley

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  9. Hi Lesley,
    I always hand stripped my Terrier before the bath while she was still dirty. The hair was courser that way for me. I also used ear powder on my fingers to help grip the hair. I am not even close to being a Terrier expert. :(
    Lisa, MFF

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  10. Hi Lisa

    More my area of expertise than any other due to my two Border Terrier darlings, Jack and Tilly and having always had a Border Terrier in the family. Your way is right, except would suggest chalk powder rather than ear powder as it is cheaper, also, finger cots or latex gloves help the grip.But I cannot spend the same sort of time in the salon as I do on my own dogs , hence question about the shampoo. I also find a Mars stripping knife helps speed up the process.

    Lesley - Muttley's

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lesley,
      Your not kidding about the time. That is one of the reasons that I don't offer it in my shop. I also rarely have someone ask. As for the stripping knife...I don't know...maybe there IS something wrong with me...I even bought a left handed stripping knife and I STILL can't seem to use the thing right. lol I always used my fingers on my girl.
      Lisa, MFF

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  11. Hello, Thanks for your insight into this issue. :) I recently got a 4 year old Pom and she has so much undercoat that she looks three times her actual size. The problem is that she hates to be groomed. When I try to brush out some of her under coat she cries like I'm twisting her legs off! I try to be gentle but any tiny little tug on her skin and she cries. Her previous owner told me that their groomer told her not to shave her because it may not grow back so when we took her to a groomer who then suggested we shave her, I said no. Her previous owner also had to change groomers a couple of times because she hates grooming so much she ends up biting. Do you have any suggestions as to how to get some of the undercoat out without hours of brushing that she hates? I've thought about getting some dog groomers thinning shears but I don't really know enough about them to know for sure if that will work. The weather is starting to heat up so I need to figure something out for her pretty quick. I'd really appreciate any advice you could give me.
    Thanks,
    Vickie

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  12. Hi Vickie,
    I have a teeny, tiny Pom that I groom that sounds exactly like yours. She has a massively thick coat for such a tiny Pom, and she screams for the entire groom. When you ignore her screaming, (because I know that what I am doing is not hurting her) she changes over to biting. I ignore that also, then she doesn't know what to do. We have had her owners set her up for every 4 weeks of grooming. She is VERY slowly getting better. Her last grooming, she still screamed and bit, but was showing noticeable improvement. I brush very slowly and gently and only in small sections at a time. A LOT of positive reinforcement.
    Now, that little Poms coat doesn't blow coat normally for some reason, so she needs a lot of brushing out.
    MY Pom also hates being brushed and will scream and throw herself all over the table just to get away from the brush. (the little stinker)
    Fortunately, I don't have to brush her a lot, because my shampoos and dryer does most of the work and she really likes the dryer.
    The shampoo is specially formulated to help release the undercoat.
    Okay, I am getting long winded here. Keep searching for a groomer that will work with you. The little Pom that I groom is a biter, but she is a sweetheart too. She just doesn't like being brushed. I work with that, and I don't mind, because she is not a mean biter. (although she will hurt you if she gets pissed off enough lol) I just have to take more time with her and work slow. Try to find a groomer that works with biting dogs. And I mean a groomer that works WITH them, not just muzzles them. I do not use a muzzle unless the dog is what I call a 'blood biter', meaning that they are not just snapping because they don't like something, but they really want to hurt me and draw blood.
    Depending on your Poms coat, it is possible that with the right shampoo, conditioner and dryer that the groomer would have to do very little brushing. See my video on removing undercoat with a High Velocity dryer:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYoaOLzkp6w&list=UUOxjoS17kvWZ3rsdtg5m9EA&index=3&feature=plcp

    I DO NOT recommend that owners bathe their dogs BEFORE all the undercoat is out, because if the dogs coat drys before you get all of that undercoat out, it will mat and only make matters worse.
    There is a special procedure that MUST be followed when bathing a dog with the undercoat still in the coat.
    If you can't find a groomer that will work with you, e-mail me and I will give you the name of the shampoo and creme rinse that I use and try to walk you through the procedure. It would involve buying a High Velocity dryer. (they can be expensive)
    One last word of advice...Make VERY sure that the groomer understands that you do not want your Pom shaved for any reason. See my post:

    http://petgroomingthegoodthebadthefurry.blogspot.com/2012/06/more-evidence.html?showComment=1341751986029#c5245369817803792545

    If you need more help, my e-mail is:

    furryfriendpets@yahoo.com

    Lisa, MFF

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  13. Hi Lisa,
    Again, thanks so much for your great advice. I did some more phoning around and found a groomer with 30 years experience who knows not to shave my Pom and why! Plus, her name is Lisa too! LOL! I thought it had to be fate. We are going for a meet and greet on the weekend to check things out but I'm sure she'll work out and I'll send you another pic of my girl after she's all beautiful. :)
    Vickie

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  14. I feel awful admitting this, but I just adopted my first dog and I think I over furminated him. He is a two year old Pomeranian-American Eskimo. There s a bald spot where too much hair came out. Will it grow back? I ve fur
    minated my mother s German shepherd before for an hour before and never had this kind of problem before, and they have double coats to. Please advise.

    Also, his behind looks really dense and has brown splotches of fur in an all black coat, so I started to trim less than a half inch off. Is this wrong? I don t want to damage his coat, it d just that no one ever told me that it needed special treament.

    Should I just leave it alone for a month or so and only use a top coat brush with the plastic balls on the wire tips daily, and then take him to a groomer in a month or so? I like his fluffiness. I was just trying to remove his dead fur.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Erin,
      The Furminator is really great for a double coated German Shepard, but NOT for a Pom/Am Eskimo. A good brush to use on your Pom is a slicker brush. I would also get a metal grooming comb to comb through the coat to make sure you have gotten all of the undercoat out.
      I would take your Pom to a professional groomer to have him groomed. The groomer can get all of the undercoat out for you than you can keep up with it by brushing with the slicker brush everyday.
      The fur should grow back, it just may take some time. I strongly recommend that you no longer use the Furminator on your Pom/Am Eskimo. The hair is too long and a different kind of double coat from the Shepard.
      I hope that this helps. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  15. Hi Lisa!

    Thank you for this information! So happy I found this page of yours.
    I have never owned my own dog before and only recently discovered Pomeranians and love the specific style of cut these owners have done. But could you please let me know if getting my future Pomeranian groomed this way will cause patches of short hair like you talked about ? :)
    Http://Statigr.am/p/237447765029557584_40374867
    Http://statigr.am/p/237249789792190270_28111630

    Thanks,
    Katrina.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Katrina,
      I may be the wrong person to ask, because I think that the Pom in your pictures are beautiful just the way she is. Love, love, love the second picture. She looks perfect.
      There is always a chance that scissoring or clipping could damage a Pomeranian coat. Their coats are not meant to be cut and regrown over and over again.
      If you would like a breed of dog that you can have groomed in different hairstyles I would look at a different breed.
      Good luck with your new dog. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  16. Hi there, we have a 4 yr old toy Pom who has always had a puppy cut since he was 1 yr old. 7 months ago his hair ceased growing, his undercoat is still intact and he has started to develop a couple of darker areas of hair growth in a couple of places. Can you advise us on how we can improve his coat? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous,
      Once a Poms coat has been damaged from regular clipping or scissoring it is hard to say whether the coat will come back again. If he were mine I would have him checked by your Vet first to rule out any medical reasons for the hair not growing back and the dark spots that you are seeing.
      If there are no medical problems I would immediately stop having the hair cut. Continue with regular bathes and brushing. Give the coat some time to recover.
      There is a wonderful website full of information on Poms:

      http://www.petpom.com/

      You may find some answers there.

