When purchasing a Yorkshire Terrier for a home, the future owner must be aware that the long, well-groomed coat requires complex, regular care. Finding a groomer who will tidy up your pet's guard hair is not difficult, but regular care for a Yorkshire Terrier requires regular visits to the salon, which cost a lot of money.
It is necessary to accustom a Yorkie to grooming manipulations and constant care from puppyhood - in the future, it will be much easier to cope with an adult dog if the dog knows and is not afraid of the procedures.
Usually a puppy appears in a new home at about 1.5 - 2 months. By this age, the breeder must show the puppy what washing and combing its fur means. After the baby arrives in a new place, he needs to be given time to get used to it - you can’t even carry out hygienic care right away. At least 2-3 weeks after the dog appears in the family, you can accustom the puppy to hygiene procedures - trimming nails, combing hair, cleaning ears and face. A small dog quickly gets accustomed to new things and easily tolerates procedures.
Read further: Dog grooming - what is it?
Go to a salon or do it yourself?
The long hairstyle of the Yorkshire Terrier must be kept in order, regardless of the type of haircut - a regular hygienic one or an intricate model one. But who will do this is up to the owner to decide. There are not many options
- Go to a grooming salon. The downside is that you can get either a good hairdresser or a beginner who has completed a week-long course and can cut hair no better than the inexperienced owner. The advantages are that the owner has no problems and professional instruments that must be disinfected without fail.
- Host an experienced professional at your home. Not a bad, but expensive option. In-home services are the most expensive because the groomer spends time traveling.
- Bring your pet to the groomer. Many hairdressers cut their Yorkies at home, but this is not the most convenient option. The owner needs to walk somewhere while waiting for the pet, and the dog itself will most likely be uncomfortable in a strange place. On the plus side, a service from the same specialist at home will cost less than in a salon.
- Do everything yourself. A wonderful convenient and economical option, but it requires tools and some skills.
If you want to learn grooming yourself, nothing is impossible. To begin with, you can make a couple of visits to the master groomer and ask to be present during the process, get acquainted with the necessary tools and watch all the stages of cutting.
Grooming a Yorkshire Terrier - Yorkie
The Yorkshire Terrier in grooming and by standards is considered a non-cutting breed of decorative dogs. This applies mainly to show dogs. In such Yorkies, the hair remains as long as possible both on the body and head, and on the tail. In order not to damage the luxurious, long hair and to facilitate care, the Yorkie is kept in curlers between shows.
Any Yorkshire Terrier, whether a show dog or just a family pet, requires daily care or grooming: > Trim and file the dog's nails every 4-6 weeks to maintain the correct shape of the feet > Free the pads of the paws from long hair. Trim the long hair around the foot into a rounded shape. Trimmed paw hair will not prevent your Yorkie from running freely. > If your Yorkie has long hair on his head, put it in a ponytail, taking the hair above each eye and loosening the base of the ponytail somewhat in the form of a voluminous bulb, which emphasizes the expressiveness of the eyes and does not stretch the skin. Such a ponytail on a Yorkie’s head is called a top note; it is good to decorate it with a bow. You can gather your hair into 2 bulbs - a ponytail above each eye. > The fur of 1/3 or 1/2 of the outer tip of each ear on both sides is shaved with a trimmer and sharpened with scissors. Very careful! > The most important thing is to systematically comb your Yorkshire Terrier, preventing the formation of tangles! > Purchase basic dog grooming tools: a comb, a slicker brush, a nail clipper, a trimmer, and cosmetics for dogs with long, flowing hair—shampoo and conditioner. >Keep your Yorkie's teeth in check. They are susceptible to the formation of tartar and the development of inflammatory gum diseases - periodontitis, which leads to tooth loss! > The first grooming of a Yorkshire Terrier is carried out already at puppyhood, at 3-4 months! > Make a decision. Will you cut your Yorkie yourself, or will you find a professional groomer?
Yorkie haircut at home, on your own, in a grooming salon. What's better? Pros\cons.
- Grooming your Yorkie yourself. Pros: save money, raise a dog, study. Disadvantages: buying a tool, not confident in your abilities, risk of injuring the dog, your time and effort, wool after cutting indoors.
