Jon-An's Yorkshire Terrier Coat Care

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. COAT CARE OF:
THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER . Españojl .

Quality, texture and quantity. These three little words are of prime importance in a Yorkie coat.
The hair should be long, silky, straight and cool to the touch. It should be dark steel blue on the
body and three shades of gold on the head and legs. This is basically the description of the perfect
Yorkie coat.

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Unfortunately, all Yorkies are not perfect. What I'd like to do here is address all types of coats.
We as breeders always strive for perfection, but there are always throwbacks to some ancestor
long forgotten.
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We sell these puppies because we can't use them in our breeding program and can't show them.
They usually go to a pet home where they are just loved for themselves. The problem is, most of
these pet home Mommies or Daddies have no idea what to do with the coat of their pet puppy
even if it is perfect.
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I have been showing and breeding for many, many years and have encountered many different
kinds of coats. I will try to give you my advice on the different coats that I have run across.
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Understand that I am not perfect. If anyone reading this has a better idea on how to take care of
a particular kind of coat, I will be glad to hear from them and will be glad to use their ideas on
my page.
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Don't send me any "secret formulas" because they will not be secret for long. I believe in helping
everyone, not just keeping all the good stuff to myself. This article contains the products that I
use and have found works for me.
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There are many different varieties of coats, but I am just going to discuss the three main
ones. From these three you should be able to develop your own formula for your particular
kind of coat.
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The first coat is the "perfect" coat. As I talk about this one I will give you step by step
instructions on the care of not only the coat but the whole Yorkie. Most of these steps should
be applied to all Yorkies, what ever kind of coat they have. In the next two kinds of coats I will
point out the things to do differently.
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First is to make sure your Yorkie is flea free. One flea on a Yorkie will ruin the coat. They
scratch and make a tangled mess of them- selves and Mommy or Daddy usually has to cut
them down in some kind of puppy cut.
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There is nothing wrong with a pupp
made by Ring 5. It is a lusterizer, conditioner. I spray it on my brush (a Mason Pearson nylon
7 inch) and brush one section of the coat at a time. Another good spray product is
"Miracle Coat".
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Always start from the bottom of the hair strand and work upward toward the body.
If you encounter any mats along thy cut. Mine are cut down after I show them so they can be
more comfortable and me too. But this article is mostly for those who want all the hair and are
willing to sacrifice the time and patience to grow it and keep it looking beautiful.
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There are many new kinds of flea control on the market now and if used, will work. I use
front line in the summer once a month and then use the non toxic spray for the winter.
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I live in the south and here the flea's are as big as our alligators. You can find the home page
for the non toxic spray on my Yorkie links page. It really works and it smells good. I also spray
my home and yard (any commercial spray) once a month in the summer and every three
months in the winter. I also use the non toxic spray for bedding, puppies and my pregnant
bitches.
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A good brushing every day is essential. You know what you would look like in a week if you
didn't brush your hair everyday. "Egad".
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Never brush a dry coat. It breaks hair. I use "Coat Gloss"e way, use a pin brush (P.S.I. 25249) to get them out.
You can also use a slicker brush (any small one) for the really tough mats. I usually
only use the slicker on puppies.
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Don't use the slicker on the thin coated dogs. Instead use a wide tooth metal comb.
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Any mat or knot should be treated gently. Don't rip through the hair. Gently pick as
much apart with your fingers as you can and work from the ends up to get the mat out.
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If you are wondering where to get all the products and tools that I use, I will post the name
and address of the supply company that I use at the end of this article. They will accept credit
cards, money orders or what ever and will ship. They are venders at the shows that I go to.
You should be able to find a show in your area. The vendors are great places to spend lots
of money. :) Some of the products have a link to a supply company that sells them as my
vendors don't carry them.
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I believe in the weekly bath. Some breeders I know say every two weeks. I think it
depends on your Yorkie. If he's dirty, bathe him. Some of my "mud puppies" get two a week.
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The worse thing next to fleas for the coat is dirt. First I brush him until all the tangles are
out. Pay particular attention to under the arms, legs, neck and behind the ears.
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I use an ear cleaning solution (any brand) in their ears and gently with a q-tip clean them out.
If there is any hair in them, this should be removed. A hemostat works great but you can
also use tweezers. Too bad if you're squeamish. Those hairs have to go or your pup could
get an ear infection. (Squeemies see your Vet). Also I treat for ear mites once every three
months, just as a precaution.
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Next check toenails. If they are too long, cut them. I know, you're gonna say "but what if
I make them bleed?". There is a product called "Quick-stop". If they bleed: First, "don't
panic". Second, just dab a little Quick-stop on the toenail and it stops the bleeding right
away. You can also use it on yourself for the teeth marks your Yorkie left on you for
cutting his nails too short. A good guide is the curve in the nail. I hold the clippers flat against
the upper part of the nail and whatever curves down into the clippers gets cut off. Buy the
ones for cats. They're smaller.

