A dog’s nose is vulnerable to the elements, as there’s nothing to protect it. It bears the brunt of the sun, wind, cold. Depending on the circumstances, a Pomeranian can develop issues such as dryness, chapping, and/or peeling. In some cases, this can spiral into cracking. Applying a nose balm that serves as a protective barrier can help prevent these sorts of problems.
However, at the same time, allowing the nose to absorb some UV rays helps it to retain its pigmentation. Dogs that develop pink or white spotting on an otherwise dark nose often suffer from ‘winter nose’ due to a lack of UV sunlight.
Timing and tips:
Protecting the nose with a balm (which blocks UV rays) is a grooming task best reserved for those that are prone to nose issues. And, it may only need to be used during certain times of the year (typically winter and summer are common seasons for nose problems). If so, a quality balm like
Natural Dog Company's Snout Soother
can be applied once a day for prevention and up to 3 or 4 times a day to resolve current issues.
Giving Baths
Baths are an important part of grooming a Pomeranian and keeping them clean. When baths are given in the right way and with the right type of products, several things will be accomplished:
- Accumulated body oil will be cleansed off. Otherwise, oil can block natural air flow and start to smell.
- Improves skin health via the application of full-body moisturizing products.
- Improves coat health via the application moisturizers and conditioners.
- Cleans off debris and fine particles.
- Removes odors.
- Loosens dead hairs for more productive brushing afterward.
Timing and tips:
Baths should be given any time a Pomeranian is very dirty (for example, has run through a muddy puddle) and should be scheduled once every 3 weeks. This is just about the time that it takes for body oils to have accumulated enough that it’s time to cleanse them away and start with a clean slate.
Combing and brushing should be done right beforehand, baths can be given in a clean sink or tub, an all-natural shampoo and wash-out conditioner with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5 should be used, and towel-drying via a blot and squeeze method vs rubbing is vital.
Read more
about
Giving a Pomeranian a Bath
which covers all pre-bathing prep and step-by-step instructions with photos to ensure your Pom's bathing sessions are as beneficial as possible.
Cleaning the Ears
Cleaning the ears is a funny thing; some dogs need regular cleanings or they have reoccurring ear infections, just missing one session can lead to issues. And other dogs may never have their ears cleaned but also never suffer an ear infection at all.
So, whether or not your Pomeranian requires their ears to be cleaned as part of their regular grooming routine will depend on how prone they are to excess wax, smelly ears (a sign of a yeast issue) and ear infections (symptoms include itchiness manifesting as head shaking, discharge, and/or and a bad smell). In many cases, the occurrence of chronic ear infections will have the veterinarian letting you know that at-home cleanings need to be done.
Timing and tips: Ears can be cleaned at home with an over-the-counter product like
Bodhi Dog Natural Pet Ear Cleaner. The process is rather straightforward. A small amount of solution is placed into each ear, one at a time. The base of the ear is massaged. And excess solution is then cleaned from the outer ear canal with clean gauze or cotton balls.
Trimming the Nails
Trimming or filing down a Pomeranian’s nails is a grooming task that some owners take on themselves and some prefer to have a dog groomer do. A reason why pet parents may shy from this is because though cutting a dog’s nails is similar to cutting your own (or your child’s), dogs also have a ‘quick’ (blood vessel and nerve) that runs down the center (but not to the tip) of each nail. If a nail is cut too short and the quick is cut, this can cause pain and profuse bleeding (though there are products that can rather quickly numb the area and stop the bleeding).
Timing and tips:
In general, a Pomeranian’s nails need to be trimmed about every 6 weeks, though this can really vary quite a bit depending on how much walking a Pom does over rough surfaces and the rate at which a particular Pom’s nails grow. A pet nail scissors, pet nail clippers, or pet nail filer is used and styptic gel solution or powder should be on hand in the case of accidental injury to the nail quick.