Yorkie Grooming

Keeping your Yorkie’s coat looking beautiful has several elements. Learn how to groom a Yorkie from home. Even Yorkie puppies should follow these simple grooming guidelines. Grooming your Yorkshire Terrier in comparing this breed with other dog breeds is that many others have an undercoat whereas this breed only has one coat. Short hair Yorkies with the commonly known as Yorkie puppy cut will need less grooming than those with the long silky coats.

 

It really isn’t difficult to keep your dog in a full coat if you bought a Yorkie with the correct silk coat. Whether you choose to shave down the coat to a cute puppy cut or let the hair grow. Here is the best way to groom and maintain a silky Yorkie coat.

How To Groom Your Yorkie – Bath Preparation

Bathing once a week is suggested. Make sure you remove all tangles and mats before bathing because they will be more difficult after the bath. Simply spray a good detangler first on the matted area. No need to saturate. Free as many hairs from the tangle itself. Brush the remaining hairs out with a boar hair and nylon brush like the one below. I also think the best shampoo and conditioner is from WELLA Brilliance Shampoo & Conditioner for coarse hair. The coarse version has a lot of rich conditioners.

Make sure you have everything you need already at the bathing area so as not to leave your dog unattended even for a second. Having a non-skid mat for the dog to stand on helps it feel more secure. If you have a drain plug make sure there is a filter or screen across it so the paws don’t go down the hole. This can either hurt them or scare them during the bath. Make sure you don’t collect any water in the bottom of the sink because you want all rinse water to go directly down the drain.

Always remember to test the temperature of the water first. The water should be lukewarm. A Yorkie’s skin is more sensitive. Gently massage a good quality shampoo and conditioner into the coat. Scrubbing may tangle the coat afterward. Make sure you are very careful around their eyes and face. Using a no-tear shampoo can help make sure that soap doesn’t sting if it gets in their eyes. Once fully lathered, rinse completely. This means make sure there are no suds still at the bottom of the sink after rinsing. Do one more rinse through the entire dog again. Rinsing thoroughly is a very important step. Do the same with the conditioner, then dry.

Drying The Coat

Blotting the coat with a towel soaks up excess water. This helps not to create tangles in the coat. Just before drying, add some leave-in conditioner or a coat oil. Brush thoroughly throughout the coat. There are many choices out there for a detangler. Even if you simply dilute your conditioner with water and spray over the coat will work. Using a olive oil sprayer for the coat oil works great. Remember that a little will go a long way so use sparingly. The olive oil sprayer works great for misting oil on. You will find the silkier the coat, the less oil is needed to protect the coat. This works great in keeping tangles down during brushings for the next bath. Using a dryer that is meant for dogs, has a lower heat setting than regular dryers. If you don’t have one, then make sure your lowest heat setting is used when drying. Check the air temperature on the inside of your wrist to see how close you need to go so as not to cause your dryer to being too close for drying. Brush the coat the direction you wish it to be when dried. Always reassure your Yorkie at this time so it’s not scared.

Yorkie Ear Trimming

Trimming the top third of the Yorkie’s ear inside and out is done for appearance but also so they will stand upright. Hair at the top of the ears can get heavy and weigh down the ear giving it a droopy look.

 

 

Long-coated breeds are difficult to keep clean around the anus/butt area. This is the place where you want a nice clear path. The way to do this is to keep the hair very short in this area. Hair can clump and stick together blocking the ability to eliminate. This can be a life-threatening situation if not watched. Even puppies can have a blockage, so trim them too.

When you start to groom a Yorkie puppy, it may be difficult to get them to sit still. This is especially true when it comes to Yorkshire Terrier nail care. Once your puppy learns to sit quietly while they are being groomed, your Yorkie can eventually tolerate and look forward to nail clipping.

Socializing your pet when it’s young will make the whole experience of nail care a lot easier for you, your pet and groomer. Once your puppy gets used to being handled by you, it makes it easier to move on to grooming and nail clipping.

Getting Your Yorkie Used To Nail Trimming
Nail trimming is probably the most difficult grooming activity for your dog to get used to. It’s an activity you need your dog to become comfortable with as a puppy. As your Yorkshire Terrier grows older, they become set in their ways. This makes almost impossible trim your pet’s nails when they are older.

Yorkie Nail Trimming Tips
The following tips can help you to accustom your Yorkie to nail trimming.

1. Feel your Yorkie puppys paw. Then you should click your clicker as you while giving him a treat. If your young dog pulls back its paw nervously, repeat these actions at a slower pace. The aim of this exercise is to simply be able to touch your pets paw, without him or her pulling it away from you.

2. When you get to the point where your Yorkshire Terrier is comfortable with you touching his or her paw, develop this further by lifting the paw and moving it about. Once your pet is comfortable with this, click and give your dog a treat.

3. To advance this process further, fondle your dogs toes and separate them, and move them around. Then press on the paw pads slowly.

4. The next step is to bring out the nail clipper and show it to your puppy. However, do not click yet. Let your Yorkie become familiar with the clipper until he or she is not afraid. Then click and give him or her another treat.

5. Its’ still not time to start clipping. The next small step is to place the clipper over each of your Yorkshire Terrier’s nails. Add some pressure, but don’t clip the nail. Once again, when your pup is comfortable with this, click and give another treat.

6. Finally, you are at the stage where you can cut a nail. Clip one nail and then click the clicker. Once again, give your young Yorkie a treat. Emphasize the fact that you’re happy your dog has let you do this. Slowly move onto the next nail. When this nail is cut, reassure your Yorkshire Terrier again, and repeat the process until all nails have been clipped.