Grooming

Yorkshire Terriers, or Yorkies, have a long, silky coat that requires regular grooming to keep it healthy and beautiful. If you leave a coat to mat and tangle it can cause skin sores and discomfort for your baby.

Yorkie Grooming Tips

Yorkshire Terriers are known for their beautiful, silky coats and perky, erect ears. Regular grooming is essential to keep them looking their best and to maintain their health. Here’s a detailed guide:

Daily Grooming at Home

Brushing:

-Use a soft-bristle brush or a pin brush to gently detangle their hair daily.

-Focus on preventing mats behind the ears, under the legs, and around the chest.

-For a long coat, use a comb to smooth out tangles after brushing.

-If mats occur you can use a dematting comb to help cut them out while still maintaining the hair length.

Cleaning Face:

-Use a damp cloth or pet wipes to clean around their eyes daily to prevent tear stains.

-Check for food particles in the hair around their mouth.

Ear Care:

-Keep an eye out for redness, odor, or excessive wax, which could indicate infection. Your groomer should help keep hair removed from the inner ears to help decrease chances of infections. Keeping their ears tipped and erect also helps keep airflow to the ears and decreases infections.

Paw Care:

-Inspect their paws regularly. Remove debris and check for any irritation.

Weekly Grooming

Bathing:

-Bathe your Yorkie every 1-2 weeks with a gentle, dog-safe shampoo.

-Use conditioner to keep their coat silky and tangle-free.

-Rinse thoroughly to avoid skin irritation.

Trimming Nails:

-Trim nails carefully using dog nail clippers or a grinder. Avoid cutting the quick, which can bleed.

Brushing Teeth:

-Brush their teeth with dog-safe toothpaste to prevent dental issues.

Professional Grooming

Frequency:

-Schedule a visit every 4-6 weeks, depending on how fast their hair grows and how much maintenance you do at home.

What to Request:

Haircut: Ask for a trim that suits your Yorkie’s lifestyle, such as:

-Puppy Cut: A short, manageable style for easy maintenance.

-Show Cut: A long, flowing style if you want to keep their traditional look. This will be very high maintenance and require a lot of time and care to keep up with.

-Teddy Bear Cut: A short, manageable style for easy maintenance, but longer face hair that is trimmed into a rounded shape, giving the appearance of a teddy bear. This one can take a little more maintenance than the puppy cut.

-Bring Pictures: Bring in a picture of what you would like your yorkie to look like so your groomer has a visualization of what you are asking for. T

Paw and Sanitary Trim: Request trimming between paw pads and around the sanitary area. This is typically done with every grooming.

Tip the Ears: Ask your groomer to trim the hair on the upper third of the ears. This reduces weight, encouraging the ears to stay erect.

-Mention that you’re working to help the ears stand and want to avoid excessive trimming around the base.

To tip the ears of your yorkie, trim off all the hair above the dotted line as shown in the images below.

Tipping a Yorkie's ear is a grooming technique used to enhance their appearance and maintain a well-defined look. This is an image of an adult chocolate yorkie to show where the ears are to be tipped.

Tipping a Yorkie's ear is a grooming technique used to enhance their appearance and maintain a well-defined look. This is an image of a traditional yorkie puppy to show where the ears are to be tipped.

Tipping a Yorkie's ear is a grooming technique used to enhance their appearance and maintain a well-defined look. This is a repeated image of a traditional yorkie puppy to show where the ears are to be tipped.

Tipping a Yorkie's ear is a grooming technique used to enhance their appearance and maintain a well-defined look. This is a repeated image of an adult chocolate yorkie to show where the ears are to be tipped.

Special Coat Conditioning: If your Yorkie’s coat is prone to tangling, you can request a deep-conditioning treatment.

Additional Tips for Grooming Success

Introduce Grooming Early: Start grooming routines at a young age to help your Yorkie feel comfortable. We have already introduced your puppy to baths, blow dryers, and ear and nail trims. Continuing to keep them acclimated to it will be key for you, your pup and your groomer to have an easier time.
Positive Reinforcement: Reward your puppy with treats and praise during and after grooming or brushing.
Monitor Hair Growth: Adjust grooming frequency based on how fast their hair and nails grow.
Check Under Tail Regularly: Especially while your yorkie is still young and may not be seeing a groomer regularly, check under their tail for any feces build-up. This can happen quickly and create a blockage. You can buy a small set of trimmers to keep it all trimmed short to avoid issues.