Any Pom owners out there?

Hellllooo out there......  I had been chatting with Pom 101, but I see she has been deactivated.

I was wondering something about my Pom.  He LOVES to doggie paddle in his water dish..... and he will stick his snout down in the water clear up to his eyes, and then blow bubbles out of his nose.  It is hysterical, but I really don't want water everywhere.  Do you think he is just being a goofy puppy (none of mine have ever done that) or is this some Pom game.  Do they like to play in water?

Hi!

             I'm new to the site and have only been on Pom 101. I'm trying to check out all the Pomeranian forums. I can't get over how cute all the Poms on this one are!! Pippin is too much! Fritz (my Pom) is 2 and I don't know if Pippin is yet, but Poms go through the "Puppy Uglies". I remember what Fritz looked like! LOL! The poor little thing had his big boy coat coming in and his baby coat leaving at the same time! I ended up having to take him to a groomer (after MUCH calling around) and he got a "puppy cut". It eased the transition with his fur and we both felt a lot better! Not to mention he smelled delicious!

That is so funny.  I don't think that Pippin is a very good example of a Pom, but he is AKC.  He is only 5mos old, but he seems to be going throught that phase.  He was all a nappy ball of cotton when I got him, but now he is getting some very nice silky straight hair.  The thing is that his back and shoulders are shiny, sleek, and silky.  His butt is all bushy and bristley.   He, Toby and Winston all go to the groomer tomorrow.  I don't need to trim him, but a butt trim is in order.  I do brush him, but it isn't easy with that kind of hair. 

Winston has a double coat and it can be a challenge, but not like Pippin's coat.  Trinket and Toby are so easy.  Trinket was there last week.  She is easy to care for, but I take her for a day out and the conditioner they use makes her look like she is metalic. 

I hope Pippin does develope a sleeker coat.   That nappy stuff is hard to brush and he doesn't like brushing process.

Hmmm...he does sound different from Fritz when he was growing up. He was a soft ball of fur and now his big boy coat is just lovely! Sleek and smooth!

I'm not really sure when a Pom should be going into his big boy coat (need to ask Pom 101).  At 5mos, his coat is changing.  He is (and has been) as soft as can be, it's just that his puppy coat is a cottony puff of fuzz.  It doesn't look to me that his legs will change at all, but I hope the longer hair on the body transforms into something a bit easier to brush.

I can't really remember what age he was when his changed. I have dates on his old pictures though, I'll have to look at them to get an idea. I noticed that his mature coat is easier to brush as opposed to the baby coat that is prone to more knots.

When Pippin is about 1 years old he's going to "blow" (shed off) his under coat. At this point a new one will begin to grow in and many people notice a difference in their fur.

Many also do notice a difference at 6months or during the first stages of puberty.

And if you SHAVE a Pom on a regular basis their coat will be significantly different also. It is not recommended to shave any Pom. Their double coat will be tampered & the hair can grow in "odd".

Of course due to the uncontrollable problem with breeding this dog there have been many variences in coat. My Kayla has almost a "Collie" coat I like to say. Typical long hair, easy to brush, I use a comb. Standard Pom hair is supposed to be a thick double coat in need of wicker brushing.

For a Pom it's always good to have a Slicker Brush, Pin Brush, and Comb. Wicker the hair first, then follow with the pin brush. If your Pom does have more fine hair try just using the Pin Brush and Comb.

Also, another good thing to do is notice in which directions the hair is growing... sometimes it grows up, down, sideways... understanding your Poms coat can help with brushing too.

(I will post some pictures soon of the different Poms I know and notice of different they all look because of their coats) :o)

By wicker brushing, do you mean slicker brushing?

 I honestly find that the slicker is only useful for the furnishings. The teeth are much to short to actually get to the skin. It's moderately useful for getting things (grass, seeds, burs) out while line brushing,but for regular day to day stuff, I use my pin brush and fine comb MUCH more.
 

Pwca

By wicker brushing, do you mean slicker brushing?

 I honestly find that the slicker is only useful for the furnishings. The teeth are much to short to actually get to the skin. It's moderately useful for getting things (grass, seeds, burs) out while line brushing,but for regular day to day stuff, I use my pin brush and fine comb MUCH more.
 

Yes slicker... where the heck did wicker come from... maybe b/c its a "wicked" cool brush lol MA slang rubbing off on me...

WELL you don't own a Pom right?? You have a German Spitz right? Which you clearly state all time how they are very different.

