To my surprise, my blog post on cutting my Pomeranian’s fur continues to be one of the most clicked on posts at “Untying My Hands” (See the May 9, 2012 post “Never Shave a Pomeranian: Learning the Hard Way Hurts“). Some readers have asked for an update with pictures of Molly, so here goes.
I’m happy to report that Molly’s fur has almost completely grown back, and without my even noticing. It’s still not as full and fluffy as it was before the lion cut, but it’s fuller and fluffier than the lion cut (a tragic decision for which I may never forgive myself) and her fur is definitely more manageable. Now she doesn’t get bath mats on her hind parts, because I’m quick to dry her off after her bath (her previous owner didn’t do this, and I inherited the tangled problem).
I bathe her in “Perfect Coat Tearless Protein Shampoo,” and when her fur dries, it feels very silky and smooth to the touch, making for enjoyable petting. I also brush her with a flexible wire brush to get any tiny tangles or remove any loose strands. At the beginning of brushing, she doesn’t like the it much — often turning around to snap at it — but with lots of praise and a calm, soothing voice, she relaxes back into the brushing, so I can finish. Then I pet her a lot to comfort her before we leave to strut around the neighborhood, dog park, or open-air market of our choosing.
My advice is this: trim your Pomeranian if it’s necessary (especially near the anus as the droppings can sometimes get caught there), but avoid Lion Cuts, because a Pom’s charm really is in his or her fur. And care for the fur with a quality shampoo, quick drying, and after it’s dry, a nice brushing and luxurious petting. Your Pom’s fur will be so fluffy and shiny and it’ll make you feel so proud. Then hit the streets and show off your Pom! Poms are fabulous and we know it.
If you’ve decided to cut your Pom’s fur for whatever reason, but want to know if your Pom’s precious fur will grow back or not, I hope the following photos give you some hope. Believe me, I, too, panicked when I saw Molly reduced to a tiny lion, but I remain hopeful that my Molly’s fur will grow back to look as full as it did when I first adopted her last summer. Best wishes, Pom-lovers! And be thankful that we have such adorable creatures to love and adore that love and adore us in sweet return.
Molly in April 2012 a few weeks before her cut.
Molly in May 2012 on the day of her Lion Cut. She looks so small and vulnerable.
Molly in June 2012. Her coat is starting to grow back.
Molly in October 2012. Her coat has grown back but it’s not yet as full as it was in May. It continues to grow, and I remain hopeful. The fluff on her chest is particularly full (will post a pic of that soon).
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I have a 4 pound pom and she has an especially cotton-like undercoat which is pretty much impossible to keep from matting. Plus she was a rescue and was not trained early to tolerate brusing so she gets very anxious. I had her shaved down (not to the skin) and it all grew back – good as new. Then she had to have medical treatment and was shaved to the skin in many places and again it has grown back good as new. I don’t know if other pom’s coats are not as resiliant but my Precious tolerates the clippers far better than brushing. I enjoyed your story about Molly. I was similarly freaked out with how she looked after being shaved to a lion cut but then after a hour or so it grew on me and now I enjoy letting her hair grow out and just shaving her back down when the matting gets bad again. They say matting is dangerous b/c it traps moisture under it and that breeds skin infections so its much easier ot get thru the matts once they are at least cut thru and broken down. Take care! I know you love your pom the way I love mine. Everyone loves poms b/c they are so stinking cute and demand attention!
Jennifer: Thanks for your post. Yes, Poms are “stinking cute”! And yes, they can have matting problems. Molly no longer gets “bath mats” on her hind parts, because I dry her thoroughly with a towel. (I’m thinking of getting a blow dryer. Any thoughts on that? Are they safe?) But she does get small mats behind her ears (not sure why) which have to be cut with clippers; that part of her body is so fluffy that the “bald spots” behind her ears are not visible; I can live with that. I think I got lucky that Molly is blessed with good genes, because I’ve heard stories of other Poms whose fur doesn’t grow back or grows back in patches. Rather than risk that ever happening to Molly, I’ve decided to keep her fluffy and to brush her constantly to prevent any matting. By the way, any tips on brushing? Molly sits still for most of it, but eventually growls and snaps at the brush and runs away. Thanks again for your comment!
I can’t reply to Molly but I am so glad to find this as now I have hope. I too did a lion cut on my little part Pom Part chihuahua “chichi” and after six months she has this strange growing back on her legs and underneath. Around her head is pretty much like it was so pretty, but her main body has not grown back after 6 months and her once beautiful tail is scraggly. I didn’t know this and am sick over it as she was beautiful and everyone comment on how pretty she was. Molly gives me hope but I fear it will never be like it was and will take a very long time. She is only 3 so I am hoping eventually it will grow back. Sick I did not research this before I did it.
Hi
I have a Pom too. I’ve taken scissors to her body because of the intense humid heat over here in South Korea…just to learn that you shouldn’t shave a Pom ever a few weeks later. Now, I know I didn’t shave her, but apparently, even using the scissors was not such a great idea. Her fur grew back, but now she has soooo much of it that it’s just too fluffy.