      Lisa, MFF

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  17. Hi, I stumbled across your website and really have enjoyed it thus far.

    Here is my dilemma:

    I am still not sure what to do with all the fur of my Pom, Daisy. She was a rescue dog when we got her and I knew nothing about Pomeranians (shedding mostly). We were her 4th family. So I can understand her trust issues. I don't want to even think about giving her away. She has been through too much and is really a part of our family now.

    But how do I handle all of her fur?

    From your pictures I see that shaving her is not a good idea. But trying to brush her is hard, let alone trimming her.

    She turned 2 on 3/1/2012 and should be done with her "puppy uglies," and her fur has filled in nicely.

    Is there anything you would recommend? I never wanted to shave her fur close to her skin, but I am also wondering if I get her shaved one time that will give me a better start in keeping her fur from matting, etc.

    It just seems like a losing battle with her fur!

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Esther

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    Replies
    1. Hi Esther,
      Congratulations on giving your little Daisy a forever home. I think the best thing to do right now is to find a nice, good groomer that is used to working with Poms and rescue dogs. Make sure that the groomer knows her history and is willing to work slowly with her. Let the groomer give your Pom a really good bath and brush out. Poms are a double coated breed that blows their undercoat a couple of times a year. (the shedding hair) The groomer can remove all of the loose undercoat and then show you what kind of brush you should be using. Most groomers will also take a little time to show you how to brush your Pom correctly. Make sure that you question the groomer before making an appointment and make sure that they will NOT shave your Pom.
      Once Daisy has been professionally groomed and her thick undercoat removed, you should have an easier time brushing her out yourself.
      If your Pom does not like to be brushed..and a lot of them don't..start by brushing everyday. Even if you only get one leg brush the first day, that is okay, try to do just a little more the next day, and the next, and so on till she gets better about being brushed. I would also have a very special treat ready for her when you finish. Not one of her regular treats, but a special treat that she only gets AFTER she lets you brush her. Like a little piece of boiled chicken, or a little piece of hot dog, or lunch meat. Something that she really likes.
      I hope that this helps. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  18. Lisa,

    I just had my pom of 11 months groomed for the second time. The first time they just took off some of the wispies and did a sani cut and cut and around the feet. That was at about 6 months old.

    I just took her in again and said they could trim her up and when they asked if I wanted her cut short I said not too short- to take about an inch off and DO NOT go shorter than 3 inches. My bf picked her up and I saw her when I just got home and she is about 3/4inches long in most places and 1/2 inch in other places like the ridge of her back. The groomer seems to not know what she is doing and she is uneven not to mention WAY SHORTER than I expressed her to groom her and I am VERY unhappy!!! I am going to the groomer straight away tomorrow to demand she tell me what she did to my pom.

    From what I can tell based on how soft and fluffy she is it appears she just scissored the overcoat down to the length of the undercoat to give her the "teddy bear cut." I am just praying that her over coat is going to grow back. I never was planning on keeping her coat super super long, I always planned to just keep the wispies just barely trimmed up to around 3-4 inches and sani cut her, but this is an outrage.

    Based on your experiences and from your pictures it seems as if her coat should grow back in considering this was only the second time being groomed (and the first time was basically just cleaned up a tad)? What are the odds of her undercoat falling out and her being patchy if the groomer didn't get her undercoat out? Do you think it should grow back in to at least 4 inches or so? How long is your natural pom's hair?

    I appreciate any feedback you can give me. I'm just a mess :/

    Thanks!
    Tash

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    Replies
    1. Hi Tash,
      I am so sorry that your Pom got a cut that you did not ask for. It sounds like you did all the right things by telling the groomer how many inches you wanted left on your dog. I wish that I could tell you what went wrong and why the groomer did not do what you asked. Some groomers do not like scissoring, or they are not very skilled at scissoring, because scissoring IS a skill.
      At 11 months old, I am not sure that your Pom was even ready to blow undercoat yet. Hopefully cutting her that short will not mess up the natural cycle of her undercoat. I know that you said that her coat has been cut uneven, but if you can put up with it I am not sure if I would cut anymore off to even it out. It could take anywhere from 3 months to a year for her coat to grow back to where you want it (3-4inches).
      Again I can not tell you how sorry I am that this happened. I would be beyond mad since the only thing that I cut on my Pom is her feet and directly around her rectum. My Poms hair is about 6 inches on her back and about 8 inches on her main. Her rear feathering almost drags the floor. She is not an overly thick coated Pom. Her hair is more on the silky side. Her coat is even longer now than in the pictures above. I have never cut any hair on her body. That is just the way that I like it.
      My suggestion would be, that once her coat grows back in, and you want to get her groomed again, (I hope that you give another groomer a try) that you tell them in 'no uncertain terms' that you ONLY want an outline trim on your Pom. Then tell them how much to take off the outline. I would also stress that DO NOT want a clipper blade to touch your dogs body and to only use scissors. I don't know how else to make them understand that you do not want your Pom clipped. To be honest, I thought that the instructions you gave the groomer were very clear and easy to understand. Was the person that you gave the instructions to the same person who groomed your dog? Maybe someone did not translate your instructions correctly.
      One last suggestion...Try not to let your dog know that you hate the cut. Our dogs are so in-tuned to our feelings that she may think that you are upset with her. She does not understand that it is the cut you are upset about. This can depress a dog if they think that you are upset with them. Just give her a hug and tell her that she is beautiful. :) Her hair should grow back.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
    2. Hi Lisa,

      I had an experience similar to Tash's with my 4 year old pom today, and reading your response to her has calmed me down quite a bit, as I am very upset right now as you could imagine. I guess I will just have to be patient and wait for her coat to grow back...and I will NEVER take her to this groomer again! Thank you :)

      Monique

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    3. Hi Monique,
      I am sorry that this also happened to your dog. I am glad that my response to Tash helped you. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  19. My sister got a pom from a man who couldn't keep him. Had him groomed twice. The second time was the lion cut. He is about 5 years old. It has been 6 months since his cut and his hair is not growing back on his back or sides. His mane and feet are growing. The groomer never told her it wouldn't grow back. Will it ever? I have a 1 year old black and white pom with the silky hair and never had to have him groomed. Thank God. Should my sister just have hers trimmed up to look better?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      This is hard question to give an exact answer to. I have to say that it is not a very good sign that the coat has not grown back in 6 months. You should have some growth by now, not just sparse hairs. I would try to find a groomer that will give your sisters Pom a good medicated bath with a good High velocity fluff dry. The groomer should know what you mean by the term 'High Velocity fluff dry'. Sometimes the dryer can help stimulate the hair to grow back. Make sure that the groomer understands that you DO NOT want a blade used on the dog again. Ask them to only scissor up the feet and around the rectum.
      Unfortunately, the coat may never come back the way it is meant to be, but hopefully it will grow back enough.
      It would also be a good idea to have your sister take her Pom to her Vet. There could also be a medical reason why the hair is not growing back. Thyroid, and Cushing's disease are a couple of treatable possibilities.
      If there is a medical reason, it can be treated and the Poms coat should grow back.
      I hope that this helped. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  20. Is there anyway you could e mail me some pics of poms after being clipped, especially ones that the fur isn't growing back completly. I've been grooming for a few years and we all at the salon hate shaving Poms and we also try to educate customers but we believe or hope that some pics would make it more real to these customers who don't seem to get what we mean.

    sassy_cajun_30@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for this wonderful article. Can you let us know what, if any, grooming should be done on Poms in order that they look breed standard?

