Grooming:

 

Proper grooming to keep your yorkie looking nice and remain healthy will include:

• Baths

• Brushing and combing

• Nail Care

• Trimming

• Creating Top Knots

Baths

 

So, how often should you give a Yorkshire Terrier a bath? Keeping the above in mind, the perfect timing for most yorkies is once every 3-4 weeks unless there are extenuating circumstances.  Things start off with proper bathing techniques. Timing of baths is crucial for effective grooming with pleasing results. 

 

Grooming Tips

 

1) Choose your grooming products carefully. Never use human shampoo, no matter how well it happens to work for you. It will dry the skin and coat of this dog breed as it is not formulated with the correct ph balance. Invest in a quality shampoo, conditioner and leave-in product.  A bottle lasts quite a while for a little yorkie, so you won't need to restock often. 

 

 

If you give too many baths, the following will happen:

 

1) Even if you are using the best shampoos and other products, the nature of shampoo is to cleanse and too much of this will strip away oils too frequently, causing the skin to dry out.

2) The act of scrubbing too often will be abrasive to the skin and coat. Hairs can lose their strength and the coat can weaken.

 

If you give a bath too rarely, many things will happen:

 

1) Natural body fluids will accumulate and not being cleansed away this can cause the coat to look (and feel) oily

2) Skin pores can clog

3) The coat will begin to smell

4) Long hairs will tangle and knot without the help of a quality conditioner

 

2) Brush and comb the coat directly before and after a bath. You'll want to do this before baths to catch any tangles before they become wet in the tub at which time they will become more difficult to remove. Combing also separates the hairs for better cleansing.  

 

3) Be sure to rinse out all shampoo and conditioner. Any leftover shampoo residue will cake up into tiny particles similar to the texture of waxy, wet clay substance. These little chunks will clog skin pores, prevent body oils from being properly distributed on the silky hair and can cause skin irritation. When you think that you have rinsed enough, rinse for a minute longer.

 

4) Use a quality canine bath brush which stimulates the skin and is the right texture for a silky haired breed. Any cloth that is even slightly abrasive can irritate the skin which affects the coat.

 

5) Male yorkies should be wiped with a canine cleansing wipe, to clean off urine that usually collects onto the coat when they urinate. Doing so right before bedtime and after their last "bathroom" trip of the day generally works best. In this way, your yorkie will be able to retreat to his sleeping area perfectly clean and fresh.

 

6) Take note of any feces that may have clung to hairs near the anus.  For females, bacteria from feces can travel to the urethral orifice and cause a urinary tract infection. If you do need to wipe the rear end to tidy up your yorkie after a bowel movement, be sure to wipe outward and not toward the urethral opening. 

 

7) Each day, use a quality canine facial wipe to wipe around the eyes. If you choose to do this with only a damp washcloth, once the eye area is cleaned, use a 2nd dry cloth to pat this area dry. You will not want to allow the hairs around the eyes to remain wet or even damp, as a yeast infection can quickly grow in that sort of environment. If your yorkie tends to dive into his or her water dish, try to wipe the face as often as you can so the area does not stay damp for a long time.

 

Brushing and Combing

 

Proper brushing and combing techniques will keep the coat healthy, keep it tangle free and allow it to grow. Trying to remove matted hair can take hours and can be very stressful for both owner and dog. Therefore, it is highly recommended to brush and comb your yorkie 1 time per day if the dog has a long "show coat" and every 2 days if the dog has a shorter "puppy dog cut".

 

Remember that tangles are a normal part of having a long coat...And even puppy coats can tangle if not combed through often enough.

Brushing dry hair will cause breakage. You should always spritz your the coat with a quality leave-in conditioner spray to dampen the coat before brushing. Keep an eye on this, you may need to spritz in sections as you move along. The goal will be to add some moisture, but not to soak the hairs.  A leave-in spray also protects the coat from damaging summer sun, drying arid winter air, static and contact friction damage.

 

Tangles should be worked out with your fingers. First, wet the tangle with conditioner. Lather your hands with the solution as well. Get into a comfortable position and begin to gently work out the hairs. Only as a last resort would you want to clip off a mat; this is reserved for a serious tangle that you simply cannot unwind.

 

Part of learning to groom a yorkie will be to use the proper tools for this breed.  For short coats, use a small sized slicker brush that has medium spread between bristles. For long coats, use a rubber backed pin brush with moderate spread. The right tool will properly distribute body oils as you groom and correctly rake through the coat without breaking hairs or causing split ends. 

