Yorkies are such a beautiful breed of dog. They will definitely need your help to stay that way. You will need to schedule time each day to take care of all of his/her needs. It all is worth it though, when they show you their love and loyalty.
They may not always enjoy the grooming process, but the more you stay with it and keep it up, they will become use to the routine and will tolerate it . It must be a positive experience. That means a lot of patience on your part. They may squirm in your hands and maybe even yelp like you are hurting them. That is usually their way of getting you to quit. If you know that you are not hurting them do not stop or they will catch on to this little game. Always use a happy voice with lots of praise. You may even choose to give him/her a treat afterward to reward them for doing such a good job.Do not hold them high up. They may become frightened and jump out of your arms. Keep them low to the ground at all time. Give them time to get use to the grooming process. start out grooming for a short time and then add a few minutes longer each time you groom until you are able to do the whole grooming process.
Some grooming needs to be done on a daily basis. You must keep this up for your puppies health. Number one thing that must be done is daily brushing. If you miss this it can result in a tangled mess that will hurt your Yorkie in the long run. You do not want to put him/her through the torture of sitting for a very long time, pulling out tangles in their hair. Also make sure you use a pin brush to brush out their coats. If you feel a tangle use a comb and gently remove it as you would in your own hair. Lastly, if you would like to keep the hair away from their face pull it up with a small ponytail.
Yorkies need to have their teeth brushed daily. This may turn out to be a very hard task. You may even need to have someone else hold them so you have two hands to work with. This is not something that you can do a few times and then forget about it. Yorkies are prone to dental disease. In order to keep them healthy it has to be done daily. Start out with brushing just a few teeth at a time and each day add a few more with more time. Make sure you never use human toothpaste because this will upset their little stomachs. Pet stores carry dog toothpaste. They make them in different flavors. When you are able to accomplish brushing all of their teeth it should be the front, back, and top. Also the upper and lower jaw.
Nail clipping should be a weekly routine. You can try this yourself, but you must be very careful not to clip their little vein that runs through their nails. This will hurt and probably bleed. Just do a little clipping and take your time. Hold him/her with the tummy up and hold the paw firmly. If you are nervous about doing this yourself a pet groomer will usually do this for a small fee.
Cleaning of the ears should be done monthly. Check to see if they have dirt in their ear. If you do see that it needs cleaned, put a few drops of ear cleaner in their ears,massage the ear flaps to make sure it is cleaned properly, then use a cotton ball to clean it up. Never use a cotton swab to clean. It may go to deep and injure their ears.
Lastly is bathing. Most people think this should be done weekly, but bathing can be done once a month, unless they get into something and become dirty before that. To bathe them fill a tub up with a small amount of warm water. Make sure to check the water temperature before you Put them in. Hold him/her firmly so they do not hurt themselves. Wash the bod first. Use a small cup to pour the water on their body and gently rub. Always make sure to rinse out all of the shampoo so their skin will not itch. Next with a small washcloth gently wash their head and around their eyes, nose and mouth. Rinse carefully so that water does not get in their mouth, nose, or eyes. When they are done with their bath towel blot them dry. Always use a gentle voice to keep your Yorkie calm.
With some time and patience your Yorkie will be happy and healthy. A great magazine to help you learn all about your Yorkie is from the Dog Fancy Magazines ” Yorkshire Terrier Puppies . They will help you with every aspect of having and taking care of your Yorkshire Terrier.
