How do you groom your yorkie?
 

Chloe is 4 months old and right now I am in the process of growing out her topknot and her hair. The only problem is that everything is a little uneven right now and for example, the hair on her paw area has grown farther than her nails. I have recently bought nail clippers and I tried to clip her nails but only managed to do 1 paw because she was fidgety and I was scared of accidentally hurting her with all that fidgeting. I have been reading about groomers and how they don't actually listen to what you ask of them. I don't want to grow her top knot and end up having it cut off by a groomer! So, my question is, what do I need to do to keep my fur baby looking groomed and clean? Do you trim your little ones hair by yourself or do you leave that for a groomer to do? I want to attempt to groom chloe by myself but if it's very hard to do then I'll let it grow for a groomer to do it. I'm just very paranoid about letting a stranger touch her though, she's very fidgety:( Also, if you do take your yorkie to a groomer, at what age did you start taking them? Help on this grooming situation would be appreciated, thank you!

You should slowly introduce your pup to brushes, combs, nail clippers, toothbrushes, the buzzing sound of shavers...etc. before they go to the groomer the first time.

then when you book your first appointment (after your pup is fully immunized) you should talk with them to be clesr in what you want. I wrote a very detailed note of how I wanted them cut. Once or twice I was unhappy with the cut but it was always my fault, like I forgot to specifically write "do not cut tail hair" or "do not shave at corners of eyes". I always write "LEAVE TOPKNOT ALONE!!!" and send them to the groomer with a loose topknot in, so they know what hairs I don't want cut.

Luma and Rosie both got simple touch-ups the first time they went to a groomer. this allowed them to slowly get used to the idea of a full groom. They got their paws trimmed, ears tipped (3/4 back of ear shaved to encourage ears standing, trim along edges of the ear), private areas trimmed, and nails clipped. Simple but a step towards a positive grooming experience. They love their groomer now. The owner knows them by name and loves on them.

Lots and lots of Yorkietalkers groom at home though...so explore that if you really want to be in control but just know not all groomers are the same, some are better than others, and at the end of the day it's just hair...it'll grow back!!!

Thank you for the great idea of giving the groomer a note! Chloe lovessss getting her teeth brushed and she does stay still when I brush her hair and wipe her face with a washcloth. I have been trying to get her use to nail clippers but I only had 1 attempt so it wasn't surprising that she didn't like it lol. The hair trimming is what I haven't tried yet but I think I definitely need to start giving her small trims. I have seen At the groomers that the dogs are VERY relaxed.. Someone told me they give them something to make them that calm, is that true? I really don't see chloe staying that still just yet.

I've become a fan of dremel for the nails. I wouldn't even attempt to use regular clippers for them in fear of getting too close or cutting through their quick... *shivers* As for the hair, it took Magnus a while to get used to being handled. But eventually, he got used to it. It's just a matter of you being patient and being consistent. They don't look professionally groomed when done but I think I'm improving. Practice makes perfect!

Watch a lot of clips on youtube. Also, if you're at the pet stores like Pet Smart, watch the groomers there. I think that helped along with watching youtube b/c it was "live action". LOL

We take Halle & Spike to the groomers about every 2 - 3 months. In between we do them. I think the most important thing if you're going to do it yourself is to have a GOOD pair of clippers. Once we bought a good pair, clipping them was a lot easier. I'm still terrified to clipping their nails, though. I wish they didn't have black nails.