How do I Groom my Pomsky?

Pomskies only shed twice a year. Ha that’s a good joke! Pomsky shedding can become quite a bit to keep up with, but hopefully, with my tips for you, it’ll be a little bit easier to manage. If you keep up with your pup’s grooming, those fur bunnies in the house can go back to being dust bunnies. If you just got a puppy or you’re here to get some help for your dog, don’t worry I’ve got you!

Scrub a dub dub…
It’s Time to Get in the Tub

When you have a particularly difficult to bathe dog like I do, bath time can become a very tedious experience. Lucky for you, dogs don’t really need to be bathed that often. It is actually healthier for their skin and their coats to be bathed less often. If you give your dog a bath too often you could dry out their skin and their coat. This results in a very itchy puppy. My dog, Keira, gets a bath when she starts to smell a little stanky, or if she decides to roll in something particularly nasty. Woe is me when that time comes, because getting her into the bathtub becomes an act of God. However, if you start off with positive bathtub experiences early then your pup won’t be as difficult.

How should I give my puppy a bath?

1. Make sure to begin the experience calm and happy. Your dog can sense when you are stressed out and subsequently will get stressed out and will hate bath times. (I, unfortunately, did not adhere to this when Keira was little so now bath times are not easy for either of us)
2. Make sure to keep a bag of treats ready to give to your puppy at all times. Hopefully, you will be able to trick them into thinking baths are a good thing!
3. Make sure the temperature is not too hot and not too cold. Maybe a little warmer than lukewarm. If it’s too hot for you, it’s definitely too hot for them.
4. Begin the wash by getting the fur wet, remembering to keep praising your pup for how well they are doing. My showerhead is detachable so I spray Keira down with it, but you could just fill a tub with water and do it that way.
5. Apply enough shampoo and really work it into their fur. I suggest washing and applying shampoo in sections because they tend to shake and dry out the fur pretty quickly. *If your dog gets dry/itchy skin or you need to wash your dog multiple times close together, you should look into using a hypoallergenic/dry skin shampoo to help their skin.*
6. Then rinse… and repeat if your dog is extra dirty.

Where should I bathe my puppy?

– Your bathtub should be just fine if you are okay with sharing your space
– You could get a plastic kiddie pool and put your set up in the back yard
– There might be a DIY (do it yourself) dog grooming place near you that provides all the necessary equipment
– My parents bathe their dogs in the sink, so whatever works best for you!

Now my dog is soaking wet…

Right after the bath, I have a towel for Keira to jump into. She runs back and forth in the bathroom drying herself on the towel and shaking off the excess water. Then I take time to dry her with the towel and then brush her dry. That takes a while, so if you could get your dog to like being blow dried then more power to you! Only one of my dogs likes to be blow dried and brushed into a nice floofy boy. Another good way to get your dog dry is to take them for a walk and let the sun do the drying for you. That way their hair dries naturally and falls into place naturally too. Whatever works for you and is comfortable for the dog then you got it.

If after brushing your dog you haven’t produced another dog out of fur… You aren’t doing it right!

Typically I will brush and get the undercoat out of my dog after a bath. That way I can get everything out of the way at one time. Of course, I do brush her more often than after baths, to keep the shedding down. As said in the intro, pomskies do not only shed twice a year. What happens is that they blow their coat about 2 times a year, typically when the seasons change. When a pomsky blows their coat that means their undercoat just starts coming out in chunks. Despite only blowing their coat twice a year, they do shed year round and keeping up with brushing minimizes that mess.

What tools do I use?

I use just a regular bristle brush for every day and an undercoat rake for when I am trying to get her undercoat out (which comes out to the amount of a whole other dog). The regular brush is the only one she’ll really let me use on her. With lots of patience, I get her groomed reasonably well. One item that people like to use often for dogs with double coats is a furminator. This “amazing” brush that gets the undercoat out quick… but what isn’t as well known is that it can damage your dog. Not only can the furminator cut your dog’s skin but it also cuts your dog’s coat. If the guard hairs (top coat) of a dog are cut that can be troublesome for the dog because those hairs are very important for temperature regulation. When they are cut they do not function as well. The same goes for shaving your pomsky or double coated four-legged friends, it damages their coats and is not good for them. Below is a photo explaining for Huskies but same goes for any pomsky, since they are part Husky!

If you are feeling brave and ambitious then on to Nail Trimming

Trimming your dog’s nails can be very difficult, especially if your dog will not sit still. If you cut the nail too close then your dog will be in pain and there will be blood. It is oh so important for you to remain calm while cutting the nails so that the dog doesn’t cause anything unfortunate to happen. When you have your dog nail clippers make sure your dog is secure and cut to just before the pink of the nail. If your dog has white nails you will be able to see the pink. The pink contains blood and nerves and is very painful to your pup if you cut it. After trimming the nails, you can use a dog nail grinder to file it down so that their fresh cut nails don’t leave you with scratches. If you do not feel comfortable enough with cutting your dogs nails, then grinding is a helpful intermediate. If you have a high powered and good quality Dremel (nail grinder) you can skip the whole clipping step all together!

When in doubt let a professional see it out!

You can also get your vet or local groomer to cut your dog’s nails if your dog will allow them to. Kiera gets her nails trimmed and her glands expressed at the vet, because it’s just easier on both of us (especially the gland part)! Same goes with everything else said here. If everything seems like a bit too much, you can pay to have somebody else do the dirty work! However, even though it seems like a daunting task, in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t take too much time out of your life to give them a good bath and brush. I hope this was somewhat helpful on your journey to try to tame the mane of your beloved pomsky!

~ Natalie M.
Mom to Keira, a Patriot Pomskies Pomsky