Yorkie Puppy Haircut Disaster - Help!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

BentleyMarck · 09-15-2010, 08:25 AM

Hi Everyone - We are new parents to six month old Bentley - so this is my first post. We got him from another family who could no longer care for him. He is a good boy. Very playful and friendly and we are very happy to now be his family.

He had never been groomed before - but needed it pretty badly - so just after we took him to the vet for updated shots, we brought him to the groomer for his first haircut. I made several mistakes - first of which was not staying while he was groomed (I couldnt because of work)... second was not being very clear about what we wanted. Third was not bringing pictures of what we wanted.

Long story short, he used to have lots of wavy dark and light brown hair (everyone said he looked like an Ewok from star wars)... He was showing some silver underneath... and now he looks totally different!! Not even like our dog!

The groomer shaved him down and now he is pretty much all silver ... He looks like a little old man.

We are kicking ourselves for our mistake - but I am wondering if you all can share your thoughts on how his hair might grow back? Will it come back in dark or is he now going to be silver from now on? Will it be a little wavy if we let it get a bit long?

How long might it take for it to grow a bit longer so he starts to look like the puppy we brought home again?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

distan · 09-15-2010, 08:34 AM

One day at a time. A Yorkie always looks cute it will grow back.

distan

Beamers Mom · 09-15-2010, 08:37 AM

Relax - I know it is difficult.
I left my Beamer and Lil Bit at a boarding kennel last October, they were supposed to bathe Beamer and shave down Lil Bit.
When we returned from our cruise and picked them up, they had shaved down Lil Bit and just bathed Beamer. I could have cried. They had mixed up the dogs somehow.
Took about 4 months but Beamer's coat grew back.

As Bentley was silver underneath, this is why he is showing all silver now.
The hair should grow as it normally would in the color it would normally be.

You say he badly needed grooming. Was it so bad that they would have had to shave him down to get rid of mats???? Sometimes groomers will shave a dog down if there are too many mats, where it would stress the dog out too much to work with them.

cally930 · 09-15-2010, 08:37 AM

Hi and welcome to YT. You will surely love it here. As for the haircut, I'm sure its not too bad - but obviously not what you wanted. As you have learned - you need to be specific with the groomers. You can say that you only want his ears, paws and butt trimmed. Ask for them to clean their ears, cut their nails, and brush their teeth. Sometimes I ask for them to express their anal glands (if they have been experiencing soft stools). But, from previous experience with old groomers, who cage the dogs, they will shave them down rather than trying to comb out the knots - they say it hurts them. I have found a groomer who does not cage the dogs - but rather has little rooms, furnished with little couches and TVs - and my dogs love going now. I ask for the puppy dog look - and she just trims them - never shaved them.

At 6 months, his coat is still changing. My little guy is almost 8 months and he still has some silver on his head, which I expect to travel down to his back (probably at about a year old) - where his face will turn tan and his body a silver. Their hair grows fairly quickly - but it will take about a year or so for it to be long.

Don't worry - its only hair - it will eventually grow back.

JeanieK · 09-15-2010, 08:37 AM

hopefully it will grow back a nice steel blue and tan and he will be gorgeous.

All yorkies go through this change, but it is gradually, as they lose their puppy coat. Since the groomer took off all of his puppy coat, yours made the transition all at once.

I'm sure you will think he's adorable, once the initial wears off.

BentleyMarck · 09-15-2010, 08:45 AM

Thanks everyone - I know it will grow back - but it is just so shocking how different he looks.

The groomer said his legs were matted pretty badly - but I didnt think that was necessarily the case. I think we just unfortunately chose a groomer without a ton of experience and it may have just been easier for her to shave him down. Our first major mistake since we've gotten him ;-(

He is still cute - just looks totally different.

We are mostly wondering what his coloring is going to look like after it grows back in. I am sure it is different for every puppy - but just curious if this has happened to anyone else and what your puppies looked like as the hair came back in.

Thanks again for your help! This forum is really great!