 

Combs are used for touch-ups, to catch any tangles the brush may have missed, to groom small areas such as the face and to give the coat a 'finished' look. The comb that you use should be made of metal.  A double sided small metal comb with wider teeth on one side and finer teeth on the other is perfect. For long coats, a medium toothed metal comb works well. 

 

You will want to do some small trimming to keep a nice, finished look. There are a few areas that will need special attention. If you look at the underside of the paw, there should be no stray hairs that grow out from in between the pads and past the pads. This should be trimmed to the level of the puppy or dog's paw.

 

The top 1/3 of the ear hairs should be trimmed. This helps to keep the ears standing erect as they will not be weighed down. 

 

The area around the dog's rectum should be trimmed short for hygiene purposes. It prevents small pieces of feces from sticking to the rump.

Many owners choose to keep their yorkie with the "puppy dog cut" as opposed to maintaining the long "show dog cut".  Maintaining a "show dog cut" requires quite a bit of work. This looks is one where the yorkie's hair is one length and flows all the way to the floor. Constant grooming must be done to avoid tangles or mats which could destroy the entire look.  

 

Many yorkie owners choose to trim their yorkie themselves and others opt to have a professional dog groomer do the job. If you do choose to do this yourself, it is highly recommended to invest in quality clipping tools, as this will make grooming and trims much easier.

 

Remember that if you make a grooming mistake, the hair will grow back; and it does so rather quickly for most puppies and dogs. Never shave so low that skin shows through the coat. This can cause many skin irritation issues. If you do shave too short and skin can be seen, apply sunscreen to these areas in the summer if you'll be taking your yorkie outside for more than 20 minutes.

 

Nails

 

Nail trimming should be done every 2 or 3 weeks. Check your pup or dog often to see at what rate their nails are growing. Often, if you don't clip the nails often enough, the clickety-clack sound of them on hard flooring when your yorkie walks will remind you. And if you continue to ignore this grooming need, they can become ingrown which will cause quite a bit of discomfort for your dog.

 

An owner may do this themselves or opt for a dog groomer to do this. If doing this at home, it is important to use quality pet nail trimming tools. The cut should be fast and easy, as most dogs do not stay very still while having this done. A good alternative to clipping is a grinder, which (if it's a good one) will quickly and relatively quietly mechanically file the nails. 

 

One of the biggest worries of those who try to trim their yorkie's nails at home is the element of cutting to low and cutting the "quick" of the nail. The quick is a vein that runs down the center of each nail. If cut, there will be quite a bit of bleeding.  If you do clip the nails, do a little bit at a time, taking a look each time you trim a piece. As you slowly remove small pieces, you will eventually see a gray or pinkish color oval of color in the nail. This is your sign to stop cutting. 

 

Trimming is easier if done right after bath time, when the dog's nails are wet. And grinder can be done at any time.

 

Top Knots and Bows

 

Yorkies with long coats that do not have their coat shaved will need to have the hair on the top of their heads put into a top knot. And many owners choose to have a short puppy cut for the main coat, but leave hairs on the head long in order to pull them back into a cute topknot. This keeps the hair out of the dog's eyes, allowing them to see of course, but also keeps strays from scratching against the surface of the dog's eyes.

 

Ears

 

Taking care of the ears is important. Regularly check the ears, look for any redness, discharge or odor. If you do see these signs, a vet check for infections should be done. If there is hair in the channel, remove it by pulling it out with a small forceps ear tool. Whether the hair is oily or not, using a plucking powder lightly will make it much easier to do. A weekly ear cleaner is recommended and there are many different brands available online or at your local pet store.

​

​

​

Introducing your Puppy To other Animals:

​

Introduce your puppy other animals. And although the way dogs establish dominance may seem violent, it’s important to be there to firmly establish yourself as the alpha dog of your household.

When your puppy is the only animal you have, you won’t have to worry about him not getting along with any other pets. However, if you have any additional dogs, cats, birds or other pets, there may be an adjustment period while all your pets get to know one another. Don’t be alarmed if your new puppy doesn’t immediate take to the other animals – it can take several weeks for your pets to establish a new pecking order.
The first thing you should do when you get your new puppy home is let it and your other pets meet each other. You may encounter some displays of dominance in this situation, especially if the other animal is older. Once the two meet each other, try to leave it up to the animals to decide what happens.