All thick double coats should have a good slick brush before using the Pin (that is if you have the trandition Pom fur). This fur is very "poofy" and feels like a giant fuzz ball. Pin Brushes can actually sometimes "knot" the hair so its important to understand what type of coat your dog has and which brushes work the best. For instance my good friend/contact who shows her Poms only uses a Slicker & Comb. She will slick the dog from head to toe then use the comb to move the hair into positions.

And then you have people like me who don't even use a slicker brush because it just doesn't make sense. Kayla has almost the same coat a Sheltie would for example.

This is a very popular standard double coat for Poms

Non Tradition but popular double coat for a Pom

Notice the difference??? The second dog can deff manage with a Pin Brush & Comb while the first dog needs Slicker brushing to seperate the "fuzz" affect hehe

True, but I groom poms, as well as Lizzie (who doesn't need a comb yet, to be honest- she's in that hairless stage.)

 I just typically find that a slicker brush doesn't get through the thick undercoat, pulls out more hair, and just generally is less useful. I *can* get it through if I take tiny sections for linebrushing, but the more times I have to brush each bit, the more hair comes out. I find that if I have to put a brush of ANY sort through a section more than once, I'm not grooming often enough or I'm separating sections too large. (Or the dog has poor coat texture.) Admittedly, I learned how to linebrush from the poodle people, who are um, insistant, about NEVER pulling out the hair.
 

I've been using the slicker, pin and comb for Pippin.  He HATES  the slicker, but I make him deal with it.  Right now, the slicker is the only thing that will pick up the loose hairs.  I do not notice "much" shedded hair around me or the apt, but when I slicker him,  I do get a good bit of hair.  The pin and comb just don't get it.

I hope his coat is more the "collie" type.  All down his back is already like that.  He is only 5mos and it change dramatically in just the month and a half that I have had him.  His back is very easy to brush although the slicker is still necessary.  It's funny, but his butt is very bushy.  It almost looks like he is oddly formed, but when I feel the dog inside, it's obvious that he just has a bad case of bushel britches. 

I flea comb his face and legs, and the hair on his tummy is easy enough to flea comb.

OK.  I have to admit, I would be thrilled if Pippin looked like example one :)   .... confirmations and all, but I am kind of hoping for what's behind door number two.  My groomer showed me how to groom him.  I took Pippin to her the day after I got him.  I wanted to know what I was facing.  He is young so I know he will wiggle and squirm no matter what I do, but he really does not like the slicker.  I don't want to create and nipping.  So far it is not a problem, but I will have to continue to assess his behavior during the grooming process.

I'm thinking about dropping him off at the dry cleaners.... LOL!

I would take Fritz to the groomer as a pup and he was so squirmy and nervous! They had to put a muzzle on him and he was strung up in this puppy grooming hammock with all his legs tied to keep him from hurting himself. It sounds bad, but if you saw it, you would understand it was perfectly humane and safe. He kept trying to nip the handlers, just because he was scared. I would stay there the whole time so that he could see me. Now that he is older (2 years old), he is fine. He still doesn't like it, but he behaves and just shakes while he's there. It's all nerves, so I stay there still and make sure he's ok. He also, hated to be brushed! He would scream and cry even before the comb touched him. Now, he LOVES it! He'll roll over and let me brush his belly. So cute! He still hates going to the vet though, but I don't blame him. How would you like a thermometer put...you know where! Yikes! He cries, but not like a dog, he sounds like a baby crying and squeling. The nurse will go in the back and I hear her say "I need a handler for a client". The handler walks in there expecting a Great Dane and here is this little fur ball with a little tiny muzzle on. Don't worry, Pippin will get used to the slicker and might even grow to love it like Fritz did! I know this post made him sound like an undisciplined terror, but he's not. He's a great and well mannered dog, that gets nervous in certain situations. He is perfectly polite when I give him a bath, when he used to try to jump out every second he could! It takes time! :) 

Kinda lurking in this thread for a while now lol. But I was wondering if any of you had a problem with the Slicker brush hurting the dogs skin? The only reason I ask is because my old Pom really hated it. Not in the sense that she hated being groomed, but like it was uncomfortable with the slicker brush no matter how gentle you were. And she was 100% fine with other combs (very relaxed and occasionally fell asleep). She had a pretty thick coat too, way thicker than the example 2 dog that was posted. I'm wondering because I know Pomeranian's need a slicker brush, but I'm kinda apprehensive about getting one for my new Pomeranian because I'm worried it will hurt her. Is there anything else that will work, if I find my new pup is uncomfortable with the slicker brush? Thanks!