01/01/2025
Just a PSA on the hair care for a double coated Pom π I will never shame another for the choice they make, but some info on double coats:
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"Hi pom friends!!! Just a PSA from your friendly groomer again ππ
Seen two posts at least in a 24 hr period regarding pups that were shaved and the owner wants regrowth. I am not going to shame owners who shave their dogs. Their choice.. going to give facts and that is it.
Poms are a double coated breed. This means they have 1 guard hair to every 12-22 undercoat hairs growing from the same follicle. And this guard hair does have a stopping point. What does that mean? Well each hair has three phases. Active, transition, and dead. Each hair goes through these phases at different times for the dog.
Here is the kicker... guard hairs which is the pretty shiny hair does stop and the active phase may not start back up for years.. some never.
That being said let us discuss the coat's purpose. The guard hair acts as protection for the skin. A dog's skin is 10 x more sensitive than humans. The guard hair is protection from the sun, allergens, and many other issues... now the undercoat. If properly maintained, becomes the temp regulator in heat or cold. The dog shakes and traps either hot or cold air in the coat to keep the dog comfortable.
With this very basic information, let me give some facts.. when a dog is not brushed, the undercoat goes wild and no longer can regularly regulate temps and Matt's easily.
When guard hairs are shaved below the undercoat, you have a great chance of catching it in the transition phase where it will not grow back for a long time, if ever. The undercoat then attempts to grow fast to protect the skin, this again becomes a matting issue as it is difficult to keep this coat maintained. The guard hairs also can become damaged from repeated shaving and stop growing all together.
These are facts. This is not a shaming post. Some dogs may not have issues for years, but proof is in the pudding that eventually they will begin to lose coat. Especially after years of shaving. It is very long and hard work to fix the problem and it may never totally fix it but is possible. Regrowth also may need medical attention as some health issues may also cause a coat to not come back such as metabolic issues.
My recommendation is to never cut the guard hairs shorter than the undercoat. But again each person is allowed to do their dog how they wish. It is their dog. Some never see issues. Some see them years down the road and some immediately. You never know which you will be.
I hope that this helps a little to understand why people recommend to not shave your pom babies."
