At your puppy's age, you need to go very slowly and keep talking her through it. Stay happy and keep an even tone. Do not baby talk. Let her know that you are in charge during brushing time. Offer a tasty treat when you are finished and praise her for good behavior. Never yell or spank during a brushing session.
The best thing to do is keep the brushing sessions short, and do not let your dog get the best of you. By this I mean when she is squirming and trying to bite you or the brush, or she is yelping, just stay calm and DO NOT STOP the brushing no matter what behavior your dog does! This would send the wrong message, and she will repeat the bad behavior to make you stop brushing.
Brush daily or 2-3 times a day to keep the matts out.
DO NOT BATH HER IF SHE HAS ANY TANGLES!!!
You MUST get the tangles out BEFORE the bath as the water makes the tangles into matts.
If she is terribly matted (which means you cannot get them out with a comb and brush at home) your groomer will not have much choice in shaving the matts out, or shaving her entire coat off. If the matts are touching the skin, then they need to be shaved off. It is
cruelty to your puppy to try to brush out a bad matt. /the kindest thing to do is shave out the matt. If more than 50% of her coat is matted, then you can expect your groomer to shave her down.
I have been a groomer for 17+ years, and yorkies are my specialty. I used to show and breed them.
Sue & Cricket
