Long Long hair!

[guliverandmaya]

How come some of the Yorkies here have very long hair? Maya is still 9 months but her facial hair is not very long. Is this a genetic thing or grooming thing?

[gemy]

Originally Posted by guliverandmaya

How come some of the Yorkies here have very long hair? Maya is still 9 months but her facial hair is not very long. Is this a genetic thing or grooming thing?

Well first at 9mths old it is an age thing mostly. Some of these Yorkies are show dogs, and have been wrapped, groomed,, and cared for to get that very long coat.

Facial hair is the hardest to grow on a Yorkie, and requires a whole lot of dedication on the owners part to make that happen

[guliverandmaya]

Originally Posted by gemy

Well first at 9mths old it is an age thing mostly. Some of these Yorkies are show dogs, and have been wrapped, groomed,, and cared for to get that very long coat.

Facial hair is the hardest to grow on a Yorkie, and requires a whole lot of dedication on the owners part to make that happen

Interesting.. what do you mean by wrapped and lots of dedication??

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by guliverandmaya

Interesting.. what do you mean by wrapped and lots of dedication??

Caring for a show coat takes hours and hours of care. Bathing them every 3 or 4 days. Special products are used, special brushes, shampoos and conditioners are used. Their coats are kept in wraps, taken down daily rewrapped to insure there is no matting under those wraps. They drink from a water bottle to keep the facial furnishings dry and free of debris, sleep on special bedding, etc. Every precaution is made to insure that the coat does not break.

[IamMiasmom]

Mardelin, HELP! SO what products would you suggest, Mia is young but seems to have a cotton like coat, do you think this could change as she gets older? Now for water she has always drank bottled water she prefers Fiji. But I have started using spa and top knot products. What would you recommend? Should I feed something other than Royal Canin? AND should I give her a suppliment of some sort? Yes she is a pet but I do enjoy her being cutsey. She is the joy in my day and she likes looking sharp. I am just getting enough hair to put up for a short top, but have tried to keep it a little loose to prevent breakage. HELP I know you are the one to turn to in this. And thank you guliverandmaya for asking this! Oh one last footnote, when will she start enjoying baths?

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by IamMiasmom

Mardelin, HELP! SO what products would you suggest, Mia is young but seems to have a cotton like coat, do you think this could change as she gets older? Now for water she has always drank bottled water she prefers Fiji. But I have started using spa and top knot products. What would you recommend? Should I feed something other than Royal Canin? AND should I give her a suppliment of some sort? Yes she is a pet but I do enjoy her being cutsey. She is the joy in my day and she likes looking sharp. I am just getting enough hair to put up for a short top, but have tried to keep it a little loose to prevent breakage. HELP I know you are the one to turn to in this. And thank you guliverandmaya for asking this! Oh one last footnote, when will she start enjoying baths?

How old is your little girl?


A cotton coat is difficult to keep long...not hard to grow, because it is fast growing.....but, it breaks very easy. If she's a cotton coat, she'll remain a coat coat....nothing you feed will change that.

I do have a pet girl....that is cotton coated......I kept her in coat for a long while....but, for her sanity and mine....she is now cut down in a cute puppy cut. As cotton coats tend to mat very easily. And if you want to put clothes on her little girl, you will be fighting those mats consistently You can keep a topknot up still make her look girly.


Baths are usually not something a yorkie loves....but, they do get better at it as they get older.....just make sure you cover her ears and eyes.

[RONLYNN]

I bathe my Teddi once a week and realized she didn't like the sink or even the bath. She now takes a shower with me and doesn't mind it at all. She walks around and goes under the water and then I shampoo her and she walks under the water to rinse off etc. She doesn't mind the shower at all. Just be sure you have one of those non-slip mats in the bath.

[Elle]

A silk coat is slow growing. It can be quite thin.

Some grow coat without wraps. Bad breeding genes won't grow coats. It's many different things.

Reputable breeders will tell new puppy moms what to expect with a coat of a puppy they are getting. If she didn't know then just go back to ask.

[topknot]

A lot of people want a yorkie and buy a yorkie because of the long hair the breed is known for. But the above posters are right - only a silky coat with grow long. And even a silky coat if not treated correctly can break. Grass, rubbing on fabric like the sofa, or carpet, and wearing clothes can break a coat. Have you ever looked at a blade of grass - it is a knife and can really do damage on a coat. Even when a dog goes through the grass they can pick up brown pieces of grass or weeds and get caught in the coat and can do a lot of damage in just a day, if not taken out right away. They can really knot or mat up a coat. This is one reason many show dogs do not play out in the grass, not to mention what one flea can do to a coat. My dogs play and are pets first, but they play on our porch - it is huge and runs the full length of my house. Right now though with the heat and humidity so high they do not go out much. Way too hot.

