Dog Clothes

[YorkieMom81]

Hello, I just joined Yorkietalk.com. This is one of my first postings.

I took my four month old yorkie to the groomers last weekend and they had to shave her, because she had a lot of mats.

She was brushed very often (although, i think we may have been using the wrong brush).

My question is, can putting clothes on my yorkie make this problem worse??

I would occasionally put a dress on her for no more than a couple hours. I didn't think this was a problem, but the groomer told me it causes her to become matted.

This is our first dog, so any help/advice would be appreciated. Thank you!!

[yorkieusa]

Sure. Clothes can cause mats, but so can a harness. There's no need to avoid clothing or harnesses. You just need a good metal comb with wide teeth at one end and narrow teeth at the other. After you brush your puppy, you should take the comb and see if you run into any mats. You can't always see them. You can work them out by holding the hair close to the root so it doesn't pull. Good luck. Welcom to YT. I hope you'll like it here.

[LuvmyYorkies2]

Hello & First, welcome to YorkieTalk. You'll gain a lot of information for your furbaby here. As far as dressing her, a lot of yorkies need to be shaved to get rid of their puppy coat which tends to mat easier. You'll be better able to tell what type of coat (cottony, silky) she will have once it starts growing back. It's okay to dress her, just make sure you brush her good before & after you dress her. I have 1 girl who has a cottony coat. I do not dress her that much since I leave her hair long. I will dress the others and have not had a problem with matting but again, I make sure I brush before & after.

Good Luck!

[betsi]

Welcome to YT! It's hard to get them brushed good down to the skin, but definitely worth the effort.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by LuvmyYorkies2

Hello & First, welcome to YorkieTalk. You'll gain a lot of information for your furbaby here. As far as dressing her, a lot of yorkies need to be shaved to get rid of their puppy coat which tends to mat easier. You'll be better able to tell what type of coat (cottony, silky) she will have once it starts growing back. It's okay to dress her, just make sure you brush her good before & after you dress her. I have 1 girl who has a cottony coat. I do not dress her that much since I leave her hair long. I will dress the others and have not had a problem with matting but again, I make sure I brush before & after.

Good Luck!

Great post, I just want to add that when wearing clothes, there were just a couple of spots on Joey that need extra attention, under his arms, and his chest, I also used extra conditioner in this area.

[mstrooperwife]

Originally Posted by LuvmyYorkies2

Hello & First, welcome to YorkieTalk. You'll gain a lot of information for your furbaby here. As far as dressing her, a lot of yorkies need to be shaved to get rid of their puppy coat which tends to mat easier. You'll be better able to tell what type of coat (cottony, silky) she will have once it starts growing back. It's okay to dress her, just make sure you brush her good before & after you dress her. I have 1 girl who has a cottony coat. I do not dress her that much since I leave her hair long. I will dress the others and have not had a problem with matting but again, I make sure I brush before & after.

Good Luck!

If I may ask.......how old should they be to get the puppy coat cut off? I have to brush him everyday to keep his mats down. He's 15 weeks old.

[mstrooperwife]

Sorry...... I forgot to WELCOME you.......

I enjoy YT very much. they offer alot of good advice

[goofypup]

Dressing your yorkie will definatley cause mats, thats why I keep Casey in a puppy cut. I can't resist dressing her up, so it is worth it.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by mstrooperwife

If I may ask.......how old should they be to get the puppy coat cut off? I have to brush him everyday to keep his mats down. He's 15 weeks old.

They don't ever HAVE to have puppy coat shaved off, some do, because their dogs have more of a cotton coat, and the puppy coat is even worse. If your dog has a silky coat, there is no need for a shave, especially if you know the proper grooming techniques.

[TeresaM]

Hi! Welcome!

There are also several types of de-tangler spray that you can buy to help with the mats when you locate them. You should be able to find some at your local pet or feed store.

[Yorkiedaze]

Besides having a pin brush and a comb, you will need to use a really good conditioner on him. It really helps in keeping them from matting. You also have to brush and comb at least every single day without fail. The longer they go between brushing and combing, the worse the matting.

[shirlblack]

Which is best to use for daily brushing? Pin brush or slicker?

[MyPeanutAbbyGra]

There's a product called Cowboy Magic that's great for detangling or getting out mats. I bought a tube of it about a month ago after hearing about it here on YT and it really does work like magic

[PANAMA69]

Welcome to yt, so glad you are here with us, my girls mats too, but the worst one is Phoebe I think just the wind and she get matlol anyway a good comb and a brush, will do the trick and of course a good conditioner, coat handler is great and so cowboy magic detangling just a little ok you can get it at some petmarts store

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by shirlblack

Which is best to use for daily brushing? Pin brush or slicker?

A pin brush, in fact, I heard that your really not suppose to use a slicker brush on a Yorkies coat. On that TV show, Groomer Has It, they said something about the slicker was for getting out the dead hairs from the double coat of fir most dogs have, and as you know a Yorkie's hair is more like a human, and single hair rather than an undercoat and overcoat. There is something called a matting comb that has a razor sharp blade in between the teeth of the comb, and literally cuts through mats, but of course it breaks the hair, and only should be used as a last resort.