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Grooming and Care of Your Yorkshire Terrier
Due to the long and glorious coat of the Yorkie, special care and attention is required to keep your dog looking its best. You may choose to shave the coat at approximately 8 months of age. A shaved coat is much easier to maintain and requires less grooming, perhaps a good comb out every 2-3 months with a bath every 2-3 weeks. I have found that they look best in a Schnauzer trim leaving only the legs, eyebrows and mustache line. If your choice is to keep the coat long, SPECIAL care must be taken. It will take approximately, 1 hour of your time every week. The dog must be bathed once a week, blow dried, brushed and the topknot tied up, I have found that this is not such a chore as it sounds if the dog is trained at a very young age, of what bath time is all about.
Start by training your puppy to lay on it's back, This may be done while you are watching TV. Place the puppy on your lap and say "back". Touch the feet, lift the legs, and then praise the dog. Do the same by making the puppy lay on it's side and give the command "side", repeat the exercise. Also, teach your puppy to "stand". Do this by placing your hand under the chin and the other hand under the bum. Lift the dog off the ground and place down giving the command "stand". Start to teach the commands as soon as possible, you would not believe the time it saves when you are brushing and the dog co-operates with you. They learn to love being groomed.
Brushes and Combs to Use
You will need a Steel comb with small and medium teeth. A small, soft slicker brush to use on the feet and legs, and a pin brush.
Bathing, Drying & Brushing
I use Coat Handlers Shampoo and Conditioner, it comes extra strength and is diluted 1 part shampoo or conditioner to 15 parts water, needless to say one bottle will last one Yorkie a very long time. (What ever you use PLEASE do not use a shampoo or conditioner that is not a quality product, your Yorkie has baby fine hair and a sensitive skin.)
Using warm water wet the coat thoroughly. Apply the shampoo following the spine. Work into a lather by working the shampoo in a downward motion, rather than rubbing and scrubbing, you will find that if you lather in all directions that the coat will mat. Do the same for the legs, chest, stomach, and head. Rinse thoroughly. Apply the conditioner in the same manner. (If using Coat Handler conditioner, do not rinse. It is a leave in conditioner, and makes the comb out a lot easier.) Squeeze off excess water and wrap in a towel.
Use a warm hair dryer, be sure the air is warm, not hot and burning the skin. Start by placing the dog on its back, while drying brush the coat towards the table. Work your way up one side by parting the coat in small sections. Place the dog on its side and finish brushing up to the middle of the back. Turn over and repeat. Dry the dogs legs by holding the toes and brushing towards the dog. This may be done either standing or lying, whichever you feel comfortable with. Now dry the chest by brushing downward. The head and mustache should be given special attention. Be as gentle as possible. After the top of the head is dried ( if the hair is long enough) part ?" from the corner of the eyes and tie in a orthodontic elastic or a small barrette. Be sure the hair is not pulling the eyes or the ears. It should be tight but not pulling in any manner. Finish by combing the coat in a downward motion, and make a part along the spine. If this is followed once a week, there should not be any matting. If a mat should occur , gently comb the end working your way up to the root. Do NOT pull the mat from the root.
Please do not forget that nail trimming is an important part of grooming. Nails should be done once a month. If you start to hear your dogs nails on bare floor, it's time for a trim. Ears should be cleaned approximately once a month.
A collar should not be left on your dog all the time. I prefer a harness for walks. Only use one to go for walks and remove it as soon as you get home. A harness or collar will break and damage the coat. Many dogs have lost their lives due to strangulation by their collar. The type of collar you use should fit comfortably. Try to pull it over the dogs head without undoing it. If you can get it off it is to big. You should be able to slip your pinkie finger under the collar. Yorkies do not require a regular dog collar, a cat collar usually fits better, unless you can find a very small dog collar. The leash should be as light as possible. Keep in mind the size of your dog. The #1 Flex - Leads are wonderful for walks, and runs.