With a cotton coat - if trying to keep long - humidity and getting their hair wet outside can also cause mats if not brushed out. I also have a 14 year old pet with a cotton coat and I have kept his coat short for many years, only because it is a nightmare trying to deal with the mats, especially under the arms and underneath, not to mention the smell. So short it has been and he loves it, as well as I do for easy manage.

With the slow growing silk coat is thin at first and then as they grow older around 2 years will fill out and look wonderful.

So you need the correct genetics first and then a lot of care and prevention to grow a nice long coat.

Elle - yep, I do not wrap my pups coat till their are close to 2 years and coat to the ground. Once the coat touches the ground, that is when I start to do the wrapping.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by topknot

A lot of people want a yorkie and buy a yorkie because of the long hair the breed is known for. But the above posters are right - only a silky coat with grow long. And even a silky coat if not treated correctly can break. Grass, rubbing on fabric like the sofa, or carpet, and wearing clothes can break a coat. Have you ever looked at a blade of grass - it is a knife and can really do damage on a coat. Even when a dog goes through the grass they can pick up brown pieces of grass or weeds and get caught in the coat and can do a lot of damage in just a day, if not taken out right away. They can really knot or mat up a coat. This is one reason many show dogs do not play out in the grass, not to mention what one flea can do to a coat. My dogs play and are pets first, but they play on our porch - it is huge and runs the full length of my house. Right now though with the heat and humidity so high they do not go out much. Way too hot.

With a cotton coat - if trying to keep long - humidity and getting their hair wet outside can also cause mats if not brushed out. I also have a 14 year old pet with a cotton coat and I have kept his coat short for many years, only because it is a nightmare trying to deal with the mats, especially under the arms and underneath, not to mention the smell. So short it has been and he loves it, as well as I do for easy manage.

With the slow growing silk coat is thin at first and then as they grow older around 2 years will fill out and look wonderful.

So you need the correct genetics first and then a lot of care and prevention to grow a nice long coat.

Elle - yep, I do not wrap my pups coat till their are close to 2 years and coat to the ground. Once the coat touches the ground, that is when I start to do the wrapping.

Good explanation.

But, I do let my kids play on the grass.....for one reason and one reason only. I'm in California and shows are out doors and they show on the grass. Ever seen a dog that hasn't been allowed on grass try to show on grass....the croup tucks and they look like they're roach backed.

[topknot]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

Good explanation.

But, I do let my kids play on the grass.....for one reason and one reason only. I'm in California and shows are out doors and they show on the grass. Ever seen a dog that hasn't been allowed on grass try to show on grass....the croup tucks and they look like they're roach backed.

Oh of course - you would have to practice in the grass or you would have bunny yorkies in the ring - hoppity hop! We have mostly all inside shows here in my area. Some Matches though are outside in the Spring. Then I practice in the grass too - but go through their coats thoroughly right after practice!

[topknot]

Here is one of my girls in long coat. She is a coat factory and has really good genes.

[guliverandmaya]

I was asking this question out of curiosity but as beautiful and amazing as it looks, I can't see myself doing that to myself or to Maya... I get the feeling that the dogs suffer - is it true? I mean, being under a microscope all day so the hair wo t break... But looking at the pictures- it is impressive !!!

[DvlshAngel985]

Originally Posted by guliverandmaya

I was asking this question out of curiosity but as beautiful and amazing as it looks, I can't see myself doing that to myself or to Maya... I get the feeling that the dogs suffer - is it true? I mean, being under a microscope all day so the hair wo t break... But looking at the pictures- it is impressive !!!

There are many pet owners who keep their dogs in longer coats. It's not show quality, but they look cute! The do require more care than say a dog in a puppy cut. There is an in between. Personally, I have a soft coated yorkie (thanks Mardelin for teaching me the correct way of saying it) that I love keeping short. He just looks so cute and I've only had a minimal problem with mats. I was using the wrong harness that matted up his hair. Other than that, the longest I've let it grow is about 2 inches and I haven't had a problem. His hair grows insanely fast, so I cut it often. I'm hoping to attempt to let his hair grow just to please my curiosity.

[kjcmsw]

Originally Posted by DvlshAngel985

There are many pet owners who keep their dogs in longer coats. It's not show quality, but they look cute! The do require more care than say a dog in a puppy cut. There is an in between. Personally, I have a soft coated yorkie (thanks Mardelin for teaching me the correct way of saying it) that I love keeping short. He just looks so cute and I've only had a minimal problem with mats. I was using the wrong harness that matted up his hair. Other than that, the longest I've let it grow is about 2 inches and I haven't had a problem. His hair grows insanely fast, so I cut it often. I'm hoping to attempt to let his hair grow just to please my curiosity.

So what is the correct harness ? I have one long haired Yorkie and a "cotton" coat (I think) which I keep the latter shaved on the back with a little skirt and long hair on the legs and her face trimmed short.