- Yorkie grooming at home by a guest groomer. Pros: you are not going anywhere, the dog is in a familiar home environment. Cons: not a legal groomer, works without guarantees or receipts; stranger in the house; cutting a Yorkie on unsuitable, improvised material - a toilet, an ironing board, etc., insufficient lighting for the master’s work, so the result is unpredictable, garbage after a haircut in the house, the dog’s domestic behavior - pampering, protecting the territory, etc., which makes it difficult groomer's job.
- Grooming a Yorkshire Terrier in a grooming salon. Cons: time spent traveling to the pet salon and back; Often you cannot participate in grooming your pet. Pros: prices are affordable, often no more expensive than at home; official work of the pet salon with a guarantee and receipts; a great chance to get to a professional groomer (good, experienced groomers can afford not to work at the client’s home, and pet salons, as a rule, do not hire inexperienced groomers); excellent conditions, tools and cosmetics for grooming Yorkies; The behavior of dogs at a grooming is very different from the behavior at home - they generally behave well and obey the master; garbage remains in the pet salon, etc.
Yorkie haircut price excluding promotions and discounts = 2300 rubles (complex).
It's quite inexpensive, right?
You can find all prices for dog haircuts/grooming in the Price List. The cost of a grooming complex with a haircut for a Yorkshire Terrier depends on the size and weight of the dog, includes bathing with spa treatments, trimming and filing nails, removing hair from paw pads and ears, Ear cleaning and haircut according to your wishes. Removing mats, trimming the hair between the dog's toes, or the so-called “poodle paws” - bare paws, and brushing the teeth are not included in the complex!
What determines the quality of the coat?
What kind of fur your pet will have depends on many factors. And if we have no control over natural data, then it is quite possible to correct other data in order to improve the quality of the pet’s hair.
Much depends on heredity. There is nothing you can do about genetics, so you must initially choose a puppy by looking at its parents. Luxurious fur from your closest relatives is the key to the beauty of your puppy in the future.
Environmental factors - direct sunlight, sea water, dry air - all this negatively affects the quality of the animal's hair. You should not bathe your dog in the sea or let him sleep near the radiator in winter.
Various physiological conditions and general health also directly affect the appearance of the coat: hair growth slows down during pregnancy, lactation, changing teeth, even with a common cold or stress. Along with this, poor nutrition can cause skin allergies, alopecia (baldness), and loss of pigmentation.
A lack or excess of vitamins can lead to various skin reactions, dandruff, inflammation of the sebaceous glands - even baldness. Therefore, it is important to monitor the terrier’s diet and ask the veterinarian for the exact prescription of all dietary supplements.
Types of haircuts and their features
Purebred long-haired dogs require careful grooming and regular haircuts. This is not only a hygienic necessity, but also an opportunity to diversify your looks. With proper imagination, the number of varieties of haircuts tends to infinity. How to trim a Yorkie at home, what hairstyles there are and which one to choose largely depends on the coat, as well as on how accustomed the dog is to grooming procedures.
Exhibition
It would be more correct to call the exhibition option cosmetic. Show hairstyle is done in accordance with American Kennel Club guidelines. The terrier remains at the maximum hair length and is lightly trimmed so that the exterior advantages stand out more clearly, while the shortcomings are hidden. It is better to entrust such a matter to a groomer, because the jury’s assessments largely depend on the appearance of the dog.
Puppy grooming
For the first time, a puppy at about a month old is cut by a breeder. The procedure includes trimming claws and ear hairs, and sometimes trimming the groin for hygienic purposes. The owner already gives the puppy a full haircut when the baby is 4-5 months old. This is a common, simple procedure designed to accustom the puppy to manipulations and tools that are unusual for him.
After six months, closer to junior age (9 months), you can give the terrier a model haircut. It is better to grow the hair up to this point and decide with the grown length whether to trim it short or leave the hair flowing. After the soft puppy fluff is cut off, the puppy begins to grow real hair, elastic and silky, similar to human hair.
Hygienic
It can be carried out very often - every two weeks. The procedure includes thorough combing over the entire body, sorting out tangles if there are any, trimming the growing hair and shaping the head. There are two hygienic options - summer and classic. The summer option involves shaving the dog's fur to a minimum, leaving only small fringes on the dog's paws and tail, and also shaping the head. In the classic version, on the contrary, the coat is trimmed as it grows, leaving length.
A hygienic haircut is the easiest to perform at home. Any dog owner can master it and perform it as often as needed.