    I have a 7mo old Pom and he's gone to the groomers twice, they bathe him, brush him, clean up his paws, sani trim, and scissor trim random fly aways so he has a nice rounded shape. he has a full mane, and his hair is about 3 inches long. is it ok for them to clean up his coat so he has a nice rounded appearance, or should i just tell them to do a sani trim and paw trim and brush out the rest, no scissors at all?

    Before
    http://instagram.com/p/TcibXqwIkW/

    After
    http://instagram.com/p/R0u1VqQIhJ/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi ambicion6,
      A Poms true adult coat does not come in until the dog is a year or a little more old.
      I love your pictures. Your Pom is adorable. Your groomer did a really nice job. I think that it really depends on personal preference. I love the natural look. I do not cut anything on my Pom except her feet and sani.
      You should do what you like. I do warn my customers that, on some Poms, the coat that is being cut may eventually not grow back.
      Lisa, MFF

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  22. Thanks for the post. I'll never cut any of my pom's fur.

    ReplyDelete
  23. So, I'm getting a pup. And I shouoldn't get her groomed until after she is a year old, closer to two? And I should use a slicker brush to brush out her fur? I think I'm going to have her get used to the feel of the brush when she is still a puppy. When should I start brushing her completely out? How often should she get a bath? Is a regular blow drow drier on low going to hurt her fur? What kind of soap that is affordable would be good for her fur? Anything else I need to know about her fur?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brittany,

      Sorry to take so long to answer your post.

      First, congratulations on getting a new puppy.

      You are correct in thinking that you will have to get your new puppy used to the brush. Even though the hair will be short when you first bring her home, you should start brushing right away. A lot of Poms do not like to be brushed (mine being one of them) but you MUST brush them even if they are not crazy about it. It is something that must be done to keep the coat healthy on a long hair breed. You do not need to brush hard. Use a gentle hand. If you are consistent and brush your Pom puppy once a day he/she will (hopefully) get used to it.
      As for bathing your puppy. Your puppy can have a bath as early as eight weeks (with a gentle puppy shampoo) Your puppy can have its first professional grooming as soon as it has received all of its puppy shots.
      It is good to get your Pom used to regular grooming and bathing as soon as possible. These breeds are high maintenance in the grooming department. The sooner they get used to it, the better for them.
      In dog years, by the time your Pom puppy is a year old in people time, he/she is 16 years old in dog time. Can you imagine if you had never had a bath until you were 16? Then suddenly someone put you in a tub and started washing your hair....you would freak out.
      So start brushing and bathing when they are young and everything is new and they are learning. They are being potty trained. They are learning to walk on a leash, They are being socialized. They are learning how to have their coat washed and maintained.
      Make grooming fun. Be gentle, give a lot of praise, but don't stop the grooming session until YOU are finished. If your puppy whines or struggles, talk them through it till they realize that you are not hurting them. If you stop when they cry, they will only fight you even more the next time. Once you have finished the grooming session give your puppy a treat. A special treat that they ONLY get after you groom them. Grooming can be fun for your pet, but you have to train them to enjoy it.

      Shampoo: Always use a dog shampoo. There are many different types of shampoos at your local pet store.

      Drying: Your own hair drier is good to use. Start out on a low setting to get your pet used to the sound and wind, then you can turn it up to a higher air flow. Use it on the warm setting as long as that setting does not get too hot. If it does, just turn it down to cool.

      You should also have your Pom professionally groomed at least every two to three months. A groomer will remove the thick undercoat that your Pom will blow a few times a year. If your Pomeranians coat starts to mat up and get out of your control, take him/her to a professional groomer to fix the coat.

      One last note: Make very sure that your groomer understands that you do not want them to cut anymore hair off of your dog than you tell them to.
      I hope that this helps you a little. :)

      Lisa, MFF

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    2. haha. Ya. It helps a lot. :) I'll prob. take her around 10 weeks or so. Is 6 weeks too young to get a pom? The breeder said that the puppies were eating wet dog food and ready to go. I don't want to make the breeder mad. But, at the same time I want her to be healthy and happy.

      Delete
    3. Hi Brittany,
      I am glad that I could help. Six to eight weeks is normally the time that a lot of breeders let the puppies go to their new homes. Some breeders will not let a puppy go before eight weeks.
      My suggestion is that you when you find out exactly what date you are picking up your puppy, make a well check-up appointment with your Vet for the very next day, so that you know for sure that the puppy is okay, and it is safe for her to be away from her mother.
      Don't forget, YOU are paying the breeder for your puppy. So, in a sense she is working for you, and she should also have the best interest of the puppy in mind. She should not get mad at you.
      Good Luck with your new puppy. I am very happy for you!
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  24. Why do it? Because I find that Poms are cute with short and long coats. I have a Pomeranian and a Pom mix. The Pomeranian gets trimmed and the Pom mix doesn`t. My Charlie (Pomeranian) used to have a coat similar to show Pom`s. In October he lost half of his coat due to an unknown skin infection. I trimmed his hair because it was so scruffy and bad looking. We instantly liked his look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlieandbrandymypoms/8487909248/ my mom says we shouild just kee him that way. Really to me, it isn`t the coat that I like most on Poms, it is their personality. Heck my dream Pom is a Pom with BLACK SKIN DISEASE or just hairloss!! I don`t have one yet, but I plan on adopting one one day. Like I said be for, I like Poms either way, whether they are ``natural`` (Some Poms are born flat coated), trimmed, or shaved. And really, my Charlie HATED the heat when he had a full coat, but he hasn`t been in the summer wth his fur short yet.

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a great blog post!
    I have a Havanese Pomeranian mix and I think she has more of a Hav coat than Pom, but I'm not really sure how to tell. From reading and googling I know 'blow coat' and mats form really easily when this happens, and if the owner can't stay on top of the situation then the dog sometimes has to get shaved. And yet I know shaving is an absolute no-no for a Pom!

    Is there a magic way to know what her coat situation is? She is nine months old and hasn't hit any 'puppy uglies'...she has had a few minor trims but she is about four inches long on average. As far as I can tell she seems more hav than pom when it comes to hair, but I'm more used to yorkies. Should I email you some pictures?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Your groomer should be able to tell you which coat she has. If she 'blows coat', meaning she loses toughs of hair, she probably has a Pom coat. If her hair is thinner and finer, with no thick undercoat, she is probably taking after the Havanese. Of course, she could confuse everyone and have a combination of both coats. :)
      You said that she is only nine months old, her adult coat will not come in until she is between one year to about 14-16 months old.
      You are welcome to e-mail me pictures, but it would be better if a groomer could feel her coat and tell you how she should be groomed. Just make sure that you talk with a groomer that is not clipper happy and knows about the different coat types. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  26. I will email pics.

    We have been to the groomer a few times. The only real trimming she has done was to even up some trims I did on the face. Mostly she does what I call "blow out, bikini wax, and a mani/pedi'..a wash and dry, sani trim and a nail trim. The only shaving my pup has ever had done was her front leg when she was spayed (I trimmed the other leg short to look more even), and the tip of her ear after an injury.

    She definitely has fluffy longer silky/cottony hair, and she has more scattered white hairs than she did when we got her (then it was beard and back paws). I guess it is possible that she could end up with a combo after her full adult hair comes in.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Interesting conversation, I really love it. Please keep on sharing!

