Can Pomskies Live in Hot Weather: How to Keep Your Pomsky Cool and Comfortable
Pomskies are all the rage right now among dog lovers. This relatively new hybrid or designer dog breed got its start online and became popular before it was even a real breed!
Today, however, the Pomsky dog is real and there is even a dog club called the Pomsky Club of America that has formed so Pomsky breeders can learn from and support one another to develop the breed.
If you have fallen in love with the adorable Pomsky, this likely strike you as very good news. But there is one question many prospective Pomsky owners worry about – can Pomskies, with their thick fur coats, live in hot weather? Let’s find out!
Can Pomskies Live in Hot Weather?
Pomskies are companion canines. As such, these dogs are meant to live indoors with their people, not outdoors. This means that Pomskies can live in hot weather as long as they live primarily indoors with you rather than outside.
See a Litter of Cute Pomsky Puppies
In this short breeder video, you can see a litter of adorable Pomsky puppies waiting to be adopted.
It is easy to see that even their little puppy coats are quite thick and fluffy! Of course, it can take up to a year before the full adult dog coat grows in. With the Pomsky, the adult coat will be double layer and quite thick.
Understanding the Pomsky Coat Type: Thick, Double Layer, Insulating
The Pomsky may not look capable of pulling an enormous sled through miles of a snowy landscape, but this dog comes from a long lineage of sled dogs.
The Pomeranian is the smallest breed from the Spitz Arctic sled dog breed family!
As the American Kennel Club (AKC) points out, originally the Pomeranian weighed about 30 pounds – much closer to the weight range of the Siberian Husky dog.
But once England’s Queen Victoria fell in love with the Pomeranian breed and began her breeding program, she greatly reduced the size of the breed to its current range of just three to seven pounds.
The only thing the Queen’s breeding program didn’t seem to reduce is that thick, long fur coat.
Speaking of the Siberian Husky, this dog hails from the region in Asia that is called Siberia today. This dog comes from the breeding program of an ancient nomadic tribe called the Chukchis.
As the American Kennel Club (AKC) relates, Siberian Huskies first became popular when their incredible speed started winning them sled dog contests.
Siberian Huskies relied on their thick double-layer coats to keep them warm and dry on days-long expeditions in some of the snowiest, iciest terrain on Earth.
What does all this mean for your Pomsky’s coat? It means that your hybrid puppy will grow up to have a double layer coat.
The term “double layer” means that there is a top water-repellant layer that is coarser and a softer, shorter, thicker under layer that serves as insulation. Together, the two layers of the coat keep the dog completely safe against the elements.
How to Prepare Your Pomsky to Live in a Warm Climate
As Sun Valley Pomskies breeder explains, Pomskies can readily enjoy playing outdoors in winter and in the snow without suffering unduly from the cold.
This is because Pomskies inherit a thick double layer coat from both the Pomeranian and the Siberian Husky parent dogs.
Since both parent dogs hail from a long line of cold weather working dogs, the Pomsky’s coat is designed to be fully self-insulating against the wet, the ice, the snow and the cold.
However, as we mentioned here earlier, this is not to say your Pomsky cannot live in a warm climate very successfully. You just need to take some safety precautions to make sure your dog never overheats.
Keep your Pomsky indoors during the hottest hours of the day
The first precaution to follow to the letter is to keep your Pomsky indoors when the sun is at peak position overhead. This may be less important if you get cold winters.
But in the summertime, not only is the ground likely to be flaming hot under your Pomsky’s paws, but the heat could quickly cause your dog to overheat under all that thick, insulating fur.
So be sure to schedule walks during the cooler morning or evening hours only.
Keep your Pomsky’s coat in a shorter puppy clip
Your Pomsky may inherit a longer or a shorter coat type depending on how each parent dog’s genes influence the coat.
The Pomeranian dog, of course, has that famously long, fluffy coat that makes this petite dog look like a huge ball of fur.
The Siberian Husky, in contrast, has a short, neat double layer coat that lays flat against the dog’s body.
You can think of a Pomsky puppy clip as being much more like the Siberian Husky’s coat in that it is short and neat.
While choosing to keep your Pomsky in a short puppy clip won’t completely cancel out the insulating properties of the double layer coat, it can certainly help.
If you have an active outdoorsy lifestyle and you want your Pomsky to be a part of that, a puppy clip is a right way to go for the summertime.
Why You Should Never Shave Your Pomsky
If you want a Pomsky and live in a warm area, it might seem like the most logical and easiest to choose to simply shave your Pomsky for summer.
As Dogs Naturally magazine points out, there are several very important health reasons why you never want to shave your Pomsky.
Shaving changes the coat texture
Even if your Pomsky will never have to pull a sled across the Arctic, once the coat gets shaved, it typically does not grow back the same way.
This means it will not have the same protective properties that are still quite valuable to your dog.
The insulating hairs closest to the skin will not form a uniform inner layer anymore. Rather, they will be mixed in with the outer hairs, destroying the combination of water-repellant and insulation the coat is supposed to have.
Shaving exposes the skin
Another key reason you never want to shave your Pomsky is that the coat also serves as a type of natural sunscreen for your dog.
You probably still have memories of a particularly bad sunburn you once had and how painful it was. You don’t want your Pomsky to ever go through that.
As well, finding sunscreens that are both effective and formulated for the unique pH needs of canine skin can be a lot harder than it sounds. Dogs can’t use “people” sunscreen. But you won’t have to use sunscreen at all if you leave the coat in place.
Shaving can cause discomfort indoors
Whereas in the past your Pomsky might have been perfectly comfortable transitioning from brief periods of outdoor time back into your air-conditioned home, with a shaved coat your dog will now be exposed to drafts and cold temperatures.
This may cause stress that could lead to illness and expensive veterinary bills. And it is preventable just by leaving the coat in place.
How to Help Your Pomsky Stay Cool in Hot Weather Climates
As the Animal Rescue Site explains, there is a much better, safer, and less stressful way to prepare your Pomsky to be comfortable in summer.
You can simply take your Pomsky to a dog groomer to help the seasonal shedding process along.
Every time the seasons change – so typically once to twice a year depending on your local climate – double-coated dogs like the Pomsky will do what is called a seasonal shed or a “coat blow.”
This, as you probably have already figured out, is a very intense type of coat shedding where a lot of hair falls out at once.
Nature has provided this process so double-coated dogs can stay cooler in the warmer season and warmer in the colder season each year. It is the insulating undercoat which is primarily shedding out and getting replenished.
Ask the canine groomer to do an extra thorough job raking through the undercoat and removing dead, shed hair, thinning the undercoat in the process.
This process will not disturb the protective guard hairs in the outer layer of your Pomsky’s coat that keep the skin from getting abraded or sunburned. It is by far the best way to keep your Pomsky comfortable in a warm climate and the summer heat.
By learning about your hybrid Pomsky dog’s unique coat and how to best manage it for year-round comfort, your dog can join you for outdoor fun all year.