Model
Here everything is limited only by the owner’s imagination, the skills of the groomer and the physiological characteristics of the animal. However, there are the most popular and preferred models that are recognized throughout the world.
Kawaii, Asian or Korean style
The muzzle and neck are shaved, leaving the ears and paws with feathering. The body is usually cut short, and the tail can be combed at the owner's request. The trick of the hairstyle is the cuteness that animals acquire.
For other breeds
You can make a small copy of a Miniature Schnauzer, Poodle, Bichon Frize, Welsh Terrier, Chinese Crested... The point is that the hair is cut off or left in the right places, making the Yorkshire Terrier look like another breed.
Like a puppy
An adult Yorkie is cut evenly and quite short, leaving a length of 3-4 cm, and a round head is formed. Thanks to this appearance, a dog of any age looks like a small puppy. There is an option when the head is shaped not round, but square, and therefore is called a “square hairstyle.”
Chinchilla
In fact, this is an ordinary classic. The highlight of it is the pattern on the back. The groomer leaves a short length, no more than 1.5 cm, and shave fine lines on it, like on a chinchilla’s fur coat. After a week, everything grows back and lies in layers. It looks very impressive.
Hair tattoos
It is cut according to the principle of a chinchilla haircut. It can be scales, diamonds, curls and other designs.
French braid
The back is not completely shaved: a length remains along the line of the spine, which is braided into a spikelet or French braid. It can be done both from the back of the head to the tail, and in the opposite direction. It looks beautiful and original, especially on girls.
Coloring
Along with haircuts, various colors are gaining popularity - plain and rainbow. The haircut can be anything.
The appearance of the dog may differ depending on the gender. Even if a girl gets her hair cut short, they usually try to leave her a skirt, and for a boy they give her pants. There are also differences on the head: girls wear bows and elastic bands, and boys have the top of their head cut like a cap.
Types and frequency of haircuts
The Yorkshire Terrier's long, soft coat grows constantly and does not shed. These dogs require careful attention and professional guard hair care.
Even if the owner is sure that he can cut the Yorkie’s hair on his own, it is better to turn to a professional, observe how to properly restrain the dog, how to properly work with tools, and directly cut the dog’s hair. It is also recommended to study the educational material on caring for the Yorkshire Terrier's coat.
Most grooming salons offer a home service - to reduce stress for the pet, all procedures are carried out in the familiar territory. Having a groomer come to your home will cost the owner a pretty penny, but a specialist will help the owner decide on the tools and various cutting methods.
Of course, if the dog has an exhibition career, it is better to entrust the care of the pet to a professional - even for a sloppy “hairstyle” or not meeting the standard, the judges will reduce points at the exhibition. The breed appearance of the show Yorkie is long, well-groomed hair; it is almost impossible to cope with a task of this magnitude on your own.
Grooming salon service options:
- Hygienic. It consists of processing the length, without shaping hairstyles. Excess fur is removed from the paws, face and ears, armpits, groin, and anal area. Hygienic dog care includes trimming or trimming nails, cleaning ears, and washing eyes. The frequency of hygiene procedures is approximately once every 2 weeks.
- Standard. Suitable for dogs participating in exhibitions. The breed standard provides for a strict appearance - only one type of “hairstyle”. Standard coat treatment is carried out before each exhibition or once every 2-3 months.
- Fantasy. The appearance of a pet depends only on the wishes or imagination of the owner. The coat can be long or completely short, you can make drawings on the animal’s body (the so-called hair-tattoo), tie various braids or ponytails. Such “hairstyles” are done as the animal grows overgrown. The patterns on the body are overgrown in 2-3 weeks, after which new ones can be made again. Also, groomers offer a service for dyeing dog hair in different colors - it looks funny.
- Summer. This type is absolutely not suitable for dogs participating in exhibitions. If the pet does not have breeding value or is not engaged in a show career, to increase comfort in the summer, the dogs are cut almost bald, leaving a little hair in the area of the muzzle, paws, and tail (but often cutting off the hair from the entire body except the head). Usually the dog is cut this way by the beginning of summer, and closer to autumn the dog grows hair to a standard length.
Features for boys and girls
Haircuts differ depending on the gender of the dog. Girls are often left with a “skirt” and long bangs, which are collected in a ponytail (braided), tied with hairpins or elastic bands.
To design a “skirt,” the top of the body—the back and sides—is cut very short with a clipper, leaving hair on the tail and belly, which is formed like a skirt. The bangs should remain long, and the rest of the fur on the face should be cut short.