    Dog Groomer

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  28. Hello, I had a groomer give a lion cut to my pommy at 6 months old. His hair was a beautifull rust color, long and silky. I saw a lion cut and thought it would be cute. The groomer sadly did not mention his fur not growing in the same way again. He is now 3 years old. I had him trimmed a few times over the past 3 years, but nothing too short. He is mostly under coat now and definitly not the same rust color he used to be, now more light tan. Do you think his coat will ever grow back long,silky and full of color again?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I am sorry that the groomer did not warn you. He/she may not have known, depending on how long they have been grooming, or what they were taught.

      Unfortunately, your Poms coat was drastically cut before its adult coat had even had a chance to fully come in. I am honestly not 100% sure that that beautiful topcoat will ever grow back in. I have seen it come back on a few, but not all.

      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  29. YOU'RE INSANE. The hair grows back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I'll agree to being insane sometimes. lol
      But, I do know what I am talking about, and unfortunately the hair DOES NOT always grow back. That is 29 years of experience speaking, and seeing it with my own eyes.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
    2. We shaved our pom when she was a year old and it took 2 years for the hair to grow back. It also did not grow back the same color and was not nearly as pretty for several years. You are totally right that it does not always grow back, or back the same at least.

      Delete
  30. Our Pom is going to be 7 years old. She has an absolutely beautiful coat, but she really gets hot. But, after reading your notes, I would no longer consider cutting her coat at all. My husband gives here a bath every week and brushes her dry...she loves it! We just try to brush her a lot, especially when she is shedding. That help to cool her down. Thanks for all your help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi N,
      Try to make sure that you are getting all of the undercoat out. That helps to thin the coat out to help her deal with the heat. If you like grooming her yourself and don't want to take her to a groomer you could get and use Best Shot shampoo and cream rinse to help loosen and remove the dead undercoat.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  31. His top coat is growing back a little. I think if I leave it alone, maybe in a few years or more, it might start to come back again the way it origionally did. Hopefully. Will it help if I brush him more ( to stimulate growth ) and make sure to remove as much undercoat so the top coat can have room to grow?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I think that brushing can only help. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  32. Thank you for this blog. I'm bookmarking this to show my clients when they ask! I adopted a Pom that had a lion cut when I got her and it was ridiculous looking! I let her grow out and boy is she gorgeous. Being a groomer I'm able to brush her often to keep her looking beautiful! Would love to show you a photo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jinnette,
      I am glad that your Poms hair got its beautiful coat back. She is lucky that she was adopted by a groomer. :) I am glad that your Pom likes to be brushed. My Pom Hates the brush.
      Thanks for reading my blog!
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  33. You blog is wonderful. We have an 8 year old 5 1/2 pound Pom named Gracie, who is our baby. She is especially fluffy, even by Pom standards and is always hot during the summer. We have her groomed regularly, and rarely more than trimmed. Unfortunately, our groomer doesn't do a very good job at trimming poms. She usually just cuts her mane and leaves the rest which makes her look like a, "furry football with a head" as my husband says.

    Next time I take her I will print your blog and leave it with her so I know how to ask for, and she knows what to do, so that I get what I want. Your idea of thinning the coat and undercoat and not cutting all over, is wonderful. Any tips on effective tooth brushing? Our little girl is getting pretty bad buildup but I hate to have her put under at the vet to have her teeth scraped since she has a reaction the last time and vomited of 2 weeks straight as a result of too much anesthetic. I would love to know your thoughts. Thank you for such wonderful information!

    Our little girl will thank you when she is happy and cool this summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lauren,
      I am glad that I could help with your Poms summer trim. :)

      As for the teeth. I understand your concerns. There are a lot of different dental sprays and things out there for dogs teeth. Here is a link to a natural dental spray that may help.

      http://www.leba3review.com/the-leba-iii-review-dog-teeth-cleaning-made-easy

      Just copy and paste. I hope that this helps. :)

      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
    2. How do you use the spray.? spray then rub with cloth or what? Seems very expensive for one ounce of product.

      Delete
  34. So if I don't trim my poms coat, how can I manage the dingle berries? She gets them so bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rob,
      I am assuming by 'dingle berries' you are talking about pieces of poop getting caught in her tail, or the feathering on her rear.

      You can have your groomer lightly clip or scissor the hair right around the rectum and also lightly clip or scissor a path through the hair directly under the rectum.
      Nothing drastic, just remove enough hair to keep that area clean.

      I hope this helps. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  35. I don't have a dog yet, but I'm planning to adopt when I'm out of college, and I've been doing research on Pomeranians and Pomeranian mixes (because they're just so darn cute) and I'd been wondering about the long term effects of shaving and cutting the coat. I've found many articles, blogs and whatnot, but this is the most concise one I've found that actually breaks down what's going on with the coat.

    Something that I'm wondering, when they (general breed information websites and various other sources easily accessible to a student) recommend that one visits a groomer every 4-6 weeks, is that just to bathe, trim the nails, and trim the fur around the feet and anus?

    Thank you for posting this. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mimi,

      Sorry to take so long to reply.

      Because Poms have such thick double coats that most owners are unable to thoroughly brush out, or don't brush at all, a regular grooming of every 4 to 6 weeks keeps the coat healthy and removes any of the shedding undercoat. The trimming depends on the owners wishes, but trimming the nails, rear, and feet, along with the bath and good brush out is a normal maintenance groom for a Pom.

      My own Pom get bathed every two weeks.

      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  36. I live in moore ok, and am seeking a groomer who knows how to do poms. I just got this very sweet 4 yr.old exactly a wk. before Christmas in 2012. So far, I've taken her to petsmart, and was very pleased with the way she did,(she did her homework), but she also told me if I really want her to look her best as a pom, I should find a groomer that specializes in poms. The problem is I haven't been able to find one near me. Is there anyway you can help me find one? I would really appreciate this. Thanks

    By the way, we save this little girl from what she could have died from having 3 large bladder stones. She's healthy now though. I named her Star since we got just before Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tina,
      Sorry to take so long to get back to you.

      I am also sorry that I don't know of a groomer to recommend you to. You may want to try to find a Pom breeder in your area and he/she may be able to direct you to a groomer that specializes in Pom grooming.

      It is great that you saved your Pom and that she has turned out to be a great dog for you. Love her name!
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  37. Hi Lisa,

    I too have had a bad experience with my 11 month old Pom.. He has never been groomed since we got him at 8 weeks old....He was a beautiful silky party pom until I took him to get groomed yesterday and wound up with a teddy bear cut after telling the so called professional groomer that I just wanted a trim around his bottom of the hair..I told her I like his hair long and not to have him shaved ! well you can only imagine how shocked I was when I went to pick him up !I just wanted to cry and still are on the verge of tears... Where did his beautiful silky hair go ? The groomer apparently took it upon herself to cut his hair the way she wanted without any disregard for my wishes ! I never told her to cut his hair and she claims that she just trimmed him ! but I tell you he no longer has his beautiful locks !! she cut his hair to look like a teddy bear which I just can't seem to swallow and not to mention the way she trimmed around his sanitary area..She shaved his rear end from top to bottom !! I am just disgusted with the whole thing !!I am really worried that his hair wont grow back the way it was after reading all kinds of articles about bad Pom haircuts !! Can you please advise on what I can do :( .. Is there any hope ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      So sorry that you had a bad grooming experience. Love party Poms. The most important advice that I can give, is for you to try not to be upset when you look at your Pom. He does not understand that you are upset with his hair cut. He will think that you are upset with HIM.