The next thing I do is check their teeth. Can't stand "Pee Yuu" breath. I brush their
teeth before every bath. I use the toothpaste I get from my Vet., and a baby toothbrush.
Sometimes they get built up tarter and I use one of those teeth cleaning tools I get from
my supplier and scrape them clean. Afraid to do it yourself? OK call your Vet. He'll do it
for about $100. If your Vet does it, get him to check your Yorkies teeth about once a year.
But you can brush them yourself!!!
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Next, pull up top coat so only the leg hair is showing. Pick up one foot and trim all hair
off the pads and cut hair in a circle around the foot. If you're not showing and your Yorkie
has a lot of leg hair go ahead and shave the whole foot with the clippers. Just don't go too
high up.
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Then pull leg hair down to just above floor length and cut in a circle. You want it above the
floor so he doesn't trip on it. When you pull the body hair down, it doesn't show. The idea
is to get the hair off his feet so he doesn't trip or slip. Now you can do the other three feet
on your own.
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The body hair is cut a little longer. I comb the hair straight down and with my palm
facing the dogs body I put the hair between my index and middle fingers like they are
a pair of scissors. I bring my hand straight down to the table and lay my palm flat on the
table. The ends of the hair are sticking up between my fingers. I cut about one fourth inch
above my fingers. Sometimes I even cut myself. Ah! The joys of dog grooming.
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For a semi-show cut, (a cut that looks long but easier to take care of) I use an oster clipper
with a 4F blade and start at the top of the neck and push the clippers toward the rear of the
dog. If you want the hair shorter use the same blade but start at the tail and push the clippers
toward the neck. I cut all the blue but leave the gold. I also cut the tail hair off.
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On the sides I just cut a straight line between legs halfway between body and floor, without
cutting the leg hair. You can ease the clipper down on the sides to taper the hair. I cut the
muzzle to 1" but taper longer toward the back to blend in with the neck hair. Sometimes I leave
the topknot about 6" long so I can still put a pony tail in. This is how all my boy's are cut once
they're finished showing and they love it.
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This is the "Judge" in a semi-show cut without the topknot. See how happy he is?
He's smiling. :)
. Jon-An's Judging Spirit
"the Judge"

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We all know that dogs will mark in the house occasionally unless they are well trained.
For the fastidious pet owners, I suggest you use either panties for girls or a belly band for boys.
Just slip a half of a kotex in them and you can take your dog out without fear of them marking.
I get mine from
Jennie Schull-Wright
http://home.mindspring.com/~rite1/id7.html

Next step are the ears. The tips should not have any hair on them. Using a pair of clippers
(Wahl from Walmart) I look at the back of the dogs ear and picture a wide V shape. The bottom
of the V should be about in the middle of the dogs ear vertically (up and down). Shave everything
off inside the V and leave all hair on the outside of the V. Repeat steps on inside of ear.
See how to trim the ear tips here.
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The tippy top should make a point. I use scissors to finish off the edges of the ear. When the hair is
wet you can see the outline of the dogs ear better than when the hair is dry to make the point. If you cut
him, don't panic, just reach for the Quick stop. It works well on ears too. If you're new at this don't
cut too close till you get the hang of it. Your dog will appreciate you better. Also clip the hair around
his anus. You don't want poopsy ornaments.
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The next step is the shampoo. Never use people shampoo. It's too drying. I use "Isle of Dogs"
shampoo and conditioner. I used to use Duurstede but they've gone out of business. I find
that Isle of dogs is just as good. Click on the link to order it. http://www.iodogsga.com/

