The Yorkshire Terrier is so-called because of the dog breed’s humble beginnings in Yorkshire which is a region in northern England. They are often nicknamed Yorkies and they are small dogs typically weighing no more than seven pounds. Yorkshire Terriers are gorgeous dogs with silky, floor-length coating that resembles a human’s hair more than that of a dog.
A Yorkshire Terrier’s coating can come in one of the four pairs of colors: black and tan, blue and gold, blue and tan, and black and gold. Here is the process of how to groom a Yorkshire Terrier so that you can keep the dog looking gorgeous and healthy.
Learn How To Groom A Yorkshire Terrier By Following This Process
1. Brush Your Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terriers shed very little hair, if at all. So, you don’t really need to worry about cleaning the coating for dead hair or watching the hair fall down all over the floor.
Even with that being said, matting is still very much a concern for your Yorkshire Terrier and so you will still need to brush the dog’s coating in order to get rid of the mats.
In fact, you will actually need to brush your Yorkshire Terrier daily as the dog’s coating can very easily become matted because of the human-like hair that keeps on growing.
There is one important thing that I want to note. It is that because of the way that your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair is, you should never ever brush the dog’s coating when it is dry. If you do that, it can cause pieces of your Yorkshire Terrier’s fine hair to break off.
So, before you brush your Yorkshire Terrier, you will want to make sure that the dog’s coating is damp, but not overly wet. The easiest way to do that is to grab a spray bottle and fill it with water and then spray it on your dog’s coating until it is damp enough for you to brush it.
Concerning which brush you should use to brush your Yorkshire Terrier, even though Yorkshire Terriers only have a single layer of coating, you will still want a slicker brush like the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush because it is one of the most effective tools for mat removal.
In addition to its effectiveness at removing mats from the coating, this slicker brush can also be brushed on your Yorkshire Terrier without scratching his/her skin thanks to its fine bent wire bristles.
Better yet, this slicker brush is also self-cleaning which means that removing all that mats from the brush should be much easier. That way, you can focus on actually brushing your dog rather than having to spend a great deal of time trying to clean out the brush.
Once you have the slicker brush in your hand, you are ready to start brushing your Yorkshire Terrier. For best results, you will want to brush your Yorkshire Terrier’s coating in the direction of hair growth.
Make sure that every part of your Yorkshire Terrier’s body is receiving the same love when it comes to brushing. That includes the dog’s tail.
2. Brush Your Yorkshire Terrier’s Teeth
Just in case you didn’t already know that, it is important that you are brushing your Yorkshire Terrier’s teeth daily in order to keep the teeth in good condition. That is true for all dog breeds, not just Yorkshire Terriers.
You will want the Virbac toothpaste as that is what veterinarians often recommend for brushing a dog’s teeth. Never brush your dog’s teeth with a human toothpaste as that can make him/her sick.
3. Bathe Your Yorkshire Terrier
Unlike many other dog breeds, Yorkshire Terriers will need more frequent baths in order to keep their human-like hair clean and shiny. So, you should be bathing your Yorkshire Terrier once every two weeks.
As for which shampoo you should use on your Yorkshire Terrier, the Buddy Wash Dog Shampoo and Conditioner is one of the best shampoos you can get.
It uses a special formula that is designed to make your Yorkshire Terrier’s human-like coating smooth and silky and to nourish his/her skin. The shampoo does all that by putting together a coconut base, aloe vera, and vitamin E.
This shampoo also contain hydrating oils that is meant to keep your Yorkshire Terrier’s skin moisturized. Lastly, the shampoo is free of any harsh chemicals like alcohol and parabens. That will ensure a cruelty-free shampooing experience for your Yorkshire Terrier.
With the shampoo in hand, take your Yorkshire Terrier to your bathtub. Once in the bathtub, use a cup filled with warm water to get your Yorkshire Terrier all wet. With the dog wet, thoroughly apply the shampoo with a lather, making sure to cover every part of the body except for the eyes.
Now, rinse your Yorkshire Terrier with water and check to make sure no shampoo is lingering within the hair. Proceed to dry your dog with a bathing towel. You want your Yorkshire Terrier to be dry, but still damp because you will need to brush him/her again.
Once that is taken care of, go ahead and re-brush your Yorkshire Terrier.
4. Trim Your Yorkshire Terrier
Even though Yorkshire Terriers are renowned for their long hair that can reach the floor, if you would like your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair to be short, that is fine. It is down to personal preference as to how long you want your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair to be.
One thing I can tell you though is that you will want the best clipper possible, even if that will cost you dearly. The Andis UltraEdge Super Detachable Blade Clipper AGC2 is your go to clipper. This is a powerful clipper that can handle just about any hair that dogs will throw at it.
Even with all that power, the clipper remains cool for a long period of time which is important as you don’t want the clipper to become overheated during the trimming process. It is also remarkable quiet which will help calm your dog down if he/she is terrified by the noise of a clipper.