      He is young enough that I think that his hair should grow back fine. It will just take time. Possibly up to a year for the coat to get back to what it was. I don't know if the groomer used clippers or scissors on your dog. Sometimes that makes a difference.

      There is hope. I have had Poms in where the owners bring them in to shave them all of the way down (Yes, the owners want that. No, I don't understand why they ever got a Pom if they wanted to shave its beautiful coat off every year) Anyway, those dogs always come in with a full coat again.

      Just love him up while his hair grows back. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  38. I have 2 poms and love them both the same. One has lost most of the "body" but still has hair around his main and legs. I do think this may be to over grooming, but my vet has told me it could also be caused by a skin condition. I have another pom that I too have saved from a very serious bladder stone infection. I couldn't believe that no one claimed this beautiful pom, so we ended up with her(I'm glad), and had her groomed 2 times. The first time was through the groomer at the vet (who said she has been grooming dogs for 25 yrs.),and I was upset with her. I too have told her that I just wanted her trimmed up a bit and explained to her I did not want to have her cut or shaved down, just tidy her very little. However, when I came to pick her up, I was so upset to see that she had been cut down and not even a good job at that. Luckily her hair did grow back, but I don't think I will have them groom her again. We got this pom exactly a week before Christmas, and I renamed her Star. She is just a sweet heart, and never wants to leave my side. Sorry for writing a long comment, but I just had to tell my story. Thanks for reading this and look forward to reading your reply. Wish you could be here so you could see my poms, they are so different, but cute in their own ways.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tina,
      I am sorry that you had a bad grooming experience. Unfortunately, I have heard groomers talk about doing what they want to the dog and not what the owner wants. I don't understand it myself. I am glad that her hair grew back. There are groomers out there that will listen to you. You just have to find them.
      http://www.petpom.com/ is a great website for Pom owners. You may be able to find some helpful information on your Poms skin condition.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  39. I wounder is it ok to groom the ears and round them? I saw in a pomeranian book that you carefully trim the ears and round them and do just a little trim on the inside long hair of the ear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Poms do look cute with the ears trimmed slightly. It is really up to the owner how much you would like to trim.

      Delete
  40. Oh dear, I had my Pomeranian puppy clipped a little because it was getting very hot in my area and I was concerned she would overheat. I didn't know it could cause permanent damage to her coat!
    My poor little worm, I'll definitely not be getting her clipped again. Thank you so much for an informative post.

    ReplyDelete
  41. My pom gets groomed about every 6-8 weeks. About a week after I get her back she has scabs on the back of her neck. The groomer said it's because she has thick hair and it's necessary to use a metal comb with sharp tips to get the thick hair out. Is there some tool she can use with rubber tips so as not to cause this problem? Or is she just ripping the hair out and it's causing the scabs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi gocat,
      I can not speak for the other groomer.
      All I can say is that in almost thirty years of grooming, I have groomed many, many thick, full of undercoat Poms, and I have never caused scabs from combing out a coat. I also use a medal comb for combing out coat. The teeth on my comb are rounded on the ends and would only hurt the dog if I were combing too rough.
      If it were my Pom, I would try another groomer. If the same thing happened, I would then take my Pom to my Vet to see if there was a skin issue that caused the scabbing each time my dog was groomed. Good Luck. :)
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
    2. Hi gocat,
      I thought that my personal experience might be helpful to you. I have two poms, and groom them myself because I can't afford to pay a groomer. But, I also have a chronic illness and sometimes, they don't get groomed for two weeks and are also dirty and not bathed (which makes a HUGE difference re: how difficult it is to remove tangles). We have a big outdoor life, so they're pretty much not sparkly clean within a day of being bathed. ANYway, I have done this to my own dogs when I have been tired, and too rough, and instead of grooming them properly, yanked too hard at tangles. It no longer happens, after I realized what I'd done. I felt sick inside. I use the kind of metal comb described on this site. I would be really angry if I paid a groomer, and this happened. There is NO excuse, imo, especially if your dog has been bathed with a good cream rinse, and blown dry first. I can't imagine how beyond incredibly rough she must be being.

      Delete
  42. I have two GORGEOUS pomeranians, ages 7 and 8, one black and tan, the other cream/sable and if ONE MORE person EVER stops me in summer to tell me how CRUEL I am being by not having them SHAVED, or goes on about how CUTE they would be if only I would get the LION cut, I will, I think, well, scream? I brush them. That is it. Oh, and cut their nails. I could go on about how shaving does NOT make a dog cooler, and in fact, leads to heat stroke, but I will not. I am SO tired of ignorance....the beauty of a Pom is in his or her gorgeous double coat.....and it was really nice to see all of the pictures of clips that I HATE, and one of a dog in all of its glorious beauty, with her feet trimmed....and that's it. I was lucky; I was warned by a good groomer, that the coat would never grow back properly....when I was worried about the heat, and had yet to read research about the myths of shaving. I met a young woman whose mother had her dog shaved when she dog-sat....shaved once....and the coat never grew back. She is still heart-broken, 6 years later. And, I live in a climate that is mostly cold winter. We go for 6-10k treks and they are NEVER cold. I am careful in the heat of our short summers. I do go on. Loved your site.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      I am sure that your Pom are gorgeous. Even though I own a sable/cream Pom, who I love, I am partial to the black and tan ones. :)

      Delete
    2. I forgot to add that the Pom who was shaved had been a glorious black/white parti-colour Pom. ANYway, enough out of me :). I also forgot to ask you if you could give me a link to a site where I could purchase a high-velocity dryer......and also, to ask you if they're a whole lot more powerful than a high-end blow dryer for humans. I bought one from my own hair stylist, and find that if I use dog shampoo and cream rinse (the cream rinse is vital), and then dry mine with it, except for a few minor tangles, my brushing experience seems to be very similar to what you describe.....although I do wonder, in summer, if I am getting all of the undercoat out (I have to use the shampoo and cream rinse I do, because my husband and I both have chemical sensitivities, even to natural scents, and they must be fragrance-free). Thanks for any advice you can offer!

      Delete
    3. Hi Cheri,
      Here is a link to a High Velocity Dryer. It is a professional pet grooming dryer and very powerful. It sounds something like a vacuum when turned on. You will most likely need to train your Pom to accept it. If your groomer already uses one on your dog, it should not be any problem for you to use it. I personally take the pointy nozzle off and put the wider part of the hose right up to the skin. This helps to blow the under coat out. Here is a link to a dryer:

      http://www.ryanspet.com/metro-air-force-commander-variable-speed-dryer-pz-MVAFTD-3V.html

      Hope this helps you.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  43. I forgot to ask what the brand of comb is that you use and where can I/she find it. I like my groomer and I asked her about getting a different comb and she said she hadn't seen one like the one you have. I was hoping there was a comb with rubber tips or something. Any ideas on that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi gocat,
      I no longer brush or comb any of my groom dogs before the bath. They all go straight into the tub.
      I use a special shampoo and conditioner made just for helping remove undercoat on double coated dogs. It is called Best Shot Ultra Max. Once the dog has been bathed and conditioned, I dry the dog straight from the tub with a High Velocity professional dryer. The dryer removes most of the dead coat, cutting down considerably on brushing. I finish up by using a small fluff dryer and a slicker brush to remove any undercoat that is still left. Last of all I run my medal comb through the coat to make sure that I have gotten all of the dead coat and/or tangles out. I use the comb very little. I let the dryer and my slicker brush do most of the work. The combs that I use are called Chris Christensen Buttercombs. Here is a link:
      http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.prodShow/vid/484221

      The grooming style that I described above is how I groom all of my Pom customers. It is also the only way that I am able to groom my own Pom, because she absolutely hates to be brushed, but she loves the dryer. :)
      Hope this helps.
      Lisa, MFF

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    2. Lisa, can you recommend a slicker brush/pin brush you might recommend? and what style of the Chris Christensen Buttercombs is best for a Pom. THANKS!!

