How to Groom Your
Pet Pomeranian
Please note this section is about how I personally keep my pet pomeranians looking smart and tidy.
This is not an illustration of grooming for the show ring. Choice of shampoo, coat care and trimming differ substantially from this advice when preparing a Pom for the show ring. There are several useful videos by professional Pomeranian Breeders that demonstrate techniques of show cuts.
Brush all the chest hair upwards then trim it in an angle aiming towards the knee (photo far left) this will keep it tidy as a trimmed chest is less likely to get chewsticks stuck in it!!! This will also keep the circular shape going when the Pom is viewed from the side.
Turn the Pom sideways and trim the underneath in a semi-circular shape. Start your line about 1/3 up back of front leg - then cut in a the semi circular shape with it ending in the same position about 1/3 way up back leg (behind the knee). This can be adjusted to suit the Pom's leg length etc. Trim away any excess hairs sticking out in the midriff section (photo far right).
The photo on the far left shows roughly the height point where your semi-circle should end. To tidy up the back legs - I brush the hair upwards and outwards then cut away the hair sticking out which can look a like spurs!!! Now you'll have nice stove pipe legs.
The photo of the far right shows the hair being trimmed away from behind the tail, about 1/2 inch or so, to help the tail lie flat - you don't have to do this - it's just my personal taste.
Keep the circular shape in your mind and keep trimming it it. Brush the featherings out by the shoulder (far right) - look at them straight on and trim them away - this will keep the circular shape when looking head on and the coat will look more buoyant and less heavy in that area.
After
Before
Now try and visualize a circle which frames their head and cut the excess hair away to reveal the circular shape. Take care to watch for the ears - I often use my fingers as guides when the scissors are pointed in what could be a dangerous position if the Pom suddenly leapt forward.
The Unfinished Pom
Start by washing your Pom - there are several grooming products available but I personally use whatever shampoo I like the smell of from the supermarket. Take care not to get water in the eyes, nose or ears. Cotton balls can be placed inside the ears to protect them from water.
After bathing, I towel dry the hair as much as I can you can buy super absorbent towels which are great for this purpose. I then blow dry the Pom - brushing all the hair in an upward motion towards the head with a soft slicker brush.
You can get special dryers for dogs - I use a Metro Airforce Commander Blaster dryer. You can also use a human hair dryer, just be sure to put it on a low heat so you don't aggravate the skin or dry the hair out.
I always start with the head - ear tips first. This is possibly the hardest part as first of all you must make sure you do not cut the ear. Best way to protect it is by pinching the ear leather in between your forefinger and thumb so that you don't cut it by mistake.
The excess hairs will protrude above your fingers and you want a horizontal angle across the top - not the best picture (far left) but basically scissors are parallel to the Pom's eyes. This is followed by a slightly tilted angle for your 2nd cut (middle photo). This shapes the ears into a softer angle and prevents them from looking too pointy. After doing the ears - brush the hair around the head forward (far right).
