Overview
A Pomeranian’s thick double-coat of fur is one of their most defining features. Ideally, it will be tightly packed, thick, strong, and soft to the touch. But a Pomeranian’s fur may not always look or feel perfect; there are times when it may appear sparse or have trouble growing. And the coat may have poor texture, looking dry and dull.
This section will cover many aspects related to helping grow the coat and maintaining good coat health, including:
- Understanding the two layers of a Pomeranian’s coat
- Shedding and continual regrowth summary
- Top 5 reasons for coat issues
- How to promote hair growth
So, let’s dive into the details so that your Pom’s coat will be on its way to looking full and healthy.
Understanding the Two Layers of a Pomeranian’s Coat
Moving forward, it will help to understand the anatomy of a Pomeranian’s coat.
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.
Shedding and Continual Regrowth Summary
Another element to know about is how a Pomeranian’s coat refreshes and renews.
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.
However, the outer coat of longer hairs also goes through a natural cycle of growth, rest, and fall (much like your own hair). If new hairs are not able to grow in to keep up with hairs that have fallen out, the coat will look sparse and thinned.
Top 5 Reasons for Coat Issues
This is Bailee, a 5-month-old Pom puppy with a very severe case of the puppy uglies
with lots of thinning patches. Photo courtesy of Britanee
Though this is a normal phase for the Pomeranian breed, and not technically an issue per se, it causes such concern for unprepared owners that it must be listed. This refers to the stage when puppy hair falls out and the adult coat grows in, which typically starts at the 4 to 6-month mark and is complete approximately by the 12 to 15-month mark (and in some cases, the 24-month mark).
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Pomeranian puppies are born with just one layer of fur; it is relatively short and as soft as a feather. As the pup matures, the two-layer adult coat will grow in. During this phase, the soft puppy hair can fall out much faster than the adult hairs are growing in.
The coat can look the complete opposite of what you would expect with this breed and the pup may look very odd. The entire coat may look sparse or thinned out. There can be sections of super short hair and patches of long hairs randomly sticking out making it look very uneven.
Though much of the coat transformation process will happen naturally and all you really need is patience, there are some steps you can take to maintain overall good coat health and prompt hair growth of the adult coat to help speed things along. Both of these elements are coming up ahead.
#2 Bad grooming experience.
This poor little Pom had their entire body shaved, essentially down to the skin, and only fur on the face and tail remain. This is known as a lion cut
and should never be done if you want your Pom to have a nice fluffy coat in the future.
This little gal hardly even resembles a Pomeranian any more.
The coat has been destroyed by the outer layer being completely cut off
and the inner layer being shaved into.
One of the top reasons for an owner’s sudden panic about their Pom’s fur is a ‘grooming gone wrong’ incident. Sadly, this is common. We receive several emails a week from people who took their Pomeranian to the groomer only to pick up their dog to see that the coat was destroyed.
In some cases, it’s a matter of a groomer getting carried away; an owner asks for a trim to tidy things up and the groomer goes way overboard by cutting off all the long outer guard hairs and shaving the Pomeranian down. Understandably, it can be horrifying to suddenly see a Pomeranian with their beautiful coat gone.
In other cases, an owner may unknowingly request a ‘summer cut’, ‘lion cut’ or otherwise ask that the coat be shaved only to later learn that this should not be done with Pomeranians.
You would assume that professional groomers would know better, however once the entire outer coat is removed and especially if the inner coat is cut into, the coat may struggle to grow back as it once was. Hair growth may be very slow and/or it may be very uneven.
Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to help a Pomeranian’s hair grow back, even if it was damaged by a groomer.
#3 Damage via coat products.
The pet supply market is flooded with inferior coat products, including shampoo and condition, that have formulas that can be detrimental to a dog’s coat:
- Incorrect pH levels.
Levels between 4 to 5.5 can strip hair cuticles causing frizz, split ends, inability to retain moisture, and poor hair growth (long hairs will be snapping off so fast that new hairs will struggle to keep up).
- Soaping agents.
You might assume shampoo should have soap; however, sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) can cause dry, irritated skin which affects hair follicles and in turn hair growth.
- Other additives.
Parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, and coloring dyes can cause excessive hair dryness, skin irritations, or even allergic reactions.
#4 Nutritional deficiency.
There are several nutrients that have a direct effect on a dog’s coat health and hair growth.
- Protein.
Keratin is a key structural protein of dog fur (and nails), formed from amino acids found in protein. If there are not enough amino acids, a dog’s keratin levels will drop, and hair growth can dramatically slow down.
- Biotin.
This compound is linked to the amino acids that promote hair growth. Some foods that dogs can eat that contain biotin include egg yolks, organ meat, salmon, sweet potatoes, and lentils.
- Iron.
It is iron that brings nourishing oxygen to hair follicles and low levels of iron are connected to excessive shedding and slow coat growth. Foods that dogs can eat that contain good levels of iron include spinach, beef, tuna, and eggs.
- Omega-3 fatty acids.
This is perhaps the most important nutrient in regard to keeping the skin and coat healthy and helping a Pomeranian grow their hair back nice and full. Omega-3 is found in foods like fish and flaxseeds.
#5 Health issues.
This is Mercedes, when she was diagnosed with Alopecia X
(though it was highly suspected that she had BSD due to black skin
previously all over her body that sloughed off during baths).
Photo courtesy of Shirl T.
While not overly common, there are some health issues that can affect a Pomeranian’s coat. When other reasons are not applicable or treatments are not working, these issues should be ruled out:
- Parasites.
This includes demodectic mange; signs include fur loss around the eye area, trunk, and/or legs and/or skin lesions on balding areas with or without crusting. Ringworm is another possibility; signs include circular bald spots.
- Hypothyroidism.
When the thyroid is under-producing, signs can include dry and brittle fur.
- Stress-induced fur loss called telogen effluvium.
Extreme stress can trigger hair follicles to enter an extended resting phase. Two to three months later, there can be a sudden shedding of those hairs.
- Canine diabetes.
Other signs are usually more obvious such as increased thirst, lethargy, and weight changes; however, may also involve a thinning or dull coat.
- Cushing’s disease.
This disease that affects cortisol levels is more common with dogs age 6 and up. Signs include thinning coat, as well as easy bruising, increased thirst, increased urination, and lethargy.
- Folliculitis.
This is an infection of the hair follicles that can lead to thinning and then balding spots.
- Alopecia X or Black Skin Disease.
Alopecia X refers to coat loss with unknown causes, though there may be a link to hormones. Black Skin Disease is similar, though is the term given when a dog’s skin turns black. Treatment for Poms with Alopecia and BSD
often overlap.
How to Promote Hair Growth
Whether your Pom is
going through the puppy uglies
and you want to help the process along, a groomer ruined your Pomeranian’s coat by shaving it, or years of bad coat products have led to terrible damage, you’ll be happy to know that there are some steps you can take that can help improve coat health and prompt the fur to growth back in.
Do note that this sort of thing takes time and commitment. You need to be dedicated to the process and be patient. In addition, it would be very rare for just one of these steps to trigger a Pomeranian’s coat to grow fast; rather, it is the combination of these elements that will bring about the most success.
#1 Brush the coat on a regular basis.