When it comes to trimming your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair, there will be different levels of blades for you to choose from depending on how long or short you want the hair to be. The higher the blade number, the shorter the dog’s hair will be after it has been clipped.
The dog clipper that I mentioned only comes with blade 10. So, you will probably need to buy additional blades which you can do here. However long or short you want your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair to be, just make sure that the hair length is even across the bottom.
While you are clipping your Yorkshire Terrier, there are two particular areas that I would like to call your attention to. That is the paws and the area of the head that is just above the eyes.
You want to clip your Yorkshire Terrier’s paws because having overgrown hair around them can make walking more difficult for him/her. I recommend that you clip these with blade 30.
The reason why you should be trimming the hair just above the eyes is because your Yorkshire Terrier’s hair can grow in that area to the point that it can cause eye irritation for the dog. Using blade 10 to trim that area of your Yorkshire Terrier’s head should be enough.
5. Clean Your Yorkshire Terrier’s Ears
Dirt can build up inside your Yorkshire Terrier’s ears. So, you will need to be proactive about cleaning those ears out because if dirt is allowed to build up inside them, it can lead to ear infection.
You will want the Virbac ear cleaner to use with your Yorkshire Terrier’s ears. As is the case with Virbac’s toothpaste, it is highly recommended by veterinarians. You can put the ear cleaner on cotton balls and use them to clean out the ears.
6. Clip Your Yorkshire Terrier’s Nails
You will want to keep an eye on your Yorkshire Terrier’s nails because if they are too long, it can make walking painful for the dog. Make sure that you are keeping your dog’s nails short by clipping them with a nail clipper like Millers Forge Nail Clip.
Be careful not to cut the quick part of your dog’s nails as it can easily bleed if cut.
That’s It For How To Groom A Yorkshire Terrier
All in all, that is the process of how to groom a Yorkshire Terrier. Also, if you are in need of help getting your Yorkshire Terrier to cooperate during grooming, this post has you covered.
What are your thoughts? Do you own one of these gorgeous Yorkshire Terriers? Feel free to leave a comment down below.
What a great article about grooming your Yorkshire Terrier. I think these are lovely dogs but obviously, they need a lot of care. Your advice to dampen their coat before you brush them made me consider using that technique on my Shitzu who has human fine hair too. Timely advice about cleaning their teeth and cutting the nails. Anything that will keep your dog clean and healthy is worth the time and effort.
I will have a look at the clippers as getting my dog groomed is very expensive, thanks for your advice.
Thank you and yes you make a good observance about Yorkshire Terriers needing a lot of grooming, especially with the brushing having to be done daily. As for your Shih Tzu, I haven’t done a post on grooming a Shih Tzu yet, but seeing that you mentioned about them also having human fine hair, I believe that the dampen before brushing rule also apply to them.
Yes, the Andis dog clipper that I mentioned in this post is very expensive but worth it. So, I encourage you to at least take a look at it as soon as you have a chance to do so.
Yorkshire Terriers certainly are beautiful little dogs. Although I have never owned a Yorkshire Terrier I can imagine how fine their hair is and the need of caring for their coats, daily. Matted hair on a puppy would be very painful for it and could cause the dog anxiety if not dealt with correctly. ! I do know that the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush is very effective and popular amongst dog owners.
You give some great advice about grooming these small dogs, including the teeth and ears. Often when referring to dog grooming it is thought to be the dog’s coat only. I just wonder how these small dogs react to having their teeth cleaned? I would be interested to learn about your experience with cleaning a dog’s teeth.
I know right, those Yorkshire Terriers sure are beautiful. That is why it is important to groom those Yorkshire Terriers in order to keep them beautiful and healthy, however hard that may be. And, yes, as you pointed out, that includes the teeth and ears.
Yes, that is true about what you said about the Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. That is why I have been recommending this slicker brush or another one just like it in all of the dog grooming posts that I have published here on this website.
If owners of Yorkshire Terriers aren’t certain that their dogs will cooperate when they are having their teeth brushed, the best place where they can get help is with this post. So, I encourage those owners to go over there and give it a read.
I was pulled to your article by the picture of that adorable dog. What a beautiful face. We don’t have a Yorkshire Terrier but, with the exception of clipping, the steps you outlined applied to our mixed breed. I think that teeth are the most neglected aspect of dog health. Frequent bathing, brushing an clipping may not be the easiest thing to do until a dog gets used to the routine, but each step is important. I enjoy the information on the Yorkshire Terrier and am happy that you reminded minded all of us who own dogs to be diligent in caring for them.
Oh yes, for sure, those Yorkshire Terriers are beautiful. I am glad to hear that most of the Yorkshire Terrier grooming steps mentioned here also worked for the mixed breed dog that you have. Thank you for sharing your insights into the importance of grooming a dog, including his/her teeth which I agree have been neglected.