Grooming Your Yorkie:
Yorkies are very gorgeous little dogs, known for their long flowing silky coats.  To keep a Yorkie in full coat is not as difficult and as time consuming as said providing your Yorkie has the correct silk coat. The choice whether to shave your Yorkie down to a puppy cut, or to let their hair grow entirely is up to you.  Below are some grooming tips to help with the maintenance of a silky coated Yorkie.       

 


Pre Bath Preparation:  
You should bath your Yorkie once a week.  Prior to bathing, all tangles should be removed, as they are more difficult to do so after bathing which seems to set them in. Tangles should first be sprayed with a good detangler of your choice.  Then pull the tangle apart with your fingers, trying to free has many hairs as possible from the tangle itself.  Then brush the remainder of the tangle out with a boar hair & nylon hair brush.  Go over the remainder of the entire dog gently brushing all hair with the boar hair & nylon hair brush. This should then be followed by brushing out your Yorkie’s coat one more time, now with a pin brush.  You want a solid metal pin brush not one with the plastic tips on the end of the pins. [Please see examples of brush's & combs below].  As you brush through your Yorkie’s coat, be sure to be gentle and talk to your yorkie trying to make it a pleasant experience for them, as you do not want your Yorkie to dread grooming day.  Be extremely gentle when brushing around your Yorkie’s face. If there is any discharge around the eyes, first moisten (which will loosen it from the hair) and wipe softly with a wet washcloth, then you can use a fine tooth comb similar to a flea comb to remove any bits that still remain. Be sure to clean your dog's ears. Then use a cotton ball and q-tips to clean inside the ears. Make sure you are careful cleaning inside of the ears so not to hurt your Yorkie. You may use any over the counter ears cleaning solution or rubbing alcohol.  

 

 

 

 

Bathing Your Yorkie:  
Have your towel, shampoo, conditioner and anything else you will need already at the sink ready to bath your Yorkie.  Never leave your Yorkie unattended in the sink not even for a second.  Place a nonskid mat in the bottom of your sink so that your Yorkie will feel more secure by not slipping and sliding. Having better footing will lessen the chance for injury. You can buy an inexpensive rubber bath mat at your local store and just cut it down to size to fit your sink.  Also be sure there is a filter/strainer across the water drain so that your Yorkie’s paws can’t slip into the drain, scaring or even injuring them.  Be sure that the water doesn't collect in the bottom of the sink, you want it to run off the dog and straight down the drain.  Use your sinks sprayer, if you don’t have one, you can buy one that attaches directly to your sinks faucet.  Next be sure that you test the water for temperature. Use the bottom of your wrist, just as you would for testing a baby bottle prior to feeding a baby. The water should be luke warm. Remember, your Yorkie’s skin is sensitive.  Use a premium quality shampoo & conditioner or another good option is baby shampoo ~ with baby shampoo you will be able to clean all around your dogs face & eyes without irritation. Gently massage the shampoo into the coat. Don’t rub or scrub, or else you’ll have tangles to deal with afterwards.  Be especially careful when you’re washing your little one’s head and face.  When you have your Yorkie entirely lathered, it’s time to rinse.  Rinse the shampoo out, until the water running down the drain is clear with no suds, once you think you have it all out, rinse the entire dog again. Rinsing thoroughly is very important. Repeat with conditioner, making sure that all the conditioner is removed from the coat [usually rinsing twice as long as from shampooing] Next I usually like to cut their nails while their hair is still wet and they are easy to see.

 

 

Trimming Your Yorkies Nails:
I like to trim nails right after the bath, just before drying, as it seems to be easier to cut them when the hair is still wet and you can see the nail better without the hair obstructing  your view.  There are many styles of nail trimmers.  If you have trouble finding the quick, they make a nail trimmer that has a built in sensor to guide where to cut, thus avoiding the quick. Be sure not to clip too close to cut the quick. If that happens don't panic, but be sure to use "quick stop" as it is antiseptic and will stop the bleeding. I personally like the powder kind instead of the gels.   [See examples of nail trimmers below].  

 

  

 

  



Drying Your Yorkie:
Blot your yorkie’s coat with the towel to soak up the excess water.  Blotting insures you are not tangling up the coat.  Prior to drying, spray on a leave in conditioner or coat oil, and brush throughout the coat, combing out any tangles along the way.  You can find many different brands on the market.  This will help greatly in preventing tangling.  You can buy a spray bottle and dilute a leave in conditioner with water, or use an olive oil sprayer to spray on a "coat oil" for dogs.  You can find an olive oil sprayer at your nearest bed & bath store.  Use it very sparingly a little goes a long way, you don’t want to leave your Yorkie looking too greasy. The amount you use will depend on the Yorkie’s coat texture, less for silk, more for other types.  That is why the olive oil sprayer is works good, as it only "mists" the coat with oil. You will find that this really helps in maintaining a tangle free coat, which cuts down greatly on brushing and detangling for the next bath time. Once your Yorkie is brushed, it is time to dry. Use a professional dog dryer if possible as they have a lower heat setting than human dryers.   If not, be very careful to use the lowest possible setting for temperature, and maintain a greater distance away from your Yorkie, as their skin is very sensitive, and a hot dryer setting will hurt and even burn them. Check to see how hot the air flow is on the bottom of your wrist to gage the correct distance to keep from your Yorkie’s skin.  Gently brush the hair the way you want the coat to lay as you dry. Try to reassure your Yorkie during this process so that your little one isn't so scared.

 

 

Trimming Your Yorkie's Ears:
The top 1/3 of the yorkies ears are generally trimmed.  It is shaved on the inside and outside of the ear 1/3 of the way down.  This is done just for appearance.  It is also done as puppies to aid in the ears in standing upright.  Any hair inside the ears should be removed.

 

 

  

 

 

 



    

               

                                 

                                                                                            

                            

 

 

 

 




 



 


"He is your Best friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. ~ Author Unknown ~





Page Design © BeachBound Creations 2009
Content © 24 Karat Yorkshires