Growing long coat is quite demanding for dog as it is for the owner, so be prepared to wrap you dog's coat several times a week. You're looking at long hours of brushing, a lot of money spent on cosmetics and supplements...
As you have a puppy, you shouldn't worry about it yet. You should definitely make sure you feed your dog top quality food and have a good shampoo and conditioner (I live in Europe, so I don't know if the ones I'm using are present on your market - but pure paws and all system are quite good). Bath your puppy whenever she gets dirty, but not more often than once a week. If she gets all muddy or has stinky mustache use water only, and then gently brush the dirt out with a comb. Be aware not to use any of your products, as our skin has a different PH then a dog's and it might irritate her. After each bath dry her with a blow drier (form a big distance and make sure the air is not too warm).
Other than that, make sure you trim the hair of her ears, paws and around anus every once in a while... Clean her eyes and ears regularly and get her used to grooming - after each session reward her with something she likes. As she reaches her first birthday you'll be having a lot more responsibilities if you want to maintain a nice long coat. If you're not planning to show your dog I recommend you cut her coat to a middle length, as it's a lot easier for you to maintain it, and for the dog as well.
As for the food, all of the top brands have a similar balance of nutrients, vitamins and good fats. You could mix one egg yolk with a tee spoon of extra virgine olive oil and feed this to your dog once a week. You could also give her high quality fish oil and biotine tabletes daily (you should cut these in half and never overdo it!) which will increase the quality and length of her coat.
And be aware that not all yorkies have good quality of coat, so even if you manage to grow the hair out long, it might not look nice... Many puppies look great with short or middle length cut, so if you ever feel tired of frustrated of all the hard work put towads coat maintenence, don't hesitate to get a cool cut for your puppy, I'm sure she'll love it!
All the best!
Mon Ami |