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  44. Im so happy i read this! I have a Pomchi (Pomeranian and Chihuahua) named Zoey! I took her to the groomers once when she was a puppy (unknowing of all of this) and they shaved her without my permission, needless to say i was not happy and was refunded, she has never been back to a groomer since. I noticed that it did take a very a long time to grow back and at one point i was doubtful that it ever would, however after waiting 4 months it finally did. When we moved to Florida i started doing her hair myself with sheers, not shaving her like the groomer did when she was little, but making it a little shorter and lighter since its much more hot here. This has only been done twice, in total she has only had her hair cut 3 times in the 3 years she has been alive, once before each summer. After reading this i now understand why her does not grow back the same. It does not get as long as it used to, she used to have a beautiful incredibly soft brick red coat and now has a very rough/ coarse dull short brown coat with little white hairs that started growing in everywhere after this last cut :(. Its very frizzy and almost has a singed look according to friends and family. I now will never cut, shave, or sheer her again after reading this (just a simple trim around the feet and ears from now on), it was extremely helpful and i am now extremely regretful for ruining her coat. But question: Is there any hope to restore her coat back to the way it was when she was little since she is still so young?

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    1. Hi Austin,
      Unfortunately, there is a very good possibility that her coat will never return to it original glory. But, with time, a very good diet, and maybe some good dog vitamins, the coat may get a little better. Every dog is different.
      Lisa, MFF

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  45. I seen the question above "why get a Pomeranian if you are going to want the hair cut". Most people probably do not get a dog based on the hair...They get it for the type of dog it is, personality, etc. I would love a Pomeranian but I would not want to deal with all that hair they have! I like the way you cut the dogs with the 5/8F and the 4F! They both look adorable!

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    1. I feel the same way! I loved my Pom not only for her beauty; primarily her personality - very present little girl. We used to trim her sometimes in the summer, but I did notice that her hair started not growing back in the SAME way as the Poms described here when she grew older. That's why I'm here to find out how to work with the Pom we are getting this month!

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  46. Can I use a Furminator for long hair on my 4 month old Pomeranian without damaging his coat? If not, please tell me what I should use.

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    1. Hi Dianne,
      Personally, I would not, and have never used the Furminator on a Pom. I much prefer to use a curved slicker brush, a pin brush, and/or a metal comb. The Furmintor is a really nice tool on certain coats. I personally do not think that a Poms coat is one of them. I would be afraid of the blades teeth cutting some of the coat and/or damaging it.
      Try to get your young Pom used to a slicker brush and comb. Once the thick adult coat has grown in, you will have a lot of brushing to do. It will really help if your Pom is already used to being brushed.
      Lisa, MFF

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  47. I adopted a mini Pomeranian about 2yrs ago when he was approximately 5years old. The owner could not take care of him anymore, and he was extremely tangled and matted. I took him to the groomer the very next day and had him shaved down in order to "start over", and because it was summer, and impossible to get a brush through his coat. Since then, he has had the lion cut once or twice. I haven't had any problems with his coat at all, however after the first year, I allowed it to grow out. Recently, I decided to try and groom him on my own (groomer was getting expensive and he was traumatized when I picked him up), just trimming a little in order to make the coat even all over. He looks great now, and no more trips to the groomer. After reading your info, I will NEVER allow him to be shaved. I thought that maybe he was too hot in the summer, but you've set me straight, lol. Thank you for such an interesting article.

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  48. I have gotten a Pomeranian given to me and I never had a Pomeranian before, she is 3 years old and I had to give her a bath right away cause I found a few fleas on her and I was reading that Dawn dish sop kills fleas so I try it and it works. They was a young couple that had her and when they was giving her away for free I got her. She is a sweet loving Pomeranian but she did not like a bath. The owners that her before me said that they took her to be shaved every summer and now I believe that her coat is dameged.I know that the hair on a Pomeranian should be long. I was wanting to know how can I get my Pomeraian coat looking nice and shinny the it suppose to look cause right now when you rub her coat it feels ruff and like strawI am taking her to a groomer to see if they can get her coat to look nice and I can see that her under coat needs to be comb out. How often are you suppose to take your Pomeranian to be groom and is it safe to use a dry shampoo on your pomeranain and she itch a lot

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  49. I recently adopted a Pomeranian from the local pet shelter. He is thought to be five years old and was found as a stray, so I do not know if he was groomed previously. His coat to me looks healthy, except for a bald spot he has right at the base of his tail on his back. I asked the vet and they tested him for mites and it came back negative. The hair is slowly growing back, but I would still like to now why the spot was there. Where we live it gets hot in the summer and we vacation to the beach and I plan on taking him, but I am worried he will get too warm. I want him to be cool, but I love his coat, its a beautiful red with white accents. If he should be cut what would be the least damaging way to have him cut.

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  50. My name is Nita and I have a 4 year old Pom named Aspen who has a beautiful thick coat. The only trouble with that is his vet has recommended I have him shaved down because he has an enlarged heart and he thinks that his thick coat is contributing to his condition. Should I shave him down or Not!!

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  51. I have a new pomeraian girl that I rescued. Is there a way to groom her so her butt isn't sticking out for all to see?

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  52. Lisa, I am loving your blog and found all the pictures very very helpful. I had a beautiful Pom and we had her trimmed maybe half a dozen times - I think she looks adorable that way, but as she grew older, we did see the deterioration in the coat. We were never told this by any of our groomers, and we did wonder why her coat looked that way. (we thought she was just getting old).

    We are getting another Pom next month and will be using all your advice. Of course he is a puppy, so I will begin with just using a Pin brush and a Metal Comb, per your recommendation.

    My question is this - if we use the Best Shot products with a good quality regular human air-dryer, do you think we stand a good chance of getting a good result? I'm not adverse to using a groomer a few times a year, but we were used to bathing our Pom about once a week, and could not afford to get that frequency of spa days!

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  53. Hi!

    Your blog really helped me a lot. I just have a problem. My pom is 3 1/2 months old. I think he is starting to shed. The thing is, i need to brush the hair to have a quality coat right? But everytime i brush, a lot of hair fall off. Should i keep on brushing?

    Thanks
    Best regards

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    1. Hi dome,
      I would keep brushing if you are only getting a little hair out. Make sure you are not brushing with a brush that is cutting the hair. A pin brush or a soft slicker brush is good for a puppy. If you ARE using a one of these brushes, and you are getting A LOT of hair out, (like big clumps) take your puppy to the Vet and make sure that something else is not going on with his coat. A 3 month old puppy should not be losing a lot of coat.
      Lisa, MFF

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  54. Our female has beautiful long hair; however, even though we keep her bottom area scissored back, she still gets wet when peeing, and thus, 'dribbles' all over the floor. (She squats low and floods, rather than going more often.) She is paper trained and goes inside.

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  55. Hi Lisa. Thank you for all your valuable tips. I have two amazing little furry dogs that I'm obsessed with! But they shed like crazy all over my house. One is a black Pom mix and the other a white Mini Eskie. I try to brush them here and there (and I know this should be a priority), but it's hard with a stressful job. I come home and just want to chill out. My black Pom is not quite as bad, but my Eskie's white little furs reappear a day after I sweep/clean! It's insanity! I thought about trying a puppy or lion cut for both, but after doing my research it sounds like a bad idea. Are there any new amazing products out there that can help with shedding? Petco highly recommended the Furminator, but it's really not easy to use on my dogs - plus they really don't like it (thinking about returning it). Any suggestions? Much appreciation!

