I keep it simple, sweaters/coats and PJ's on cold nights. A semi-top knot for Scarlett to keep the hair out of her eyes, while Rhett's face is kept in a close cut.

As long as the dog isn't bothered by the clothes or have it's movements restricted in any way, then I don't consider it abusive.

I believe that yorkies do need clothing at times, just like chihuahuas do, because they get cold easily. I truly think that as long as the pup is ok with it then there's no harm - we would never make Oz wear anything if he fought it. We have a few shirts/sweaters for Oz because he HATES the rain, and it rains here a lot. He is trained to potty outside, so it's imperative that he is comfortable when he's out there. In the house he is normally a naked dog. I see the reason and need for a top-knot as well, if their hair is long enough.

Personally, I would not dress a "regular" dog that has an undercoat and real fur because I think they would get over-heated.

Before I had Finnigan, I used to think dressing a dog was the most ridiculous thing. I was ignorant... the first time I walked him with a fall chill in the air and he was shivering I knew that I had to dress him. Well, one coat led to an outfit, that led to another outfit and another and now an entire wardrobe.

Anyone that says its abusive needs to come watch how excited Finni get when I open their wardrobe... he jumps for joy!

However, if my dogs didn't enjoy the clothes or were scared of wearing them I would never ever put them on. I also think its a bit much to have a dog dressed up when its summer... don't want them to overheat.

I have 5 fur babies and they all have more clothes than me, winter boots, pjs, coats, hoodies, dresses and vest for the boys. They have Christmas outfits, Halloween outfits and everyday outfits. I use top knots on the girls and have done the boys but not often. If people do not like the way I am with my babies they can look the other way cause my babies are dressed and staying that way.

I like this thread, this is a really good topic.

Just like yours, if I pull out a shirt, Tashi gets super excited. She puts her own head and arms through the holes. (it was so fun to read that a lot of other fur-babies do that!) Sometimes if I leave a worn shirt by the basket, she'll bring it to me so I can put it on her.

She's very proud of her clothes and she loves to show them off. When I first got her, she was shaved all over, and she seemed much more confident around people when I put a shirt/dress/sweater on her.

I used to be bothered when people would ask me about it, but now I just try to realize that it's a foreign concept to them. When I explain that she gets cold and shivers because she lacks and undercoat, people usually understand.

If it's family/friends asking, I always find it really fun to take off her sweater and ask her if she wants to put it back on. They're usually shocked to see that she loves it so much and practically puts it on herself.

If a stranger tries to talk to me about "spoiling" my dog, I'll cut the convo short and be done with it. My dog is the most well mannered and loved dog I've ever met, and I don't need any unsolicited advice from random passers-by on how to love my pet less. :P

Attaching a picture of Tashi in a shirt just for fun :p

I'm a sucker. I now make Bellas dresses.

I dress and bow mine daily!:)

I dress Angel almost every day and she DEMANDS to have her hair put up. After her breakfast she will jump on the couch and bark in a very demanding way till I come put her hair up. She doesn't care if I want to eat my breakfast or make coffee, she wants her hair done NOW :eek: Then I brush her and she really loves having her face and chin brushed. Has to have a kiss for some reason after her chin. Then she helps to get herself dressed. Cotons are also a single coated breed and though fluffy not a lot of hair (not fur). Even though we keep the house comfortable she will sneak in front of the heater vents or space heater if she is not dressed. Not good for her sensitive skin or delicate hair. The thing she loves most are her YorkieTalk jammies. I sure am glad I got extras! She always does zoomies when she puts them on. In the summer when she doesn't need to keep warm I dress her because I want to.

We have very good neighbors that get a big kick out of her many outfits. I make a point of showing them and they get a great laugh out of her. I have a key to their house and I threaten to come in while they are gone and dress up their YorkiePoo, then take pics and post them on the net :lol tears

The big shocker is how much Hubby likes her outfits! I will ask him if I should buy A or B and he will say BOTH! She can't just have a 49er jersey, she has to have a Raiders too. Don't just get the purple kimono, get the blue one too. She is a year old and I think she has more clothes than I do. And he is always after me to take pics/vid so he can show her off at work. Even our Border Collie gets dressed up for Halloween and has special collars for Christmas and New Years.

So far we have not had any negative comments. All my friends already know I am crazy. If a stranger dares to I will just tell them how sad I am for them. That their parents didn't teach them better manners!

Sounds like a fun house to be in! I'd love to see both your dogs dressed up.

i think its completely okay! Mac really does like wearing clothes which some ppl think is odd. He has sweaters, tshirts, coats and pj's. mainly because esp in the winter he gets cold and shakes. i mean he is only 5lbs so what do ppl expect! Im not going to let him freeze.

usually in the summer instead of tshirts since its so hot i put little bandanas on his collar they are very cute, cheap and you can change them as much as you want.

People who think it's abusive to dress dogs probably don't know what the word abuse means. If it means the dog is uncomfortable in clothes, then I still wouldn't call it abusive. It would be mean and not a good thing to do. There are so many real cases of abuse that using the word abuse for things that are clearly not is wrong. An abused dog is one that has little to no food and/or water, little to no atttention/affection, little to no vet care, little to no grooming.

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.

Yep my boy gets dressed everyday! Its too cold to not be dressed and he is extra cute with clothes on!

I don't dress him everyday, but I do put his hair up in a little clasp to get it out of his eyes. I've had many mean comments, most coming from my brother. But if I'm not hurting him, and the sweaters keep him warm, they can say what they want. My boy and I are happy. Kaji is naked 80% of the time. Especially during the summer.

Well... I plan on doing it!