How to Keep a Pomeranian Clean - 9 Tips

If your Pom’s biggest problem is the coat attracting dirt and debris, a good choice is The Stuff. You'll realize why they chose this name after you use it, because you'll be saying 'this stuff is awesome!' and 'why didn't I try this stuff before?'. This is also an excellent detangler and has a very light fresh fragrance. 

With any leave-in that you use on your Pom, lightly spritz section by section, about 1 inch from the roots and then down in the direction of the hair growth. Do not overdo it, just a light mist is needed. If you go crazy with a leave-in spray, the coat will get weighed down. 

An added plus is that wipes will also remove potential allergens and irritants from the coat, if these are an issue with your Pom. 

You can spot-clean your Pom as needed or swipe down the entire body every 1 to 3 days. Be sure to wipe in the direction of fur growth. Note that if your Pom has issues with feces getting stuck to the tushie, it can help to have the groomer trim around the anus (commonly done for lots of dog breeds for hygiene reasons) and to wipe the bum right after a bowel movement when the feces is still wet. 

Though Earthbath offers a fragrance-free option, if your Pom has trouble smelling clean in between baths, Earthbath Mango Tango Grooming Wipes is a terrific choice. These are extra-thick to remove all sorts of debris, smell heavenly, and help keep fur soft and conditioned via Hawaiian Awapuhi extract, a restorative juice from the flowering cone of the Awapuhi plant. 

So, keeping the face clean involves two parts:

Part one: Daily face cleaning. Aside from the obvious results of having dirt, food particles, and other fine debris removed from the face, which plays a big role in maintaining cleanliness, regularly wiping a Pom’s face can also prevent dried eye discharge from migrating back into the eye where it can cause discomfort and it is one step in preventing tear stains. 

You can use a general grooming wipe for this, but if your Pom tends to need lots of cleaning around the eyes, opt for a specialty wipe like Earthbath Facial Wipes that is formulated for this sensitive area. 

This sort of issue can be due to one of several reasons including excessive eye discharge (iron in the tears causes the staining) which itself can be due to a number of issues such as allergies (including reactions to kibble with chemical preservatives or artificial additives) or tear duct or eye lash abnormalities and excessive moisture on the face that leads to a red yeast infection. 

Stains on around the mouth can be due to a Pom eating out of a heavily dyed plastic bowl or eating a kibble that contains artificial coloring. 

Moderate to severe tear stain issues warrant a vet visit to rule out issues that can cause excessive tearing such as eye lash or tear duct issues. 

Aside from this, it is usually a combined effort of several things that will all work together to help. Be sure that your Pom is not drinking unfiltered tap water (use a filtering device or offer spring water), use only stainless-steel or ceramic bowls, clean the face at least once a day and preferably after each meal (see previous Part one), reassess kibble to be sure that it is all-natural, and use a remover like SPA by TropiClean Tear Stain Remover without giving up too early (it can take up to 2 months for the stains to gradually disappear). 

Part one: Clean the ear flaps. The ear flap on a Pomeranian is basically a ‘catch-all’ for tiny debris. If this is not kept clean, the debris may make its way into the canal. And, it is a two-way street, excess wax and matter can slowly creep from the canal and become stuck on the flap. 

So, if your Pomeranian’s ears tend to get dirty, wipe the flap clean as often as every day and at least once a week. Since excess moisture can lead to ear infections, you’ll want to use a soft thin washcloth that is just barely damp or a specialty wipe that is designed for the ears like Pet Aroma Care Ear Wipes. 

For Poms not prone to ear infections but with ears that tend to get stinky, a cleaning once per month usually works best.

And, for Poms that are indeed prone to infections, the veterinarian may recommend cleanings as often as every week. 

For this, a small amount of cleanser like Virbac Advanced Ear Cleanser is placed into the canal, the base of the ear is massaged for several minutes to loosen any impacted wax, and then a cotton ball or piece of sterile gauze is used to swipe out any matter that worked its way out.

One method to help the paws repel dirt and irritants is to use a paw wax. And, this has additional benefits as well including offering a layer of protection from walking surfaces (hot and cold), giving a dog better traction, helping to prevent snow from melting and refreezing in between toes, and preventing dry paw skin. 

For this, one of the best products to use is Musher's Secret Paw Protection Wax which does all of the above and absorbs into the paws rather fast (in about 10 seconds). Massage this into the paw pads and in between the toes every 2 weeks and you may find that it works best to do this while your Pom is in bed, right before bedtime. 

Regardless of whether or not you apply paw protection, do be sure to rinse the paws off as needed to remove any debris such as dirt, sand, grit, road salt, lawn care products, etc. that can either remain as irritants on the paws or be tracked into the house.