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    1. Hi,

      I am sorry that I some how missed this comment.

      Wow you have two dogs that like to blow their coats. First of all, take the Furminator back. It is not for their type of coat. You need a good slicker brush and an undercoat rake to remove the dead coat.
      If you don't like doing the grooming yourself, or don't have the time, and your dogs don't care for you doing it, that is what we groomers are for. lol

      A good groomer will use the proper shampoos, conditioners and tools for your double coated breeds. The groomer will be able to remove all of the dead coat that is shedding out all around your house.

      Just make sure that the groomer you find is one that is experienced in grooming double coats and will NOT pick up the clippers and shave your dogs because they think that the undercoat is matted.

      Lisa, MFF

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  56. I've been reading your blog for some time (I'm the crazy person going through your archives ;) ) I don't have a pom but several of your posts are making me think! I have a yorkie, and I rather like him shaved in the summer because it's soft and he's black again when you shave him (he was black as a puppy and gradually got to caramel-ish, which I love, but I like the change in seasons!) He likes to go to the beach and lay in the sand/go swimming so I keep it short during the summer. He was about 8 months old when I first took him to a groomer, and it was pretty disastrous, she would only do a "puppy cut" and I agreed because I was clueless, and he was a wreck despite being brushed every day (just hair growing in his face etc) But that groomer hated him and abused him. One day I picked him up and I happened to glance over at the card and in big letters someone wrote "MAJOR BRAT!!!" so I never went back there again. The 2nd place I tried eventually started to hate him and was rude to me and gave me trouble about appointment times, and the day he came home with several pretty bad cuts from a razor I never went back there either. I should have called them on it but I had 2 babies then, and it was a circus just getting back in the car! There is another groomer that's okay, but she will only do things the way she wants, so if I say I want him short, schnauzer beard, she will tell me that she "only" does this or that and cuts their face short with an abrupt cut over/around the snout. (I don't know what this is.. but I've seen other groomers do a good job and I've never seen it in your pictures!) Needless to say he's terrified of groomers and I just decided that I can only trust myself! I'm sure I do a pretty terrible job but I do keep him clean and presentable and not matted and for the most part he does pretty well for me. He lays on a soft pillow while I brush/shave him... but I'm too scared to cut his nails! Anyway I was curious if all this shaving has ruined his coat, or if I grew it back would it grow back? He's very big for a yorkie, he's all leg! No matter how long I let it grow his coat will never reach past his knees, haha. We'll never have that long haired yorkie floor sweeping look! I swear he is happier when cut, you can always tell by the way he bounds around with that extra spring in his step (as I'm sure you know! ) I wish you lived near me! :) So tell me, am I screwed? or does shaving not really affect yorkie hair?

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    1. Hi jt,
      First, I am sorry that you and your Yorkie have had such bad experiences. There ARE good groomers out there. :/
      Shaving normally does not effect Yorkie hair. Depending on whether or not your Yorkie is purebred, ( there may be something else somewhere in the line since he is on the larger side and has such long legs) I would say that clipping him has not hurt his coat. The only real way to know if the coat will grow out is to try. If you don't like how the coat grows back in, it sounds like your guy would be very happy staying short. My Shih-tzu used to be the same way. He loved being short, all year round. I kept him clipped short till he passed at the age of 17.
      As for his nails, your Vet should be able to do them for you.
      Again, I am so sorry that a groomer has not taken the time to work with your dog so that he would not be so scared of the grooming. I love working with those types of dogs. It is such a great feeling when I can get them to trust me.
      Do the best you can. As long as you keep him mat free and he is happy that is all that matters. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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    2. Thanks for your reply! I know there are good groomers, don't worry I haven't totally lost faith! I'm actually happy to do it, I get to know him and any new sores/bumps. He would love you if you eased into him. There are certain people he just loves to go to and then the people that try to intimidate him into submission he wants nothing to do with/gets scared of/barks. I "talk" to him like I'd talk to my kids. I don't do that terse one-word command/NO! thing. He's very smart and people think I'm insane, but funny, he always does what I tell him to do.

      I wonder if he does have something in him besides yorkie. His littermates are all small yorkies and then there's him. A friend has 2 of his litter-mates and they can easily walk under him, haha. I always joked it was because we lived close to a cell tower, maybe he has super powers! Anyway the reason I started reading was I was googling around for tips on how to get better at the details and tips on how to let him really do his feet/legs, because he hates it! I've been telling him I can touch his feet if I want to, and making a point to hold/touch them. He just sighs, like, oh FINE.

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  57. Hi, Thanks for this great analysis and photos. We have a rescued Pom, never cut, about 5 yrs old. It's coming on summer and I thought Scout would like a cooler cut. My husband doesn't like the "Teddy" cut Poms. Now that I've read your info - no cuts for Scout. I feel better already about his twice weekly combing. He doesn't like it at the start, but by the end of the combing about 10-15 min.s when his hairs is all done, he looks great! People come up to us all the time - "What kind of dog ... ."
    Again, thanks for the education.

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  58. Hi Lisa,
    You have a wonderful blog! Its thanks to you that i learned not to recklessly cut my pom's hair for risk of ruining it. Wolfie is a little guy of around 5 lbs with a beautiful wolf sable coat. I would like to learn to trim him myself and have downloaded several trimming guides, but am still afraid to start. The reason is that he has especially long guard hairs around his shoulders (up to 7 or 8 inches), as you can see in the photobucket link below. From certain angles (particularly when he's horizontal on all fours) it can look quite strange at times. So i'd like to fix that with a proper trim.

    All of the "classic" pom cut examples i've seen (where they really dont cut down very much, but emphasize the large rounded look) nevertheless have the dogs with significantly shorter hair in the shoulders than wolfie has naturally. As far as i can tell, to match that style i wouldl have to cut quite a bit off of the hairs in this area, maybe up to half of it(?)... or several inches at least. Is this amount of trimming likely to cause the failure of those hairs to regrow? Or does that only happen when you really trim them down very short?

    Interestingly, he has lighter guard hairs which are about one or two inches longer than his quite long grey guard hairs. I guess we'll definitely lose that "frosting" when we trim him up, but i can live with that as long as we're not messing up his outer guard hairs for the long term.

    I would really appreciate your advice, as i've been searching on this issue but haven't found any specific info besides "don't cut too short". Thank you!
    http://s139.photobucket.com/user/willthethrill1/slideshow/

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    1. Hi Will,
      I am SO the wrong person to ask this, only because I LOVE the natural look on most Poms, and your is gorgeous! I love all that long hair around the shoulders and neck.
      As for will it grow back? In my experience every Pom is different. I have seen some Poms shaved completely down to the skin and their coat totally grow back without any damage.
      On the other hand, I have also seen Poms just scissor trimmed to neaten and the hair that was cut not grow back at all.
      (If) I were to shorten the hair around your Poms neck and shoulders I would use thinning shears (not scissors) to shorten and shape.
      I have most likely not been any help to you, but I think your Pom is absolutely beautiful just the way he is. Who says that his look and hair are not 'proper' for him. Love his name also....it so fits him. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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    2. Thanks Lisa. I also love his big furry coat, it just seems perhaps too long in that area from certain angles. This might also be due to the breeder
      (or perhaps the vet when he was neutered?) inexplicably shaving his belly down. The hair there is still pretty short compared to the rest, which throws off the balance. Im going to sleep on it for awhile and not make any rash decisions. Appreciate the advice!

