Yorkshire Terrier Grooming Techniques And Tips
Grooming Your Yorkie
Yorkies are very gorgeous little dogs, known for their long flowing silky coats. To keep a Yorkie in full coat is not as difficult and time consuming as is said providing you have purchased a Yorkie with the correct silk coat. The choice whether to shave your Yorkie down to a puppy cut, or to let their hair grow is up to you. Below are some grooming tips to help with the maintenance of a silky coated Yorkie.
Pre Bath Preparation
You should bath your Yorkies at least once a week. Prior to bathing, all tangles should be removed, as they are more difficult to do so after the bath which seems to set them in. 
Tangles should first be sprayed with a go
od detangler of your choice, there are many different brands on the market. Then pull the tangle apart with your fingers, trying to free has many hairs as possible from the tangle itself. Then brush the remainder of the tangle out with a boar hair and nylon hair brush. Go over the remainder of the entire dog gently brushing all hair with the boar hair and nylon hair brush. This should then be followed by brushing out your Yorkies coat one more time, now with a pin brush. You want a solid metal pin brush not one with plastic tips on the end of the pins. (Please see pictures of examples of brush's below). As you brush through your Yorkies coat, be sure to be gentle and talk to your Yorkie trying to make it a pleasant experience for your them, as you want your Yorkie not to dread grooming day. Be extremely gentle when brushing around your Yorkies face. If there is any discharge around the eyes, first moisten (which will loosen it from the hair) and wipe softly with a wet washcloth, then you can use a fine tooth comb similar to a flea comb to remove any bits that still remain.
Bathing Your Yorkie
Have your towel, shampoo, conditioner and anything else you will need already at the sink ready to bath your Yorkie. Never leave your Yorkie unattended in the sink even for a second. Put a nonskid mat in the bottom of your sink so that your Yorkie will feel more secure by not slipping and sliding. Having better footing will lessen the chance for injury. You can buy an inexpensive rubber bath mat at your local store and just cut it down to size to fit your sink. Also be sure there is a filter/strainer across the water drain so that your Yorkies paws can’t slip into the drain, scaring or even hurting them. Be sure not to collect the water in the bottom of the sink, you want it to run off the dog and right down the drain. Use your sinks sprayer, if you don’t have one, you can buy one that attaches directly to your sinks facet. Next be sure that the water is tested for temperature. Use the bottom of your wrist, just as you would for for testing a baby bottle prior to feeding a baby. It should be lukewarm. Remember that your Yorkies skin is more sensitive. Use a good quality dog shampoo and conditioner for your Yorkie. Gently massage the shampoo into the coat. Don’t rub or scrub, or else you’ll have tangles to deal with afterwards. Be especially careful when you’re washing your little one’s head and face. Many Yorkie owners use a “no tears†shampoo so that they don’t have to worry about getting soap in their eyes. When you have your Yorkie entirely lathered, its time to rinse. Rinse the shampoo out, until the water running down the drain is clear with no suds, once you think you have it all out, rinse the entire dog again. Rinsing thoroughly is very important. Repeat with conditioner and it is time to dry.
Drying Your Yorkies Coat
Blot your Yorkies coat with the towel to soak up the excess water. Blotting insures you are not tangling up the coat. Prior to drying, spray on a leave in conditioner or coat oil, and brush throughout the coat, combing out any tangles along the way. You can find many different brands on the market. This will help greatly in preventing tangling. You can buy a spray bottle and dilute a leave in conditioner with water, or use a olive oil sprayer to spray on a coat oil for dogs. You can find an olive oil sprayer at your nearest bed and bath store. Use it very sparingly a little goes a long way, you don’t want to leave your Yorkie looking too greasy. The amount used with depend on the Yorkies coat texture, less for silk, more for other types. That is why the olive oil sprayer is works good, as it only mists the coat with oil. You will find that this really helps in maintaining a tangle free coat, which cuts down greatly on brushing and detangling for the next bath time. Once your Yorkie is brushed, it is time to dry. Use a dog dryer if possible as they have a lower heat setting than human dryers. If not, be very careful to use the lowest possible setting for temperature, and maintain a greater distance away from your Yorkie, as their skin is very sensitive, and a hot dryer setting will hurt them. Check to see how hot the air flow is on the bottom of your wrist to gage the correct distance to keep from your dogs skin. Gently brush the hair the way you want the coat to lay as you dry. Try to reassure your Yorkie during this process so that your little one isn't so scared.
Trimming Toenails
I like to trim nails right after the bath, just before drying, as it seems to
be easier to cut them
when the hair is still wet and you can see the nail better without the hair obstructing your view.
See illustration on the left to give you a picture on what to cut. Even though Yorkie Nails are black, you can see to nip the nail off just as it starts to curve out. Taking a little each time is better than too much at once. Please be careful not to TUG or TWIST on joints in their stifles as you can easily hurt a puppy similar to twisting on your own knees.
There are many styles of nail trimmers. If you have trouble finding the quick, they make a nail trimmer that has a built in sensor to guide where to cut, thus avoiding the quick. See picture. "Quick Finder Nail Trimmer"
Shaving Yorkie Ears - Getting Yorkies Ears To Stand
The top third of the Yorkies ears are generally kept trimmed. It is shaved on the inside and outside of the ear one third of the way down. This is not only done just for appearance but it is also done as puppies to aid in the ears in standing upright. Hair at the tops of the ears can weigh the ear tip down and cause the ear to droop or flop down. 
Be careful not to cut the ear leather as it is easily done. Trim hair on the edges of the top 1/3 of the ear with a pair of scissors, again being very careful not the cut the ear itself. The edges can be seen much better with the ear hair wet prior to trimming.
Trimming the ear on a grooming table with a grooming arm and noose to assist in holding the dog makes the task more safe. Just be sure to table train your Yorkie prior to doing any grooming. Teaching them to hold still within reason while reassuring them if they appear nervous.
Getting Ears To Stand: If you are having trouble getting your Yorkies ears to stand, be sure to first keep the hair off the top 1/3 as discussed prior. Also Tape the Ears for 3 days to a week to assist them in standing up. Ears can also come down during teething in puppies. Be sure to get the ears right back up with tape of glue. For more information click the here. MORE.....
Yorkie Topknots
To keep the hair out of your Yorkies eyes, gather the hair on the top of the head and put a small rubber band in it. These can be purchased Online at dog show supplies sites. Start to gather the hair at the middle of the outside corner of the eyes and make a line to the middle of the head, in-between the ears, forming a V. Be sure not to pull the hair too tight, though, or it will be uncomfortable for your dog and will cause your Yorkie to possibly dig at the top knot. You can then also add a bow for looks, if you would like.
Trimming Around the Anus - VERY IMPORTANT
Long-haired breeds are notoriously difficult to keep clean around the rectal area. All that hair in the one place where you want a clear shot . . . well, suffice it to say that you have to help eliminate the problem. To do that, keep the hair around the anus short. Yorkies can become easily blocked totally if not trimmed. This can lead to a life threatening situation if not taken care of. Especially watch puppies as well.
Yorkie Grooming
There is nothing more beautiful than a Yorkie freshly groomed. But whether you choose to let their hair grow and drape over them, or cut their hair into a puppy cut, either way they are still beautiful.
Picture to the left is a Yorkie with what is known as a Topknot. With this topknot is also added a red bow. Red bows and topknots are always seen in the show ring.
Yorkies get use to having something decorative in the hair fairly easily. Just be consistent with putting in back on if your Yorkie takes it out.
