How to Give a Pomeranian a Haircut

Line the bottom of a sink with a towel and set the dog on the towel. Scoop water with a cup over the dog from head to tail, taking care not to get water in her ears. Drizzle dog shampoo along her back and scrub gently to work the soap down to the skin. Rinse well and apply a light conditioner. Let the conditioner sit for two minutes before rinsing with clean water. Pomeranians have plush outer coats and thick under coats, and conditioning is essential to prevent mats.

Towel-dry the dog to remove most of the water from her coat. Turn a blow dryer onto the lowest heat and air settings and blow the coat completely dry. Brush the dog gently with a pin brush as you dry, lifting the brush away from the body to give lift and volume to the coat. This helps give your Pomeranian her trademark fluffy, puff-like coat.

Trim the long hair from the ears. Hold the tip of the ear skin between your fingers and snip away the excess hair that sticks out past your fingers. Trim the hair at the middle of the ear parallel with your dog’s eye. Angle the handle of the scissors slightly toward the inner corner of the dog’s eye and make a second cut. This softens the trim to prevent an overly angular cut.

Brush the hair forward and envision a large circle around the dog’s head and shoulders. Snip away any long hairs that extend out past this circle. Pomeranians should have a rounded appearance, so keep that circle in mind as you trim. Comb the chest hair forward and trim at an angle. Hold the scissors under the chin with the tip pointing at the knee, snipping off the long hairs as you work toward the body. Trim the chest hair to a length that complements the overall length of the coat: if the coat is on the plush side, leave the chest hair a little longer. Snip the hairs shorter if the dog doesn’t have much coat.

Set the dog sideways on your table and trim the hair between the legs and along the back legs. Start trimming approximately one-third of the way up the front leg and trim in a semi-circle toward the hindquarters, ending in the same spot on the back leg. This keeps the Pomeranian’s overall rounded shape and prevents dirt and sticks from caking in the coat.

Lift the tail and trim away excess hair near the base of the tail. Twist the tail hair between your fingers and pull it straight over the back. Snip the hair off where you think it lies best on the back. Pomeranians are noted for the long, fluffy tails, so don’t trim away too much hair.

Clean up the hair around and between the dog’s toes. Trim the hairs even with the edge of the toes and snip out the hair in between the toes. Clip the nails carefully with a pair of small dog nail clippers, taking care not to cut the quick.

Brush the dog’s teeth once a week. Apply a small dab of dog toothpaste to a toothbrush and brush each tooth gently. Pomeranians are notorious for dental problems, and frequent brushing keeps the teeth healthy long into adulthood.