Coat type and grooming
 

As some of you know, DH and I care for a neighbor's seven-year-old Yorkie. She's with us for weeks at a time.

Trupa is a teapot Yorkie who weighs in around 14 pounds.

My questions are about coat type and grooming. I've read on this site that there are two coat types: silky and cotton. I understand that silky is what people generally envision when they think of Yorkies. But I'm confused about cotton. I read one description that it was literally the texture of a cotton ball.

The fur on Trupa's torso is extremely curly, but it is super soft and tangle-free. It isn't the least bit coarse. You can see pics of her in my album. The third pic shows her coat type the best.

Her face, sides, tummy and legs are silky.

All that being said...

Is she a "cotton" coat? Or something else?

And what is the best way to groom a Yorkie with her hair type? I hated it when her mom got her a puppy cut. The groomer basically trimmed everything, including her face, almost down to the skin.

I love her curls and envision cutting them a uniform length, letting the silky fur on her sides "drape" a little and...I have no idea what to do with her beautiful face.

Thoughts? Pictures?

If it's curly/wavy then it's cotton coat. It's generally described as growing outwards instead of long lol (basically makes them look bigger than they are). Many have a combination, as my girl has straight hair on her head but curly/wavy everywhere else, but even her head hair is fluffy-ish and thick. So she'd still be considered a cotton coat even though her hair is soft (though tangley when long). Her hair also grows very fast X_x
"Silky" hair is very straight and usually more finer, as well as taking a bit longer to grow. Then there are some yorkies that have more of a "wire" or coarse coat. Yours sounds like a cotton coat or at least some combo of cotton/silk.
As for grooming, I usually keep my girl's hair very short in the summer and no more than an inch or so in the winter. But that's just my preference and she is more comfortable that way. Also note, that the longer the hair, the more maintenance it is irregardless of hair type. It will require daily brushing/grooming (sometimes twice a day depending on the hair) and proper washing. I've tried doing the top knot/longer but it didn't work out so well.

Thank you for your reply, LunarBerry! Trupa's hair definitely grows outward instead of long. :) That's a good description.

I generally bathe her once a week. Between times, I mist her with water, apply a little leave-in conditioner to her coat and brush her every other day or so. Her hair is super soft and shiny and tangle free.

She loves to be brushed and fussed over. She hates being bathed, but she tolerates it. Afterwards, she runs around like a blinking idiot doing the Dance of Joy. :aimeeyork

Piper and I both sport a tossel-y look---some days more than others! Trupa is just a little cutie!

Thank you, Jkpal! Trupa says, "Woof" to you and Piper. :animal36

Piper is adorable! I like the tousled look. It has the Trupa seal of approval. :animal-pa

I really never knew what Ella had until I got Hudson...she is cotton-y and he is silky coat and very thick coat, in comparison

I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison. :aimeeyork

This little youtube video is the best distinguishing aid to tell what kind of coat your yorkie has. Of course the dog has to be a bit past the puppy coat stage to truly tell but this was the only thing that really explained it for me when I first got my yorkie. He had a thick coat that has since thinned out and turned to a delicate silky texture.

Silky coated yorkies look like drowned rats when water hits them while cotton coated yorkies fair much better.

https://youtu.be/SBVaiXw-bKY

You also must always take into account that a lot of the images we see of yorkies with these long flowing, silky coats are the result of intense grooming with products, flat ironing and all types of trick of the trade.

lol both of mine look like wet rats when they are wet but Hudson definitely has a completely diff texture then ella when dry. I will try to get a natural light photo.

Thank you, rjwalt! That video really is very helpful. Trupa definitely has a cotton coat. She doesn't look much worse the wear after a brief walk in the rain or after a spritz with the mister bottle.

That's an interesting point about the flat irons, etc., for Yorkies with their long, flowing, silky coats. I tried blow drying Trupa's hair straight with a brush, etc., and her hair just laughed and immediately curled back up! I guess I'd need a silky coated dog to start with to achieve that look. :rolleyes:

Thank you, lovestiny. Does your cotton coated Yorkie have curls? :animal-pa

I ran into Trupa's mom today. She was really pleased with Trupa's healthy appearance and her gorgeous curls. She indicated that she had been thinking about getting Trupa another puppy cut, but now she thinks she'd like to keep her curls. I said I had some ideas about how I could clean up her look while keeping her luscious locks. She indicated that I could do so.

This evening, I misted Trupa and brushed her.

I trimmed her beard so it follows her jawline to the base of her ears.

I trimmed the drape of straight hair between her front and hind legs in a blunt hemline so it looks "flowy."

I trimmed her tummy so the hair is even with the above-mentioned drape.

I trimmed the top of her neck to provide a little definition between her head and her torso.

I trimmed her tail.

I didn't touch the curls on her body. At some point, I'll have to, but for now, they look even and aren't too long.

Now she looks like she has a deliberate style. I feel certain that I will make modifications to this cut in the future, but I think that it's a good starting point.

P.S. I did all of this trimming with my good hair scissors. (I have really long, straight, baby fine hair -- you could even call it silky!) I don't have clippers, which her mom said freak her out anyway.

Thank you for your kind, supportive words, Jkpal. I'm totally new to dog grooming, but I've been watching a lot of videos to try to get ideas. Most of the videos are for silky coats, so I picked those up and used them on the silky portions of Trupa's coat.

Trupa hates to stand still for a pic, so I was unable to get a good shot.

The first is of her head, which I'm supporting with my hand so she'll sit still. It kind of shows off the trim I did of her beard following her jawline (but longer) up to the bottom of her ear.


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I'm having trouble with pics... I'm going to load the next in a separate post...

The next is of her torso. I couldn't get her to stand up for the life of me. Hopefully you can see how her hair is silky on her ribs between her front and hind legs. I trimmed this "apron" straight across a couple of inches below her belly. Then I trimmed her belly hair so it wouldn't be longer than the apron. (Is that as clear as mud?) :animal36

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