This is my first yorkie. I had 2 maltese in the past and never had much trouble using any kind of brush or comb. I used a metal comb and a slicker brush on both maltese dogs. However, this little ball of fire is so wiggly that I have a very hard time with the combs and wire brushes. That is why I decided to brush and brush with the boar bristle brush to just get him used to brushing...It really doesn't do much except smooth the hair, but does get some of the small mats. When I finally get him calm or when he goes to sleep soundly, I can usually use the comb and work on some of the bigger matts...I try to brush and comb very often so the bigger matts do not form. He is getting better...The T-shirt helps, too. I read about it in a book called "Little Dogs: Training your Pint-Sized Companion" More about the T-shirt and gentle massage to calm the little dogs down on this website:
www.lindatellingtonjones.com