Update: Tammie Ford now has a line of shampoo and conditioner that I've been using and I've
found that it's as good as Isle of dogs and Duurstede. I suggest you try both and see which you like best.
Click here to order it
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Using Isle of dogs shampoo and conditioner, and the miracle coat for daily brushing I don't have
mats in my wraps. What are wraps? This is what we do with the hair for our show dogs so
they don't mess on it and they can be ordinary dogs when not in the show ring. I use either donut
or rice paper, divide the hair into sections and wrap the hair in the paper. Want to learn about wraps?
Click here.
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I have also stopped using oil. I had a "secret formula" for putting my dogs in oil but I don't use
it any more. I don't have to and my dogs skin is healthier for it. If you absolutely have to use oil
see the bottom of this article.
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Next wet your pup down with warm water then use the shampoo. When he's all nice and
soapy, well this shampoo isn't really very soapy, then comes the messy part. In a dogs anus
are 2 glands. These are called the Anal glands. They have to be squeezed to empty
the sacks. I do this on the first shampoo so I get all the mess over with and then on the second
shampoo clean up the area good. If you don't know how, ask your Vet.
You need to be shown this.
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Never shampoo your Yorkie like you do yourself. He may appreciate it but his coat won't.
Put the shampoo on and gently work from the body down. Never mess up the hair to
shampoo it. All that does is cause tangles and your dog isn't any cleaner.
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I use a no tears shampoo for around the eyes, and a sponge to rinse off the face. My pups
hate water running on their face and the sponge works really well. Best of all I don't get
growled at or bit because I tried to drown my "little darlings" to get the soap off.
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After the second shampoo, rinse thoroughly. When you're finished rinsing, rinse again.
Any soap left in the coat can cause it to dry out. Then I use "Isle of dogs" Conditioner .
I usually leave it in a few minutes, then rinse it out. If your Yorkie is particularly dry,
just give him a light rinse and leave just a little conditioner in.
I recommend that you call Trish at Isle of dogs, tell her your dog's coat type and let her suggest the
best products for your dog.
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After the shampoo, I dry him thoroughly with a blow dryer, and give him a light misting with
the Miracle Coat and brush it in. On "show days" I leave out the Miracle Coat.
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The next kind of coat is the Cottony coat. Usually this is a thin, breaking coat. This coat needs
protein. You can use the same shampoo and conditioner, but before the conditioner
use a reconstructor. I use Cindra reconstructor. Leave it in the hair 10 min., rinse it out
and then use the conditioner.
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This coat needs to be kept extra clean and treated very gently. You might have to shampoo
more often. I would also recommend a good all around vitamin and some extra Vit. E.
Check with your Vet. for the correct dosage.
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Feed only a good high protein product food if he is a young dog. Older dogs need a different
diet. I also like to keep a little extra weight on this type of dog. Not a whole lot, just a little.
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Also massage helps. When your Yorkie is laying in your lap gently massage his body.
Hair feeds on blood and you want to bring more blood to the skin surface to feed the hair.
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Any of you bald headed guys out there might give it a try. I've heard it works on men too.
Just the massage, not the other. Although the Vitamin E might also help.
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This is really the worse kind of coat and I wish I had an instant cure, but alas, this is all the
help I can offer you. I do know that never letting down on the care will help.
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The next coat is the woolly coat. Usually it's black or a dark, dark steel blue and so thick you
could put a stick on your dog and make a mop out of him. To me this is the easiest coat to
take care of, it just takes more time. There's so "much" of it. Usually this coat needs
fewer baths than the others. The greasier they get the more the coat lays down and the
thinner coated they look.
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Ok lets get serious again. How to turn a woolly into a silky. What I would suggest is to take
a pair of thinning shears and get rid of some of it. Cut under the top where the part is and cut
on an angle. Hold the thinning shears straight up and make two or three cuts along the
strand. Never cut less than one inch from the top under the part. You want to keep
the top hair all one length.
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If you don't know how to do this, see a good groomer. Let them do it the first time and
you can take over from then on. If your groomer won't let you stay and watch, find one
that will or, e-mail me and I will try to talk you through it.
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Next, use the same shampoo and conditioner as above but instead of the Miracle Coat after
and for brushing daily, use Show Sheen. You can usually get this from a feed store. It's for
horses, but it's a miracle on a heavy coat and makes the hair feel like silk. Spray
the brush and brush through the hair. I think they also have it at the venders I will give you
the name of shortly.
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I've seen a lot of Yorkies and I think these have the best bodies of them all. Of course we all
know there's always an onion in the cabbage patch and I guess some of them don't have
good bodies, but all the ones that I've seen do. So take this for what it's worth.
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I have talked to many show people and every- one has their own ideas about how to
groom a Yorkie and which products are best. If you've seen my home page and like my
Yorkies, well now you know my secret of how I get them to look this way.
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My Yorkies are silky but are thick coated, which falls in-between two of these categories. I
have to do some thinning on some or they get too heavy coated. I guess they take after their
Mom. My hair is very fine, I just have tons of it. I hope you get the idea of falling in-between
categories and can adjust accordingly.
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I'm mostly writing this to help the non show people who have one or two pets and just want a pretty
Yorkie. Show people are welcome to try my grooming ideas also.
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Click here the Isle of dogs web site.
http://www.iodogsga.com/

Tell Trish Cookie sent you.
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For those who absolutely have to use oil as I do on the ocasional
pup but very seldom anymore:
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I recommend a product called Pet Silk. Pet Silk is concentrated so use sparingly. It can even
be mixed with water to make it thinner. Those of you who are addicted to oil and refuse to
quit using it, might enjoy this product. You can use it on your brush to put it in the coat and never
get any on the pups' skin. If you find it's a little too heavy, just mix it with water. Remember,
never just spray it on your pup. "Spray your brush". You can Google most of these products but
if you don't see them, then find a show near you,. I get most of my products from show vendors. .

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