Brody was 14 months old when we got him and Mia was 17 months old when we got her 3 months later...Mia is only 5 days older than Brody....both were born in March of 2010. We are pretty certain Brody was never dressed up and we know Mia was, but were told she didn't like it. We are pretty certain Brody never had a top knot, and were told Mia would not wear one. Wrong...wrong...wrong!
I grew out both Brody's and Mia's hair (both are still growing out), both wear top knots every day...I take them down at night most of the time, but then Brody's hair...his is longest...ends up in his mouth. Without the top knot, the hair in in his water and food, gets wet in the dew on the grass, and dirty when he 'tracks' the 'wild vermin' that violate our yard. Bows go in when we go out most of the time, or some decoration to cover the band and look pretty. They are Yorkies, after all...why shouldn't they look like Yorkies?
I make bows for their hair...they are not difficult...buy some as well, and use several different attachment types...bands, barrettes, clips, etc. I also put scrunchies around simple bands. Their groomer puts bows in...even 'boy' bows in Brody's hair.
I live in Florida, so during the summer (we got Brody in May 2011 and Mia in August 2011) I made no attempt to dress either one. Mia's clothes that came with her sat in their 'closet' and I had only bought a fleece garment for the upcoming winter for Brody at the time. When it started cooling down, I made certain they had some jackets and sweaters becuse I had a Yorkie-Poo years ago and crocheted sweaters for him because he would get so cold and just shiver and hated to go out in snow...I lived in cooler climates then...and knew they would need warm garments also, but was afraid I did not have time to make everything I needed. I had given away everything from my Yorkie-Poo, and still have a lot to get for Brody and Mia.
When I first tried their jackets on them, they LOVED THEM and got very sad when I took them off, so I put them back on. They jump up and grab their clothes out of my hands. Brody, in particular, KNOWS which ones are HIS and he will snatch HIS and run away so he gets to wear it. They absolutely love to be dressed up, will put their heads through the necks and are very patient while they are being dressed, trying to help. They will rummage through any crinkly bag that contains fabric to see if there are clothes for them.
They also don't mind the top knots, which keep their hair out of their eyes. When we first got Brody, the way he was clipped, he could hardly see. He has a short little muzzle and the hair 'fans' out in front of his eyes, plus he has very silky hair so the 'visor' the previous owner's groomer had cut just flopped down in front of his eyes...and double blinded him. I snipped the top muzzle hair first so he could see while I grew out the top knot. Now I am letting the top muzzle hair grow and as the groomer also says, "it's just at an awkward stage right now," but I wet it down and shape it around his muzzle to help 'train' it, and he seems to know what I am doing and is very still and licks the water off my fingers. Hopefully, it will stay down naturally, like Mia's, when it gets long enough.
I personally have not ever had anyone say anything bad about me dressing my Yorkie-Poo or Yorkies. If the worst 'abuse' a fur baby has to endure is a warm or cute garment, bring on the 'clothed' abuse.
With all the other hideous and cruel things people do to animals, those who complain about a bit of fabric are ill-informed and uneducated as to what harms an animal and I hope they learn the differences before they get a pet of their own.