Help! What happened to my pretty puppy?

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 pommie 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 whispy, or that your Pom all of the sudden

doesn't look like a Pom any more. Your mother-in-law points out that you have been

had, and that you paid way too much for that dog anyway. Your husband 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 or a

Pom mix, and has no problem condemning the breeder for producing such.

You are upset!

Now what? Calm down - and get a camera -

because every once in a while you will see your Pom doing the same thing again, if you haven't

gotten him/her fixed. And it's funny looking back and comparing the photos. Most Pomeranian

pups go through a very thorough case of the puppy uglies. Some people call this stage "blow out" and

still others call it "monkey faced." Regardless of the name, so to see it for the first time sends a bit of

panic into anyone not familiar with this aspect of the Pomeranian breed. The few pups who don't "blow"

their coat, seem to just breeze through (usually during the winter months) replacing

one coat with the other without you even noticing.

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 (fixed) males and females have a somewhat

"mellower" hormone household, that regulates major non-seasonal shedding. If your Pom baby is

meant to be that, your baby, this is the best solution for avoiding this stage on a bi-annual or annual basis.

In closing, when little Sergeant is about one year old, I will add his mature dog photo

so everyone can see that ugly duckling Pom puppy really did grow into a beautiful swan of a stud. Hang

in there all you "puppy ugly" owners. It won't be that way forever; so, have your hair brushes ready.

For more examples, scroll down the page.

Sergeant at 10 weeks

Sergeant at 5 months

Sergeant at 4 months

AAACK!

AAACK!

Flower at 10 weeks

Flower at 4 months

Flower at 6 months

Flower in her mature coat... coming soon!

Sergeant at 7 months

Sergeant 9 months

Sergeant 1 year old

Lighting makes him seem lighter than he really is here.

Flower at 1 year old (and a little over 3 lbs.)

Bling at 5 weeks

Bling at 12 weeks

Bling at 4 months

This is one of the RARE exceptions of a Pom who has a barely noticeable blow out stage. Basically her coat just got clumpy as she lost only part of her undercoat. This is NOT typical in the Pom coat development but wanted to post it just for all to see.

Often people inquire about a puppy that is nearly black when very young. When I tell it is a sable combination and that it will end significantly lighter, losing most of it's sable color and turn out more its base color (like cream, orange, peach, or red) they look at me like I've lost my mind.

Sable means black tipped fur. And while it is very obvious on young puppies, after blow out, there is typically about 75% less. Here is an example of what I mean in some photos of our own orange sable girl, Trinket. Unfortunately, I completely missed her blow out photos and she had gone good and bald for just a bit. Now she's GORGEOUS. She's a 5 lbs. hair ball and her second year coat is still to come!!!

Trinket at 1 week

Trinket at 4 weeks

Trinket at 10 weeks

Trinket at 1 year

These are some examples of SABLE coat changes that a puppy goes through. Most people don't realize that the sable color, the "black tipped hairs," disappear in a large part, once their adult coat comes in. This is neither positive or negative, but just a matter of preference. If you like the sable color and hope for it to show up in the adult coat, aim for a very heavily sabled color puppy coat, nearly black or brown.