Cha Cha · 09-15-2010, 08:53 AM

I bet he is absolutely adorable even in his new style. And, I think you would feel a whole lot better if you'd post pictures so we could all tell you just how cute he is!! Welcome to YT!

JeanieK · 09-15-2010, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BentleyMarck

Thanks everyone - I know it will grow back - but it is just so shocking how different he looks.

The groomer said his legs were matted pretty badly - but I didnt think that was necessarily the case. I think we just unfortunately chose a groomer without a ton of experience and it may have just been easier for her to shave him down. Our first major mistake since we've gotten him ;-(

He is still cute - just looks totally different.

We are mostly wondering what his coloring is going to look like after it grows back in. I am sure it is different for every puppy - but just curious if this has happened to anyone else and what your puppies looked like as the hair came back in.

Thanks again for your help! This forum is really great!

The color you see now is the color he is going to be. At 6 months, this is the adult coat.

beader · 09-15-2010, 09:04 AM

I went to meet the groomer and have Cooper get use to sitting on the table, get his nails clipped and to get use to the sound of the clippers. I was talking to the groomers son and I turned and she had taken the first cut right down the middle of his back

. To late to say something but I cried when I got home because he looked so bad. I now stay while he is getting groomed and tell her exactly what I want. She is a good groomer and very good with dogs so I keep going back. My puppy fur went and the silver came but I still think he is cute, but then again he's mine.
Celeste

jacquelinebabco · 09-15-2010, 09:34 AM

I remember when I took my very first Yorkie to be groomed which was long before YT was in existence. I took him as a little black puppy and when they tried to give him back to me, after they had shaved him, I asured them it was not my puppy. My puppy was black, this pup was silver. I was so upset but sure enough it was my pup and I loved him just as much in the color of silver as I did in the color of black. It was a terrible shock to me. I had no idea at the time (remember there was no YT to tell me) that his color was going to change as he got older.. He lived a happy, healthy 17 years.

boopster · 09-15-2010, 09:53 AM

I'm sorry you had this experience but the good thing about Yorkies is that they're adorable - no matter what color and length of hair they have.

What ticks me off is I have the steel blue and beige colors in my own hair and it somehow doesn't look pretty like it does on a Yorkie.

nightnurse · 09-15-2010, 06:25 PM

My Yorkies first visit to the groomer was a nightmare also!!! I didn't even recognize him and my kids were laughing at him cuz he looked horrible. He was all uneven with a schnozer face. HE LOOKED LIKE CRAP!!! He even came back with fleas. I will NEVER take him to the groomer again. EVER!!! My little man was also black and was silver when i picked him up.. It grew back and he's silver and just as handsome as ever....but yes i was speechless when i picked him up... it's hard to pay 40 bucks for a disaster.

Mom to Hot Rod · 09-15-2010, 06:46 PM

Hi and welcome to YT. I can relate to the shock. The first time Hot Rod went to the groomer, he had lots of black and a white spot on his head. Well, when he came home most of the black was gone and he was so different looking that I wasn't sure it was the same dog. The 2nd time every last bit of black on his head was gone..

He looked as though we took the head ox a totally different dog and put it on his body. His entire head was white and body was black. All his puppiness was gone, I was near tears.

He eventually started to turn a creamy color which turned gold. It was a process but I was so sorry to see his black tips gone.

xoxJuliexox · 09-15-2010, 07:12 PM

give it a few days, right when summer started i shaved keno, the groomer said you will either love or hate it, but give it a few days, after a few days i loved it and so did he, it really helped keep him cool!

jennzy · 09-15-2010, 11:32 PM

just relax

its hair after all! we've all gone through horrible hair cuts at one point or another.
dogs are the same.
there are different styles of cuts for different dogs so if you aren't specific i think they tend to cut it very short.
next time i'd bring pictures.

as for how the hair will grow, most likely silver because your dog is probably changing his hair colour from black to silver (all yorkies go through this) but they're still cute! i actually like my mickey with silver hair rather than black