A haircut for boys is done in the shape of panties. The entire body of a Yorkie boy is clipped short, leaving “pants” on the paws and tail. At the owner's request, the groomer leaves an elongated beard - the hairs on the face are 2 - 3 centimeters longer than the main coat.
Required Tools
Many owners wonder how to trim their Yorkie themselves using scissors alone. Unfortunately, scissors will not be enough - you will need other equipment to make the procedure pleasant and quick, and most importantly, correct. So, a basic set of tools:
- Table and rubber mat, ideally this should be a grooming table with a rubberized surface.
- Scissors, and not alone. At a minimum, you need straight, rounded, thinning scissors and small scissors with rounded tips (like manicure scissors).
- A machine with different types of attachments. It’s good if it’s battery-powered, without connecting to the network - then there will be no surprises if the light suddenly goes out. Such a machine is mobile: for example, in a private house you can get a haircut in the yard. The attachments, like the body itself, should be metal - they do not accumulate static electricity, metal is easier to clean, and it is less clogged with hairs.
- Trimmer for treating hard-to-reach places - ears, muzzle, anus.
- Several combs with different distances between teeth. Combs should also be metal.
- Massage brush.
- A mat cutter, since mats fall off even on the most well-groomed dogs, sometimes at record speed – within a day.
- Nail clipper and medium hard nail file.
This is the equipment you will need directly when cutting your hair. In addition to this, you will need shampoo, conditioner, hair dryer, mousses, sprays and care oils.
Advantages of our company
- Masters who have completed the most advanced grooming courses, and they constantly improve the level of their skills.
- The best conditions for your pets.
- Our specialists will find an approach to any dog.
- We use only professional products.
- We constantly have promotions and discount coupons.
In order for your dog to look bright and take only first places at all exhibitions and competitions, it is very important for you to find a real Yorkie grooming specialist.
Preparing for grooming
Before cutting Yorkie dogs, be sure to watch videos, photographs, and become familiar with the tools. Inexperienced owners are better off consulting a groomer.
Before using scissors and clippers, wash your pet with shampoo and conditioner to make the hair smoother and less tangled. Before washing, only comb the head, without touching the mustache and beard, and remove tangles.
The coat is washed with shampoo twice, the first time to wash away dust and major impurities, and the second time it is washed with care shampoo. After shampoo, apply balm or conditioner; you can add a few drops of broccoli oil, which has a laminating effect. This entire mixture is lightly rubbed into the skin and kept for at least five minutes. After washing, the hair should be slightly slippery. Dry the wet dog with a terry towel and clean the ears, removing any remaining moisture from them.
Dry the dog with a powerful hairdryer that has temperature control. Drying is carried out with a strong air flow until it is slightly damp, after which combing begins. You can spray the animal with antistatic agent. Brush the dog with a massage brush from the tips to the roots; if there are tangled places, they are sorted out using a regular comb with rotating teeth.
When everything is combed, take the hairdryer again and dry it with a warm and cold stream of air alternately. At the same time, the strands are pulled back so that there is no wave. Do not dry against the grain. Gradually switch to only the cold flow of the hairdryer.
The pet must be well dried before cutting, otherwise the hair will become tangled. When everything is ready, you can proceed to the most important thing.
Description of the general scheme
Yorkies do not have an undercoat like other dog breeds. They find it difficult to tolerate heat and cold. In winter, warm clothes will save your pet from the cold. And in the summer the dog will need to be cut short.
Grooming a Yorkie at home begins with the back and sides: cut from the back of the head to the groin line. Next, the hair on the neck and chest is trimmed. The fur between the front paws and on the belly is trimmed with scissors or a clipper. To shape the ponytail, use scissors with rounded blades. The hair on the front legs is cut to the elbow. Lastly, the head and muzzle are cut. To trim the ears, use a clipper. The ear is shaped like a diamond at the back, and like a triangle at the front, at half its height. The remaining hair is combed onto both sides of the ear. Hairs are removed from the ear canal. Eyebrows, sideburns, cheeks and chin are formed. The outline of the head should take on a round shape.
How to cut your Yorkie's hair yourself - step-by-step instructions
The owner needs to prepare (disinfect) the instruments and put on a robe. It’s good if the dog takes all the procedures calmly, doesn’t get nervous, and doesn’t break out. Sometimes an assistant may be needed - preferably, it should be a person familiar to the dog, that is, a member of your family.