As for the mats behind the ears. I brush my Pom every morning, and make sure to brush the parts at her ears from the base of the back of the ear, upwards. I put my one hand behind (well, the front part of her ear) and then push the brush lightly against her ear and use my hand for support. She used to get mats behind her ears too, but now she never does.
Yesterday my vet wanted to shave my dogs throat area because she needs to have blood taken from her jugular vein so that tests can be done so she can go to South Africa with me. I just refused, and now I have to travel very far to go to the other veterinary clinic that has taken one tube of blood so far successfully, without having to shave her. Shame, she must get so stressed and have so many puncture wounds by the time they find the small little vein.
All the best to your doggy for getting all her fluff back (hopefully not like mine that has a LOT of undercoat along with her normal hair).
Thanks for your post. I hope your Pom’s test come out OK, and I wish you two a good trip to South Africa. By the way, when you first started brushing your Pom, did she snap at you? Molly snaps sometimes, especially when I brush behind her ears.
She did snarl at the brush yes. But now that we make it a ritual after breakfast, she comes to me to be picked up and she loves it. She even lies down so that I can do it. I think it’s because her previous owner might have pushed the brush too hard, or pulled to quickly…I don’t know?
Brushing every day is the best option, as it only takes you a minute and there will be no matting. I think the best is to cut out the mats behind your doggies ears and then just brush every day. Try not to pull if there is too much resistance. If there is, start brushing from the ends of the hair to the bottom slowly, making sure that you grab the bottom parts with your fingers, so it doesn’t pull on your dog sensitive skin behind her ears.
And thanks for the good wishes. I’ve sent the serum to South Africa for testing. Now, I just need to wait till Friday for the results.
I have 2 Poms and I use to shave them down in the summer because it gets extremely hot and I like to have them outside with me. My older Pom is 10 and last summer her fur did not grow back like it use to, She got like this fringe around her body, then a rectangular area on her back that has grown back some. Before, it has always grown back, not last time. I keep her fringe trimmed so she doesn’t look so ratty while waiting for the rest of it to grow back. From what I have read it will eventually grow all back but could take a long time. I don’t know if it also depends on the poms fur. The older one has this fur that right after a good brushing it starts tangling easily.The younger one has a more smooth, easier to brush out fur. The only time it seems to tangle much is the spring time when the shedding/blowing coat. My younger one is 6 and I took her to Petsmart to get a “trim” and the gal did a wonderful job doing just what I wanted. The hair on the back of her legs was about 6 inches long, the tail about 8-10 inches. The gal called it a round up, just cleaned her up. She did shave an area down her belly to help keep her cool in the summer. When she is down running around you cannot tell she has a shaved belly, so it is not a very wide shaved strip. She looks really pretty and I am happy with it. I am hoping she will not be too hot with all this fur during the summer. She is so happy to have all that fur off usually so will be hard to leave it long this time. I just don’t want to take the chance of her looking like the older one.
Thanks for the tip of the “round up”. I’m going to ask for that! Information on Poms’ fur is so confusing. I’m told they have two coats, an inner layer and an outer layer, and that they need both for all seasons. In warmer weather, the two layers keep them cool and in the colder weather, the two layers keep them warm. I shrug.
Again, I’ll ask for the round up this weekend. It’s supposed to be 59 degrees in DC, finally!
Thank you for sharing this post and the previous one about your Pom being shaved. I also have a Pomeranian (Jasper) and earlier today decided to try my hand at grooming him myself. I didn’t go so far as to shave him, but shouldn’t have used scissors and just trusted a professional to begin with. Now, he’s ragged and will be needing a full cut, but I’m glad that I read your warning about shaving prior to his grooming appointment. I am not sure how he’ll look when it’s over, but I’m confident that my neighborhood groomer will be able to work some magic and make him look presentable again.
Thank you so much for your blog post about this topic. I recently adopted a 4 year old Pom mix and she has a very fluffy coat that only needed to be trimmed. I took her to a local grooming co and asked for a trim and when I picked her up I was shocked, they cut her fur back to the undercoat, she looked like a little teddy bear. all of her fluffy topcoat is gone. she looks so skinny and vulnerable now. it just breaks my heart. I am praying that her fur grows back and I have promised her I will never let anyone touch her fur again. Your post gives me hope that her fur will once again be fluffy the way it was.
Your description of your pom looking “skinny and vulnerable” is what shocked me when my pom was cut down, too. Literally “reduced to size.” Please post photo updates if you can. Molly is back to her full fluff, and I’m so excited about it. Like you, I have also made promises to never have her cut again. Of course, maintenance (and I do get her cut in her hind parts for cleanliness). Good luck!