09-15-2010, 08:25 AM	#1
BentleyMarck YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 8	Yorkie Puppy Haircut Disaster - Help!! Hi Everyone - We are new parents to six month old Bentley - so this is my first post. We got him from another family who could no longer care for him. He is a good boy. Very playful and friendly and we are very happy to now be his family. He had never been groomed before - but needed it pretty badly - so just after we took him to the vet for updated shots, we brought him to the groomer for his first haircut. I made several mistakes - first of which was not staying while he was groomed (I couldnt because of work)... second was not being very clear about what we wanted. Third was not bringing pictures of what we wanted. Long story short, he used to have lots of wavy dark and light brown hair (everyone said he looked like an Ewok from star wars)... He was showing some silver underneath... and now he looks totally different!! Not even like our dog! The groomer shaved him down and now he is pretty much all silver ... He looks like a little old man. We are kicking ourselves for our mistake - but I am wondering if you all can share your thoughts on how his hair might grow back? Will it come back in dark or is he now going to be silver from now on? Will it be a little wavy if we let it get a bit long? How long might it take for it to grow a bit longer so he starts to look like the puppy we brought home again? Thank you in advance for your comments.

09-15-2010, 08:37 AM	#3
Beamers Mom Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Palm Bay, Fl, USA Posts: 5,957	Relax - I know it is difficult. I left my Beamer and Lil Bit at a boarding kennel last October, they were supposed to bathe Beamer and shave down Lil Bit. When we returned from our cruise and picked them up, they had shaved down Lil Bit and just bathed Beamer. I could have cried. They had mixed up the dogs somehow. Took about 4 months but Beamer's coat grew back. As Bentley was silver underneath, this is why he is showing all silver now. The hair should grow as it normally would in the color it would normally be. You say he badly needed grooming. Was it so bad that they would have had to shave him down to get rid of mats???? Sometimes groomers will shave a dog down if there are too many mats, where it would stress the dog out too much to work with them. __________________ Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered. - Bob Barker

09-15-2010, 08:53 AM	#7
Cha Cha Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Where the deer and the antelope play Posts: 7,069	I bet he is absolutely adorable even in his new style. And, I think you would feel a whole lot better if you'd post pictures so we could all tell you just how cute he is!! Welcome to YT! __________________ Shelly and the girls Moka Mylee

09-15-2010, 09:04 AM	#9
beader Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: wi Posts: 91	I went to meet the groomer and have Cooper get use to sitting on the table, get his nails clipped and to get use to the sound of the clippers. I was talking to the groomers son and I turned and she had taken the first cut right down the middle of his back. To late to say something but I cried when I got home because he looked so bad. I now stay while he is getting groomed and tell her exactly what I want. She is a good groomer and very good with dogs so I keep going back. My puppy fur went and the silver came but I still think he is cute, but then again he's mine. Celeste

09-15-2010, 06:46 PM	#13
Mom to Hot Rod Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MD Posts: 10,908	Hi and welcome to YT. I can relate to the shock. The first time Hot Rod went to the groomer, he had lots of black and a white spot on his head. Well, when he came home most of the black was gone and he was so different looking that I wasn't sure it was the same dog. The 2nd time every last bit of black on his head was gone.. He looked as though we took the head ox a totally different dog and put it on his body. His entire head was white and body was black. All his puppiness was gone, I was near tears. He eventually started to turn a creamy color which turned gold. It was a process but I was so sorry to see his black tips gone. __________________ www.kissecollar.com Soft Cone Collars for Post-surgery and much more! 10% (non-food) - Discount code YT10

09-15-2010, 08:34 AM	#2
distan YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Ridgeville Posts: 9 Blog Entries: 1	One day at a time. A Yorkie always looks cute it will grow back. distan

