How do I care for my Pomeranian's hair?
Pawlush Pet Resume: The Pomeranian
For adult Poms, there is light to moderate shedding year-round and a heavy shed at least once a year (early spring). This type of shedding mainly affects the undercoat. Proper brushing techniques and steps to ensure coat health will help this recurrent process. Shaving this breed can damage the coat irreparably so the coat may not grow back, grow back patchy, or a different texture.
Personality
The Pomeranian is an extrovert, exhibiting great intelligence and a vivacious spirit, making him a great companion dog as well as a competitive show dog.
Health & Grooming
There are two layers.
The inner layer, also known as the undercoat, is short, tightly packed, soft fur that provides warmth in the winter and helps keep a dog cool in the summer (it acts as a barrier to the sun and heat).
When a Pom sheds, most of the shedding is coming from this layer, so not all hairs will fall to the floor; many will become trapped in the coat.
There needs to be a fine balance with the undercoat. If dead hairs are not pulled out, it can get too packed, blocking airflow and causing smells due to body oils clinging to the dead hairs. And if this was inadvertently thinned out (live hairs removed), it can take a long time for it to grow back in and there may not be enough support for the outer coat to stand as it should.
The outer layer is comprised of long guard hairs. These have a bit of a coarser texture but by no means should feel dry or rough. When the coat is in good shape, these hairs will stand out to a certain degree, creating a nice full look.
Though the outer hairs can be trimmed to give a Pomeranian a nice neat appearance (most Poms in conformation show events have their outer hairs layered), these should never all be cut away and certainly never so much that the inner layer is touched.
Pet Resume
This is the first of many Pawlush Pet Resume to help you get to know your pets or future fur babies.