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  59. Hello.

    I am in need of some help. My daughter has just has a baby and has a 2.5 year old. Her husband works overseas and gone for extended periods of time. With the new baby her pom has started urinating in the house and causing issues.

    I know you are not a dog behaviourist. . But I am just giving you a background story .

    She may be considering giving up her pom/American Eskimo mix. My husband and I are considering taking her as she is well behaved in my home as we have a dog she loves. However, I have a shih tzu that I keep closely shaved every four weeks for my own preferences and if I was to take her dog on as my own I would like to have he not completely shaved but cut close as in some of your pictures.

    I know your question is why do people have poms if they don't like their coats and I understand that. However my grand puppy was not a dog of my choosing but I love her and know I can work with her behavior problems while releasing my daughter the burden of her pet that is urinating everywhere.

    My question then is this. ... would I be psychologically scarring this dog as has been mentioned in blogs and articles I have read? Would it be cruel to take the dog in and keep her shaved or would it be better for her to go to another home ?

    My oldest daughter and my oldest granddaughter are allergic to this dog and I would like to eliminate the amount of hair floating around in our house.

    I prefer to stay anonymous as I haven't suggested yet that we may take her dog if she was giving her up

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    1. Hi,
      Congratulations on the new Grand baby!

      It is just my guess, but your daughters Pom is most likely having accidents in the house because it gives her attention that she craves. It does not matter that the attention may be your daughter getting upset with the dog, to the dog it is just the fact that your daughter pays attention and notices the dog when she has an accident. (Believe me, I understand how busy she is taking care of two young children by herself, while her husband is away) Something similar may happen with her 2 year old also. He may revert to doing baby things that he was no longer doing to get his mommy's attention away from the new baby. Dogs can do the same thing.

      I am sure that your daughters Pom would much rather be re-homed with a relative that she already knows. That would be much less stressful than going to a new home where she does not know any of the new strangers. This way your daughter could also visit the dog that she loves and will know for sure that it is being well cared for.

      As for my comment in my post about 'why do people get a Pom only to shave it' was mainly meant for people who go out and specifically buy a breed that is known to have a very long, full natural coat. Then they come to me to shave the dog saying; "I hate all this hair!" If they do not wish to take care of that kind of coat they need to buy a short hair breed instead. Now, that being said, I also understand when pet owners NEED to have a dogs hair cut for medical reasons, or just for the fact that the owner could not keep up, or take care of the coat properly. I would much rather see a Pom that has been clipped and is happy then see a Pom that is uncomfortable do to lack of proper grooming.

      In your case I think that your daughters Pom would be happy living with you with or without its long hair. I would suggest that maybe you have the Pom scissored short and tight for its first hair cut (like in #12 and #13 pictures in the above post) and then go shorter from there if you want to. This way it will ease the dog into having less hair.

      It is very hard to say whether or not the hair cut will effect your daughters Pom. Some dogs do actually get embarrassed after a hair cut, BUT I do believe that they get embarrassed because the owner takes them home and the family laughs at the haircut and makes fun of the dog, and this in turn embarrasses the dog. Yes, I truly believe that the dogs react to their owners actions. Yes, I do believe that dogs have feelings. :) I do have several Poms that get short hair cuts and have no problems at all. There is always the possibility that the hair may not grow back the same after being clipped short, but if you want to keep the Pom short anyway that should not be a problem.

      A good bath and brushout every 4 weeks (like your Shih-tzu) will also help to keep the dander down on the Pom and may help with your older daughter and grandchild.

      I hope that this has helped a little :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  60. I have a Pom that will be 2 yrs in Sept. she has the most beautiful coat. We live in GA and I like to clip her short in the summer. My vet groomer does a wonderful job, but I also have 2 chinese crested that I groom myself so I want to do my pom, I have an Andis Ultra Edge Clipper and I bought a 3/4" HT blade and it won't even go through her hair.T he pet store recommented I use the furminator conditioner on her since her coat is so thick, said it would get rid of all the undercoat. She does not blow her undercoat at all and I use a slicker brush on her. I just don't know if it is good to take all the undercoat out.So far each cut she has grown back beautifully. I am guessing he scissor cuts her. Tried to copy and paste picture but it won't let me.I would like to be able to send you a picture to get your advice. Thanks, Chris Bynum

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  61. Unfortunately my little pomeranian came home today clipped VERY short after we requested only a trim. The groomer tried to tell me that she was so badly matted that it was impossible to cut her any other way. I've been taking care of her coat mostly myself for the last three years and with minimal tools at my disposal have always managed to keep her coat free from matting. I am convinced this was done out of laziness and not necessity.

    But what is done is done. Do you have any tips on how to care for her coat as it (hopefully) grows back?

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  62. Hi Everybody! I've had my poms for about 2 1/2 yrs now. We've been through the ugly puppy stage where I thought I had a really ugly dog and prayed he'd grow out of it. Now he's 2 1/2 and he has the most gorgeous coat that reminds one of a horses mane as it bounces while he prances around. I had difficultly with getting him to let me brush the tangles out and remove the dead coat so that he wouldn't be shedding all over the carpet. We use what looks like a little rake and a shedding tool every couple of days and a de-tangle spray that smells pleasant and doesn't hurt him. My other pom has a courser coat and needs to have a little more work to it. I spend 30-60 min on their coats every other day and IT IS SO WORTH IT. I've only considered clipping them for about 20 seconds. A little grooming time goes a long way! Booboo (that pom on Facebook) is cute but I love the ways my dogs' coats look naturally, unclipped. If I wanted a short haired dog I would have gotten one. Spend some time with your dogs, that's why you got them, isn't it?

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  63. hi. I have a mix Pomeranian schnauzer dog that mated with a chihuahua. He is white and almost looks like a little fluffy Fox. He is starting to shed a lot so I thought maybe I should start grooming him. I am unfamiliar with this. So I looked it up and am now scared to groom him. Should I not have them do anything at all to Him. Besides cut nails? I was going to attach a picture but don't see how I can

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  64. Hi my name is Tabitha. I have a ten week old pom/chi that was shaved by my husband two says ago. He had a gorgeous fluffy coat and after reading this am terrified it won't grow back in. It was his first cut that I know of. I have only had him a week. Please help.

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  65. I loved this! it was very helpful, just one thing though: A lion has a 'MANE.

    xx'

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  66. Hi just wanted to know if it OK to get my pomchi a hair cut. She is 6 month old or should I wait.

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  67. Hi. I have a strange question, if you don't mind. My pom got pregnant during her 1st cycle, which threw her into the puppy uglies, a bit later than usual. We adopted her after the pups were all sold. But my grown son and d-i-l both say that she isn't a real pom, because she doesn't have that really thick, full coat that you see on poms. Frankly, she looks just like Sparkles, including when Sparkles was little. So my question is, is Sparkles a full pom? NOT that I'm going to [I'm not], but HAD she been given that teddy bear cut, would she have that thick, teddy bear look?

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  68. Hi there i have a 5 year old pomeranian. I have never cut him and never wanted too, but he has become severly matted, i dont no what to do? i took him to i highly qualified groomer that said our only option was to shave him completely other than his head. I really dont want to do this as his hair will never grow back the same! should i try and remove the matts myself slowly and carefully or shall i have him shaved? I really dont want to have to, it makes me want to cry!

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