Specific Breed Grooming Tips
 

Pomeranians

• Poms don't typically need professional grooming unless you feel uncomfortable with the regular maintenance unless you feel uncomfortable or don't have the time for the upkeep of their massive hair coats.
• Poms have short hair around the nose, top of the head, and around their feet. Typical hair cutting involves keeping the hair around the paws trimmed as well as trimming the hair around the bottom. We call this a potty trail. This means that you have the hair from the base of the tail downward trimmed so potty doesn't mat and cause an infection. Sometimes poms need the hair around their eyes trimmed to reduce watery eyes.
• For more sophisticated trimming the hair around the back legs can be tapered to look like a show dog. Also the hair at the tip of each paw can be trimmed slightly (not above the nails) to keep it from getting too long, but this may not have to be done frequently if the hair doesn't grow long there.
• If you want to keep your pom short i.e. for summer months some people like to have the puppy cut or lion cut. We caution against getting the pomeranian shaved or cut too short as their hair acts like an insulator not only in the winter but also in the summer.
• Poms need frequent brushing to keep their hair free of tangles and mats. Mats are prone to form behind the ears especially if a collar is worn.
• Collars that are round leather will tend to keep the hair less matted. However, these collars typically don't fit the small puppies.
• Since poms have two coats-a top coat and an undercoat, the undercoat will shed at least twice a year.
• When the undercoat starts to shed use a deshedding rake or brush to remove the undercoat fully. This will help keep your carpet and house from becoming a hair ball.
• Always comb or brush the excess hair out before bathing a pom. Bath poms no more frequently than every 3-4 weeks. Their hair will get dry if washed more frequently. Typically the outer coat of hair is a slick coarse hair that repels dirt and water and you will find that even if a muddy, wet pom threatens to undo all your house work by coming inside will be clean the next day.
• When drying a pom after a bath make sure the undercoat is fully dry. You can tell if the hair is fully dry because it will no longer look kinky.
• For pomeranians that have white hair around their eyes see our tips on reducing tear staining under eyes on the general grooming tips page or this link: http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm.
• See General Grooming Tips for more on bathing, nail trimming, etc.

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Maltese

• Maltese have a single coat of hair that can grow a long as desired.
• The show look is for the hair to grow all the way to the floor with the hair on the head gathered in a bow or other clip.
• Most people prefer a puppy cut or shorter look. If this is desired, the hair may need to be cut as frequently as 4 to 6 weeks.
• Maltese are often prone to eye staining and hair discoloration. For more info on these areas please check out  http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm. To keep your maltese' hair white use a brightening shampoo.
• Maltese can be bathed as frequently as every 1-2 weeks. Using conditioner may cause their hair to need more frequent bathing so we recommend only using shampoo.
• See General Grooming Tips for more on bathing, nail trimming, etc.

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Yorkshire Terriers

• Yorkies have a single coat of hair that can grow a long as desired.
• The show look is for the hair to grow all the way to the floor with the hair on the head gathered in a bow or other clip.
• Most people prefer a puppy cut or shorter look. If this is desired, the hair may need to be cut as frequently as 4 to 6 weeks.
• Yorkies can be bathed as frequently as every 1-2 weeks. Their hair is thin and can easily get oily if not bathed frequently enough. Using conditioner may cause their hair to need more frequent bathing so we recommend only using shampoo.
• See General Grooming Tips for more on bathing, nail trimming, etc.

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Shih-Tzus

• Shih Tzus have a single coat of hair that can grow a long as desired.
• The show look is for the hair to grow all the way to the floor with the hair on the head gathered in a bow or other clip.
• Most people prefer a puppy cut or shorter look. If this is desired, the hair may need to be cut as frequently as 4 to 6 weeks.
• Some Shih Tzus (those with white around their eyes) are often prone to eye staining and hair discoloration. For more info on these areas please check out  http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm. To keep your Shih Tzus' hair white use a brightening shampoo.
• Shih Tzus can be bathed as frequently as every 1-2 weeks. Using conditioner may cause their hair to need more frequent bathing so we recommend only using shampoo.
• See General Grooming Tips for more on bathing, nail trimming, etc.

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Miniature Schnauzers

• Schnauzers have a single coat of hair that needs grooming every 4-6 weeks to keep it looking nice.
• The typical look for schnauzers is short hair on back, long hair on belly and legs, a beard (yes, even for the girls) and long eyebrows (yes, even for the boys).
• Schnauzers need their longer hair combed two to three times a week to prevent matting, especially if they play outside a lot. Grass and other debris can get caught or even tangle the longer hair on their bellies and legs.
• Schnauzers can be groomed every 2 weeks and using conditioner can help keep the longer hair from tangling so bad.
• See General Grooming Tips for more on bathing, nail trimming, etc.

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