Groomer says wait to bother growing her hair longer

[Opium88]

My Marley had longer hair compared to her sister, Izzy, who's hair had been butchered short short around 12 weeks old because the previous owners/breeders didn't want to bother grooming so much. I adopted Izzy at about 20 weeks old. When I took them to the groomers I asked them not to take too much length off of Marley because we wanted to let their hair get long, and she said it was pretty pointless to bother until they grow out of their puppy hair and into their adult coat. And that putting Marley' s hair up in clips or baby rubber bands at this stage would only result in the hair breaking off. That I should just trim in a puppy cut for now until this magical transformation in coats takes place...lol. Is this true or am I being led astray? Izzy's hair is finally starting to grow out longer, and when I bathe her ( mind you she loves water and if I take a shower she will pull herself up into the tub with me all determined) which generally happens about two times a week on purpose and more often if she has her way about it) and condition (diluted) her, and blow dry her without brushing at all, her hair falls straight and uniform on her back , but curls up a bit on her lower legs and feet. When she looks ragged and kind of oily, if she shakes herself real good her hair goes back to looking gorgeous and straight. It doesn't mat so far. It's soft but not exactly silken feeling, but not cottony either. She is going on 8 months now. I'll try and post pics but I'm posting from an iPad so file might be too big. There's pics on my page. Probably need new ones though. Don't know which coat she has . I've asked her but she doesn't know either. Lol

[Opium88]

For some reason it only ever shows one of the four pics I post. But there's more on my page. I'll take a recent set in the morning .

[Opium88]

She's the one on the left with both ears up

[Maximo]

Your babies are adorable.

I disagree with the groomer. Show dogs are not kept in puppy cuts until some magical transformation. If you want a dog to wear a topknot, the dog should start training to accept the topknot as a puppy.

I have put Max's hair in a topknot from the time he was 4 months old.

[chickensmith]

I think her hair looks beautiful...and I was taught to start training for a top knot when she's a puppy...Noone has told me yet not to.

[TeresaM]

I'd be looking for a different groomer. Hopefully you have other choices in your area. Maximo is exactly right, show dogs start their coats young and don't wait for some magic to happen first.

I started both Gracie Ruth and Yogi at 12 wks old with topknots. Of course they didn't have too much hair and I used small clips until it got long enough to put up.
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[Opium88]

Ok then, majority rules and I will be shopping for a better groomer. Thank you all. Funny thing is when you all the people around here for suggestions on good groomers, this place was the most popular suggestion. That's New Mexico for ya.

[Maximo]

Want to add: Yorkie puppy coats can be fuzzier looking and more prone to tangling, but that doesn't mean you have to cut them off, or that there is any great benefit in cutting them off. I didn't think I wanted Max in a full coat until he was about 6 months old, so I trimmed more on his body than a show dog would be trimmed.

You can snip the ends periodically to help with any breakage and to promote hair strength, just like human hair. This will help in gaining and maintaining length. My boys are hard on their coats with daily activity, so this is essential.

Max's puppy coat wasn't bad, but Teddy's coat was a little fuzzy for almost his first 2 years.

For topknots, many Yorkie puppies with silkier hair tend to have less on top to put in a band. Just be sure not to put the band or clip in too tight. It should not pull not the skin, which can cut off circulation, or cause the puppy to scratch at the topknot and damage hair. I always took Max and Teddy's topknots down at night and massaged their scalps.

When their topknots grew too long to leave down overnight, I started putting them back up with soft scrunchies. This keeps the hair out of their mouths and eyes.

[Opium88]

Thanks for the advice. My boyfriend will be especially happy to hear that puppy cuts are no longer on the menu. And hopefully putting her hair up will help her eyes from being irritated so much from hairs getting in them all the time. This has been a ton of help. Only one more question. .. Which kind of clips are best? The kind that clamp, bend, snap, etc... Do I get them in the baby section or a specialty store or what?

[Nancy1999]

Apparently some dogs "blow" their puppy coats, all that hair falls out and the adult hair grows. This doesn't happen with Yorkies, the hair does change in texture, but you can start growing it immediately.

[Verbena]

I agree with Maximo and TeresaM . . Once the adult coat comes in just keep brushing. Just make sure you are using a spray when brushing their coats. Never brush dry. Wampum and Chris Christensen make good sprays.

[TeresaM]

Originally Posted by Opium88

Thanks for the advice. My boyfriend will be especially happy to hear that puppy cuts are no longer on the menu. And hopefully putting her hair up will help her eyes from being irritated so much from hairs getting in them all the time. This has been a ton of help. Only one more question. .. Which kind of clips are best? The kind that clamp, bend, snap, etc... Do I get them in the baby section or a specialty store or what?

Take a look at the picture of Gracie Ruth that I posted earlier. Those are the hair barrettes that are metal and you sort of bend them in the middle and they pop open. Put them in her hair and then sort of bend them again in the middle and they snap shut. I find them at Walmart, Target, the grocery and cheap jewelry places like Claires. They worked the best for me. They didn't apply a lot of pressure on her head. They were easy and quick to put in. Once she got enough hair for a topknot, I got the tiny scrunchies to use for every day wear.

[kay6688]

Originally Posted by TeresaM

Take a look at the picture of Gracie Ruth that I posted earlier. Those are the hair barrettes that are metal and you sort of bend them in the middle and they pop open. Put them in her hair and then sort of bend them again in the middle and they snap shut. I find them at Walmart, Target, the grocery and cheap jewelry places like Claires. They worked the best for me. They didn't apply a lot of pressure on her head. They were easy and quick to put in. Once she got enough hair for a topknot, I got the tiny scrunchies to use for every day wear.

Just what I would recommend Teresa!

[dawn27]

I to disagree with your breeder. As a breeder and someone who has also groomed my own pups myself for the past 12 years I can not stress how important it is to start the grooming process as soon as possible. Getting your pup use to being handled in the manner necessary to the grooming process take time and patience and the sooner you start the more accepting your baby will be of it. That includes the top knott.

I start by using a cat brush that is very soft no poking or prodding type tools. This will allow you to get your baby use to being touched with odd type things and to not be scared of them. Than move onto more grooming type tools that would be used for grooming. Also I suggest that you start clipping the nails at a young age also. Be sure to research the proper way or ask your vet. You can find tips on grooming your baby on my site: www.dawnsyorkies.weebly.com/grooming-tips