Complete Information Regarding the Pomeranian Toy Dog
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Pomeranian Hair Cuts / Pomeranian Lion Cut
Important Facts Regarding Pomeranian Grooming Styles
We must strongly advise against cutting your Pomeranian's coat. The Pomeranian is known as the "ball of fluff". This is because this breed has a truly amazing and unique double coat of fur, that when correctly groomed and kept free of tangles, forms a wonderful puff of fur, surrounding the dog and giving it its unique appearance.
Poodles have long been known for their difference hair cuts...and somewhere along the line, someone decided that due to the large amount of fur on the Pomeranian that it would be a good idea to give the dog a hair cut...
And this, unfortunately has caught on with some owners. We hope that it is just a fad...a trend that will soon stop. Cuts have even been given names....unofficial names....with the Pomeranian Lion Cut being one of the most popular.
Why Pomeranian Hair Cuts are NOT a Good Idea
Aside from taking away the wonderful fur that the Pomeranian is famous for....when you cut the fur off of a Pom, the fur will NEVER grow back to the way that it was.... and if you do this at an early age, the Pom pup will never have the adult coat that they would have.
Now, you will hear "pro Pom cut people" tell you that it does not affect the coat. This is not true. It very much affects the coat. Think about how many people that you know...or perhaps it was yourself....who had long hair, cut it....and it never grew back the way that it was ever again.
If a Pom receives a Pomeranian Lion Cut, in which the fur is shaved down almost to the skin, an owner will also find that the fur will grow back in odd "patches"....and this can become quite a problem. We do have a page that offers some help for Pomeranian fur growth.
Lastly, a negative physical condition that can occur is that when a Pom is shaved, the elbows and other areas that are usually covered, are now exposed. This can cause sores when the dog lays down and does not have the extra "cushion" between him/her and the floor. Some dogs find that carpeting is irritating to the skin...(some are actually allergic to carpet or carpet cleaner) and this can cause allergies to develop since the dog is now exposing skin to the irritant.
The Emotional Impact
We are eye witnesses to Pomeranians who have been shaved and then have behavioral issues. The Pom's fut is its coat...It can be a source of comfort for many Poms...When this is taken away it is akin to a baby having their blanket taken away. The dog can become anxious, nervous and/or uncomfortable.
Shaving for Breeding
Some breeders will shave down their Pomeranian's coats. This normally occurs when a breeder has 10 or more adult dogs in their breeding program. Since the breeder is very busy taking care of puppies and all the needs of the Poms, they will shave down the adults....as time for grooming a large number of dogs is limited. There are pros and cons in this case....
When a breeder is busy taking care of all of the puppies' needs and the needs of the grownups....there is often not enough time for proper grooming to be done for all. This means that if the adult coats are left long, there is a very good chance that those Poms will develop tangles in the fur. Tangles, when not taken care of right away, will grow and grow.
Therefore, in this instance, the adult Poms who will be forever staying with the breeder may be shaved....DO keep in mind that these dogs may experience emotional issues at first, but when shaved on a regular basis....many will become accustomed.
On the flip side of the coin, when potential puppy buyers come to look at puppies, they will want to see the parents (dam and sire) and it is not a great idea to show 2 dogs who are shaved....The potential puppy buyers will want to see the full coats of the parents to get a good idea of what their new pup will look like as an adult.
Therefore, we personally take the side of the "con" and do not suggest shaving down a Pomeranian even if you are a breeder.
The Only Type of Shaving/ Clipping That is Necessary and Recommended
In order to keep your Pom properly groomed, there are some areas on the dog that should be shaved/ clipped for hygiene and health reasons:
Let's Take a Look at Some Photos
This is an adult Pomeranian with a perfectly groomed coat. As you will see, the fur around the face is naturally short and all other fur is kept long and fluffy. Tangles have been removed and the Pom is in all its glory!
This is a Pomeranian Lion Cut...As you can see most of the fur has been shaved down almost to the skin (Very sad).....Long fur remains on the neck and chest creating the "lion's mane"....and a bit of fur remains on the tail. While some may think that the dog look "cool" or "interesting" like this, please remember the above information regarding why this is not a good idea.
This is one of the "Pomeranian hair cuts".....A "shave down' on the entire dog to a length of approximately 1/2 to 1 inch. As we discussed above, this is the look that some breeders will have for their adult Poms due to the limited time that they have to properly groom all of their dogs and puppies. (Although we do NOT recommend this). While this Pom does look cute, one does not immediately recognize this dog as a Pom, since the famous "ball of fluff" is now shaved down to the length of a Lab.
We must strongly advise against cutting your Pomeranian's coat. The Pomeranian is known as the "ball of fluff". This is because this breed has a truly amazing and unique double coat of fur, that when correctly groomed and kept free of tangles, forms a wonderful puff of fur, surrounding the dog and giving it its unique appearance.
