OMG that's adorable! i would love to see a pink pitty

If Thor has a short muzzle then he might always have that hair problem. Have you tried cutting the whiskers so the hair lays flatter?

I don't cut the eye hair, never have. I just like it natural. Also, I think it protects the eye somewhat (unless, of course, it is growing in such a way that irritates the eye, specifically). That said, I think some yorkies look freakin' adorable with their eye hair cut - and when I see those babies, it makes me go 'hmmmmmmmmmmmm, maybe.....?' - but then I change my mind, mostly bc I'm scared :p.

I also don't pluck ears (as I feel the hair is there to protect the ear canal, same w/ humans) or trim their cute little buttskies. :)

K, I'm confused:rolleyes::p I thought you had to trim the ear hair? Hmmmm, don't you find they get dingle berries if you don't trim their buttskies?..Bailey gets them even when I do trim :D

It's recommended that you pluck the ear hair, especially if you live in a humid climate. Long hair dogs aren't really a "natural" selection, once man steps into breeding, the rules of nature change. Now there's a lot of variation in how much ear hair a dog might have, and short hair breeds have no problem with this ear hair, it probably does serve some function, filtering bacteria or even aiding in the drying of the ear. However, with certain long hair breeds this overabundance of hair can cause too much moisture to remain in the ear canal. I've also seen some pictures of puppymill dogs whose inner ear hair was matted to their outer ear hair, and if your dog is getting ear infections, you want to make sure this ear hair is plucked. Joey's breeder recommends butt trimming, but not shaving, as this can leave a razor burn. Not sure why you're getting dingleberries, but I'd think this would have more to do with the food, than the grooming.

Lol :). They get a dingle every once in a while, but not that often really. Their poos are really firm, so they kinda just fall where they should. I just think their little butts are SO freakin' cute, I can't bring myself to shave them - and it's never really been a problem (knock on wood!).

I don't think you 'have' to trim the ears, to be honest. We don't pluck our 3 kiddos' ears and they don't get infections or anything. The only time Wylie had ear infections was previous to his Cushings being diagnosed (and unchecked Cushings usually results in ear/skin infections). When the Cushings was diagnosed and treated, ears clear ever since. We do 'tip' the ears on Marcel and Pfeiffer, but no plucking.

I agree with you Nancy. As a groomer/breeder/exhibitor......leaving hair in the ear canals may promote yeast infections. I learned by experience by not doing this in my earlier years, from breeder and other breeders of yorkies, and through vets that are familiar with yorkies that this should be done religiously.

I only trim butts, no shaving; very carefully just around the anus.

As far as trimming eye hair, the more you trim the more the hair can contribute to eye irritation. Keeping it long wieghs the coat down and eventually it will lay flat. However, you do have to clean and train that area to grow properly. The only time I trim is if the hair is poking the eye. But only trim those wee hairs that are poking at the inner corner of the eye.

I prefer my guys to not have their eye hair cut. The groomer did this Livi, though. It never crossed my mind that she was going to do this...otherwise, I would have asked her not to. (You can see from my avatar picture that it has since grown out).

Here she is right after the groomer did thisAttachment 331263

Maybe that's it. Thor has a very short muzzle. While the 'stache was a problem, it's just his facial hair in general. Basically, if there's a hair on his face that's long enough to get into his eyes, at some point, it's going to end up there. I tried keeping him in a top knot for a while, and that was worse than any intermediate stage we'd gone through.

I think we're getting to a happy medium. I keep him in a short visor with the hair around the eyes and on the bridge of his nose short. I'm growing the 'stache out again, and while we have a few rogue hairs, I think they're getting ready to fall over soon.

As for the ear hair, I've heard it both ways. Nancy is right that some breeds are prone to ear infections, particularly dogs with long ears. I think it's less of an issue with a breed with erect ears. Proponents of plucking say it keeps the area cleaner, and thus less likely to get infected. Opponents say that plucking causes micro wounds that are, you guessed it, more likely to get infected.

I personally don't pluck ear hair, but I trim it. And I do trim around the anus, + sanitary cut. I have to keep Thor's chest hair SUPER short to keep him from peeing himself. If Thor gets dirty, he licks himself clean, just like a kitty. I like to keep the pee/poop/mouth contact to a minimum.

Also, just some food for thought: if you can't see your dog's eyes... they can't see you! I like to make sure that Thor has full peripheral vision, and over course, can see over his "nose bangs". :D

That's what happened to me, too! Have you had any trouble growing it out? I plan to let Lulu's grow back out as well.

No, I didn't really didn't have any issues...but Livi's hair grows SUPER quickly so I'm sure this worked to our benefit.

Eye hair and whisker decision time.
 

I have to make a decision today whether to cut the hair around Joni's eyes or not. I'm grooming her myself (learning as I go) and her face is my biggest concern. I know the short hair under her eyes has been trimmed in the past - my vet did it once and she's been professionally groomed a few times

The under eye hair is sticking out and it stays gunky. It will not lay down. I don't 'think' it's sticking into her eye but it certainly obscures her vision. She hates to have her face messed with or to even be looked at closely.

The other issue is the whiskers. Where did all of those come from? (She's 10 mos old). It's like a broom on her face. I've read opinions regarding to trim or not and I'm leaning toward trimming. I don't feel her face stays clean with all the bristle.

This pic is not Joni - I found it on Jenny's website while looking for Halloween costumes (I hope it's ok to post the link). But I love this face and the cut, but would want to keep Joni's topknot.

Do I need to cut eye hair and whiskers to get this look? Opinions please??

http://http://blog.wfieldsforpets.co...e_dracula2.jpg

Where do you get the Top Knot Gel? I'd like to get some!

WFieldsforPets is Kristin's website.:D That link doesn't work for me, but I think you're referring to Buster Brown's Vampire pic? Yes, the hair between his eyes are cut in an upside down V & his face is cut in a round teddy bear cut. Here's the link to his pic: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...0terrorier.jpg

I sell them on my site: Pet Silk
Stick'um Ups is used by Show Enthusiasts: toplinepet.com