The following is an excerpt from "The Complete Guide to Pomeranians" by Vanessa Richie. For more information visit the books Amazon Page.

Author Credit: Vanessa Richie

Pomeranians have two layers to their coat, which means you are going to need to dedicate time to managing it every day. Fortunately, this is not only an easy chore to do, but given how happy your Pom will be to spend that kind of time with you, this is going to be a chore that you don’t mind doing.

Grooming always goes beyond just coat maintenance though, and that is true for all dogs. You also need to regularly care for their nails, teeth, eyes, and ears. Fortunately, this is fairly easy for Poms as they aren’t prone to problems with them. As long as you regularly brush your pup’s teeth and monitor their eyes and ears to ensure they are healthy, Poms are incredibly easy to groom.

Your Pom’s grooming needs include the following:

• Coat (bath and brushing)
• Eyes and ears
• Nails
• Teeth

If you do not have time to properly groom your Pomeranian, then establish a regular appointment with a groomer. Baths and trimmings may be best left to a professional. Things like daily brushings (coat and teeth) are things you are going to need to make time to do. Fortunately, they are not time consuming since Poms are so small.

Grooming Tools

If you plan to groom your Pom yourself, make sure you know how best to do all of the exercises before you first attempt them. You will need the following tools to properly groom your Pom:

• Shampoo
• Pin or slicker brush
• Small nail trimmers
• Toothbrush and toothpaste

Managing Your Pomeranian’s Coat

The Pomeranian coat is part of the attraction for many people because it is a truly beautiful coat. Some people say that Poms don’t shed, which is completely false – all dogs with double coats shed. Because they are small, Poms don’t shed that much. As long as you make brushing a regular part of your day, you aren’t going to have an issue with shedding.

Puppy

Brushing a puppy is going to take you more time than brushing an adult because of the excitement and attention the puppy feels. There will be a lot of wiggling and attempts at play. Trying to tell your puppy that the brush is not a toy clearly isn’t going to work, so be prepared to be patient during each brushing session. On the other hand, they are so adorable, you probably won’t mind that it takes a bit longer. Just make sure you let your pup know that this is a serious effort and playing comes after it. Otherwise, your Pom is going to always try to play, which will make brushing your dog a lot more time consuming. You definitely want to curb any idea that will give your Pom a reason to be stubborn about behaving.

You can plan to brush your puppy after a vigorous exercise so that your Pom has far less energy to fight or play. Be careful that you don’t encourage rambunctious behavior during brushing because this will become part of the routine, and your Pomeranian will think that the brush is meant for playtime, and it is going to be difficult to convince him that it isn’t true the longer it happens. Maybe you won’t mind in the beginning, but there will be times when you just want to finish brushing your dog quickly, and that is why you need to make sure your puppy doesn’t think it is time to play.

As you get accustomed to brushing your puppy, get accustomed to checking his skin. Look for rashes, sores, or infections. You should also check his eyes, ears, and mouth while you are grooming him. Keep doing these activities even after your Pom is an adult. Since this breed has such small bodies, it won’t be that time consuming, and it will help you to spot potential issues as early as possible.

Adulthood

Adults can be brushed every day, but they should be brushed at least a few times a week. With long fur that is really thick, that coat can get matted and dirty quickly. Daily brushing will help you better manage the fur so that it doesn’t tangle or become matted. If you properly train your puppy how to behave, this will be incredibly easy.

If you rescued an adult, it may take a little while to get the dog used to being brushed frequently. If you aren’t able to get your dog to feel comfortable with the brushings in the beginning, you can work it into your schedule, like training. As your Pom gets more comfortable with the surroundings, it will be easier to brush them daily.

You can also have their coats cut or trimmed regularly if you would like. It is best to learn h0w to do this from a groomer before you try to do it yourself.

Cleaning Their Eyes and Ears

When you bathe your Pomeranian, you need to be careful not to get water in their ears. You should also make a habit of regularly checking their eyes and ears.

As they age, Pomeranians may develop cataracts, but that is a fairly common problem for all dogs. You can generally tell if a dog is older because it will have a cloudy look in their eyes. You can have your Pom checked to make sure your little dear isn’t developing cataracts. If your canine is, you many need to take the pup in to have them removed as cataracts can lead to blindness.

Their ears should never appear to be red inside. Getting the interior of the ears wet can lead to infection and other problems. Be careful when you bathe your pup, and finish with a quick ear check to make sure that they are still healthy.

Bath Time

Bath time shouldn’t be a problem, at least not from a frequency perspective. Every few months should be more than enough to keep your pup clean, especially if you are brushing him daily. Set your bath schedule for about once a quarter (four times a year), and your puppy should be happy. Of course, if your Pom gets dirty, then you will need to take the time to bathe your canine.

Trimming the Nails

Pomeranian toenails should not be long enough to click when they walk on hard floors or concrete. Take them in to have those little nails cut at least twice a month. Pay attention to the sounds your dog makes when walking on harder surfaces to make sure that the nails aren’t clicking. If they are, then you should increase how often you get the nails cut.

Poms have tiny paws and a lot of fur. Both of these can make it difficult to cut their nails if you don’t have much experience. When you add how stubborn they can be, it is best to leave cutting the nails up to a professional.

Brushing Their Teeth

Check with your vet to see what a good toothpaste to use would be to brush your pup’s teeth. Make sure to brush their teeth at least once a week to ensure they don’t develop trouble with their gums when they get older. This is good practice for all dogs, so if you already have other canines, have them all on the same weekly brushing schedule.

If you aren’t sure what to do, there are several tutorials online that you can use to get an idea of how to get around your Pom’s struggle to get away during the process. Like brushing the coat, Poms need their teeth brushed often to avoid dental problems, and you probably will want to learn to do it yourself over having to visit a shop once a week. It is also nice to know how to do it if their breath smells bad or if they manage to eat something that smells foul.

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