Shedding
Shedding of any dog, including the Spitz, is a natural process. It is repeated with a certain periodicity throughout the life of the animal. A Spitz's coat begins to change at about 3–4 months. For each variety there are more precise dates.
For example, in a Pomeranian Spitz, shedding begins at 3.5 months. After this, the puppy will grow adult hair. In older dogs, shedding is less noticeable. It happens twice a year. Because of this, the dog takes on a less presentable appearance. The dog sometimes even looks like a naked Chihuahua. To improve your pet's appearance, you can trim it.
First, animals undergo a change in axial hair (long pile). But the undercoat changes more slowly and imperceptibly. It is worth noting that sometimes a pet may shed not for natural reasons, but due to poor nutrition, illness or stress.
Peculiarities of Pomeranian hair care
The Pomeranian Spitz is a cheerful and friendly dog that adores its owners and enjoys guests. So the time spent caring for the animal will definitely be repaid with its love and devotion.
Basically, caring for a Spitz's coat involves regular and thorough brushing. Let's try to figure out how to do this correctly.
The owner determines how often this should be done, depending on the pet’s haircut and the condition of its coat. If your hair is short, once a week is enough. If you have long hair, you will have to carry out the procedure at least twice a week, especially in the rainy season.
Most often, the dog is combed against the grain. Particular attention should be paid to areas with soft skin: behind the ears, on the chin, in the groin area. Tangles often form in the groin and paws; It is often impossible to comb them, so they need grooming and a haircut.
Spitz dogs do not need regular haircuts in the usual sense, although some people like to cut their pets' hair, for example, like lion cubs.
Usually it is simply trimmed to make the dog look neat. In addition, the ears and excess fur inside are trimmed, and sloppy tufts are removed from the sides and withers . We must not forget about such a procedure as trimming the claws.
As for age, Pomeranians usually begin to be clipped at three months of age. At this time, animals are already quite calm about such procedures. Of course, after washing or cutting, you need to reward your baby for good behavior with something tasty.
Combing
In order for your Spitz to shed as painlessly as possible, it needs to be brushed. You can start brushing your puppy at 3-4 weeks. This procedure is performed with a special soft brush. The animal must be placed on your lap or placed on a special table. Then the comb should be carefully run along the fur against its growth. Particular attention should be paid to the armpits, ears and groin.
The softest wool grows here. If a puppy or an adult dog has tangles, they must be carefully plucked out. Combing should be done 1-2 times a week. During the shedding period, the undercoat should be combed every day.
Similar article: Description and main varieties of the large German Spitz
Seasonal shedding in adult dogs
Spitz sheds twice a year: in autumn and spring. In the fall the main hair falls out, and in the spring the undercoat falls out. By the age of 1.5 years, the fur coat is completely renewed, a thick undercoat and guard hair appear. By the age of three, the coat is completely formed.
During seasonal molting, your pet needs to be groomed daily. A massage brush is used for this. It is not recommended to use a slicker during molting. This can lead to deterioration in wool quality.
A competent approach to caring for the Pomeranian's coat will help you achieve excellent results. The pet will delight its owners every day with an attractive fur coat.
Bathing
An important point in caring for a Spitz is bathing it. Under normal conditions, they are washed when the animal is very dirty. Bathing, as well as combing, should not be overused. Otherwise, the quality of the coat can deteriorate, which will negatively affect the dog’s appearance.
How often can you wash your Spitz? This breed of decorative dogs can be bathed once every 1.5 months. But if there is an urgent need, this procedure is performed more often. Naturally, because of his restlessness, a puppy will have to be bathed more often than an adult.
It is important to know how to bathe your pet. In order for the coat to look healthy and beautiful, it is necessary to use special shampoos. You only need to wash your Spitz with them, otherwise his coat may lose its softness and fluffiness. In stores you can find dry shampoos sold in aerosol form.
How to wash in this case is written in the instructions for using dry shampoo. They are applied to the fur, after which the animal is combed. The substance binds particles of dirt and grease, neutralizing them. Such means are often used before exhibitions, when it is not possible to spend a lot of time on bringing the dog into a clean appearance.
Bathing is performed as follows:
- first the animal is walked;
- The dog is not fed before bathing;
- First, the dog should be combed well. To prevent the wool from splitting, it is sprayed with water from a spray bottle;
- You need to carefully cover your pet's ears with cotton wool. Cotton swabs will prevent moisture from penetrating inside the ears;
- Now you can bathe. First, you should wet the entire coat with water, and then apply shampoo to it. In the end it just washes off.