For the first few days – and especially if your pets are clashing a lot – it might be helpful to lock the puppy up at night and any other time the house will be empty. Simply shut him in a bathroom or bedroom where there’s nothing he can really destroy. This prevents any major animal battles from occurring while you aren’t home to play referee. This is an especially good idea if your puppy is much smaller than your other animals since he could easily be hurt.

If you’re introducing your puppy to another dog, be ready for the two to fight for dominance. This process should be relatively violence-free, although it may not look like it to you! Be sure to step in if the fighting gets too aggressive and make certain your dogs know that bad behavior is not acceptable. If you have more than one dog, you may need to help your puppy get established in the pack – or dominance order – that your current dogs have already established.

The best way to do this is to use a dog crate. Put your puppy in the crate and let the other dogs approach and sniff the puppy. This lets them get used to each other without being able to attack one another. If one of your current dogs makes any aggressive sounds or motions, step in and correct them. This lets all of your dogs know that being aggressive towards each other is not acceptable, and in the pack mentality, it establishes you as the top “dog.”

If you’re introducing your puppy to other animals, the process will be a bit different. If your other pet is a cat, you’ll hear some truly tremendous hissing and growling from you feline if she’s never been around dogs before. After several weeks, though, she’ll generally begin to accept your puppy – or at least tolerate him. Sometimes, in fact, your younger cats will actually enjoy playing with your new puppy and the two will become very good friends.

With caged animals, puppies will often sniff and bark at them a few times, but otherwise, they’ll generally ignore rats, ferrets, guinea pigs, and the like. However, if you let any of these rodents out of their cages, keep an eye on the two to make certain your puppy doesn’t try to play too roughly with them.

 

Puppy-proof your home:

​

Raising a puppy is a lot like raising small children — they get into everything! Some of what they get into can be hazardous to their health or to your possessions. You can make life safer for the puppy and your furniture by getting rid of hazards and temptations ahead of time.

To a puppy, the world is brand new and fascinating! He’s seeing it all for the very first time and absolutely everything must be thoroughly investigated. Puppies do most of their investigating with their mouths — “Look at this! What is it? Something to eat? Something to play with?” Murphy’s Law says that a puppy will be most attracted to the things he should least have — electrical cords, the fringe on your expensive oriental rug, your brand new running shoes, etc.

Preventing destructive and dangerous chewing is easier than trying to correct the puppy every second. Look around your home. What objects could be put up out of the way of a curious puppy? Bitter Apple spray can be applied to furniture legs, woodwork and other immovable items. Are there rooms your puppy should be restricted from entering until he’s better trained and more reliable? Install a baby gate or keep the doors to those rooms closed.

Take a walk around your yard looking for potential hazards. If your yard is fenced, check the boundaries and gates for openings that could be potential escape routes. Puppies can get through smaller places than an adult dog. If your yard’s not fenced, make a resolution right now that your puppy will never be allowed to run off lead without close supervision. He won’t ever know enough to look both ways before crossing the street to chase a squirrel. Keep him safe by keeping him on leash!

 

 

Visit your vet:

​

Make an appointment with your veterinarian to give the puppy a complete checkup within 72 hours of your purchase. If you don’t have a vet yet, ask the breeder or local kennel club for a recommendation if you're buying locally. If you are buying from a city not close to you, research a vet in advance. Although the puppy has most likely been health-checked by the breeder (or should’ve been!), an exam is additional security against health defects, problems that weren’t apparent the first time. If your vet offers microchip ID implants, this an excellent time to get one!

WARNING!!! Do NOT allow your puppy to touch the floor or let people pet or hold your puppy. Viruses such as parvo can infect your baby before he/she has had all of their shorts. 

 

 

How to Choose a Vet:

​

Your pet is like a furry little family member, and his health is important to you. So when it comes time to find a vet, how do you know which one is the best? Here are some ideas to help you choose the very best veterinarian for your pet.

1. Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a vet, or if they have had any bad experiences with a vet.

2. Look for a vet who specializes in your type of pet, particularly if you own an exotic pet.

3. Meet a potential vet and the office staff prior to your first appointment. Ask to take a tour. This way you will know if your personalities mesh well and if you feel good about the vet’s office.

4. Find out about what a potential vet charges, as well as payment methods available to make sure this works for you.

5. Ask a potential vet how he or she feels about things that are important to you, such as feeding and health risks, to make sure you are on the same page.

​