POM UGLIES

Puppy Uglies, What's that??

So you have purchased a Pomeranian pup, and it is adorable!!!  This cute face, that thick fluffy coat, this absolutely sweet, spunky and affectionate little fur person! You are enchanted - potty training is moving along fine - you love that pom~baby and it loves you right back.

Sometime down the line (your pup is now about 4-8 months old); you suddenly notice that the fur is getting a bit stringy and wispy, or that your pom all of the sudden doesn't look like a pom any more. Your husband points out that you have been had, and that you paid way too much for that dog anyway. Your girl friend says that's ok - it's the personality that counts. Your vet - when you bring up the subject on your spay/neuter pre-visit - suspects that you have bought a low quality Pomeranian.  Shame on him he should know about the Pom uglies.

 
Now what? Calm down - and get a camera - because every once in a while you will see your pom doing the same thing again.  And it's funny looking back and comparing the photos. Most Pomeranian pups go through a very thorough case of the puppy uglies.  A few breeze just through [usually during the winter months] replacing one coat with the other without you even noticing.  Those just seem to shed a bit more than what you had expected.

Here's what's happening - the baby fluff comes out and they tend to look very straggly or shaggy at that point, some go very shorthair as to resemble a longhair Chihuahua instead. That is absolutely normal - do not worry, as it all comes back.  Bigger and better in a good quality pom, so-so in a lesser quality Pomeranian.  Generally - by the time your pup is 10-12 months old (it varies a bit with the season - coats thicken faster during the winter months) he or she is in a full coat.

If you don't get your female spayed, expect to see that cycle again and again, especially after she has a litter of puppies. Altered males and females have a somewhat "mellower" hormone household, that regulates major non-seasonal shedding a.k.a. blowing the coat.