A basic metal greyhound comb was in our grooming kit for years. Stainless steel, dual-sided, checked every box on paper. It seemed fine.
Then I switched to the Chris Christensen #003 Buttercomb*, and within the first pass I understood what I had been missing.
The brass core was the first thing I noticed — real weight in the hand. Then the pins: completely smooth in every direction, no catching, no drag. Then the wide side hit Beignet’s back coat and went straight through to the skin while simultaneously lifting loose fur and making the areas that needed more work impossible to miss.
A comb is supposed to be your quality check after brushing, and you can’t get an honest check from a tool that skips over the problem areas.
Here’s what makes it different, how it fits into the routine, and why, if you’re using a basic metal comb right now, you’ll probably notice the same thing I did.
Why a comb belongs in every Pomeranian’s grooming kit
Pomeranians have a double coat: a soft, dense undercoat beneath a longer outer coat. That undercoat is where moisture gets trapped, where mats quietly form near the skin, and where a brush alone often can’t reach.
A slicker brush removes loose hair and smooths the surface. But a comb with the right tooth spacing slides down to the skin and detects resistance where none should be. If the comb catches, there’s still work to do. If it glides cleanly all the way through, you’re done.
Think of the brush as the work, and the comb as the check.
This is especially important in the areas where Pomeranians mat most: behind the ears, under the armpits, along the chest (particularly if your dog wears a harness), and at the base of the tail.
Used consistently at every brushing session, a comb helps you catch the early stages of coat damage before they become tangles or mats.
What I noticed when I switched to the Buttercomb
My old comb was technically fine. Stainless steel, dual tooth spacing, reasonably priced. I didn’t know it was holding me back until I had something to compare it to.
The Chris Christensen #003 Buttercomb* is a professional grooming tool. The solid brass core gives it real weight. It sits in your hand instead of floating. That matters because comb work on a double coat requires pressure control, and a lightweight comb makes it easy to skate over the coat surface without actually checking anything.
The pins are what surprised me most. They’re grounded and rounded, smooth in every direction, which means they glide through the coat instead of snagging. With my old comb, there was always a moment of micro-resistance at the start of each stroke, a tiny amount of friction that I had stopped registering. Gone.
The wide side turned out to be the part I reach for most. It goes all the way through to the skin in a single pass, but as it moves it lifts the fur and grabs loose undercoat. You can see what it’s pulling. It makes loose fur and early tangles visible in a way that the brush pass doesn’t, which means the check is actually meaningful.
The narrow side handles the detail work: paws, behind the ears, the face, the chest friction zones. Precise without being sharp.
The Chris Christensen #003 is the same brand as our slicker brush recommendation— and that’s not a coincidence. When a tool works, you go back to that brand.
What to look for in a comb built for Pomeranians and double-coat work
Most grooming combs are built for single-coat breeds or show-dog work done by professionals with the time to compensate for the tool. Here’s what a Pomeranian double coat actually needs:
- Solid brass core. Control requires feedback. A comb with no heft gives you neither. The weight of a brass spine tells you when you’re applying too much pressure and when you’re skating over the surface.
- Smooth, rounded pin finish. Pins with any directionality (roughness or flat edge) will snag on a fine, dense Pom coat. The snag feels like resistance, which you interpret as a tangle, which is actually just a bad comb.
- Dual tooth spacing. Wide teeth for the body coat and undercoat pass; narrow teeth for the friction zones and detail work. One tool, full coverage.
- Rounded tips. Close-to-skin comb work on a dog with sensitive skin. Rounded tips are the minimum.
- Stainless steel throughout. Plastic flexes under the pressure of a dense double coat. Stainless holds its shape and doesn’t dull.
The Buttercomb #003 meets all of these. It is the specific size we use with Beignet — not the widest version in the range, which is better suited to larger breeds with heavier coats.
How to use it in your grooming routine
The comb is the last step after line brushing — it doesn’t replace the brush, it confirms the brush worked. Here’s the sequence:
- Mist the coat lightly with a conditioning spray before you begin. Never brush or comb a completely dry Pomeranian coat.
- Work through the coat section by section with the slicker brush, lifting from the skin upward. This is line brushing.
- Once each section is brushed, follow with the wide-tooth side of the Buttercomb, moving from skin to tip. Resistance means go back to the brush on that spot.
- Finish the friction zones (behind the ears, the chest, under the armpits) with the narrow-tooth side. These are the spots where early mats hide.
The comb check adds about one minute to the session. It is the difference between a coat that looks brushed and one that actually is.
Where It Fits in the Full Grooming Kit
The comb is one piece of a three-part system. Each tool has a specific job:
- The Chris Christensen Big G Slicker does the primary work, removing loose undercoat, working through the coat section by section, handling tangles before they become mats.
- The conditioning spray prepares the coat before either tool touches it, reducing breakage and making both work better.
- The Buttercomb confirms the work is complete and catches what the brush can’t reach.
All three are covered in our grooming tools guide, and on The Favorites if you want the links in one place.
If you’re also dealing with mats that are already formed, the comb works in combination with the spray and a gentle section-by-section brush approach. There’s a full breakdown in our detangling guide.
Chris Christensen #003 Buttercomb
The professional finishing comb we use after every brushing session. Same brand as our slicker brush, and the reason we went back to Chris Christensen for both.
- Solid brass core with grounded, rounded steel pins so there’s no directional snagging
- Wide side clears the body coat and lifts loose undercoat in one pass
- Narrow side handles paws, ears, and chest friction zones precisely
- #003 tooth spacing is sized for Pomeranian coat density. Not too wide, not too fine
This comb lives on the grooming shelf beside the Big G. It’s not an occasional accessory — it’s the last step every time.