It is worth noting that this breed loves to swim. Therefore, there should be no difficulties in carrying out this procedure. To bathe representatives of this breed, you should use specialized shampoos for long-haired dogs, balms or conditioners with an antistatic agent.
Similar article: How to train and raise a Spitz yourself
The best choice would be a hypoallergenic shampoo. If the animal has a snow-white color, then professional bleaching products are needed - liquid shampoos and dry powders. These products will add shine, cleanliness to the coat, and also protect the dog’s skin from pathogenic microflora and UV rays.
When Spitz dogs shed, they cannot be washed.
The fact is that at this time the wool rolls up very much, forming tangles. Therefore, bathing will provoke increased shedding. After this, it is difficult to comb your pet, as you can injure its delicate skin. Therefore, if your Spitz gets dirty during shedding, you can clean only the contaminated areas using the same dry shampoo.
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How to keep and properly care for a Spitz
Spitz bathing
These dogs rarely need to be washed - usually when preparing for a show, during shedding, or in case of heavy soiling. Before you completely wash your dog, you need to comb it thoroughly. Using a metal comb (with teeth of such a frequency that it does not needlessly pull out excess undercoat, but at the same time separates tangled areas of fur), starting from the head and ending with the tail, the dog is carefully combed, removing all tangled hairs. Then the procedure is repeated with a wire slicker brush. , combing the wool in different directions.
After the wool has been thoroughly combed, you can begin washing. The entire coat is thoroughly moistened with water and shampoo is applied evenly (preferably with a sponge). Then the wool is thoroughly rinsed so that no dirt or traces of shampoo remain. You can apply wool conditioner with lanolin or another suitable conditioner to wet wool; this will make further combing easier and add structure and shine to the coat.
Drying
After bathing, Spitz dogs need to be dried. A puppy or adult dog is dried using a special hair dryer. During drying, the air flow should not be hot, otherwise the dog may get burned. First you need to dry your limbs well, and after that we move on to the sides and back. When drying your mane, you should use a comb. With its help, wool dries very well. After drying, cotton swabs should be removed from the animal's ears. Now you can comb your pet, giving its fur the desired volume.
A haircut
Due to the fact that this breed is distinguished by its fluffiness, the animals are often shorn, giving their bodies different shapes. The Pomeranian Spitz most often undergoes this procedure. However, molting serves as an additional reason to trim a representative of another species. The haircut can be very diverse: teddy bear style, along the edge, etc. Thanks to the haircut, even a shedding pet can look beautiful.
Now you know what to do when your Spitz sheds. During this period, the main thing is to carry out all grooming procedures in order to keep the “coat” in perfect condition. Remember that you need to take good care of your pet.
Similar article: How to keep and properly care for a Spitz
Home and show grooming
The goals of grooming procedures for Spitz dogs may vary. Some owners need to prepare the animal for an exhibition, others simply want to achieve a neat appearance for the dog.
Types by purpose
There are several types of grooming depending on the purpose of the procedure:
- home;
- hygienic;
- creative;
- exhibition.
A hygienic haircut includes cutting the hair under the tail and in the groin area. It is carried out no more than once every two weeks before swimming. During the grooming process, the pet’s ears, teeth, eyes are cleaned, excess hair is removed, and nails are trimmed.
Hygienic grooming includes nail trimming, ear and eye cleaning
Combs and grooming products
If grooming is done at home yourself, you need to prepare in advance what to scratch your Spitz with. For the procedure you will need:
- slicker;
- comb for a Spitz with long metal teeth;
- thinning scissors;
- hair dryer;
- Grooming table with non-slip surface.
Important ! Before brushing your Spitz at home, it is recommended to spray the coat with a special conditioner. This will make it easier to comb the fur without causing pain to your pet.
Instrument care
Dog owners need to know not only how to properly comb their Pomeranian, but also how to take care of the tools. After each haircut and combing, they must be cleared of hair, and the scissors must be wiped with an antiseptic solution.
Particular attention should be paid to sharpening the grooming scissors. This cannot be done on a simple whetstone. Such a tool becomes unsuitable for further work. Tools should only be processed on a stone with diamond lubricant.
It is necessary to regularly carry out general disinfection of instruments, which consists of disinfection through boiling.
Important ! Processing metal at high temperatures negatively affects the sharpness of parts. Therefore, experts recommend disinfecting instruments with a medical ultraviolet sterilizer.
Grooming is carried out with special brushes