Poodles have long been known for their difference hair cuts...and somewhere along the line, someone decided that due to the large amount of fur on the Pomeranian that it would be a good idea to give the dog a hair cut...And this, unfortunately has caught on with some owners. We hope that it is just a fad...a trend that will soon stop. Cuts have even been given names....unofficial names....with the Pomeranian Lion Cut being one of the most popular.
Why Pomeranian Hair Cuts are NOT a Good Idea
Aside from taking away the wonderful fur that the Pomeranian is famous for....when you cut the fur off of a Pom, the fur will NEVER grow back to the way that it was.... and if you do this at an early age, the Pom pup will never have the adult coat that they would have.
Now, you will hear "pro Pom cut people" tell you that it does not affect the coat. This is not true. It very much affects the coat. Think about how many people that you know...or perhaps it was yourself....who had long hair, cut it....and it never grew back the way that it was ever again.
If a Pom receives a Pomeranian Lion Cut, in which the fur is shaved down almost to the skin, an owner will also find that the fur will grow back in odd "patches"....and this can become quite a problem. We do have a page that offers some help for Pomeranian fur growth.
Lastly, a negative physical condition that can occur is that when a Pom is shaved, the elbows and other areas that are usually covered, are now exposed. This can cause sores when the dog lays down and does not have the extra "cushion" between him/her and the floor. Some dogs find that carpeting is irritating to the skin...(some are actually allergic to carpet or carpet cleaner) and this can cause allergies to develop since the dog is now exposing skin to the irritant.
The Emotional Impact
We are eye witnesses to Pomeranians who have been shaved and then have behavioral issues. The Pom's fut is its coat...It can be a source of comfort for many Poms...When this is taken away it is akin to a baby having their blanket taken away. The dog can become anxious, nervous and/or uncomfortable.
Shaving for Breeding
Some breeders will shave down their Pomeranian's coats. This normally occurs when a breeder has 10 or more adult dogs in their breeding program. Since the breeder is very busy taking care of puppies and all the needs of the Poms, they will shave down the adults....as time for grooming a large number of dogs is limited. There are pros and cons in this case....
When a breeder is busy taking care of all of the puppies' needs and the needs of the grownups....there is often not enough time for proper grooming to be done for all. This means that if the adult coats are left long, there is a very good chance that those Poms will develop tangles in the fur. Tangles, when not taken care of right away, will grow and grow.
Therefore, in this instance, the adult Poms who will be forever staying with the breeder may be shaved....DO keep in mind that these dogs may experience emotional issues at first, but when shaved on a regular basis....many will become accustomed.
On the flip side of the coin, when potential puppy buyers come to look at puppies, they will want to see the parents (dam and sire) and it is not a great idea to show 2 dogs who are shaved....The potential puppy buyers will want to see the full coats of the parents to get a good idea of what their new pup will look like as an adult.
Therefore, we personally take the side of the "con" and do not suggest shaving down a Pomeranian even if you are a breeder.
The Only Type of Shaving/ Clipping That is Necessary and Recommended
In order to keep your Pom properly groomed, there are some areas on the dog that should be shaved/ clipped for hygiene and health reasons:
- The anus - For hygiene reasons, one should carefully shave this area....not down to the skin, but to a length of approximately 1/2 inch. When done, any feces will not stick to the fur and will allow your Pom to stay clean, smell good and not bring feces into the home.
- The ears - This is not technically shaving or clipping, however any long hairs that are found growing inside of the ears should be plucked out. This is for health reasons, so that the ears dry out faster after bath time and so that the inside of the ear is not appealing to mites and/or fleas. Keeping long hairs out of the ears will also help prevent ear infections.
- The paws - Any hairs that are growing UNDER the paws should be clipped. Fur should not hang down below the paw pads....This is a health issue and an appearance issue. When a dog has to walk on fur that is under the paw / growing out from the bottom of the paw pads, it can be very irritating and the long hairs can become caught on different elements.
Let's Take a Look at Some Photos
This is an adult Pomeranian with a perfectly groomed coat. As you will see, the fur around the face is naturally short and all other fur is kept long and fluffy. Tangles have been removed and the Pom is in all its glory!
This is a Pomeranian Lion Cut...As you can see most of the fur has been shaved down almost to the skin (Very sad).....Long fur remains on the neck and chest creating the "lion's mane"....and a bit of fur remains on the tail. While some may think that the dog look "cool" or "interesting" like this, please remember the above information regarding why this is not a good idea.
This is one of the "Pomeranian hair cuts".....A "shave down' on the entire dog to a length of approximately 1/2 to 1 inch. As we discussed above, this is the look that some breeders will have for their adult Poms due to the limited time that they have to properly groom all of their dogs and puppies. (Although we do NOT recommend this). While this Pom does look cute, one does not immediately recognize this dog as a Pom, since the famous "ball of fluff" is now shaved down to the length of a Lab.
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