Pomeranians are a fun, spunky little breed. As groomers, we see them in all shapes, sizes, colors and attitudes! And their haircuts can be just as diverse as they are—a show trim, the “Boo”, a fox trim, a lion trim or just a bath and tidy. This tutorial will walk you through a hand–scissored pet Pomeranian trim, and hopefully you can add another Pom style to your repertoire!
When beginning a style like this, be sure that the dog is thoroughly bathed, blow–dried and had all undercoat removed. Removing undercoat is usually the primary concern before beginning all Pom styles—as well as the primary concern for pet owners! For purposes of this tutorial, paw pads and sanitary have already been trimmed.
Fig 1) Begin the groom by trimming the feet. Start at the front of the foot and then trim each side. Ensure you are creating a nice, tight cat–style foot. Repeat these steps on the three remaining paws.
Fig 2) Next, lift the front foot up and use a thinning shear to blend the long hair on the front of the leg into the foot.
Fig 3) Using a tiny super–curved shear like the one shown allows you to create a lifted pastern. If you don’t have a shear like this, you can also use a straight shear and trim at a 45–degree angle from the top of the back pad up and out into the leg hair. Repeat steps 2 & 3 on the other front foot.
Fig 4) Trim the rear pasterns with thinning shears, creating a slight crescent moon shape from top of the back pad to the hock. Repeat on the other rear leg.
Fig 5) Holding the ear so that your finger is on the edge, trim from the base of the ear to the peak, starting wide and ending right at the edge of the ear. This will help you create a rounded fan look on the head shape. And holding the ear in this way will allow you to ensure the dog’s ear is safe, even if they decide to move it.
Fig 6) Continue by trimming the other side of the ear peak. Complete this on the other ear as well.
Fig 7) Beginning at the top of the rump where the tail meets the body, trim the pants by scissoring from the point of rump down to the bend of the leg in a rounded fashion.
Fig 8) Once you have the length off the back of the rump, wrap your scissoring around to the outside of the leg and trim it so the coat is even with what you trimmed on the rear of the leg. Trim the other rear leg in the same manner. This shows one finished rear leg and the other unfinished.
Fig 9) Next, move to the front of the dog and begin trimming at the chest. This area should be short. You want to round this up and into where you have already trimmed the ear. Think of this step as “connecting the dots” on your groom.
Fig 10) Also trim from the chest down and into the front of the legs. This helps create a rounded shape all over the dog and seamless transitions from one area to the next.
Fig 11) Using a pair of chunkers or thinners, blend your scissoring in to create a smooth finish across the coat.
Fig 12) Continuing with your chunkers, move backwards across the shoulder and into the center of the dog. Again, think of connecting the dots—you have the front and rear of the dog trimmed, so connect those two points in the middle to ensure the dog is scissored evenly all the way around.
Fig 13) Starting at the tail and working your way forward, scissor the topline straight.
Fig 14) Next, scissor the underline to create a crisp, clean line.
Fig 15) Comb the entire dog out and, using a blender, scissor the coat all over to create a very smooth surface. This step allows you to “check” your work.
Fig 16) Comb the neck hair forward from the withers and scissor a crisp, clean line at the back of the neck.
Fig 17) Recheck your head shape and crispen all necessary lines around the head.
Fig 18) Using a thinning shear, clean up the cowlicks just underneath the eyes. This is often a missed opportunity to really change the expression and overall outcome of a groom.
Fig 19) Finally, trim the tail in a crescent shape from base to tip.
Voila! Now you have another perfect Pomeranian style to add to your repertoire. Hand–scissoring a breed like this is all about taking off small amounts of coat and creating a smooth, even finish. Use the connect–the–dots analogy by taking length off two different areas and then scissoring to join them in the middle. Good luck and happy scissoring! ✂️
