WHAT to do? stuck on grooming decision..

[ash04ley]

Well, im trying to deside what to do with pheobe. a friend of mine who has a yorkie and is also a grooming suggests i get pheobe shaved except her head. she says all the long fur is alot to handle, which im sure it is, but HELLO thats one of the main reasons i LOVE YORKIES. Theres no other dog with fur like thiers, and its what ive always loved about them. Of course id love pheobe just the same if her hair was shaved off, but i am not sure im as "attracted" to that look. really what im looking for here is some input on yorkie hair, how hard is it to keep up with it? about how much time do you guys out in/.

[BamaFan121s]

Mardelin would be a good person to aim this question to. She grooms dogs not to mention has some herself that she maintains and keeps some in show coat.

[Martie]

I vote no. Only because I notice you live in South Dakota......Burrrrrrr, your furbaby would be soooooooo cold when outdoors..... I think I would wait until the weather gets warmer in the spring..... Grooming is just a part of being a yorkie owner,and it does help create a wonderful bond between the human and furbaby...... my opinion only.... I get mine clipped in snauzer (spelled wrong) cuts in the spring.....

[BrunoReggiemom]

we kept bruno longer in the winter..as martie just said - they get really cold.. last year i could not figure out why Bruno would not stop shaking and it really freaked me out so we took him to an emergency vet appt.. she told me "This guy is freezin his butt off" so now I know.. we do cut him short in the summer though because he is constantly playing with my moms poms and the spit from the other dogs gets his hair really gross and sometimes it mats..

i would suggest a shorter cut but not shaved they really do get very cold because they have thin skin..

[MyFairLacy]

I prefer long hair on yorkies. I just love that look! Unfortunately, Lacy's hair just won't grow...but we're working on it. I'll let her hair get as long as it can anyway. If you like long hair, leave it long... As long as you're willing to bathe your dog regularly and brush & comb once a day.

[MIZBROWN]

I would say do what's best for you dear Just because your friend shaves her pup, doesnt mean that is what you should do. All yorkies are different. She might be shaving her pups hair because it has a cottony coat and gets matted up. Your pup might have a better coat, which would mean that you dont have to do that.

When I first got Meka, I thought that brushing her once a week would suffice. NOPE! By the time she was 3 1/2 mo's, different parts of her coat were all matted up. Completely impossible to comb out, so I had no other choice than to shave her down. I only shaved her then because I had to. As you stated, their coat is one of the great things about the breed So, unless you have to, I certainly wouldnt just because someone does it to theirs. Just know that, you need to brush your furbaby every other day, if not daily (depending on her coat, silky vs cotton)

[Gracie2006]

I suggest something in the middle. Go with a medium length cut, with a skirt on the tummy of about 3-4", then do a teddy bear cut for the face. This way you get the look of the longer hair with the ease of care of shorter hair.

[ash04ley]

well, her copat is thin and silky. her butt/back legs are matted. her whole body was matted pretty much, right next to the skin too.. when i first got her. ive been working with it but its a ton of work.. and im so gentle with her.. i think ive done at least a good 8 or 9 hours just trying to get the mats out. i usually give her a bath twice a week or so and brush her all the time.. shaving her would be one easy option of getting rid of the mats. im sure it will take a LONG time to get the rest of the mats out. they've only gotten worse since theyve been there so long. If i decide to work out the mats ill be doing it myself cuz i dont trust the groomers around here to be gentle enough with her.

she does great while grooming and usually falls asleep, the blow dryer freaks her out a little stilll but she gets better each time.

another thing.. the hair on the top of her head is now a light grey with just black tips. it used to be all black.. what does this indicate for her coat as an adult?

[my2boyz]

If she has a true silk coat she shouldn't be matting. Both of my boyz have silk coats and they are both clear to the floor...I bath them once a week and brush them everyday. If your puppy has a different coat texture then maybe you should consider a puppy cut...there are some really cute ones out there and it would be easier to maintain.

[Sweetums]

My furbaby started to get mats when her hair grew despite my best efforts to brush and comb her. Since she looked uncomfortable as I worked on getting the mats out, we compromised by getting her a puppy cut. She's not shaved, just close cut on her body and her face looks like a puppy. In fact, people are surprised to learn she's actually full grown since she looks younger. It suits her and we have a lot less friction between us now that we're not tearing at her hair all the time.

[luckylady]

A brushing a day...keeps the matting away!

I vote no to the buzz...but not necessarily a super long show coat either. Something mid length is what I like. Like you mentioned, a yorkies coat is part of what they are all about!

[jeanietoo]

If I understand your post correctly and she has matts that have been in there since you got her even after you have been bathing her she needs to be shaved down and start from scratch. You need to brush and comb every day or at least every other day.

[hha]

My oldest one is almost 5, she's never had her hair cut(except the bangs I keep short), she has very easy hair to comb through, I can go weeks without combing, then comb right through it..if they have the silky hair, it's not hard to take care of at all

[Brooklynn]

I shave all my non show yorkies...I have 9 so it's much easier for me to shave the ones I don't show. It's hard enough keeping one in show coat much less having 8 in coat so I shave! But if you have one or two I see no reason why you can't keep one in a longer coat if you take care of it!

Donna Bird
Brooklynn's Yorkshire Terriers

[yorkiecrazy]

This is a hard one... I have one with long hair, and one with medium hair. I'm letting the medium hair grow out. Brushing everyday does keep the mats away. I just prefer the long hair look.