@zbenavidez I have read your story on “Untying My Hands” ‘Never Shave a Pomeranian’ and it really touched me. I am going through something very similar at this very moment. My 4 year old Pom Vanilla, went to the groomers today. This was a new place that was closer to home which is convenient for me because I could easily walk Vanilla up there and back home. Her usual groomer is about a 30 minutes away and we (My Mom & I) thought we’d try out this place. Well, I dropped her off at 10am and told the receptionist to tell the groomer that I wanted her hair cut short but NOT short enough that it would be the equivalent of a “lion cut”. The receptionist nodded her head and seemed as though she understood what I was saying so I kissed Vanilla bye-bye and left. Surprisingly she [the receptionist] didn’t ask me to sign anything, like a release form or anything…
About 2 hours later she called me and asked me if I wanted Vanilla’s hair “evened out” or if I wanted some parts left long and I told her that I wanted it even, assuming that meant “rounded out”. Well when I went to pick her up 2 MORE hours later that’s not what I got.
When I walked into the groomers and saw Vanilla I was in complete disbelief. They had used clippers and gave her the “lion cut” not only on her torso, but her legs, tail, and ears as well!! I was in utter shock. She looked like an [excuse my language] but a fucking Chihuahua! Similar to how yours looked, but imagine her face and tail shaved too. Because I was in so much shock, all I could think to say to the groomer (and doctor that was standing there) was “Oh wow, I didn’t think it was going to be THIS short”. I kept my composure, paid the $60 bill and left. After about 5 minutes of looking at Vanilla, I burst into tears and I called 3 different groomers and asked them how long it might take for a Pom’s hair to grow back after being cut like this and they all said anywhere from 3 months to 6 months to 1 year!! I was so upset; not only for myself, but for my sweet Pom who didn’t have her beautiful protective coat to keep her warm.
After calling the other places, I marched back into the groomers office and demanded my money back. They gave it back to me without hesitation (which was ironic) and I told them that they should have known better and that they had lost my business forever.
When me and Vanilla got home, I immediately went online to try and comfort myself by reading horror stories of people who had gone through similar things with their dogs and that calmed me down… until my Mom got home… Needless to say she was more upset that I was even to the point of calling the grooming place and cursing them out :o) I was partially mad at my Mom because she is the one that is always insisting that we get Vanilla’s hair cut short (when I like it long) and she is the one that made the appointment at this place without telling me.
I guess all I can do now though is just wait, and pray that the hair grows back to the way it was. Reading your story and seeing the pictures of Molly has given me hope however. I miss running my fingers through Vanilla’s long luscious locks, even if she left hair everywhere. Now I don’t even recognize her. I have learned my lesson and will NEVER let any groomer give her anything but a tiny trim with scissors around her butt, ears, and paws from now on.
Sincerely,
A Sad Pom owner a.k.a. Monique
Dear Monique,
I am so sorry. My heart goes out to you and your mom. I cried too, especially because it was my mistake and Molly didn’t ask for it; also while she didn’t suffer, I felt like she and I had lost something. I had no idea how attached I was to her fluffy coat. Your story brings back all those emotions for me. Please take encouragement and comfort that in time Vanilla’s coat will grow back. Molly’s has grown back significantly since the last photo update (above) but I brush her before and after baths and lots during the week. Yes, she leave hair everywhere, but I’d rather pick up strands than lose the beautiful fluff that is so characteristic of Poms. I wonder where groomers are taught that rounding out or evening out means SHAVE OFF! SMH. Also, from my reading, Poms’ dual coats keep them cool in summer and warm in winter, so shaving off is not healthy or necessary. Again, big hug from one Pom Lover to another.
I have a pom, her names is Lilly. She will be one year old on August 1st, of this year. I’vehad her since she was 6 weeks old. When I bathe her I towel dry her, and in thecooler months I blow dry her. I use a conair hair dryer that has the cool burst Button on it so that she won’t get too hot, and the air stays warm. She doesn’t mind it, she lays down and turns her head in the opposite direction until I am done. It dries her quicker, and I kind of think the warm air relaxes her, she normally takes a nap after I am done brushing her out. Hope this helps,I read you were asking about blow drying for Molly.
Thank you! This is very helpful.
My Pomeranian and my Pomeranian mix get shaved, they LOVE it! My Pom is shaved because of health reasons, and my Pom mix is shaved because of grooming reasons. They (Especially my Pom) seem allot more happier shaved.
My Pom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlieandbrandymypoms/9583613133/
My Pom mix: http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlieandbrandymypoms/9557520017/
My little pom Harley is going on nearly 8 months following his last grooming and the hair on his back has yet to grow back in. If I had known of groomer induced alopecia I would have never allowed him to be cut so short. The groomer bragged to me she was certified, etc. Yeah, right. I feel so betrayed and taken advantage of….lied to……. There is no magic cure at this point. I bathe him 2 times a month is a oatmeal aloe vera shampoo and conditioner….giving his back massages daily. i can see a tiny improvement. I can only continue this course with hope that his coat will grow back in.
I feel your pain. Hugs!!!! I pray it will grow back!