1. First of all, the body is decorated. To do this, make an even parting along the spine and comb the hair on both sides. From below, the strands are trimmed to the same length. The chest and neck are cut quite short to the lower jaw.
2. If a dog is being groomed, then you need to start from the tail. Do not shave beyond the ear line. Hair is removed from the front paws above the elbows. From the rear – up from about the middle of the thigh. The front neck is shaved from the shoulders to the throat, and the transition is shaped with scissors. With the summer hygienic option, only the paws remain slightly combed.
3. From the neck they move to the muzzle and shape the head. The most tangled areas - the groin, armpits, paws and fingers - are trimmed very short with a clipper, no longer than 5 mm. In fact, hair grows back quickly. When clipping your armpits, be very careful not to snag the thin skin.
4. Use rounded scissors to remove excess under the tail, around the anus. It is preferable to pluck the hairs in the ears or, as a last resort, remove them with a trimmer.
5. Long hair on the body is either trimmed only from the bottom (“pants”), or, in addition to this, the upper ⅔ of the length (“flares”) is removed.
6. Lastly, the paws are trimmed. The foot must be firmly fixed, otherwise your model may jerk it and get hurt. First, the claws are processed with a special nail clipper, and the sharp tips are filed with a file. It is convenient to trim the nails after washing, when they are softened, easier to cut and do not peel off.
7. When the claws are processed, use small rounded scissors to cut off the excess from the bottom of the paw and between the pads so that nothing gets tangled or interferes with walking. The top of the foot is given a neat rounded shape without protruding tufts.
8. At the end of the haircut, all shaved areas are once again passed over with a clipper.
By following these instructions, you will understand how to trim your Yorkie yourself, and you will see that there is nothing complicated or impossible in a hygienic hairstyle.
Step-by-step instructions: cutting hair at home
Before trimming a Yorkie at home, the animal owner needs to prepare himself: clothes should not be made of synthetic fabrics. The thin fur of a Yorkie quickly becomes electrified, so for hygiene procedures you need to choose a cotton suit.
First, it is recommended to wash the dog, and after all the procedures, rinse the fur again to wash off the remnants of the cut hair.
After the dog is washed and the coat is dried, you need to thoroughly comb the pet. If there is stray hair or tangles, they must be removed with a tangle cutter.
You need to make an even parting along the dog’s back and comb the fur on both sides. The ends are aligned to the same length, the chest and throat are cut to the lower jaw.
After the body shape is formed, the muzzle and ears are trimmed. The ears should have the shape of a triangle with sharp corners and protrude evenly and clearly on the head.
The length is removed under the tail using small scissors. The groin, paws and armpits are trimmed with a machine or trimmer, leaving a length of no more than 5 mm.
Hygienic
A hygienic haircut is done approximately once every 2 weeks, as the fur and claws grow.
The fur is carefully trimmed with scissors along the edges of the ears, on top, around the eyes and in the groin. The anus and the area around it are trimmed with small scissors with rounded tips. The hairs in the ears are trimmed with a trimmer.
Standard
The Yorkshire Terrier's "hairstyle" must meet a certain standard; this is a mandatory procedure for dogs taking part in exhibitions or having breeding value. This haircut emphasizes all the advantages of the dog. This is usually done in addition to hygienic, and can be of two types:
- Pants - a haircut that evens out the length.
- Flare – not only the length of the coat is straightened, but in addition the upper 2/3 of the entire length is cut.
To perform these haircuts, start working with the machine, processing the back and tail. The muzzle is cut fairly short with scissors with rounded ends. The result should be the shape of a hat. The tail is cut with a brush, or like a broom.
Trim paws
Paw trimming is a mandatory procedure, both for hygienic care and for other types of care for the Yorkshire Terrier.
Before you start processing the fur on the paws, you need to trim the claws. The nail plate is cut with a nail clipper at a natural grinding angle. The sharp edge, if there is one, the cut ends of the claw must be filed off with a file. It is best to trim the nails after bathing the dog, when the plate is softened - it will not flake.
After trimming the nails, you need to trim the hair between the toes and paw pads. This procedure is done with a machine or trimmer to a length of 5 mm. When grooming, you need to securely hold the dog so as not to damage the delicate skin of the paw pads.
