The Teddy Bear look was first made famous by a cute little Pomeranian named Boo. This pup has been the adoration of every dog lover since. Boo was coined as ‘the world’s cutest dog’ by his owner J.h. Lee and now tons of other pet parents are scrambling to replicate the look on their own dog. This haircut style is most common with Pomeranian grooming but can be achieved on most small dog breeds like a Maltese or Bichon.
Pomeranian’s lineage traces back to Nordic sled dogs. This is the reason for thick double coat meant to protect the pups from the cold weather. The undercoat also provides padding for the elbows which protects the dogs from the elements and hard surfaces. The coat is thick and fluffy and needs to be brushed at least twice a week to keep matting from forming. Most pet groomers advice daily brushing when the coat is long to keep hair from getting too coarse. Silkiness is bliss when it comes to long-haired Poms.
Before clients decide to have their Pomeranian get this adorable little cut, they should know that trimming the undercoat can damage the fur’s texture. This damage can be permanent. From experience, the more an undercoat is trimmed with this breed, the harder and longer it takes for the fur to grow back.
So if they decide to have their Pom take the leap into teddy bear styling—make sure they are ready for a lifelong commitment. Boo himself only got the haircut because his coat was so matted shaving was the healthiest option. Pomeranian grooming this extensive needs to be done by a professional!
Using Magic Mel’s words, “Choose humanity or vanity!”
Teddy Bear Style
The cut begins with the outer-coat being washed and brushed thoroughly. This makes combing and brushing through matts easier for the groomer and the dog. If matts are severe, clippers and scissors will be used to cut matts off. There is no sense in brushing through these tangles and making the dog uncomfortable.
Next, the body will be shaved down—trimming away the long outer-coat and into the softer, thicker undercoat. After this is detailing. The most challenging part of teddy bear cut is the head. Trimming the rounded off look on the dog’s head and snout—blending into the body—takes practice. Gaining experience through apprenticeship or schooling is the best way to gain the skills necessary for beautiful Pomeranian grooming skills.
Try these steps to safely and gently transform a Pomeranian from a plush furball into a teddy bear!
Use the right Equipment:
- Clippers
- #7 Blade
- #10 Blade
- #40 Blade
- #2 Blade with comb attachment
- Steel comb
- Curved scissors
- Slicker brush
Start with the Rough Cut
Once the dog is dry after bathing, start with the rough cut for Pomeranian grooming, but this actually goes for every breed. Use the number 7 blade—most common blade for grooming—and take the body hair down short. Trim with the growth pattern. You should always constantly monitor the blade’s heat to make sure you don’t accidentally burn the dog.
Be gentle along matts, and even the smaller tangles, paralleling the blade with the body as you skim across the dog. Make sure your blade is close to the dog’s body. Stop at the dog’s collar line before moving on with another blade size for the head.
As you approach the legs start taking the blade downward—cleaning up the legs gently with the legs lifted drawing the blade toward yourself. Your client’s’ wishes will affect how you trim around the tail. Usually, for the teddy bear look, clients want the ‘poof.’ After brushing out the tail hair, lift the tail upward and trim the tip first. Just clean up the hair around the anal glands.
Complete the rough cut around the beard and chest of the dog following the growth pattern downward. When you trim the Pom’s armpits, pull the leg upward and sweep the blade parallel to the armpit, removing hair gently. Do not go perpendicular. If you do, skin will get caught in the blade.
Paws, Pads, and Sanitary
First get the paws and pads out of the way. Use the number 40 blade to scoop hair gently away from the pad removing hair. This will give the dog more traction. For the paws, you can use a scissor or the 10 blade.
For the sanitary use the number 10 blade. Lift hind legs toward you and sweep the clipper from the genitals gently toward you so the blade can pick up hair along the genitals.
Setting Head for the Teddy Bear Trimming
Brush out the Pommies head first making sure the head is free of ALL tangles. Combs should glide through the hair like butter, nice and delicate. Once this is done you can use the slicker brush to free any wisps around the ears and face. As you scissor-cut the hair along the face you will want to cut upwardly forcing the hair up. This creates the circular shape of the teddy bear look.
As you trim around the face, hold the ear back forcing hairs to pop up. As always, hold the dog firmly and safely for precision. You will want to trim back this hair that stands up—sweeping upwardly. Keep everything even! Draw the scissors—trimming as you go—toward the tip of the ears leaving about a quarter on the base of the ear to blend into the head. You will want to round off the fur. Keep in mind your blending this hair into the shorter hair on the body.
You don’t want it to look like a ‘bowl cut’ where the head meets the neck. As you trim, make sure that you’re maintaining the circular shape of the hair. Comb often to keep hair fluffing up. Make sure you are blending going shorter as you work your way toward the neck ensuring fur gradually flushes with the collar line.
Snout & Eyes
I personally like to use curved scissors around the eyes and snout. Some dogs get nervous with the buzzing in their face unless they are accustomed to regular grooming. Since Pomeranians have shorter snouts it easy to get in there with the scissors and clean everything up.
With the curve of the scissors against the snout, you will want to glide as you trim. Swoop in a downward in an extended U-shape along the snout. Trim the bangs back as necessary trimming only a little bit of the lashes. Constantly brush to make sure wisps are exposed and the cut is even.
Pomeranians are the cutest little fluffs ever and the teddy bear cut is perfect to start off the summer and in warm areas. We hope your Poms and their parents love their new cut!
Play Dirty. Live Clean.
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