Yorkie Grooming

Yorkie grooming should be fun for both of you.  Preventing mats in the Yorkie coat in the first place will save and your Yorkie lots of time on the grooming table.  Yorkie grooming properly means weekly baths. Yorkie coats are much like human hair with single coats, no under coat.  Even though they don’t get dog odors, they can eventually have dirty hair smell just like people.  Keeping your Yorkie bathed and groomed at least weekly again will save you and your Yorkie lots of time on the grooming table.  When Yorkie grooming make sure the brush gets down to the skin to prevent mats. Keep in mind though how hard you are brushing.

YORKIE GROOMING - TANGLES

Do not allow mats or tangles to remain in your Yorkie’s coat! Mats tighten with each passing day and can be very painful to remove. Removing mats is not fun for you or your Yorkie. Remove tangles BEFORE bathing. When Yorkie grooming, lightly dampen the tangle with a spray bottle. They will only tighten when wet. I love this little brush for taking out tangles and mats.

I have tried the “pet store” slicker brushes and found nothing compares to the Mark X Tiny Slicker Brush for getting tangles out. The brush head is 1.5 inches with a 6 inch handle. It is by Chris Christensen – Chris Systems. Click  Yorkie grooming.

YORKIE GROOMING – BRUSHING & PRE BATH PREPARATION

Using a Boar Bristle and Nylon brush is the preference at home and at the show.  The bristle

s have two different levels.  Use a good spray detangler for any mats prior to bathing.  Use your fingers to detangle as much of the mat as possible. The slicker brush is great for this.  You should follow this up with a pin brush.  The pins should be made with a solid metal pin and not one with plastic pins or ball tips.

BATHING

First and foremost – NEVER, NEVER leave a puppy unattended on a counter or table.  They will walk off or jump off in the blink of an eye – GUARANTEED! You can use a rubber bath mat for the Yorkie to stand on during the bath. This will also prevent slipping and give your Yorkie a better footing.

Make sure you have everything you need before you start the bath. Start with warm; not hot water. Test the water temperature first on you before you start to wet down your Yorkie. Always start with a good quality animal shampoo and conditioner. Human shampoos have a different pH balance than that of dog shampoos and conditioners. Make sure you follow up with a conditioner. Make sure the conditioner is fully rinsed out to prevent unnecessary scratching. Even if you think you’ve rinsed it all out, give it one more full rinse.

DRYING

Blot dry first to soak up extra water. Apply a leave-in conditioner or a specific dog coat oil to help with tangles. A mister is suggested using part water and part conditioner. Blow dry with your hair dryer on warm, not hot.

NAILS

Trim nails after the bath. They are softer when wet and will cut easier and cleaner. There are several types of nail trimmers on the market. Pedicure™ looks like the way to go, but from experience, none of my dogs nor the neighbor’s dog sat as still as they do on the commercials. They don’t like the whirrrrr of the motor at all and are usually out of your grip in a flash. The easiest trimmer is the scissor trimmer. After trimming the nails, smooth the sharp edges with the nail file. If you trim too close and the nail bleeds apply a styptic powder or gel.

TEETH

This is a great time to brush their teeth also. There are many dogs tooth pasts that are flavored for dogs. There are also many plaque preventers on the market. I like and use Petzlife dental spray on my little ones. Cheking with your veterinarian would be a good choice to see what they recommend.

EAR TRIMMING

The predominant method of trimming Yorkie ears is trimming the top third of the ear inside and out. It will look like a triangle when trimmed. The edges are easily trimmed by putting the edge of the ear between your pointer and middle finger and keeping just enough hair above your fingers for trimming. Run the trimmer over the fingers in a downward direction. This will help you not to nick the ear and causing it to bleed.

TOPKNOT

Helps keep the head hair from getting into the eyes and causing excessive tearing and eye goop.  Click on the following link to get a visual of how to put in a Yorkie topknot.  Keep in mind that “Step 1″ is not available, but the rest are.  Click here for a visual of the steps below:

1. Gather the hair from the outside corner of the eye to the crown of the head and smooth come it out.  From a bird’s eye view, it forms a rounded corners triangle on the crown. For puppies or dogs with shorter hair length at the crown, you have to gather part of the hair above his eyes (usually half to three-quarter inches away from each side of the top – approximately 1 to 1.5 inches width of gathered hair).  In this case, it forms a rectangular shape instead of the triangular.
2. Gently back-comb the gathered hair to add volume. Depends on the length of the hair, if it’s more than six inches long, back-comb half way through its length.
3. Again depending on how much puff you want to create, generally about 1.5 inches to 2 inches from the above of the eyes secure the topknot with a latex band. Do NOT use RUBBER BANDS as it will break the hair.
4. Smooth out the back-combed area with the wide-toothed comb so it appears smooth, but still has the shape and volume of a glamorous topknot.
5. Add a bow or any decorative hair clip around the latex band.