How to Groom a Pomeranian at Home
Do you want to learn how to groom your pomeranian at home? Grooming a pomeranian at home is vital to keeping them healthy and happy. Plus- who doesn't love an adorable, freshly groomed Pom? If you want to learn how to groom your pomeranian at home, then you're in the right place. We’ll explain the tools and products you'll need.
Brushing
What you’ll need: Pin Brush, Poodle Comb, Slicker Brush
The most important grooming you can do for your pomeranian is brushing. Keeping your pomeranian line brushed will keep shedding to a minimum (this means less time vacuuming dog hair off of the carpet!). Line brushing is the process of lifting up a line of hair, and brushing the hair downward away from the line. This process allows you to brush every hair. You can line brush with a pin brush, or a comb. If you notice clumpy tangles of hair on your pomeranian, these are mats! Matting on your dog means you are not brushing them properly, or perhaps not often enough. Mats are most likely to form on areas of the dog that get friction like the armpits and behind the ears, they are more likely to happen if your dog is heavily shedding, or if they still have their puppy coat.
Bathing
What you’ll need: Shampoo, Conditioner (Our current favorite brand is Tauro)
Bathing your pomeranian will keep them fresh, clean, and ready to snuggle! While poms don't normally stink, or have a “doggy” smell, they still need baths. For an average pomeranian, a bath every month or two will be more than enough. If your dog has a skin condition, or they get particularly dirty, you may need to bathe them more often.
Pomeranians have a rough coat that may be difficult to get wet to the skin. For this reason, I recommend bathing your pom in a sink or shower that has a detachable sprayer. This will also make rinsing the shampoo out of the coat much easier.
Drying
What you’ll need: High Velocity Dryer
Once your pom is bathed, you'll need to thoroughly dry them. Air drying will not be sufficient for a pomeranian who has a full coat. You will need to use a high velocity dryer, and dry your pom fully to the skin. If you don't dry them fully, you will likely end up with a very matted dog. Human hair dryers are not strong enough to dry a pom to the skin in a timely manner. You might be drying your dog for an hour or more if you opt to use a personal dryer. I highly recommend you purchase a high velocity dryer if you want to groom your pom at home often.
Nail care:
What you’ll need: Nail Clippers
Keeping your pomeranians’ nails short is very important. I trim all of my dogs nails weekly. For a pet, I would recommend nail trimming as often as you can, its a quick process that can be done while brushing your dog. Pomeranians should have short feet that look like “cat feet”. If you let their nails overgrow, then this will change the look of the feet. This is not ideal for your dogs movement, and it can be very uncomfortable for them.
As a good rule of thumb, if you can hear your dogs nails while they walk or run on a hard floor- then they are too long. Pomeranians' nails should never make contact with the floor. If you let your dogs nails get too long, it can cause discomfort, pain, and other issues.
Genetics at play
Your Pomeranians fluffy coat is a result of their genetics. Pomeranians are dogs of Nordic descent, who lived in primarily snowy, cold regions. Their coats kept them warm and dry, their tails were long and full and would cover their noses when they curled up to sleep. Pomeranians have a double coat that will protect them year-round. They do not need to be shaved in the summertime, or wear coats in the winter.
Beauty from within
A pomeranian cannot have a beautiful healthy coat without the proper diet and good genetics. It's important to feed a high quality food with plenty of healthy fat, protein, and the proper balance of vitamins and minerals. If your poms coat is dry and lackluster, you may need to add in some healthy fats or supplements to their diet. Try sardines, salmon oil, coconut oil, or flaxseeds.
As far as genetics go, they will determine how much coat your pom may have. Purchasing a pomeranian from an ethical and reputable breeder who breeds to the AKC standard is important. Look at the coat of the parents when picking out a puppy, if the parents do not have a huge, correct double coat, then the puppy will not either.
**DISCLAIMER: If you cannot keep up with grooming your pomeranian at home, you will need to take them to a professional groomer every 6-12 weeks.*
I am not a professional groomer. All advice stated here is my opinion. I have been grooming all of my pomeranians exclusively at home for the last 7 years. I have picked up tips, tricks, and great advice from my dog show friends, and my mentors who have been in the breed for 20+ years. *
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