Grooming Your Pomeranian

GROOMING TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR DOG'S COAT IN TOP SHOW CONDITION

BY MARY ROSENBAUM

Based on our background in grooming and showing our horses, we found equine products that worked better for us on our Pomeranians than some of the products available for dogs.

I use Mane & Tail shampoo on all my Pomeranians when I bath them, since it is a product that breaks through the buildup of oil in the coat and is easy to rinse out. To me, this is very important because I need a product that leaves no residue when you rinse it out. With this product, their coats are clean and they smell good afterwards.

Another product made by this same company is their Mane & Tail conditioner. If you have a Pomeranian with a hot spot, apply the Mane & Tail conditioner straight from the bottle onto the spot and rub it in, and literally in days, you will see this hot spot dry up and hair will grow back very quickly.

For those Poms that have dry coats that break easily, take a tablespoon of Mane & Tail conditioner and mix it in a spray bottle with 2 cups of water and shake well. Mist your dog daily with this mixture and you will see a very healthy coat that literally grows overnight.

For the light colored or parti Pomeranians, we found two products that work really well in removing urine stains, grass stains and discolorations. These two products were Showhite shampoo made by Xtreme Design Products and WOW! Whitener. When we showed our Brittanies, we used these products and they really did the job. There is also the product called White-N-Easy, that is a white spray chalk that you brush off when dry and of course, the Black Finisher spray.

I have also used Texturizing shampoos like Ring 5, Wiry Coat and St Audrey also makes a good one. These are good to use when you have a Pomeranian that is starting to blow their coat and needs a little help with the undercoat. When you do have to take out the undercoat that is shedding, use a ‘rake comb’ since it makes it much easier to take out the old dead hair rather than trying to brush it out. First, I bath my Pomeranian which helps separate the old dead hair from the healthy coat and then it makes it easier to rake out.

I bath all my dogs about every two months, or sooner if they need it. At that time I clean their teeth and trim their toe nails. Maybe a few touchups in between, but most of the time they stay looking good. I really think they like being clean and groomed. And of course the judges like them that way too!