Bajan Pomeranians
Bathing, Brushing, and Teeth
For the purpose of this instruction we will assume that your puppy is a family pet and that you are not interested in showing her. When you bring her home, begin daily brushing.... no big deal, just a quick minute. The idea is to make it a pleasant, one-on-one time. You are not trying at this point to do a perfect groom job.... just introduce the brush. Gradually lengthen the time and the degree of brushing until one day you find that you are no longer making introductions..... you are grooming! If you can't brush your dog daily, try to at least brush her out once a week.
Complete Grooming-
About twice a month you need to make a point of doing a complete grooming on your Pomeranian. This includes a good bath (dip only if needed), blow dry, trim and brushing. It also includes trimming nails, brushing teeth, cleaning ears, and anal glands. Outside of this, a good brushing once or twice a week is usually sufficient.
The Bath-
A really easy place to bathe your pom is in the kitchen sink. It's made even easier if you have a spray hose on your sink. Start by soaking your puppy down being careful not to wet the inside of her ears. Starting at the back of the neck, apply shampoo down the back and lather down to the skin working down the legs, under the belly and around the back and rear. Don't forget to express the anal glands. Finish with the head. Clean out the ears using a few drops of baby oil on a cotton swab and gently wiping inside the ear. Being careful not to wet the inside of the ears, rinse well and then, only if needed, use a dip for flea control. Some people like to use a cream rinse and it may help in brushing out the coat afterwards. Blow dry while brushing always in an upward direction.
Trimming Nails-
Nail trimming can be a fairly simple task.... IF you start your puppy young. Get her used to this early and it will be no big deal. There are all sort of nail trimmers. Just find one that is comfortable to you. For pom puppies, human fingernail clippers work pretty well but you will need to upgrade to clippers as she grows bigger. The biggest danger if you clip into the "quick" is that the next time you want to clip nails, she's going to protest. She won't bleed to death but it will hurt and startle her so be careful.
Trimming Feet-
Pomeranians have hair everywhere, including between the pads of their feet. Trimming that hair away gives their feet better traction and keeps them cleaner. Poms feet should be trimmed to the general appearance of cat's feet paying particular attention to the pads of the feet being cleared of hair.
Teeth-
An infant brush works really well. There are several brands of toothpaste developed for dogs that help them to be more co-operative. Poor dental hygiene is a leading cause of the onset of several desease's which can lead to pre-mature death in toy breeds. Always feed dry dog food and offer dental chews to enhance healthy gums. Aside from this, unless you plan to show your pom, that's pretty much it.