[LittleMoonRabbit]

Hey guys,
I have been lurking on this forum for months now, but just registered today. I am a huge dog enthusiast, and am planning a career in animal rescue. I currently have a little Pom girl named Bailey who is my pride and joy and might as well be my first born, lol.

I have never had a long haired breed before, and I know Pom coats can be tough. I was wondering- if I post what I do as a grooming regimen, could I maybe get some advice/suggestions/opinions? I know there are people out there much more knowledgeable than I, and if I am doing something wrong, I would love to know.

- Tools I use: small slicker brush and fine tooth comb
- product(s) I use: Gold Medal Unicoat spray. (and for bath emergencies, Bio-groom tearless puppy shampoo)
- I personally brush her twice a week. I spray her down with the unicoat, use the slicker brush to get rid of some tangles on the top, and then comb her through to make sure I get rid of tangles in her undercoat (which is sooo thick) I brush her in a downward motion (even though I have heard poms are supposed to be brushed against the hair growth???)
- once a month she goes to the groomer where she gets a bath, gets her ears cleaned, gets brushed and trimmed (nails too)
- I trim her nails every two weeks
- After I brush her coat, I brush her teeth too

I am worried that maybe I am brushing too often, or if the Unicoat spray isn't the right product for her? Her coat seems really nice... but it gets tangled so easily. She is shedding right now too. Any thoughts, suggestions or opinions are greatly appreciated. I want my dog's coat to be as healthy as possible.

P.S. I know diet is important... she currently eats Innova Evo can mixed with EVO or Orijen dry and a couple drops of fish oil in her food.

By the way, I am happy to finally be a part of this forum!

[Durbkat]

I'm not sure how a pom's coat is but with my shih tzu, he has long hair. I have to brush him daily.

[Dieselsmama]

Originally Posted by LittleMoonRabbit

Hey guys,
I have been lurking on this forum for months now, but just registered today. I am a huge dog enthusiast, and am planning a career in animal rescue. I currently have a little Pom girl named Bailey who is my pride and joy and might as well be my first born, lol.

I have never had a long haired breed before, and I know Pom coats can be tough. I was wondering- if I post what I do as a grooming regimen, could I maybe get some advice/suggestions/opinions? I know there are people out there much more knowledgeable than I, and if I am doing something wrong, I would love to know.

- Tools I use: small slicker brush and fine tooth comb
- product(s) I use: Gold Medal Unicoat spray. (and for bath emergencies, Bio-groom tearless puppy shampoo)
- I personally brush her twice a week. I spray her down with the unicoat, use the slicker brush to get rid of some tangles on the top, and then comb her through to make sure I get rid of tangles in her undercoat (which is sooo thick) I brush her in a downward motion (even though I have heard poms are supposed to be brushed against the hair growth???)
- once a month she goes to the groomer where she gets a bath, gets her ears cleaned, gets brushed and trimmed (nails too)
- I trim her nails every two weeks
- After I brush her coat, I brush her teeth too

I am worried that maybe I am brushing too often, or if the Unicoat spray isn't the right product for her? Her coat seems really nice... but it gets tangled so easily. She is shedding right now too. Any thoughts, suggestions or opinions are greatly appreciated. I want my dog's coat to be as healthy as possible.

P.S. I know diet is important... she currently eats Innova Evo can mixed with EVO or Orijen dry and a couple drops of fish oil in her food.

By the way, I am happy to finally be a part of this forum!

For pet grooming, that all sounds great, Never used unicoat so don't know much about that. I'd say 2X/wk with what you're doing should be sufficient, are you seeing breakage or something else to make you question your brushing too often? What does your groomer use for products?

[Betty]

I have to brush Carolina twice a week, otherwise she gets glued together by Tanner's slobber and her rump will matt like crazy.

I use a spray water bottle on her first, then brush against the hair, starting behind the ears. Brushing up seems to untangle better than brushing with the direction of the hair. I work in horizontal sections, brush/parting all the way until I'm down by her tail, and then I pay extra attention to her rump area, since it's so thick and easy to mat down there. Sometimes I rub a small amount of jojoba oil in my hands and then on her coat to prevent any static.

[LittleMoonRabbit]

Originally Posted by Betty

I have to brush Carolina twice a week, otherwise she gets glued together by Tanner's slobber and her rump will matt like crazy.

I use a spray water bottle on her first, then brush against the hair, starting behind the ears. Brushing up seems to untangle better than brushing with the direction of the hair. I work in horizontal sections, brush/parting all the way until I'm down by her tail, and then I pay extra attention to her rump area, since it's so thick and easy to mat down there. Sometimes I rub a small amount of jojoba oil in my hands and then on her coat to prevent any static.

That sounds like a great routine. Your pom is beautiful! I love the colors. Mine is cream with a white diamond on her forehead. I will try brushing the way you said. Yes, her rump area gets very tangled too... I swear her fur there is thick enough where you could shave her and knit a sweater out of it. Also, the oil sounds like a great idea too. Thanks

Originally Posted by Dieselsmama

For pet grooming, that all sounds great, Never used unicoat so don't know much about that. I'd say 2X/wk with what you're doing should be sufficient, are you seeing breakage or something else to make you question your brushing too often? What does your groomer use for products?

what made me question if I was doing it too often was a pomeranian website I had read that said you should only brush once a week and only use a comb every couple of weeks, or else you can destroy their undercoat.

[Betty]

When I was researching pomeranian grooming, I, too, found a lot of conflicting information on how often, and how, I should groom. My neighbor has a pom that's twice as fluffy as mine, and she also has one that's half as fluffy with nearly no undercoat. So she's trying to figure out what to do, because her fluffy one is a mat-o-matic. I suppose how often you would brush is determined by the pom's coat type and your pom's activity level. My pom is perfectly happy getting wet, muddy, and slobbered up.

I'm worried about hair breakage, so I try to keep a close eye on Carolina's coat. If I feel a mat forming, I try to gently pull it apart with my fingers so I don't have to brush. Since static is supposed to damage hair, a very *tiny* amount of jojoba oil helps keep it from getting static when the humidity is low. Jojoba is supposed to be safe, it's found in doggie shampoos and conditioners.

I think what gets me sometimes is that the pom's long hairs are naturally rough feeling instead of silky smooth, which can give the impression the coat is damaged.

[doggone6]

I showed Poms for quite a long time, and your system sounds OK for a pet Pom. This is a double-coated breed: a soft undercoat and harsh, stand-off outer coat. A show Pom would only be brushed with a pin brush (line-brushed - you can google to see the technique demonstrated) and only the leg coat and tail would ever be combed. ALWAYS brush toward the head! You want the coat to stand up. A slicker is useful if the dog is blowing coat and probably easier for most people to use than a pin brush.

Watch the unicoat...anything will oil will attract more dirt & debris, which will cause the coat to tangle/mat faster.

Give her a hug for me :-)

[LittleMoonRabbit]

Thank you! I always wondered how show Poms were groomed. They look so incredibly fluffy when they are being shown. Even though my dog has a nice, dense coat with a nice shine, it is no where near show quality. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it... and I gave her a hug Also, I will keep the Unicoat use to a minimum. Thanks again!