The Do's and Dont's of Grooming a Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers are adorable looking little dogs with massive personalities. For decades, these little canines have been one of the most popular companion dogs on the planet and it's easy to understand why especially when they have been expertly groomed and really look the business. However, there are some definite do's and dont's when it comes to how a Yorkie's wonderful flowing coats should be clipped, brushed or styled!

First – The Do's

• No matter what haircut you decide to give your Yorkie, it's really important that you make sure your pet can see and that no hair is hanging in their eyes.
• You have to make sure your pet is comfortable.
• Always brush out any mats and tangles using the right grooming tools.

Second – The Don'ts

• Don't forget to trim any hair that may fall into your pet's eyes and always clean away any gunk found on fur around your pet's face
• You should never force your dog to do anything and this includes having to put up with grooming and styling sessions. It's really important for the experience to be a good one each and every time

The Many Different Styles

There are quite a few styles for the Yorkie with the most popular one being a top knot"". Below are a few ways a top knot can help keep any hair out of your pet's eyes and which make these cute little dogs look even cuter.

The Top Knot

The Top Knot is in fact, a pony tail on the top of a Yorkie's head, typically tied with a coloured ribbon. It's the style that's accepted in competitions and can either be a single of double top knot. Mature dogs have the hair tucked into a loop whereas with puppies, the ends of the top knot can be left loose.

There are two version of Top Knots, one of which is a show knot and the other is simpler and more practical at ""home"" knot. The ""show"" one is not a knot that you would want to leave in your dog's hair and involves quite a bit of work to get it just right. People who show their Yorkies prefer to use a red ""show bow"" because it shows off a Yorkie's top knot that much better but at home, you can use either an elastic band or doggy clip whichever you prefer.

The Home Knot

On a daily basis, the home ""top knot"" is by far the easiest way to ensure a Yorkies hair stays away from their faces and eyes. Quick and easy, this type of knot can stay in place for anything up to 3 days or so. However, you should not leave it any longer or you may find the fine hair on your pet's head gets a bit tangled and knotted.

All you need to do is gather the hair together at the top of your pet's head and then place an elastic band around it before finishing it all off with a bow all the while making sure you don't pull the hair too tight which would be uncomfortable for your pooch. Some people don't like to use elastic bands because they split the hair and prefer to use specifically designed clips for Yorkies.

Clipping & Trimming

Some people either don't have the time to put a top knot in their Yorkies hair and prefer instead to have their pets clipped out or trimmed on a regular basis. While these little dogs look incredibly cute with their knots and bows, they also look quite adorable when they've been clipped. The bonus being their pet's coats are extremely easy to maintain, just needing a quick brush over every day to take out any dead, loose hair that may be in their coats.

If you don't feel comfortable clipping out your dog yourself, it's best to take them along to a grooming parlour and have this professionally done for you. Some dog groomers come to your home and if you do decide to go down this route, you have to make sure they have been properly trained and have enough experience in handling small dogs like the Yorkshire Terrier.

Conclusion

The Yorkshire Terrier is a really cute little dog and one that boasts a massive personality. It would be fair to say that many of these tiny canines have no idea of their size and although they may look cuter than cute with their top knots and colourful bows, some of them would not think twice about taking on a dog ten times their size! Keeping their coats looking good and the hair out of their eyes is really important which means learning how to do a top knot is very important. The other alternative is to have your Yorkie professionally clipped on a regular basis and then just trim the hair to ensure it does not fall in their eyes.

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