09-15-2010, 08:37 AM	#4
cally930 Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Mt. Sinai, New York Posts: 910	Hi and welcome to YT. You will surely love it here. As for the haircut, I'm sure its not too bad - but obviously not what you wanted. As you have learned - you need to be specific with the groomers. You can say that you only want his ears, paws and butt trimmed. Ask for them to clean their ears, cut their nails, and brush their teeth. Sometimes I ask for them to express their anal glands (if they have been experiencing soft stools). But, from previous experience with old groomers, who cage the dogs, they will shave them down rather than trying to comb out the knots - they say it hurts them. I have found a groomer who does not cage the dogs - but rather has little rooms, furnished with little couches and TVs - and my dogs love going now. I ask for the puppy dog look - and she just trims them - never shaved them. At 6 months, his coat is still changing. My little guy is almost 8 months and he still has some silver on his head, which I expect to travel down to his back (probably at about a year old) - where his face will turn tan and his body a silver. Their hair grows fairly quickly - but it will take about a year or so for it to be long. Don't worry - its only hair - it will eventually grow back.

09-15-2010, 08:37 AM	#5
JeanieK Donating YT 12K Club Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Council Bluffs Iowa Posts: 12,552	hopefully it will grow back a nice steel blue and tan and he will be gorgeous. All yorkies go through this change, but it is gradually, as they lose their puppy coat. Since the groomer took off all of his puppy coat, yours made the transition all at once. I'm sure you will think he's adorable, once the initial wears off.

09-15-2010, 08:45 AM	#6
BentleyMarck YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 8	Thanks everyone - I know it will grow back - but it is just so shocking how different he looks. The groomer said his legs were matted pretty badly - but I didnt think that was necessarily the case. I think we just unfortunately chose a groomer without a ton of experience and it may have just been easier for her to shave him down. Our first major mistake since we've gotten him ;-( He is still cute - just looks totally different. We are mostly wondering what his coloring is going to look like after it grows back in. I am sure it is different for every puppy - but just curious if this has happened to anyone else and what your puppies looked like as the hair came back in. Thanks again for your help! This forum is really great!

09-15-2010, 09:34 AM	#10
jacquelinebabco Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: hannacroix,ny Posts: 1,363	I remember when I took my very first Yorkie to be groomed which was long before YT was in existence. I took him as a little black puppy and when they tried to give him back to me, after they had shaved him, I asured them it was not my puppy. My puppy was black, this pup was silver. I was so upset but sure enough it was my pup and I loved him just as much in the color of silver as I did in the color of black. It was a terrible shock to me. I had no idea at the time (remember there was no YT to tell me) that his color was going to change as he got older.. He lived a happy, healthy 17 years.

09-15-2010, 09:53 AM	#11
boopster Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Southern California, USA Posts: 1,643 Blog Entries: 1	I'm sorry you had this experience but the good thing about Yorkies is that they're adorable - no matter what color and length of hair they have. What ticks me off is I have the steel blue and beige colors in my own hair and it somehow doesn't look pretty like it does on a Yorkie.

09-15-2010, 06:25 PM	#12
nightnurse Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: shawnee Posts: 31	My Yorkies first visit to the groomer was a nightmare also!!! I didn't even recognize him and my kids were laughing at him cuz he looked horrible. He was all uneven with a schnozer face. HE LOOKED LIKE CRAP!!! He even came back with fleas. I will NEVER take him to the groomer again. EVER!!! My little man was also black and was silver when i picked him up.. It grew back and he's silver and just as handsome as ever....but yes i was speechless when i picked him up... it's hard to pay 40 bucks for a disaster.

09-15-2010, 07:12 PM	#14
xoxJuliexox Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: bay area, ca Posts: 176	give it a few days, right when summer started i shaved keno, the groomer said you will either love or hate it, but give it a few days, after a few days i loved it and so did he, it really helped keep him cool!

09-15-2010, 11:32 PM	#15
jennzy YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: TOronto, Canada Posts: 804	just relax its hair after all! we've all gone through horrible hair cuts at one point or another. dogs are the same. there are different styles of cuts for different dogs so if you aren't specific i think they tend to cut it very short. next time i'd bring pictures. as for how the hair will grow, most likely silver because your dog is probably changing his hair colour from black to silver (all yorkies go through this) but they're still cute! i actually like my mickey with silver hair rather than black